#johnny hardwick

King of the Hill Shippuden

Season 14 uses one of my favorite tropes in media: The Time Skip. It's something I first saw properly as a kid with Dragon Ball Z, the big jump from the end of cell to the buu saga years later. I love seeing how characters have grown, slowly piecing together what happened while we were gone, seeing how they evolve at new ages and circumstances. It's always a hoot and it's something I wish Western Animation would take better use of.

Thankfully King of the Hill is both the perfect show to try this and a perfect example of how this could work. King of the Hill was always grounded, not having over the top sight gags and anything that happened had to be something the real world could pull off. Weird shit still happened: Dale bought a falcon, Bill sailed away on a balloon chair, Bill got bulked up with Macho Man Randy Savage, Dale put a puppet that frightened him into a wood chipper with three chairs and a tabogon. The show had plenty of gloriously stupid shit, mostly from Dale, but it was all grounded. The show's animation simply allowed them to make all this both extra expressive and to pull off plots a live action show either wouldn't have the budget for or wouldn't dare attempt. Getting a falcon to attack a person without hurting them is impossible but when your actor is animated, you can maul him as much as you want as many times as you want. The show proved you could be grounded while still using being animation to it's fullest.

So it made sense that with a large gap between seasons to just do away with the stasis the show had kept for it's 13 year run. While things did change and some characters did age like Luann, the show largely kept to the same core: An emotionally stunted but good hearted texas man learns to accept the modern world, usually through the lense of his vastly diffrent , slightly awkard but deeply charming and open son, wrangles his often stupid friends, has a wife with an ego the size of texas to mask her insecurity the size of the us, and sells propane and propane acessories. It kept from getting stale with small tweeks, plenty of spotlight episodes, and anything dale did, only getting stale later when the show stopped evolving for the most part. Lucky's the best part of the later seasons because he brings something entirely new to the show. Shows like Bobs Burgers and the Simpsons last as long or bounce bcak from mediocrity by finding new things to explore but king of the hill, outside of a few standouts, ended up mostly frozen in place.

So it's refreshing to see the revival do none of that. It still takes advantage of the floating timeline, moving only 8 years ahead instead of 15, but puts all the pieces back in a place that's familiar enough to still feel like king of the hill, but diffrent enough to give Season 14 a narrative drive the show just hadn't had since it's early seasons. The new status quos provide a perfect engine for new stories and to let the characters grow, while still being who we loved. Like all of us they've simply changed with the passage of time and growing with them feels right.

The show also takes advantage of this to shake up the format: The orginal show largely bounced between one big story for the whole runtime that may zig and zag into related subpltos, or a seperate a and a b story. The revival continues this but rather than use most of the B stories to follow the supporting cast, it instead largely follows Bobby as he tries to make his own way as a Chef in Dallas as well as his reunion and resulting will they or won't they with Connie, while the A-Plots largely follow Hank and Peggy in retirement: Their jobs are now gone and they have to figure out who they are now, paticuarlly hank who understandably struggles with the massive lack of structure in his life. He was a man built to work 9 to 5, who likes perdictablity and this very season applauds the cha cha slide because he likes a dance with clear instructions. He was never going to adjust to his time well. it also creates a nice parallel: Bobby's time is nothing but largely gobbled up by his job, while Hank struggles with having an open schedule.

The two aren't seperated constantly: the show still has plenty of hank and bobby plots. The two's relationship, struggles to understand each other and learning from each other, Hank opening up and Bobby taking in his dad's hard work ethic and moral center, was the heart of the show. It'd be weird to not have it and as soon as episode 2 we see a classic hank and bobby plot aged up with the beer story. Hank clashes with Bobby while home brewing as Bobby both likes more flavorful beers and has a pallete for beers running his own restraunt and the two end up competing instead. It's an idea that perfectly shows what's changed: Bobby's no longer a kid hank can just say "well i'm older so there" to. He has his own opinons and while he has his head up his ass a bit in decsrbing his credenitals, he's not wrong in both having diffrent tastes and in saying he knows more about brewing. He does and hank simply takes his experince for granted as a sign he knows better. The truth is both simply like diffrent beers and grow to realize they threw away a chance to bond to get focus grouped to death by their friends. I'm not even sure Hank ever reached the old gun flavor bill wanted, which is probably a good thing. The ep ends with the two doing what they shoudl've: sharing each others beers and while they don't LIKE them still, it shows more mutual respect.

We get two more prime Hank Bobby episodes. Bobby Gets Grilled is a mixed bag and i'll get to why later, but I do like it's core, a plot that was bound to happen ever since it was revealed Bobby's restruant used robota CHARCOL. Given Hank once made Peggy choose him or Charcol, it goes about as well as you'd think and Hank once again does a hank, knuckling down and treating it as a betryal and generally being a giant child about it. Bobby uses charcol to get the best most authentic flavor. I also adore Bobby's entirely correct breakdown that his dad loves 4 things: Him, Peggy, America and Propane and Propane would be above bobby depending on the day. It's only through dealing with modern conspiracies and actually tasting the food that it finally sinks in that Bobby really did make this choice with care, grace and because he had to.. and that also Robata mighta been done with Propane had it been an option. I mean he's still hank but it's a nice moment.

Finally we have any given hill day, the needed "Hank disapproves of Bobby's girlfriend plot" they had to get done at some point before Bobby and Connie happened. It comes from an intresting angle once again using the fact Bobby's an adult, this time with the genuine and understandable fear that his dad could die, with a customer at his restraunt dying and having most of Hank's hobbies and intrests. So with the help of his girlfriend Willow, more on that delightful scamp later, Bobby gets them tickets to Cowboy Fantasy Camp. Granted he also gets stuck with her as a third wheel, but it's clear Bobby just wants to bond with his dad but as Willow correctly points out, he really just needs to talk to him. It's understandable to us and bobby why that's hard: Hank rarely opens up and this is hard enough without talking to an emotoinal brick wall. While Bobby never talks about his fear of death, he gets to open up, with Hank expressing genuine pride in his son's hard work ethic. Granted Willow drives a slight wedge, as Hank prefers her athleticism and Bobby once again feels like he's elven again and his dad is talking about him being bad at sports. It's also nice that stuff like that from the original still bothers bobby, that some of Hank's less admirable traits left some small scars.

We get a Peggy Bobby plot too, a subplot but still a solid one: Bobby hasn't really been talking to Peggy since they got back, working hard on his career and suppressing her sheer disappointment leads to Peggy having a panic attack during an MRI and staying with Bobby. While a rousing game of pencil fight bonds them a little, Bobby is stressed out with an event. You understand him, he's behind, he's stressed out and he figures he needs to priortize work. Yet it's seeing his mom's messages that gets him to realize he can't just put work first and has to make his mom a pirority too, deciding to do a weekly menu based on her dishes as an excuse to have her visit. We also find out when he kicked in her bobby goes nuts it left some scarring. I love that gag both the doctor specfically noting it was a kick from a 12 year old and bobb'ys nervous "How did you know it was a 12 year old?". The show wisely dosen't absue call backs, this isn't happy gilmore two where there flashing back every 10 minute sto remind you of jokes that if your watching a legacy sequel to happy gilmore you DEFINTELY remember, but the ones they stick in are beautiful.

For the most part though the two sides of things remain seperate. While it would be nice to see Bobby more and given c-c-c-changes is one of the titles for season 2, he could always move back to arlen at some point, it works well to let Bobby be his own person as an adult, let him breathe and give the show some serlization in his plots while Letting Hank and Peggy's breathe on their own. So i'll be going into both sides of the coin on their own from this point. And since his side tends to be the most intresting let's start with

Bobby Hill Fucks Now

We needed to get that out of the way. It's uncomfortable for some but Bobby can get it, having a casual hookup as early as episode one, easily charming Willow after a meet cute, and Connie admitting under morphine in the final episode she wants to do weird stuff with and to him. He's 21, it's gonna happen and as a big beautiful man, I can see why he can get it. Now that's settle

Bobby Hill: Master Chef

The revival decided to make Bobby a chef, figuring that him being in showbiz might be a bit to far. They wanted something more realistic, but also wanted to show that many a 20 something now a days dosen't choose or need college, that it's valid to not go with it just as it's valid to still go as shown with Connie. It's a good moral to have and fits Bobby: he was never great with academics and every career he showed intrest in wasn't one that needed a diploma. He's exactly the kind of guy who'd just go out and learn, learning from great chefs and finding his own identity. I do wish we got more of his culinary background, how he got here to running Robata Chane and why he choose to Japanese German fusion, and i'ts something I hope gets filled in in season 2. We don't need extensive flashbacks, I'd prefer it be organic, but i'm still curious as hell to know how he's made his way and why these specific cusines to fuse besides the obvious and fantastic joke of being Axis powers in World War II.

The Chef thing dosen't come out of nowhere either: Bobby always loved food, paticuarlly fruit pies and several episodes showed he had a hidden talent for cooking. While the episode itself is a mess and makes Peggy and Hank both look horrible for diffrent reasons, Goodbye Normal Jeans showed off he had talent, Blood and Sauce showed he could improve on a centuries old recipie and the finale showed him gain a love of grilling and a talent for meat inspection. It was in small doses and easy to forget when you don't rewatch those episodes often because you don't hate yourself THAT much, but it's a perfect fit. It even feels right when he comes from a mom who loved cooking and a dad who loved grilling.

