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King of the Hill appreciation thread

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T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
blame space said:
that fucking post
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Yes.

When you have that many thoughts paragraphs are your friend.

Btw, I freaking loved this show.

But this type of person I'm very familiar with. Small town Kansas is no so different.
 
T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
Dude, I was REALLY bored, and I just watched that episode. I just kinda felt like doing a review of it, but I ended up mainly just talking about Hank being written really out-of-character in that one.
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Paragraphs though.

They can have importance.
 
L

Lionel Mandrake

Member
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
Okay, there is at least one episode where the character writing is glaringly not as good as in the rest of the show, and it's the episode where they take Bobby to a Texas football game, hoping to inspire a lasting love of the sport, and they end up sitting in an unused luxury box. After they discover that they are is in the luxury box of retired Nebraska quarterback Jake Middleton and with only a few seconds left on the clock, the Nebraska coach is hurt by a tackle on the sidelines; the frantic assistant coach calls Jake Middleton's luxury box to get advice on a play, the guys answer, and Hank (believed to be Middleton) is asked for a play. Up to this point, the episode is mostly fine, a decent if a bit predictable example of the episodes where Hank tries to cultivate in Bobby an admiration for something that he (Hank) loves. When he gets the call, he ends up deciding to give the Nebraska coach a bad play under the presumed authority of Jake Middleton, which ends up turning out to be a fluke stroke of genius; Nebraska beats Texas, and Hank is horrified, both at having betrayed his sports team and at Bobby's first football game turning out to be a loss for their team, which he fears will disappoint the boy and destroy his budding love for the game and push him away from the sport forever. However, I take issue with Hank giving the play in the first place; he loves his son, of course, but his rigid conformity to absurdly high societal standards of decency and ethics is part of what makes his character quite funny, for it does inspire him to action when he finds those petty annoyances and minor abuses of power in his day-to-day life. While Hank does love his son, I don't think he would do something to dishonest and unethical, for had he succeeded, he would have cheated his team to victory, the idea of which I think would repulse him. In my opinion, it makes the subsequent fluke win, as well as the careful exit amid fears of getting their asses kicked by angry Texas fans, feel quite contrived. With this one, though, I guess I can at least see some reality where Hank could perform such an unethical act, as love for our family can, in some instances, stretch the boundaries of our usual behavior. As they try to sneak away from the stadium, though, another man wearing the same sort of old-school jersey as Hank is identified as the party responsible for causing Texas to lose the game - a brief glimpse had been caught of the boys on the JumboTron - and the crowd beats the misidentified man up. I'm sorry, but I don't think there's any way that Hank allows another man to be brutally assaulted - they all actually wince at what's happening to the man being beaten up - just so he can get away unscathed; the normally-written Hank Hill simply would not behave so unethically just to get Bobby to like something, I don't think. Are there other episodes where the characters go so far beyond their usual boundaries of ethical behavior?
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The episode where it's revealed that Hank has a fear of bats seemed kind of off. I know it's a phobia, but I don't buy Hank holding the door shut while Bobby is trapped with the bat.

Also, in the first season, a lot of characters feel different. Hank seemed much more angry, intolerant, and generally redneck. Bobby was much more perplexing and less emotional. Luanne was smarter and had talents. Peggy was more reserved. Etc.
 
T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
Lionel Mandrake said:
The episode where it's revealed that Hank has a fear of bats seemed kind of off. I know it's a phobia, but I don't buy Hank holding the door shut while Bobby is trapped with the bat.

Also, in the first season, a lot of characters feel different. Hank seemed much more angry, intolerant, and generally redneck. Bobby was much more perplexing and less emotional. Luanne was smarter and had talents. Peggy was more reserved. Etc.
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I attribute that to the growing pains any new show goes through. Trying to find fitting voices and mannerisms for their characters.
 
S

Snowman Prophet of Doom

Member
Thunder Monkey said:
Paragraphs though.

They can have importance.
Click to expand...

I edited it to be more readable. Though I honestly just wasn't paying attention to the length of the post. I don't think it's poorly-written, though; I just wanted to do a summary of the plot so I could give the fully context to judge my impression of Hank's being out-of-character.
 
T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
Lionel Mandrake said:
I agree. The same was true for Futurama, The Simpsons, etc.
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Still usually when their freshest ideas take place.

After is when the more refined humor comes in. I really appreciate King of the Hill because of the fact that it never got terribly formulaic. Running gags and themes sure, but it holds up, even in the later seasons.
 
L

lush

Member
Hank yearns for normalcy, throughout the series he's constantly trying to find some way to understand and/or connect with Bobby. Be it Hank siding with Bobby when he wrestles with Connie for a spot on the team by giving, even giving him some bulletin board material before the match("Son, I know everyone's been filling your head with crazy stuff, but I just want you to know this: Connie killed your frog.") to participating with Bobby in a rose competition of all things. Hank also has shown throughout the series that he's capable of doing things you'd never expect him to do, dishonest or not, for example mooning the formal Texas governor in the elevator, or taking the last of the propane tanks and leaving his post with a bunch of angry customers inside during the Y2K episode.

