S3.E1

He Thought He Could

Name: He Thought He Could
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1988-11-06
Duration: 23 min
Rating: 8.3
Cast: Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal, David Garrison

Episode aired Nov 6, 1988
TV-PG
23m

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

896

YOUR RATING

Edan Gross in Married... with Children (1987)

Comedy

Al discovers a library book that was due in 1957. He must return it to the library and face up to his worst childhood fear: the librarian.Al discovers a library book that was due in 1957. He must return it to the library and face up to his worst childhood fear: the librarian.Al discovers a library book that was due in 1957. He must return it to the library and face up to his worst childhood fear: the librarian.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.3/10

896

YOUR RATING

7User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Edan Gross (young Al) previously played Carl, the kid who sat on Al's lap in season 2's Christmas episode, "You Better Watch Out".

Goofs
In the security camera footage showing Al putting the book back, pretending he found it there, his shirt and pants are not the same ones he wore the first time he went to the library. It's obvious that the camera footage was filmed later, because he's wearing the same clothes he wore the second time he went back to the library.

Quotes
Al Bundy: So you think I'm a loser? Just because I have a stinking job that I hate, a family that doesn't respect me, a whole city that curses the day I was born? Well, that may mean loser to you, but let me tell you something! Every morning when I wake up, I know it's not going to get any better until I go back to sleep again. So, I get up, have my watered-down Tang and still-frozen Pop Tart and get in my car with no upholstery, no gas and six more payments to fight traffic just for the privilege of putting cheap shoes on the cloven hooves of people like you. I'll never play football like I thought I would. I'll never know the touch of a beautiful woman. And I'll never again know the joy of driving without a bag on my head. But I'm not a loser. 'Cause, despite it all, me and every other guy who'll never be what he wanted to be are still out there being what we don't want to be, forty hours a week, for life. And the fact that I haven't put a gun in my mouth, you pudding of a woman, makes me a winner!

Soundtracks
Love and Marriage
Music and lyrics by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen

User reviews7

Featured review

I Am De Groot.

What the hell happened to the Love and Marriage theme song? This one has completely different opening music that just sounds wrong. That's not the only change that has occurred come season three: Bud is now sporting a wicked mullet!

In this first episode of the new season, Al discovers a library book that is thirty years overdue and reluctantly agrees to return it. Librarian De Groot (Lu Leonard), who remembers Al from when he was young, delights in informing him that he now owes $2163 in fines. Rather than pay, Al sneaks the book back onto the shelf and claims that he returned it years ago. Unfortunately, he is caught in the act on a surveillance camera and the footage makes the local news.

He Thought He Could is a well written, frequently funny episode that once again sees Al representing all people for whom life has consistently thrown obstacles in the way of success. De Groot considers Al a failure, but Al says that he is a winner just for surviving, thus bringing a surprising level of poignancy to the silliness.