It's not the only thing he takes from his parents: While Bobby leaned a bit more towards Peggy being socially outgoing and more open to trying new things, we see more of hank now he's grown up. Bobby is a damn hard worker at his restraunt Robata Chane, best shown in "Return of the King". When he plans to bounce after work to go meet a college girl that was filirting with him he sees a pile of dishes plans to leave it for morning.. then goes back and sighs and cleans it.

He also sadly got saddled with a similar work situation to his dad: being the only one actually doing work while a Horny Idiot who treats him like crap gets all the money. In this case it's Chane Wassonasong, childhood bully turned grown ass fuckboy who spends more time at the frat than actually doing anything. It's even doubled as Chane's father Ted is a "silent Partner" code for "yell at bobby to change things but not actually do any of the work or make his son actually do anything". Their as awful as before the only change this time being voice actors. The Revival recast any POC characters who were played by a white person before, so Joseph, The Wassonasongs and Kahn all got new voice actors. I"ll get more into joseph and Kahn later, but Kenneth Choi as Ted and Ki Hong Lee as Chang get the spirit of the characters right while giving it their own flavor. It's fantastic that the king of the hill revival did this: it's not a hard decision, most long running cartoons who had this built in have fixed it and it was largely done in the first place because the series had a limited budget and voice cast, but it's nice of them to both correct it and admit they probably shoudln't of done it. I'ts also nice to see Chimney in another roll even if i'm not super stoked to see Ted again. He was already insufferable enough around Kahn, I didn't need to see him muck with bobby's life.

Yet the show does a great job just not having Bobby be Hank 2.0. That would've defeated the show entirely. His situation is similar, his work ethic is identical, but Bobby is his own man and works differently. For one thing while hank worshipped buck , badly needing a dad who wasn't AS bad as cotton a low bar Buck barely clears, and despite Buck constantly letting him down still puts him on a pedestal even in retirement, Bobby sees his bosses for what they are and sasses off to both. He's respectful when asking for stuff and dosen't push too hard, but he is justifiably annoyed at Chane for being an annoying fuckboy who only shows up when he wants to flex owning a resteraunt and Ted for being a controlling ass. It's cathartic to see Bobby not go down the same road as his dad, to stand up for himself. He knows he NEEDS rich idiot and rich asshole to get by and to make his career, but he's smart enough to not let them take full advantage of him and to have traded a healthy salary for a stake in the restraunt. It's a stressful riskier path, but it's one that will pay off way better in the long run and one that means he can't be forced out easily.

The other big difference is that Bobby socializes with his employees. Hank did a little but being stuck in his ways, felt there had to be a line. His coworkers were all cordial with each other and fairly friendly, but Hank tried to keep up a wall between them, the personal and the professional. He only really got to know Enrquie personally due to circumstance, Donna due to having to track her down and Buck because knowing what strip clubs to find him in was the only way to keep the buisness alive. Hank is awkward socially to begin with, of course he wasn't going to be friends with his workers.

In contrast while Bobby is still the boss, he is playful and fun: He sets boundaries enough, getting exaserpated with his right hand man Emilio at times and having to remind his buddy not to use his sidearm to hunt down a rat, one of my faviorite gags of the season, but he's kind, respectful and personable.

Emilio is one of my faviorite parts of the season. Anthony Campos does a wonderful job. Emilo is an older chef who works at Bobby's Sous Chef, about 30 or 40 from the looks of him. He's Bobby's sounding board for the connie side of the plot, his friend and his confidant. When Bobby is sad or distracted, Emilio is there to comfort him and give him advice. I do wish we knew more about him, but it's something the show can work on with time. He shoudln't JUST Be bobby's support, but at least has enough character to feel like a person deciding to use the summer I turned pretty as a refrence point to help Bobby flirt and being his hype man with Connie simply because he's that kinda guy.

His best moment comes from Bobby Gets Grilled. Bobby's at the end of his rope, accused of cultural apropriation and down to his last box of charchole.. and emilio helps Bobby not give into using propane, asking if it would make the food better and pointing out Bobby works hard to be authentic, to do his best with his dishes and put his soul into it. He's worked at a lot of crappy kitchens for a lot of crappy chefs.. but Bobby isn't one. It shows why this friendship works: Bobby may be younger, but emilio can easily see his boss' talent and drive outstrip his and just wants to help. What easily could've been a person of color being made a prop for a white guy, instead comes off as a genuine friendship and respect. Emilio can annoy bobby, but the two come off as close as him and Joseph.

Since that's a good a segue as any, Joseph is awesome this season. He's once again switched voice actors , this time played by Tai Leclaire. And while I hadn't heard of this guy, Tai is the best Joseph so far and hopefully will stick around for the rest of the series.

Joseph is a character I honestly did not care about before this. He had some good episodes: the peer pressure and alien ones to be specific and Brecken Meyer had some good delveries, but Joseph before Puberty was just kinda there and after how tolerable he was depended soley on what episode we were on. Teen Joseph could be annoyingly horny, accurately so but in a way that just wasn't super entertaining. He was bobby's hornier taller friend.

Here he's still that: he hits on widows while helping Bobby cater, gleefully offers himself up to Connie when he finds out she's in an open relationship (And predictably gets shot down), and calls finding Bobby's soon to be girlfriend willow curled up in their bathtub like a cat "weird yet hot", cumilating in one of my faviorite gags where he asks if a suprise connie has for bobby is THAT THANG, then upon her pointing out she can hear him asks her to "ANSWER ME".

Adult Joseph is still horny, but he's more of a loveable himbo than creepy. He's matured enough to not have that just freshly hit puberty creepiness they overplayed with him in the original run. Instead he's a loveable dumbass whose reached his destiny as Bobby's dale, not getting bobby's improv game the adulters (saying lines for a couple across the street), trying to help sabotage the competition in the beer contest, and bringing home chunks of dealy plaza for his dad to get oliver stone's dna. He's just as dumb and weird as his dad, but a big more grounded, trying to help Bobby with Connie and being his wingman. He's not nearly as good at it as Emilio, but he tries.

His best subplot is when Bobby is conned into taking an elderly horse by a used car salesman, long story that, he bonds with the horse. From telling his landlord "Well the neighbors have a dog" (YOU HAVE A HORSE!) to trying to get it as his emotoinal support animal, it's a delight as is hte ending: he bonds with it and when Bobby calls John Redcorn for help on Conni'es suggestion (She still carries the braincell for the trio most of the time), John sees how much his son loves the horse and offers to board it as long as they visit. Bobby bows out subtly giving the father son duo some time together. Joseph is peak here: he's stupid and a tad obnoxious, but just enough of both to be a lot of fun. He also eats a sushi burito at one point, something I had once on vacation and badly want again.

Finally we have Connie. Connie is the center of Bobby's subplot and Lauren Tom does an excellent job aging her up: Adult Connie is even more confident, is upfront and personable, working a double major and generally happy to see Bobby. The chemistry between the two is electric and the show makes it obvious where this is gonna end. Getting them back together was something I figured the show might do, and something I was on board with: While the original show ended their relationship in a thoughtful intresting way and had the two go back to being amicable exes apart from that one cupid incident we all cringe at when it comes up, it also pushed Connie side after. While i'd be fine with her just being Bobby's friend again to get her back, enough time had passed and enough had changed for them getting back together to make sense.

Unfortunatley we have to go through a whole ass Rom Com to get there. One of the weaker parts of the season is that whlie Connie and Bobby meet up and have chemistry again, and Bobby's once again smitten.. it takes till episode 8 for it to be implied to finally happpen again and till the finale for the two to formally be dating again. You've got the douchey more attractive rival, the false lead for our hero, the misunderstanding when Connie basically confesses in a note that end sup at the wrong apartment, the douche proving to be a douche and Bobby comforting Connie after. It's predictable as hell even without the leaks and makes parts of this tedious to get through

The biggest albatross is Chane and Conni'es relationship with him. Her hooking up with him NOW after not being into him before makes sense; Their older, he has abs, she just wants to keep it casual tha'ts fine. Where it gets messy is the show using Ethical Non Monogamy for it. It's a good idea in concept: An open an dhonest relationship where they can sleep with whoever as long as they get the okay so feelings don't get hurt. Connie approved an entire sorority for this, but it seems fine. The problem is they treat this like a passing phase: that what Connie's doing isn't healthy and her actual destiny is bobby. Her dating CHANE isn't healthy because he sucks, that's fine, but it's also fine to have an open sexual relationship. There realyl seems to be nothing wrong with ENm and while they dont' demonize it, Chane trying to use it to get out of actually beign there emtoinally is treated entirely as him being a weasely dick, it does feel like it's written by people who don't quite get polamory or don't understand iit's just as valid as anything else. The arragement was fine, you can have a committed relationship and fuck other people, Chane was just a bad person and the relationship goes on longer than it needs to, though it's very refreshing Connie is the one to call it off. It's also protrayed a bit inconsitantly: Connie worries about it in one episode and then is fine he' s a fuckboy in another.

