Why are you always trying to turn me into you?
Why can't you accept me for who I am?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
This is King of the Hill.
Now, there's a reason we've chosen that clip to highlight
instead of something more iconic and well-known to fans, like,
Hank's favorite catchphrase--
Hello, there.
I'm Hank Hill, and I sell propane and propane
accessories.
--or Boomhauer's unintelligible ramblings.
Everywhere, man.
I don't know.
[RAMBLING] I don't know if he--
Chuck Mangioni go--
--and that's because this clip perfectly encapsulates,
not only the best parts of the show itself, but perhaps,
the best father/son relationship in TV history--
Hank and Bobby Hill.
Yep.
King of the Hill was created by TV legends Mike Judge and Greg
Daniels.
At the time, Judge was best known
for his work on Beavis and Butthead,
while Daniels had written for SNL, as well as The Simpsons.
Together, they would end up making
a show that went toe-to-toe with The Simpsons.
That early success launched King of the Hill
into sitcom stardom.
Viewers grew to love the frank, often uncomfortable, and always
hilarious portrayal of the average middle class
family in the fictional city of Arlen, Texas.
I-- you-- family.
You're not making this easy on me, boy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
While there were many fan favorite characters and story
arcs, particular focus was placed
on the patriarch, Hank Hill, and the relationship
he had with his son, Bobby.
Two drastically opposing forces, Hank and Bobby rarely
saw eye to eye, and that usually resulted in one or both parties
raising their voices, storming off, or simply shutting down,
but for the most part, they'd come around
at the end of an episode to reconcile their differences
in a meaningful way.
Now, we've seen a lot of father/son relationships
on TV over the years.
It's a trope as old as entertainment, itself.
The disconnected dad doesn't know how to relate to his son
with different interests, hijinks ensue, and usually,
end up spiraling into heated arguments or straight up
threats.
Why you little!
[CHOKING]
[GRUNTING]
It's noticeably, more of a problem in animation,
where fathers are permitted to commit
acts of cartoonish physical violence,
but it's there in live action, too.
You know, we can call in a specialist
to find my foot in your ass.
Despite the pretty simple look and feel of the show,
King of the Hill actually grappled
with a lot of complex topics while it was still on the air.
They took the bull by the horns, so to speak,
and never shied away from addressing
real life social, political, and economic issues
in open and obvious ways.
One of those subjects, and a core component
of King of the Hill, was the conflict
that comes with generational divides,
and there's no bigger divide than the one
between Hank and Bobby.
Hank is quiet, reserved, and steadfast in his beliefs.
He is very rarely emotionally vulnerable
and has difficulties expressing himself to those he loves.
Because of his rough upbringing at the hands of his father,
Colonel Cotton Hill, Hank is hard on himself,
but he also expects his family, and especially his son,
to hold themselves to the same standards of excellence
he does.
Bobby, on the other hand, is, well, he's Bobby.
To catch a fish, you have to think like a fish.
Hmm, I'm wet, and I don't even know it.
[EXHALES]
The boy ain't right, after all.
He's loud, charming, messy, self-assured,
and loves to try new things that make
his father very uncomfortable.
Get in the truck, Bobby.
We're going to fix your problem for good.
ugh.
Go change your pants, son.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Together, they made for quite an odd couple
pairing for the entire run of the show,
yet somehow they also complemented one another
beautifully.
In quite a few episodes, including the very first
and the very last one of the series,
Hank and Bobby struggled to relate to one another.
In the pilot episode, viewers got
to watch the incredibly awkward interactions between the Hill's
and a social worker, who was dispatched
to their house over a misunderstanding.
After Hank tries to lecture Bobby
on the importance of winning the baseball game he didn't even
want to participate in, Bobby gets hit in the face
by the ball and comes home with a black eye.
The social worker believes Hank is the one that's
actually responsible.
His suspicions are further justified
when he sees Hank storm aggressively into the house
to yell at Bobby and throw a baseball across the room.
