The Great Escape is an episode from Season 2 of Married... with Children.
Kelly gets grounded for getting bad grades and is banned from going to a concert (where Kelly plans on having sex with the lead singer of her favorite band and suing him for child support) on the same weekend Al moves the family into the shoe store so the house can be fumigated for termites. But Kelly isn't going to let getting grounded stop her, so she plans on sneaking out.
Tropes
- Angry Guard Dog: The security dog at the mall in the after-hours is a rottweiler named "Satan".
- The Dog Bites Back: Zigzagged. Bud gets revenge on Kelly using his money to buy tickets for a concert without even getting him one (she originally was supposed to get four tickets: one for herself, one for Bud, one for Kelly's friend Mandy, and one for a girl Bud is trying to impress, but Kelly ended up getting two tickets and two backstage passes for herself and Mandy as part of her plan to have sex with the lead singer and take him to court for child support) by ratting out her poor grades to their parents so that she be grounded. And as a bonus, Bud mentions Kelly has an important math test on Monday when today is Friday. In turn, Kelly gets back at Bud by forcing him to keep quiet about her plan to sneak out or she'll reveal to Al and Peg (and the school) that Bud has been spying on couples having sex at Lover's Lane (which is bad for Bud, as the high school football team has a bounty on the Lover's Lane Peeper).
- Didn't Think This Through: Kelly aims to escape Al's shoe store and also the mall to get to the concert. However, she didn't take into account that the shopping mall's doors are heavily locked down during closing time and, even if someone were to try to break in or out, the mall would have some form of back-up security, like a guard dog.
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: The episode ends with Kelly running around the mall from Satan, the mall's guard dog that pursues any intruders.
- Hypocrite:
- Kelly chastises Bud for stealing cash out of Al's wallet. Then she takes the last of the cash herself.
- Al telling Peg that he has to be nice to the shoe store customers as part of his job. Just then, a fat, old woman comes in demanding shoes and Al snarks, "Yeah, the blacksmith's is across the street."note
- Kick the Dog: Peg mocks Al once again in comparing his failing career to the exterminator's, citing what the latter makes per job is what the former makes a year.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Kelly screwing Bud out of his rightful earnings for the concert ends with her not even being able to sneak out to go after being grounded and getting chased by the mall's Angry Guard Dog.
- Mistaken for Prostitute: Kelly by her own father. While Al wakes up to use the bathroom, Kelly is trying to sneak out but sensing Al waking up Kelly does a pose holding shoes. Al, too tired to recognize her or even remember his store doesn't have any mannequins, complains, "Damn mannequins look like hookers."
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The mall's security dog is named Satan. And he's a rottweiler, which is a dog breed known for being strong and aggressive.
- Parental Hypocrisy: As Al tries to discipline Kelly over the report card, Peg won't stay quiet about the fact Al did poorly in school himself, flunked out miserably with no diploma and works a thankless dead-end job at a shoe store (though season four's "Peggy Made a Little Lamb" reveals that Al does have a high school diploma and that Peg is the one who never graduated because she failed Home Economics).
- Right Way/Wrong Way Pair: Peg points this out between Al and the pest control exterminator as the latter graduated from high school and the former flunked out and sells shoes for a living.Peg: Kelly, you see what happens when you study? (points to Termite guy) $1750 a job! (points to Al) $1750 a year. (points to Termite guy) Yes! (points to Al) No! (points to Termite guy) Winner! (points to Al) Loser!
Al: (points to himself) Suicide. (points to Peg) Reason. - Shockingly Expensive Bill: The jerkass pest control exterminator stabs Al with a bill for $1,750 for the house's fumigation.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Kelly's attempt to sneak out of the mall after business hours fails because she failed to take into account the security measures that are implemented to keep it closed off in the after-hours like locked down doors and guard dogs.
- Tempting Fate: Early in the episode, Bud suggests for Kelly to be on her best behavior, and Kelly claims to be "untouchable" because she cleaned her room and did her chores. Bud proceeds to remind Al that his and Kelly's report cards are here, which causes Kelly to react with an Oh, Crap! expression.
- You Are Grounded!: Kelly's punishment for her lousy grades is being told to spend the weekend studying at home, especially after Bud informs Al and Peg that she has a math test on Monday.