Connie can be written a bit inconsitantly, with it vauge if she knew Bobby was into her again or not and generally being whatever the plots need: she dosen't know for most of the season, then apparently does by the time he finds someone else. She's attracted to him. .yet brings her friend to hook up with him. It's just .. hard to peg how she feels about him till the last few episodes and it shoudln't be this hard. I get serilzation this much is new for king of the hill but it's not THAT hard.

That said while the plot can be frustrating Adult Connie is an enjoyable character: she slips back into her old friendship well, ribbing bobby, being annoyed with Joseph and being a good friend and trying to hide her attraction to Bobby. She genuinely appreciates him and after how margnilzed she got in the later seasons of the original run it's nice to have her back to main character status.

She also DOES get a plot outside of bobby. He's still there catering her parents sham 40th anniversary, but we see how said sham affects her: She's annoyed her parents are not only trying to push her and Chane together, but he's playing traditional boyfriend to please his parents. She claps back at minh, something DAMN satisfying after all the meddling both her parents did in the og: when Minh points out she got married at 21 despite Connie not being ready just yet, Connie tells her "Maybe I don't want to end up like you"

It's refreshing to see her not have to take her parents shit.. and heartbreaking to see the divorce really bothering her. The scene with her and peggy is nice, with Peggy reminding her her parents did at least raise a good kid. And the end of it with Bobby coming to comfort her and her asking for a hug.. damn sweet

The show then.. skips a page, as by next time we see the two together their on their first date. I'm willing to overlook it as they clearly both wanted to get to the good stuff and only had a handful of episodes to work with. While most of the pacing in this arc is not great, I get it here and it makes total sense they just.. jumped into it now thier both single and ready for this again.

It helps their plot in the finale both feels like an actual season finale unlike the a plot, and is cute as hell. The two struggle to reconnect as adults in a belivible way: both bank on their shared history rather than try to get to know each other now: Bobby books them for a string concert not knowing she quit the violin, and given she never seemd to really enjoy it outside of bluegrass.. good, while Connie takes them to a childrens jump place and gets horribly injured.

The ending talk is both sweet.. and one of the funniest things in the entire season as Connie is high on morphine from dislocating her shoulder so between genuinely good emotional beats, we get Connie crying because she thinks Bobby is going to break up with her "While i'm in the hospital, DYING!", patting his belly, telling him to get in bed as she wants to do weird stuff with and to him, and asking the nurse for another round of morphine. it's all gold and shows Lauren tom at the top of her game

It's also sweet as Bobby isn't breaking up.. he just wants to be honest and wants to be sure she wants who he is NOW and not the husky 12 year old he was. Connie assures him she loves both: she likes Bobby now for knowing what he wants and going for it, having a career while she's not sure where here's is going to be and the two simply cuddle over pudding while talking about stuff and possibly going to korea. I mean Connie was pretty high but it would make a good trip sometime. The connie subplot can be deeply frustrating, but it ends in a good place and means Connie gets to be less of a distant crush next season and more of herself. Her horny, hilaroius, slightly insecure new self.

While the Romance arc has it's down one of it's biggest up is Bobby's two episode girlfriend Willow. Willow is a treat, making the most of her two apperances and being hilaroius, endearing and suprisingly fleshed out for such a short lineup. Willow, played Allegra Edwards, is a vegan who like Bobby skipped college to make her own way, collecting art and stealing his grease. What I like is while there's of course jokes about Hank not being remotely comfortable around a vegan, calling it not a lifestyle but weird and insulting it at every turn, Willow herself isn't treated as weird just for being vegan. She's weird sure, but that's a her thing. The only people who mock it are Hank and Peggy who aren't exactly good bastions of tolerance for this sort of thing and Peggy at least TRIES to be acomidating.

Instead while sh'es weird and new agey that's her: she's honest, helpful, suggesting Bobby put his personal history with his dad in his reality show audition and just talk to hank like the grown man he is. She has quirks, she sleeps in the boys bathtub like a cat and isn't that fond of ENM, but she's an honest kind young woman. She clashes with hank largely because he's hank and because she does feed him vegan lasanga like a baby against his will. She simply has no boundries and as open as bobby is that ends up ending things: she won't leave him alone and they just don't quite fit. And he fully admits he's also still in love with Connie, and rightfully breaks it up as soon as he's cognisant of that.

And okay to stop dancing around it she also shits on Dallas Cowboy owners Jerry Jones desk. She turns out to be a big fan of football.. and resentful her dad got fired by Jones, something Hank relates to. Not so much shitting on his desk. look it may say things about me that that wouldn't be a dealbreaker. I'm not into that sort of thing, but a woman who would do that does things for me, ngl. But I also get that being a dealbreaker for Bobby

That said whlie she could easily never show up again I REALLY want to see Willow again next season. Obviously she and Bobby are done after shitondeskgate , but I could see her being a friends with her exes type especailly since the relationship was maybe a week or two at most. If that wouldn't work there's the obvious way back in: Joseph. He's dumb, he's horny and he honestly fits her vibe and lack of impulse control more than Bobby did. And seeing Joseph in a proper relationship would be hilaroius. I doubt Dale would be that more recpetive to the vegan thing but his freaked out would be diffrent and more assuming she's an alien or a reptilian or a clone or something or that vegans are an advanced invasion force from an alternate dystopian future.

Bobby's sections tend to be the highlight of the series, having him still have his own flaws, but be a rich full adult, diffrent.. but still the same person we knew, with Pamela Adlon wisely kept on for it. While i've seen some complaints about the voice personally I love it, it's still recognizably bobby, but a tad gruffer. It sounds like an adult man's voice and it works.

Too Much Time on Hank's Hands

While Bobby gets a large share of the season's focus, the series dosen't forget who brought em to the dance. Hank may be sharing the lead role, but he's still the focus of the series and they found an engaging way to bring him back: Hank HIll is now retired.

How he got to retirment was also a neat way to keep him as Mike Judge puts it "in a mayberry freezer", keeping him away from the seismic cultural shifts that happened since the end of the original series for the most part. That should've been impossible, but the series texas roots gave them an out: Having hank spend the bulk of the timeskip in saudi arabia to a general initial reaction of ...

Which.. is fair. It's a sizeable swing and one that without context sounds like the show jumped the shark on the way back.

Thankfully Mike Judge and Greg Daniels know what their doing, and based it on real life: A lot of propane people DO go to Saudi Arabia to work for their national company Saudi ARAMCO, to get experince since ARAMCO is the world's number one propane suplier. Jury's out on propane accessories.

On top of that american ARAMCO employees live in on a base that's a white picket subrbia, an idealized aproximation of america built back when the two companies were jointly owned by the us and kept to this day. The laws of the country still exist, but a lot of american staples like picnics, sports and movie nights all still thrive. As Hank puts it "It's what I imagine the 50's were like". It's the perfect place to stick hank and peggy: Hank is essentially in his version of heaven, the only thing missing being it's not texas, and Peggy gets to learn another language that only she thinks she's good at. I paticuarlly love the runnder of her prouncing it as Saud-I Arabia. So good. Gets me every time.

So Hank was stashed away with a solid reason to leave: retirement. Let's face it given Strickland's cash box is an old man's play ground, Hank was never going to be able to retire. It once again perfectly fits he'd have to go elsewhere. The only issue I have is we never hear hank talk about that: how he had to give up Strickland for a dream job selling Saudi Propane and Propane accessories. Buck shows up in the finale.. but it's in a way that's no diffrent from the original series. The only diffrence is buck's retired and it feels weird Hank wouldn't bring it up to apologize having to leave even if he's already done so a dozen times i'm sure and will again.

While the Revivial has a lot going for it, it does have the weakness of not getting to EVERYTHING it needed to cover. It might simply be they didn't have the time, ten episodes is short and the older writers are likely still adjusting to that. It's probably why the bobby plot ended up compressed. But it's still weird to not hear Hank ever mention strickland propane outside of buck, to never find out where Luanne and Lucky are and to never meet Boomhauer's new girlfriend. More on that later but it does annoy me a few mysteries are simply left sitting there. Part of the fun of a time skip is figuring out where everything fits. Why bring Buck Back for a very minor role if your not going to explain one of the bigger questions of the series.

While the Luanne thing is mildly annoying to not answer, i'm a bit easier on it as it's hard to just put that in a throaway line and make it feel natural. As for writing them out.. that I fully support. I miss Luanne and Lucky, dearly but I get not replacing their voice actors. Yes Dale got a replacement but that's a special case: Johnny Hardwick died mid production, after they'd already written the show to have Dale in it and likely already written the first two seasons of this revival. Likewise Johnathan Joss' tragic murder happened months ago, with season 14 likely already finished, so he may be recast for season 15 if it's far in enough. With Luanne and Lucky, they could plan ahead for it and write them out entirely and figure out where exactly they went later. I DO want to see Gracie, have her visit her grampy hank and grammy peggy, and it'd be a way to have her come back. They even have Grey Delisle as part of the main cast doing odd job voices, so they have a va experinced in voicing kids that would be perfect for the role. But I get not trying to replace someone close to them who died tragically young years ago or writing in say Luanne died. It's the same if they don't kill off dale or john redcorn: they already lost the real person, it was rough, and especially with Jonathan Joss dying so horrifically. Sometimes writing in the death helps with the grief, sometimes it rips the wound right open. Whatever they choose to do I respect it and I already love the memorials they've done.