The matter is eventually resolved,
and the highlight is Hank's earnest attempt
to praise his son and reiterate that, he
isn't a disappointment, like Bobby thought he was.
I love you, no matter what you do.
There, whew.
Let's go get something to eat.
Then, there's the series finale, which sees Hank take Bobby
to a steakhouse.
Both parties fail to make conversation,
reminding us, once again, that these two really
have very little in common, but after Bobby shows
an interest in identifying meat, Hank
spends the rest of the episode supporting
Bobby in his newfound talent and giving him
the push he needs to win a competition.
He even installs a second propane grill right next to his
in order to demonstrate his commitment to his son
and their bonding activity.
Oh, you're just getting started, Bobby.
You'll be grilling your whole life.
Just like you.
There were moments like these throughout the whole series.
Sometimes, they argued.
Sometimes, they just didn't understand each other.
Hank would inevitably slip into the same sort of persona
his own father adopted, either by ridiculing his son,
going cold, or enforcing house rules
with a needlessly heavy hand.
Soccer was invented by European ladies
to keep them busy while their husbands did the cooking.
Why do you have to hate what you don't understand?
But equally as inevitably, Hank would
step back from those moments and try to salvage them
with a calmer head.
Bobby, usually having learned a lesson
about perseverance, healthy skepticism,
or the general way of the world, would show up
with love and forgiveness for his father.
And for his part, Hank also learned a lot about his son.
Bobby pushed Hank to be more open-minded
and expand his worldview on topics he had never considered.
He also embodied a lot of the qualities
Hank wanted for himself.
All of this was demonstrated through the father and son's
interactions with one another, but bizarrely,
the quality of Hank and Bobby's relationship
is the most noticeable through the eyes of a third party.
That of Hank's own father.
Dad, I don't work at a gas station.
I sell propane and propane accessories.
Don't sass me, boy.
You ain't too big for me to give you a licking!
A cold and loveless war veteran, Cotton consistently
berates his son through his childhood
and even into adulthood.
Believing he always knew best, he
tried to do the same with his grandson.
Sometimes, that manifested in Cotton
teaching Bobby sexist ideals or trying
to break his spirit with actual torture,
but no matter what Cotton through at him,
Bobby always bounced back.
Often with the help of his father to guide him,
Bobby would come out of those interactions
better than before.
He would have a firmer grasp of his sense of self.
However, at the end of the day, the crotchety and irredeemably
cruel Cotton did see something positive in Bobby.
He saw something he unfortunately never
instilled in Hank-- the tenacity and bravery of a young man who
is allowed to simply be himself.
Cotton continued to mistreat his son up
until he was on his literal deathbed.
However, he did at least recognize
Bobby's positive attributes as a partial success
of Hank's parenting.
Hell, if it's a contest on who's the better daddy, you win.
I mean, you made Bobby.
Hank's childhood shaped who he was as a man.
Bobby's childhood would do the same.
Knowing this, Hank really did try to come to his son
with the compassion and understanding
he was never afforded.
That's a really sweet approach to a father/son relationship,
but King of the Hill wasn't interested in maintaining
a cheerful and optimistic tone all of the time.
Where some other TV father/son relationships
are used as nothing, but punch line,
Hank and Bobby felt like a realistic duo, while still
bringing the laughs.
Mike Judge and Greg Daniels intentionally
created a show that was steeped in conflict
and focused heavily on that aforementioned generational
divide, but King of the Hill showed us
that conflict isn't always a bad thing.
When it's approached with respect and love
and a willingness to learn, conflict
can make us more well-rounded people.
Their disagreements fleshed them out
as characters individually and as a duo.
It provided a space for them and the audience
to ruminate on the nature of those disagreements,
to see both sides, and to come to a compromise.
That's what makes Hank and Bobby's relationship
so special.
While it wasn't always or ever easy,
they respected, loved, and learned from each other,
and they were better for it.
Thanks so much for watching this video all the way through.
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And while you're here, be sure to let us know--
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