Ilene or Trudy?
Who did you think was better suited to Al...Ilene or Trudy? I always thought it was Ilene. They seemed to have a certain chemistry that he didn't have with Trudy. And then she just disappeared after their non-wedding day.
shareDefinitely Ilene. I agree. I think the episodes with Ilene were the best "Al" episodes. Just better chemistry, from the episode, "Games, Flames, and Automobiles", when Al invents the Tool Time board game, to the episode, "Bachelor of the Year", when Al gets a big head for being Detroit's sexiest bachelor...until Tim points out to Al that they misprinted his salary and made it bigger than it actually is. Ilene was there for Al through it all.
Other than the wedding in the finale, really the only other 2 episodes Trudy appears in are "Rebel Without Night Driving Privileges", in that awkward Tool Time segment with the rat, and "Al's Fair Lady", when she gives Al the Ferrari.
Never heard anything official about why they dropped the "Al and Ilene" angle, but guessing Sherry Hursey, the actress that played Ilene, wanted to move on to more prominent roles. Not sure it worked out, because I don't recall seeing her in anything after Home Improvement.
The episode that made me notice it was the one where Randy comes home for Christmas from Costa Rica...can't think of the name. Tim is battling with Al for the neighborhood decorating contest and Trudy is helping Al. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought she was his sister.
shareIllene was a fox.
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