So back on track, even with the unanswered question the setup works, plopping Hank and Peggy into a strange new world they don't quite understand, even moreso than before. This has caused some contention as on both bluesky and this very site i've seen plenty of reactions that chalk up Hank's complaning to the writer's boomer complaning.

I don't agre but I do get why some viewers would be wary of that: At the start of the series Hank was a nuanced character: he complained about modern stuff, but often wasn't mean to be right even if he had a point, doing stuff such as telling bobby Weird Al was dead, the bastard, or that soccer was invented to give house wives something to do. Hank had a narrow world view, but wasn't intentionally racist (His early interactions with Kahn are pretty fucked up though), grew out of being homophobic as the show went on, and had a strong work ethic, a moral center an da love of his family that while hard for him to express, was never in doubt. He was a nuanced character who like anyone could be right sometimes, wrong others, and had to branch out of his narrow view to see a wider world.

The problem was as the show went on it just started blindly agreeing with hank on stupid shit that presumibly annoyed the writers: While he had a point about freak dancing in get your freak off, he took it way too far and stripped bobby's room bare yet is somehow never called out on it. He gets away clean with telling his wife to choose him or charcol. There were some episdoes like the grassfed cattle episode that had the old hank, but he got buried in a sea of Boomer Complaints with no nuance.

Thankfully the revival pivots hank back to his classic characterization: he can be hilariously wrong, deeply confused ("Are we all gender?") , pissed at minor shit or even throw a tantrum. Again he gets mad his adult son didn't choose to use propane and lied about it.. then throws a fit and has to be gently prodded into actually trying the food. It works because he does learn and get his head out of his ass. Hank complains about Willow being vegan, calls solar panels a weird religion, praises objectively terrible presidents Bush and Regan and liked the fact Saudi Arabian women were more covered up. But the narrative dosen't expilcity agree with any of this. It's just Hank being hank. It dosen't make it great, but it's more for laughs than to try and say "SEE SEE KIDS TODAY SUCK".

There's an ocasional bad take sure like what they seem to think about ethical non monogamy, but like the original more oftne than not the takes are geninely ballanced and character based. Hank as always does change in ways: he accepts his son likes fruity beer and knows his stuff about brewing, that Bobby cooking with charcol isn't to spite him or be trendy like he jackassedly assumed, but simply Bobby having integrity and wanting his food to be the best it can be. Of all things he's become a Soccer fan, something that fits: he saw a game in Saudi Arabia , probably at a higher level than here, and once he actually tried it instead of just making jokes about it he liked it and it's intricate rules and deep gameplay make perfect sense for Hank. It's adorable to see him be a ref, find something he's pastionate about, and have some good old fashioned roleplay with Peggy. It's nice to see them have a healthy sex life and a reminder of how strong their marriage is.

Hank is who he's always been: an autistic man who dosen't know he is. I only found out about the theory hank was autistic a few months back but it makes perfect sense and the revival only backs it up. He has trouble with social cues, craves structure, hyperfixates on very specific things (Grilling, beer, his lawn, and of course his lord and savior propane). But he's set in his ways but can change for the better and has. He has issues, and the series at it's best adresses them and calls him out when his head gets too far up his narrow pasty ass, but he's a good man. He's always been nuanced: stupid one minute, entirely wise and someone to look up to the next. He's a person. It's one of the series strength: when written right the bulk of characters are fairly realistic people who can do stupid or henious shit, but have some depth. No one is perfect and Hank hill sure as hell isn't but in a time when the right as it is now are screaming jackasses it's nice to get a hero back who shows you can be conservative and not be a narrow minded hateful prick.

So speking of Hank's autisim like I said it comes off stronger this season and that's due to the main conflict, the one that drives most of the plots and gives them some sauce. Hank and Peggy are now retired. It's what the time in Saudi Arabia was for, and their now comfortable. Not wealthy but still safe enough to not have to work anymore. I assume they ended up not doing the trip around the states partly because the world changed and largely because they already did a big out of texas advventure going to Saudi Arabia, they probably just wanted to relax at home.

This is the perfect thing to plop hank into. Hank is a man defined by a hard work ethic he passed onto his son, a man who likes structure: again it's why the autisim flares up: while I can deal without structure, I can also spiral without it and often do better with at least something of a routine, maybe going to the living room to watch tv or read at least once a day. Structure is something Hank adores.. and it's just gone. There's nothing to rage against no way to EASILY solve it: Hank now has all the time in the world and dosen't know how to fill it.

So the episodes have fun dealing with that: he spends the early days repairing everything in the house, gets into home brewing because it's a perfect hobby that combines a love of detail and hard work with a love of propane, bugs boomhauer to get out of the house and takes up Reffing because h'es needed and genuinely loves it. Even if Boomhauer proved more popular with a last minute save I do hope Hank get sto ref again as it was cute. Hank gets put through the "gets a job plots' usually reserved for Peggy or new hobbies for Bobby because he now has time for those. Mowing his lawn, drinkin gbeer in the alley, all his old hobbies are mostly there (Sadly taking care of his doggy isn't one. RIP ladybird and I feel that horrifying void you get when your close pet dies. I really do), but their just not enough. He likes feeling useful and just isn't anymore, opening up to peggy angrily that he feels lost and only feeling les lost when she admits that she also feels that. She's not taking it as bad, Peggy is far better at just sitting down for a bit and relaxing, but Peggy also misses having something to do and unlike hank a lot of her old pasttimes are gone: She's no longer a realtor, she can't send musings to the penny saver when it dosen't exist (and refuses to blog), , and I assume the arlen bystander is long dead. Her attempt to get an education positoin fails and she sprials slightly till bill's eulogy perks her up. That will make sense later but will be no less batshit insane.

Peggy and Hank are what happen when you had a job you genuinely loved and would never give up.. that you give up due to the passage of time. Both deserve a retirement but it shows the real struggle to fill that time, to ask what's next for your life and even by the end theirs no clear answer. You can't solve life or have it all answered you just have to live it and find fufillment where you can and hank does wether it's reffing, investing, or more often than not with the parenter he's had for a glorious 29 years. If any season shows how strong Hank and Peggy are it's this one: they fight once or twice, but its clear they have a deep love for each other and compliment each other perfectly: Hank helps peggy down from her ego and Peggy helps hank out of his ass. It's a good relationship.

Peggy admitely dosen't get as much to do as Hank this season. She's an important sounding board for him, but gets less plots just to herself as she used to. This makes sense as Hank's doing the "blank gets a job" plots she used to do, and frankly got a bit played out by the end, and subplots, which could usually squeeze her into an episode, are all given over to bobby. She plays an important role in some eps like New Ref In Town and Peggy's Fadeout but in both she's support. She only gets a Sounder INvestment to really focus on her and it's another "blank gets a job plot" that feels like it was plucked out of the last few thorughly mediocre seasons of the show. She gets enough moments to compensate, but I hope she gets an episode or two just abou ther.

She does get two subplots. The one just about her in "Any Given Hill Day" is mid as hell. She has the bright idea to do a lending library to bring the street together, it ends up having bed bugs and peggy gets punished for at worst throwing Nancy's phone on the ground. Which is a dick move, but for once Peggy did nothing else wrong and did buy Nancy a new phone for he stupid kneejerk reaction. She's being anti screen, but in a way that has a point, with Nancy not even answering the door herself anymore like dale. It ending in a book burning is objectively funny at least

She gets a better plot with the Bobby one I mentioned, with her panic attacks being startlingly real. I also like that as you'd expect she tries to deny them, feeling it's a sign of weakness.. but when the second hits she pivots and instead shouts "Of course I had a panic attack!" and screams for Xanax. God I missed you Kathy Njamy. It's like she never left. It has her feel disconnected from her son and Bobby raelize that while yes he's busy as hell.. he should make time for Peggy and that Peggy isn't being her usual overbearing self. Wanting Bobby to drive her home and not joseph so she can spend time with him isn't selfish. He's busy, and it's understandable, but she got hurt and needs her boy and he comes to know that. And that he apparently left some brusing when he "that's my pursed!" her. I mean it's not great but Bobby at least has the honor of being the only person to actually injure Peggy. He lost the fight but every other opponent wisely cowers in fear. The only one who didn't got a well deserved kick to the stomach. Ho Yeah!

So Hank and Peggy are doing okay and have more miles to go on their journey into the rest of their lives. How's everyone else on Rainey Street doing?

Here and There Honestly

Let's get the big one out of the way: Dale. Johnny Hardwick sadly passed during production, and while he recorded a decent amount his episodes still go back and forth between him and Toby Huss as it's likely he hadn't recorded every line for the episodes. It's a gutting loss, and the show does it' sbest to carry on.