But yeah, I'll agree the writing for characters can be a bit inconsistent at times. But I have no problem with that as it keeps things fresh, I'd rather the characters not be too predictable.

tl;dr - Hank can be dishonest and unethical. He also wants desperately for Bobby to be normal and he will go out of the way to make it so.
 
H

HeadlessRoland

Banned
Thunder Monkey said:
I attribute that to the growing pains any new show goes through. Trying to find fitting voices and mannerisms for their characters.
Click to expand...

Hank radically changes as a character throughout the seasons. In one of the early seasons he looks up to Willie Nelson like a god and is privileged to hang out with him. Later season Hank would have viewed him as a drug using hippie. One of the best aspects of the show is that its about the characters, they develop over time, their personalities is the basis of the show.

Every other cartoon of similar tenor is entirely situation based.

Hank yearns for normalcy, throughout the series he's constantly trying to find some way to understand and/or connect with Bobby
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Its the entire center of the show. Hank trying to relate to bobby.
 
S

Snowman Prophet of Doom

Member
I get that, but I also just found it too over-the-top and conflicting with the "upstanding citizen" part of his personality. As I said, I can sort of buy him giving Nebraska a bad play, but letting another guy get beaten up in the parking lot for him? Bit too far for me.
 
H

HeadlessRoland

Banned
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
I get that, but I also just found it too over-the-top and conflicting with the "upstanding citizen" part of his personality. As I said, I can sort of buy him giving Nebraska a bad play, but letting another guy get beaten up in the parking lot for him? Bit too far for me.
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I was agreeing just giving another example. Hank is a square but he is also Texan and an "alpha male." He will beat peoples asses and play pranks and lie (on occasion). But generally only if it involves propane,bobby or sports.

He does vary in his up-tightness but its still pretty much within the norm.
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
"polo for u polo for u polo for u" lmfao when Peggy took the spanish club to Mexico , that episode was great.

I always laugh when Hank opens the door and see Lupe eating and looks for a second then closes it.
 
lunchtoast

lunchtoast

Member
Watching the Traffic Jam episode-

"Son let me put this in terms you can understand. I am not down with that."

5izHFl.png


J9EApl.png
 
L

Lionel Mandrake

Member
Peggy's Fan Fair is on right now. It's really impressive how all of the guest stars gave great performances, and were actually written pretty well within the universe. Usually on other shows like The Simpsons of Family Guy, when there's a big guest star they sort of stick out, but everything just clicks together here.
 
D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Lionel Mandrake said:
Peggy's Fan Fair is on right now. It's really impressive how all of the guest stars gave great performances, and were actually written pretty well within the universe. Usually on other shows like The Simpsons of Family Guy, when there's a big guest star they sort of stick out, but everything just clicks together here.
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Probably my favorite guest voice was Alan Rickman in the Renaissance Festival episode. He was great in it, but what makes it stand out was the very end when he breaks into a southern accent and says "I'm gonna lose my fair..."
 
T

ThisWreckage

Banned
DrForester said:
Probably my favorite guest voice was Alan Rickman in the Renaissance Festival episode. He was great in it, but what makes it stand out was the very end when he breaks into a southern accent and says "I'm gonna lose my fair..."
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Yes, especially since it's the worst southern accent of all time. I was in stitches.
 
C

CiSTM

Banned
Hah, watched the episode where the real Rusty Shackleford comes to town demanding his identity back ;D Dale and Peggy trying to frame their suicide was best part of the episode, especially the first try with Bill's car.
 
P

Poyunch

Member
The episode where Peggy runs the cheerleader team was just on. It's one of the few episodes where Peggy isn't an unlikeable person.

Also rather than focus on the Irish stereotype, Peggy should have just done a fake boxing match or something. Gosh.
 
L

Lionel Mandrake

Member
I just realized in "The Buck Stops Here" Strickland makes a comment that he has a bastard child named "Roy or Ray or something like that". In the last season the character shows up and turns out to be named Ray Roy.
 
D

DrForester

Kills Photobucket
Lionel Mandrake said:
I just realized in "The Buck Stops Here" Strickland makes a comment that he has a bastard child named "Roy or Ray or something like that". In the last season the character shows up and turns out to be named Ray Roy.
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Watching the Cartoon Network ep right now and noticed the same thing. Was about to post.
 
L

Lionel Mandrake

Member
This episode also has Hank at his most badass. I really love that despite being a really reserved/frustrated person he will step up to protect Bobby without even thinking about it.
 
L

Lenz44

Banned
I'm enjoying one of the Christmas episodes where Bill gets the Iguana. The look on the Hill's' faces when they see the iguana for the first time or when he lets the "dead" cockroach on the table is priceless.

"I had a dream where Lenore came back and stole Lenore and they were driving away and I was yelling Leeeeeeeenoooooooore....then my teeth fell out"
 
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