There are some growing panes. Toby Huss does a decent job, it took me till Johnny's voice lines ran out to finally tell the diffrence between the two. He is way more shouty as dale, lacking the deadpan delivery aspect some of the time. Sometimes it' works sometimes it gets a bit grating. I'm willing to role with it as while far from perfect Toby is a talented voice actor that was given a hell of a bad hand: not only did he have to fill in for one of the greatest va's on the show, a guy who defined dale as a writer and performer and essentially WAS Dale in real life, he has to do so for scripts already written for Johnny. I imagine with Season 15 they have more time to tweak the finished scripts to fit Toby's delivery more, let him breathe or improvise. With most of this season Toby has to either match the delivery best he can or do his best to write lines written for him. It's a hard as hell job and the fact he pulled it off as well as he did says a lot. It's far from perfect, but we've got at least one more season and given how hot this revival seems to be doing and Disney+'s planned merger with Hulu next year that could use KOTH as a big ticket item, I expect more. I'm not going to be hard on someone who lost a close friend and has to do his best to immitate him. I'm only going to wish Toby the best and hope his performance does improve and has the time to go from decent to amazing.

It's not helped by the fact that Dale's writing is spotty. There's only such either man could do with the material. Dale is my faviorite character and we do thankfully get some classic Dale. The entire bit about his Mayoral run is nothing but bangers: him spying on Hank from a trash can, having run on a no masks at all mandate (including catcher, gas and halloween), the dynamite photo of him looking scared as hell nad of course resining after 36 hours because he dosen't think ANY election could be run right. I also like Brian, more on him in a moment, commenting he voted for Dale because he was the devil he know "His chokeholds are weak".

His best episodes are "The Beer Story" and the subplot of "Peggy's Fadeout". For the former Dale as usualy plans to sabotage the competttiion for the beer contest.. even if said competttion is a young man he knew as a child and his own son. I also like his suprised "You want me to kill Bobby?". even he wouldn't go THAT FAR. Probably.

The highlight though is both him and Joseph staking out a judge, Dale being suprised to find his son giving out his first unique startled grunt and then having a smoke, being proud of how well his son sifted through the trash. While their trying to sabotage each other, it's geninely cute to see the two bond and having both grown into paranoid cowardly weirdos.

Peggy's Fadeout gives us a proper dale plot. We do get a dalecentric a plot with "New Ref in Town" and a B-plot in "Bobby Gets Grilled", but Peggy's Fadeout has Dale doing what he best; getting into a stupid shenanigan and dicking around for most of an episode. It's why this one easily sits just bellow all timers like the suit of armor or falcon: it's not there YET but it's still pure uncut gribble and the jokes flow fast.

For this one Bobby has a rat problem and since his extermination budget was cut, Bobby has only one option he can possibly afford; Dale who offers it gratis.. then reveals he meant iwth a discount and realizes why he didn't get paid in the last few months. Having Bobby hire Dale was one of the most obvious and brilliant ideas the revival could've done and it's fun to see Bobby thrust into the role of idiot sitter.

The most fun though is just seing dale be dale. He sets up a camera for his patreon, the most dale thing I can imagine. And as someone who has his own patreon that could use a subscriber or two I get it. He breaks the celing because of course he does. And his strategy both times is "relase ANOTHER rat." the first is a protype for a cyborg rat, having both a little wif fi band around him and bombs and his propsed sequel idea is the glorious stupidity that is SEXY RAT. His plan is to unleash SEXY RAT, have her seduce them, then lure them out. Bobby's deadpan firing of dale after this is beautiful.. and it gets doubly great as it turns out this somehow works. The rats all fuck enough in an orgy to let emilo catch them and Dale gives bobby a celing your welcome. This subplot is beautiful.

His other plots are a bit more mixed and show off the writing issue: Dale is coming back into a world of conspiracies, so Dale's conspiracy theroist side is played up but it's largely more realistic theroies. His schitck is at it's funniest when it feels more like the dale of yesteryear: still perfectly holding court with other weridos but having his own conspieracies. His best lines come from tasting possum urine, plugging his substack to a bunch of other conspiracy nuts, admitting he masturbated to the zapruder footage and backing his idea for an uber for dogs where the dogs would drive. The series falters a bit when it tries to ground dale, letting him hold court iwth others or kidnap hank as a sleeper agent. The later has SOME good jokes like John Redcorn being the only person in the trusted collumn on his murder board and having tested his truth serum on bill, but it leans a bit too hard into the open faced screamy paranoia of our times. I'm fine with Dale being updated, again his best jokes are about patreon and substack, but he needs more substance. We don't seen enough of him as a dad or his genine friendship with people. This revival NEEDS a proper dale spotlight episode to remind us why he's the best. He's not horrible, he's dale he's always going to be fun, but they need to give him the nuance and subtly back. Also bring back octavio. He'll need a recast but Danny Trejo should be avaliable to take over for Mike Judge.

Onto Bill, who comes into the revival pretty much where we left him: Depressed, desperate, and a mild stakler. The only diffrence is he's been in a depression coma not leaving his room, been there, and finished netflix "Do you know when you finish netflix they give you something called a wellness check?" Also given it was on it by the time this episode aired, this means Bill watched every season of jojo's bizzare adventure. It's a weird fact and I don't quite know what he thought about it, but it's a fact I will treasure. It makes sense that both Bill would spiral and that Dale, Boomhauer and Brian wouldn't really do anything to actually help him. Mostly Dale, but Boomhauer has been pretty passive when Bill's spiraling and Brian seems to mostly just role with the weird shit he inherited when he rented hanks house. Thankfully Hank dosen't have to get a wench as some good old bbq rouses Bill from his bed. Pantsless but by the next episode BIll is just older and a few pounds heavier and has shaved his beard and sold off the spruce moose.

Shut in phase aside Bill really is just Bill again. Thankfully Stephen Root is as funny as ever and we get an all time joke in him wanting "More old gun flavor" from Hank's beer.. then it being revealed he jammed a gun in his mouth at one point "Tasted like I thought it would". This might be the darkest joke the show's done since Peggy refuted Luann's fiance being in a better place with "Honey he's sausage", but it works due to Bill bringing it up in the first place and it being vauge if he did so for the horrifying option we're all thinking.. or because he genuinely wondered how a gun tasted. The world will never know. I also like his abrubt shut up dale when Dale, rankled Peggy's in the ally has a vote for her to "remain inside with the shades drawn". Root just nails it and Bill's creepness is dialed back.. a little. I mean he's still creepy, he hits on Didi and offers to send her his resume and asks Kahn if it's okay to take a pass at MInh after their divorce, but it's more back to bumbling and desperate.

Bill only dips into "Okay hank maybe break off your friendship and kick his ass while your at it" in one episode, and it's thankfully one of the funniest of the season. So bill has been talking about friends he had, who Dale naturally assumes are imaginary and Boomhauer, as always with billl, can't give enough of a shit to see if Dale isn't right. Dale is most irate because he can't live in a world where Bill has more friends than him.

So Hank follows him. Thankfully it turns out Bill really does have friends, having worked at a black barbershop for a while on Brian's suggestion. I do love how Bill is more touched than genuinely upset that Hank thought he had lost his mind, and it's clear while bill can be frustrating, Hank is probably one of the only friends he has that actually gives a shit. Dale and Boomhauer thought Bill had been imagning friends for years.. and just.. did nothing. Bill spiraled into never leaving the house or wearing pants and they just let that carry on. Hank is back in arlen for a few days and Bill comes out of the house. Granted Brian knew these people were real, but I completely understand convicing dale of anything is an uphill battle that just isn't worth it, let alone that Bill really does have friends.

The problem is to build up his confidence bill.. basically pretended to be hank and that hank was him. This is an old sitcom lie that's been done a lot and reading the blurb for this on Hulu really didn't jazz me up. Thankfully while the premise is nothing new, the jokes they tell with it work very well. Hank is understandably pissed that rather than be vunerable, Bill lied about being married to his wife, photoshoped her head on a model and probably did stuff to himself while looking at it which somehow is close to breaking the adultry comandment for hank just thinking about it. It's a bad enough offense to get Hank's first ass kicking threat of the revival, impressive they waited 6 episodes and they only use it twice: here and with an investor on Zoom. I also love that Bill responds the love of a good woman has strengthend him only for an exasperated Hank to shout "Your not married to peggy!". I also love that Peggy while horrified, just casually asks if Hank threatned to kick his ass and ALMOST goes with it till realizing "Nope this is going to end up with me locked in Bill's basement"

Bill naturally resolves it in the most fucked up way possible: claming Peggy's dead and holding a fake memorial and only dosen't get called out because his eulogy gives Peggy her confidence back. I mean it is VERY fucked up Bill gets away with all this, but you get the sense he was geninely mourning the fake life he never got.. that and being Bill Dautrive is punishment enough. I worry about ending up like bill as i'm fat, balding and lonely. Then I realize I haven't offered to "Send my resume" to a woman and know how to talk to them now even if I messed up a bit, so I have that if nothing else.

Boomhauer is the one whose status quo changed the most. It only inched a bit: he's in the same house, he's retired but given his job was hidden till the finale and when revealed made no sense it changes nothing, and he still talks like you expect even getting to say sheeeeeiiiittt in the finale. But instead of trying to bang everyone like the original series, Boomhauer's settle down with a mystery girlfriend we only see in the intro for five minutes. It's a nice change and i'm happy for him.

The real focus of this shake up is his step son Luke Junior, a nervous little kid who fills the awkward kid void and is kinda just ther eonly getting a subplot about drinking non alcholic beer. I do love the resolution, Boomhauer realizing that isn't healthy and LJ admitting he just wanted to be cool like his father figure.

While Boomhauer's dang ole the same man, he does get used a lot more this season. Boomhauer's always been a main character but barely got any episodes or focus in the original run. That mostly holds true here, only getting a subplot, but he plays a major role in at least three episodes, is the first to greet hank on his return (With a heartfelt hug Hank dosen't know how to react to). Hank invites himself along on Boomhauer's handman work, Boomhauer is the main force behind the pig extermination buisness the guys and peggy start in the finale, and his reffing soccer for his son kicks off Hank's referee career and raps it up. It feels like Season 14 is going out of it's way to use him more, and I approve. He was consitently entertaining in the original and this just cements it. Plus we get to see him in a sports jacket doing a buisness pitch.

That brings us to Kahn and Minh, and both are underutlized this season. Minh only appears in four episodes and two of those apperances are for small jokes, only playing a role in the Peggy book bed bug subplot and her and Kahn's divorce spotlight Kahncious Uncoupling. Kahn gets it worse with said subplot being his ONLY apperance all season. Part of it is likely the smaller episode count and Lauren Tom still gets plenty of work as connie, and the fact Peggy has less plots and Kahn only has one means theirs less room: Like Bobby Connie is now off on her own. I get not crowbarring the two into plots, but given how entertaining they were, it is a little disapointing they only get one spotlight.

Thankfully that one episode is REALLY good and i'll be honest; I LIKE Ronnie Chieng as Kahn. Before watching the ep word of mouth was that he was really bad in the role... but honestly? He's fine. He's a little awkward, but still does a good job giving his own vibe to Kahn while matching Toby Huss' performance. The bit with the geckos mocking him by humping on his pillow or his dramatically shutting the garage to confirm his divorce to hank were gold and his breakdown at the end was well done, genuinely sobbing as he's lost his community and his marriage is truly over. He's not perfect, but he helps move Kahn past the iffier parts of the character ,his take sounding less sterotypical but still like someone whose english isn't perfect and still matches Kahn's arrogance.

The divorce works. The two had a happy marriage but 8 years have passed. I wish we got more of WHY it fell apart, but unlike other unrevealed things, it's something we can get later. Hank is the one to find out, and Hank isn't a guy to dig. He's not comfortable having to keep the secret for them in the first place, only doing so because their getting ostracized could hurt Connie and only teling Peggy because she's mad Hank wouldn't tell a white lie for her. And to Peggy's credit as understandably pissed as she is at the "couple" and as much as their act gets under her skin, she only nearly pops when they insult bobby. Kahn has the usual right mix of sympathetic, as the divorce is rough on him and he had to live in his garage for two years, and still punchable enough to not feel bad when Bobby accidently outs it. It does the thing the original series did well wit Kahn :He's a very punchable man and often the antagonist, but he's not a truly dogshit person and is just as often piitable. It's genuinely sweet when Hank rolls him a beer even after he shuts the garage door in the guys faces despite offering him support. Though given Dale and Hank both lead to his divorce getting outed, understnadable. Hank told peggy who got him to tell bobby and dale is a moron.

As for Minh we don't get a lot, but Lauren tom does a good job as does the animation. When she tries to pressure Connie, Connies clapback I mentioned utterly floors her and i'ts clear she has no response to it: Connie is right and is not handeling the divorce well. She breaks a bit after it's outed, with it finally being real , only getting some comfort from peggy and held by bobby. But it's an event that even if Kahn brought it on himself a little... has no joy to it. Minh's depressed defeated acknoldgment of the divorce is heartbreaking. It's not some grand event and even if they were assholes.. it's still two people breaking up who were together 27 years and only lied because they feared , rightfully it turns out, their divorce would splash onto their daughter, and Ted being a dick about it just.. isn't remotely fair. In character but not fair. Kahn warshiped the man and he just tosses him and his daughter aside the second their "tainted". It's a gutting well done episode and I hope we still see Kahn post divorce. I can't imagine time has made him any more mature about Connie dating Bobby, espcially now their defintely fucking. I mean he wasn't happy when they just kised on occasoin he's going to fucking die from that. Which might be merciful.

Finally we have a new addition to the gang: Brian Robertson played by THE ONE, THE ONLY, THE INCOMPRABLE

KEITH MOTHERFUCKING DAVID

Keith David is great in anything. Finding out he was going to be playing Hank's mystery renter from the intro was joyous and i'm delighted that despite my expectations he remains a recurring character. He isn't around all the time, he moves out of Rainey Street after the premier and honestly I hope he and his family move back in , in another house at some point. He's a nice contrast being a bit more level headed than the guys, hank included, but still willing to go with thier nonsense. He's also apparently friends with Kahn, doing the music for his sham anniversary party. Getting to hear Keith David is always a treat and it should be in his contract from here on out he gets to. Hearing him sing precious and few is truly the nectar of the gods. I also really want to see how he interacts with Kahn as I don't get the sense from how Kahn DIDN'T complain about having to hire him that he dosen't hate Brian as much as the others. Which.. fair. How can you not be friends with Keith David. I'd love for Brian to get an episode to flesh him out a bit more. We don't get enough of him yet but we've got time and the prospect of a season 16 and a season 17 (As Hulu/Disney+ would likely renew the show for two seasons same as futurama) is highly likely. You just.. can't keep Keith David on the side forever. You can't. Would I be as excited about Brian if it wasn't Keith David? no not at all. But it's Keith David a tlong last in king of the hill. I am content for now.

I almost forgot one last important piece of the cast: Nancy. Nancy as always is an entertaining contrast to Peggy, having started up a real estate youtube with John Redcorn. It's also sadly implied they MIGHT be fucking again, but the jokes with the two are actually funnier having kept it vauge. It' sjust as likely at this point they aren't fucking but can't hang out without having that vibe after a decades and a half affair. I do hope we get a nancy dale story as those were some great times in the og. For now she's a fun side dish and I love her threatning to kill peggy in her sleep if sh etries to destroy her ipad.

So that brings us to a character whose not in the neighborhood but counts: Johhhhnnnn Redcorrrrnnn. This is sadly the final performance of the late, great Jonathan Joss who was tragically murdered a few months ago by his homophobic neighbor. And yes murdered. The murderer admitted it. No matter what Struggles Joss had he was murdered, it was a hate crime and it's an utterly devistating event. It was nice to hear him one last time, with some great moments and a truly touching moment with joseph, picturing his biological son riding a horse majestically and agreeing to keep said horse for that reason. He also gets a fun side buisness running John Red Corn's red corn and Hank awkwardly has to point out peggy getting in bed with him is a buisness term. It's sad to see Joss go, devistating how, but it's nice we have one last ride with John Redcorn. I"m curious who will take his place next season as they likely wrote those episodes with John Redcorn in mind. Will they retire the character and rewrite the scripts? Time will tell. But rest well Jonathan

That about wraps it up. There are two more returning characters to talk about , but they can be saved for their indvidual episodes so let's s'go and talk about

The Episodes Themselves , Wingo!

This is the first time in a while i've reviewed a whole season of television that wasn't thomas the tank engine, so i'll be bringing back the sort of episode capusles I did for my venture bros reviews years ago: best quotes, stray throughs, a whole section for dale and joseph. Everything you expect and deserve.

14-1: Return of the King

Plot: Hank and Peggy return from Saudi Arabia and almost flee back there after seeing how much has changed. Bobby meanwhlie gets laid and reunites with Connie. Dang Ol Best Moment: The ending. Hank and Peggy run into some scouts and are reminded that while change happens.. not all change is bad. While apparently they didn't change the name of Samoas (which I only know because king of the hill youtuber extrordinare Squirrel Tactics complained about it in his first impressions of the episode), I like that message and Hank and Peggy just casually chatting confirming that no matter how the world changes, Community exists. A Good Joke I Tell Ya What: Dale getting himself recalled. Gribble of A Moment: Dale's entire reintroduction. I've outlined it earlier, and that photo above really clinches it. Peggy's Amusing: Peggy's back to peak and not being nearly as obnoxious so she gets a section. My Thoughts: Return of the King is a decent opener. I get the sense I liked it more than most, I dont' think it's the season's weakest episode.. but the Hank and Peggy stuff is sweaty. It's mostly there to rapidly reintroduce anyone, set up new status quos and get us to the finish line and while the finale to Hank and Peggy's arc works, it's rushed as hell. This half is there mostly for jokes and exposition. Thankfully the Bobby half is a lot better: with not as much to get done, Joseph is mentioned but wisely saved for next episode, it just allows us to get a nice slow intro to Bobby's new world, the mild disconnect he has with others his age going to college, and see him use his impressive charisma to get laid.. and his slight disapointment it was only a quick hookup. Bobby hard carries this episode but it's not horrible, it simply had a lot to do as the series repilot and thus slogs a big while the rest of the episodes don't have that burden. Final Grade: C+

14-2: The Beer Story

Plot: Hank and Bobby clash over beer and decide to compete in a home brew competition, dealing with idiotic focus groups, best friends and their own doubts. Dang Ol Best Moment: The running down a dream montage. So well shot. This season really loves it's food and while it dosen't have a ton of food prep scenes, what's there is the bear quality. It's also a nice subtle tom petty tribute Best Joke I Tell Ya What: There's a LOT of good competitors, but ultimately "old gun flavor" wins out. so delightfully fucked up Gribble of a Moment: The aforementioned Dale and Joseph scene. It's both adorable and hilarious. Plus you get Joseph somehow perfectly jumping into and hiding in a trash back. The student has become the master. Now he just needs to learn Monkey Style Peggy's Amusing: Peggy's "ARE YOU F*#%ING KIDDING ME?" when Bobby announces his ale as Wassonasong Ale. My Thoughts: Probably the best episode of the season, very hard to decide between this and Kahn-Cious uncoupling. The gambit of front loading the first episode so much pays off as it allows this one to just stand on it's own and be pure chaos from Bill being a demanding idiot about improving the brew, to Bobby having to deal with a focus group of Frat Bros who care more about how drunk it gets them. It's so good, densely packed with jokes and anchored by a fantastic conflict, with both Bobby and Hank realizing the contest wasn't worth it and sharing a beer. They may not share tastes... but they'll never break their bond. Also Dale's insults to bobby were fantastic. If sexy rat weren't a thing, this would easily be the best dale episode of the season.

14-3: Bobby Gets Grilled Plot: Bobby is running out of Robata Charcol and has to deal with Cultural Approriation accusations from both the japanese and german community and the invetible jackassery of Hank finding out bobby isn't using Propane. Hank meanwhile spends a day at the bush museum and sees just how much the concept of the truth has died a slow painful death. Dang Ol Best Moment: The ending, Bobby standing tall and proving his critics with food after Miguel's encouragment Best Joke I Tell Ya What: Bobby finding out one of the German council members grandpa was killed by cotton "He was one of the Fiddy Men?" Gribble of a Moment: dale casually mentoning his substack. Peggy's Amusing: Peggy bringing up Bobby's weird culinary adventures including blending fruit pie with tuna. His "Okay mom" is fantastic. My Thoughts: This episode is mid. It has some good jokes and I like tackling the idea that cancel culture can be misused: BObby is doing fusion cusine and both the japanese raised robota guy and the german council just want to dismiss bobby out of hand instead of asking for genuine changes. I love the dicussion of mel blanc and how he probably shoudln't of voiced some roles, a nice subtle nod to the series own mistakes with casting. But it feels like they just brush past the possibly Bobby IS approrating these cultures, not helped by him being accidently offensive to some italians and the episode siding with him. It's a good PREMISE but one they coudl've fleshed out more. The bush stuff is decent and I like hank being faced with the kind of hard line conspiracy theroists that have filled the world these days. I love him not knowing who epstien is. It's a decent episode, and it grew on me with time, but it could've been more. It dosen't help there's another episode tackling a modern issue I feel does the job way better but we'll get to that

14-4: Chore Money, Chore Problems Plot: Hank , listless and not having anything to do, leaches off Boomhauer's handman job and deals with his inablity to open up. Bobby tries to woo connie but fins she's dating Chane and also is trying to set him up with a friend. Best Moment: A tie. I can do that i'm allowed. Both plots have a stand out scene: For Hank's it's him opening up to peggy, trying to tell her an embarrassing secret (nail gunning bobby's diaper) then admitting his problems.. by not admitting them. I'ts hank but it's a genuinely touching moment, seeing the poor guy struggle with feeling lost.. and get anchored by finding out Peggy feels the same. The other is the Bobby/Connie Karoke Duet. Their va's do a fantastic job making them sound awkward, the choice of song is a fantstic call back, and it's wonderfully lit and shot. It's the scene that sold me on the Connie Bobby romance coming back. Tom and Adlon just have electric chemistry. Dang Ol Best Joke: Bobby and Joseph's weird game of the adulters, doing funny voices while watching the neighbors next door. Bonus poitns for Connie easily sinking into the game and getting how to do improv. My Thoughts: This episode is solid and grew on me as it went. Part of it was I thought I knew where it was going: Hank would annoy boomhauer or have to replace him, he'd have to open up. And it does go there.. but the swerve it takes work. Hank uses a story about peggy to help his clients , but it gets posted online and Peggy understandably fumes about how Hank won't open up. The Bobby and Connie plot kinda works, and Bobby dosen't sabotage Connie's relationship when he could've and his hanging out with emilo is great, but outside of the Karoke scene and the ending it's a bit flat. It might be the weakest episode of the season, i'll rank them at the end for a certain party

But it's very telling about the season's quality that this episode is just weak. It's not bad. I've seen bad king of the hill. Plenty of it. This isn't it. If the worst a season can do is just "Fine", and still have two standout moments in a pretty average episode, it's a damn good season I tell ya what.

14-5: New Ref in Town

Plot: Hank reveals his dark hidden love of soccer to peggy who finds it and his new job as Ref super hot. Dale thinks Hank's a sleeper which naturally leads to kidnapping him and tying him up in his basement, something i'm frankly surprised took 14 seasons to happen. Bobby meanwhile gets the car he wants but also ends up with a Horse. Dang Ol Best Moment: John Redcorn's fantasy of riding horses with Joseph, it's so sweet but so well done. Best Joke I Tell Ya Want: There's a solid amount here but I have to go with Joseph trying to justify keeping a horse to their landlord by telling him "The people next door have a dog" "YOU HAVE A HORSE!" Gribble of A Moment: Dale having John Redcorn as the only trusted person on his murder board Peggy's Amusing: Peggy's referee fetish. Hank and Peggy fuck a LOT this episode and while i'm not going to think too deeply about that, it is genuinely sweet. My Thoughts: A solid episode and a nice step up after two okay ones. Dale is played way too broad for my liking and it brings the episode down a bit, but Hank loving soccer is such an inherently fun concept it works, as does his and Peggy fucking a bunch. Good for them. The Bobby subplot is pure gold: him trying to prove he's not nice, getting conned into a horse. Joseph falling in love with it when bobby just nudges the horse at him, and of coures the ending. Genuinely sweet.

14-6: Peggy's Fadeout

Plot: Peggy gets rejected for a job but finds that the least of her issues when Bill's web of lies is discovered. Bobby gets frusted when Connie reveals her ENM relationship and says he couldn't handle it, leading to a new relationship with a girl he what finds in the ally. Dang Ol Best Moment: Bobby and Joseph finding willow in the bath tub. Not an emotional one this time but damn if it's not funny. Best Joke I Tell Ya Want: Dale setting up a camera for his patreon with Sexy Rat a Close Second Gribble of A Moment: The entire sexy rat subplot. I've raved about it enough but damn if it isn't good. Please give us another Bobby and Dale plot, this was gold. Peggy's Amusing: Peggy just casually asking if hank threatned to kick dale's ass. My Thoughts: One of the season's best. Bringing in Willow helps and the ENM stuff, as i've gone into is messy. There's a lot of romcom bullshit in this one. But it's overshadowed by two of the seasons dumbest, funniest plots. Bill's shouldn't work as well as it does and it's all on Stephen Root while Dale's is the classic dale plot the season needed. Add in willow, whose genuinely compelling and again needs to come back and you have another instant classic.

14-7: Any Given Hill Day

Plot: Bobby, scared of not having time with his dad after a customer's death, gets Hank into cowboy fantasy camp.. and ends up having to bring his girlfriend Willow along. Father son bonding, father son latent trauma and desk shitting insue. Meanwhile Peggy has a lending LIbrary. Meh. Dang Ol Best Moment: Willow shitting on whatever the football man's name is desk. The shock on the hilll's faces, Willow's weirdly feral face, their reeling after and her odd casualness with doing something so fucked up as well as the guy just saying "It happened again". It's beautiful. You don't have to get the refrence to enjoy it. Best Joke I Tell Ya Want:See above. As a runner up Willow feeding hank. His expression is pricelss as are Peggy and Bobby's faces. Peggy's Amusing: Peggy throwing Nancy's phone to the ground... then realizing second's later maybe she shouldn't. My Thoughts: This ep is solid. the b plot is a nothing burger, but the a plot's classic hank and bobby once again deftly using the new status quo: Awkward new girlfriends, fears of death, and a nice father son ice bath where Hank expresses genuine pride. Willow continues to be peak, and needs to come back. I've said it before and i'll say it again. Sometimes you just make a character whose an instant star and I hope like Lucky before her the crew realizes what they have.

14-8: Kahn-Cious Uncoupling

Plot: Kahn and Minh have gotten the divorce but can't tell anybody. Bobby deals with Chane taking all the credit. Keith David sings. It's all peak baby! Dang Ol Best Moment: The ending Bobby and connie moment. It's genuinely sweet, tearjerking and just ends with that gut punch above, Connie in deep pane and Bobby sad he can't help the woman he loves with it more than what he's doing now. So good. Best Joke I Tell Ya Want: Kahn's obession with the two Gecko's mocking him with their humping. Gribble of A Moment: Joseph's habit of hitting on Widows and Bobby having to reign him in "Don't grind on widows.. what am I even here for?!" Peggy's Amusing:A sweet moment this time. Peggy comforting Connie. My Thoughts: Another of the season's best and a large reason why the finale, which i'll rant about soon enough, dosen't quite hit: This episode and the ones both right before it and the one right after it are truly excellent. It's an episode that's fully, but also deeply emotoinally layered, the kind that reminds you King of the Hill could take a break from being as joke jheavy to really punch your gut.. while stll having standout jokes. It also has Keith David blessing us with his angelic voice. He dosen't call anyone a fucked up little whiny bitch, bu tit's still Keith David singing. We need an album of songs from him stat.

14-9: No Hill Left Behind Plot: Hank is forced into the awkward role of male role model for his brother GH, a task made harder when the two attend a seminar run by a masculinty grifter who looks suspsciously familiar. Meanwhile Peggy stays with a stressed out bobby for a few days. Pencil Fights insue. Dang Ol Best Moment: The ending. There's a LOT of these in this episode, but Hank genuinely bonding with his brother and getting one over on his dad from the grave. When Flashing back to cotton not wanting Good Hank to be as bad as our hank , hank sees GH now.. and gives a nice satisfied "Too bad old man". Cotton ruined a lot of things.. but he won't ruin both his sons. Best Joke I Tell Ya What: A tie between Peggy going "You just got pegged" a joke we badly needed and Hank having no idea what a beta cuck is. Gribble of a Moment: Dale being the one to save the day, with Hank calling him for backup against Eli... and finding out Dale has a file on Peggy he's been dying to share. Dale pretending his hand got shredded after is gold. We need more of this dale. Peggy's Amusing: YOU JUST GOT PEGGED! My Thoughts: One of the season's best episodes and one that gives the fans what they wanted. One of the things I saw most from other critics and fans going into the season was a return of GH, with his breif cameo in the intron only fueling that. So i'm exastic as someone who wanted this too it not only happened, but it's so good. This ep is masterful, dealing with the issue of Hank and Gh's relationship well: GH has become a withdrawn disrespectful little shit to his mom, while Hank prefers to ignore his brother as obviously Cotton both having another child when he couldn't and naming said child "Good Hank" are buttons. But Peggy's right to push hank: Didi is single and struggling and while it's nice to see her genuinely try, it's easy to see why she turns to hank and touching too: it shows she respects him and knows if anyone can get through to her son, it's his brother.

It's a touching episode as hank bungles into taking GH into the worst place to help him imaginable, a masculinty grfiting scemnar. If you haven't heard these existed.. good. Your better off than me. But since it's the core of the episode I have to get into this so I apologize fo rruining your day: Masculinity scemnars are basically thinly veiled pyramid schemes where a man with too tight a shirt and issues with women screams at you your a cuck and that women are the reason you have issues. Also maybe try sex trafficking as the head of this scemnar, Eli, while largely his own character, is physically modled after shithead, sex trafficer, and shitty machete enthuist Andrew Tate and voiced by the wonderful Deidrich Bader, who was perfeclty chosen to play a masculine piece of shit. Wonderful man, wonderful voice actor, good at playing douches.

It touches on a modern very real issue well while threading it into character perfectly: When GH goes off on Hank he has a ptsd flashback to cotton.. and it makes the fight for the boy's soul that much more important. Hank is outnumbered, out manned and dealing with a bunch of men who'd rather find some nebuouls reason their lives suck instead of adressing their issues with women. I adressed mine and my life is richer for it and these guys lives get richer whent heir just honest with each other, with Gh realizing the girl he was upset over friend zoned him.. but friendship ain't bad and she wan't leading him on.

Hank taking down this jaggoff is beautiful, starting with using Dale, who despite having never heard of Eli, easily gets enough to wreck this man's whole career.. specifically that his mom owns the business and is pissed he's saying this crap. Having Hank use his own "nads of truth" against him and genuinely help these guys is great and the ending is sweet. Hank finally connects with his brother and it's implied we'll see GH again. It's understandable why Hank kept this reminder of his dad's jackassery at arms length.. but it's nice to see him realize the boy needs his brother. Cotton wasn't there for GH.. but Hank will be.

The subplot is solid. I've gone into it, it has a lot of great stuff, and the that's my purse callback is a thing of beatuy. ONE MORE!

14-10: A Sounder Investment Plot: Hank wants to take no risks with his and Peggy's earnings from thrieir retirement nest egg, while Peggy invests in the boys hog eradication service. Buck returns to no real fanfare. Meanwhile in the good plot, Bobby and Connie finally couple up, but have an understandable struggle not relying on old nostalgia Best Moment: Connie and Bobby's heart to heart. They obviously weren't going to breakup after all this build up, but it's nice to tackle things head on: that thehir leaning on who they WERE. Connies reassurance she LIKES bobby for who he is now, a talented chef who knows what he wants and hot as fuck, is adorable as is the two just talking and bonding over the similarties in their work. It's also the best for another reason... Dang Ol Best Joke: Connie being high as fuck. Lauren Tom REALLY has fun with this scene and I forgot just how talented the woman is. This was a reminder. Conni'es worry that "We'r ebreaking up while i'm dying" her wanting to do weird stuff with and too bobby, her description of what sh'es studying, every moment is a gift and what's not heartwarming is funny. More of thse two next season. And at least one more scene of Connie high as balls Gribble of a Moment: Both Gribble's Tie. Dale's uber for dogs is hilarious, and Joseph asking of Connie's giving bobby "THAT THANG" will live in my head forever. ANSWER HIM. My Thoughts: As you could probably tell I hate the A plot. It feels like one of the many mediocre plots from the later seasons. You could change how they got the money and have the same plot. I like Hank takin ga risk over fomo, it crashing badly and it being revealed Peggy pulled out in time thanks to having hank in her head. Their chemistry really is the best it's ever been this season. With no bobby to hide from Hank can just be romantic as fuck and i'ts wonderful to see. It's got a moment or two but it's really boring predictable and the most annoying of all.. it wastes Buck's return. We find out nothing about why Hank left or if strickland's alive and while i've mentioned that, i'ts worth repeating for how stupid tha tis. Why bring buck back if you had nothing for him? He's one of the series funniest characters. Why waste him like this? It's a frustrating episode and while far from the first weak finale the series has had for a season, it' sbaffling this was what the a plot they chose. Why not save this for season 15 and do something a bit bigger? It might've been better to swap this episode with the last one. it wouldn't of ended the connie and bobby plot on the finale, but no hill left behind fits better as a finale, bringing back old favorites and having emotional plots in both sides.

That said like all of season 14 it's not bad. It's saved by the subplot which I could watch again and again and is sweet, engaging and shows why for all the faults in how they handled the Bobby-Connie will they or won't they crap, they had damn good reason to reunite the two. It's a fun idea for a plot, both using their past as a way to plan dates instead of trying to tone it down and figure out who they are now. The ending is adorable and Joseph's one scene is his best all season, which is a high water mark. The main plot may be one of the weakest in series history, yes i'm serious, but this subplot hard carries the episode to watchable.

Episode Rankings: Kahn-cious Uncoupling No Hill Left Behind The Beer Story Peggy's Fadeout New Ref in Town Any Given Hill Day Return of the King A Sounder Investment Chore Money, Chore Problems Bobby Gets Grilled Huh i'm suprised Kahn-Cious uncopuling ended up wending but it's so dang strong. And again it's telling that outside of a sounder investment's a plot I don't HATE any of these episodes and even that one has such a strong b plot it's not a bad episode.

Season Ranking: So as a fun thought experiment I wanted to see where this season rated among all 13 previous ones. Let's go

Season 3 Season 6 Season 14 Season 1 Season 4 Season 2 Season 5 Season 12 Season 10 Season 13 Season 9 Season 7 Season 11 Season 8 Yeah way higher than I expected mostly due to having a lot more constiancy. Some seasons even the bottom boy have great episodes, but are held back byt a LOT of shitty ones. A lot.

Final Thoughts: Season 14 of King of the Hill is a dang good revival. It's exactly what I hoped for: a return to characters I loved, but given a fresh coat of paint, a new drive and a return to the quality of the show's earlier seasons. It's an excellent refresh of a show tha tproves it needed a come back and as you can see given it wound down a bit as it went, it was a necessary comeback. I can't wait for more of the show next year, and i'm proud to have it in the running for my best episodes of the year list.

So on what I might want for next season: As i've said I want more williow and I want a brian robertson episode, but I hope the connie bobby stuff, now their actually together, both takes up less of bobby's plots and can just be them having fun hyjinks together, sometimes with their sweaty third wheel best friend. I'd like to get a full on Joseph episode as most of his past ones are more about John Redcorn or dale, and he's grown enough ot earn it. I'd like to know what the rest of the old strickland propane crew is up to. I want to see Gracey, and I want to see Bill get an actual steady relationship. Maybe somehow impress Minh just to make Kahn more miserable that not only is Bill doing his ex wife, but has also done his mother. But really I trust them with whatever they decide next and look forward to next season