No high fives!
January 6, 2013 8:51 AM Subscribe
A surprisingly comprehensive animator's guide to King of the Hill. Including: drawing mouths, scenery, lighting, shot composition and other minutiae.
In the first season, Brad Bird was a supervisor and wrote this awesome guide to storyboarding. (PDF)
posted by overeducated_alligator at 9:01 AM on January 6, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by overeducated_alligator at 9:01 AM on January 6, 2013 [9 favorites]
"Keep Bobby's acting deadpan ..."
Hmm. Maybe not always. "This flower is wiltin'."
posted by grabbingsand at 9:04 AM on January 6, 2013 [7 favorites]
Hmm. Maybe not always. "This flower is wiltin'."
posted by grabbingsand at 9:04 AM on January 6, 2013 [7 favorites]
I have some friends who are former KotH staffers. This is a real treat, Comic Sans notwithstanding.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:29 AM on January 6, 2013
posted by infinitewindow at 9:29 AM on January 6, 2013
Holy crap really cool. Would love to see more guides and possibly ones for film storyboarding. Though that might be less systematized since there are usually singular people working on a singular production.
Edit: and then I saw the link above...
posted by Napierzaza at 9:42 AM on January 6, 2013
Edit: and then I saw the link above...
posted by Napierzaza at 9:42 AM on January 6, 2013
"Rule #35: No Bi-Packs." Never heard this term before! Googling around, it seems it originally meant literally putting 2+ rolls of film (bi-packs) into a camera magazine to film multiple exposures for optical effects. Now, it seems like it means any animation shot with two separate camera moves? Am I getting that right? Any animation folks explain? MUST KNOW ALL THINGS
posted by cabel at 9:58 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by cabel at 9:58 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Soundtrack for enjoying this fascinating guide.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:01 AM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 10:01 AM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Blame Korea.
Unless Fox or the director calls for something else.
posted by clvrmnky at 10:17 AM on January 6, 2013
Unless Fox or the director calls for something else.
posted by clvrmnky at 10:17 AM on January 6, 2013
Hmm. Maybe not always. "This flower is wiltin'."
Part of rules is knowing when to break them. And the answer is rarely, and only with deliberate purpose.
posted by kafziel at 10:19 AM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Part of rules is knowing when to break them. And the answer is rarely, and only with deliberate purpose.
posted by kafziel at 10:19 AM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
"This flower is wiltin'."
"A Beer Can Named Desire" is one of my favorite episodes of anything.
posted by griphus at 10:45 AM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
"A Beer Can Named Desire" is one of my favorite episodes of anything.
posted by griphus at 10:45 AM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: leaves that look like springs and trees that look like marshmallows.
posted by Splunge at 11:00 AM on January 6, 2013
posted by Splunge at 11:00 AM on January 6, 2013
"Sexy Peggy"
Good Lord, Boomhauer, check out that ba-DON-ka-donk.
posted by zippy at 11:12 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Good Lord, Boomhauer, check out that ba-DON-ka-donk.
posted by zippy at 11:12 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
This is great; thank you for posting it.
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:21 AM on January 6, 2013
posted by LobsterMitten at 11:21 AM on January 6, 2013
DX must be double exposure.
Here's a Filmation manual if you like that sort of thing, though I don't think they have any character-specific things like "no high fives" or "don't just have him rub his neck all the time."
posted by RobotHero at 11:40 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
Here's a Filmation manual if you like that sort of thing, though I don't think they have any character-specific things like "no high fives" or "don't just have him rub his neck all the time."
posted by RobotHero at 11:40 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
I remember enjoying this show for a few seasons, but it got a lot less funny as the Bush administration wore on and the country lurched ever rightward. Typical plot: Silly wussy liberal do-gooder types fuck everything up, but then Hank sets things straight with some good old-fashioned Texas commonsense. Yuck. The show wasn't just conservative propaganda, it was more complicated than that... But it was conservative propaganda often enough that I started flipping past the reruns.
South Park had some of the same problems for a while, but the damn show was just too funny to stop watching. King of the Hill never had that problem.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:46 AM on January 6, 2013
South Park had some of the same problems for a while, but the damn show was just too funny to stop watching. King of the Hill never had that problem.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:46 AM on January 6, 2013
"The show wasn't just conservative propaganda, it was more complicated than that... But it was conservative propaganda often enough that I started flipping past the reruns."
I think the term "propaganda" is a bit strong. The show definitely was written from a conservative perspective, but that doesn't make it propaganda. If anything, it's proof that right-wing humour doesn't have to mean Fox' The Half-Hour News Hour or Dennis Miller's rants post 9-11.
posted by spoobnooble II: electric bugaboo at 12:01 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
I think the term "propaganda" is a bit strong. The show definitely was written from a conservative perspective, but that doesn't make it propaganda. If anything, it's proof that right-wing humour doesn't have to mean Fox' The Half-Hour News Hour or Dennis Miller's rants post 9-11.
posted by spoobnooble II: electric bugaboo at 12:01 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
A lot of the show also had to do with Hank expressly having to either forego or revise his conservative stance because of an overwhelming moral imperative. South Park is balls-to-the-wall satire, and King of the Hill is a completely different animal. It's satirical, sure, but it's also very subtle, and at times, surprisingly sensitive in dealing with issues of class, race, gender and so on. It also does a better job of satirizing the rich than practically any other show I've seen.
posted by griphus at 12:17 PM on January 6, 2013 [15 favorites]
posted by griphus at 12:17 PM on January 6, 2013 [15 favorites]
In fact, I think most of the straight-up conservatism comes from either Cotton or Dale, both of whom are sincerely unbalanced.
posted by griphus at 12:25 PM on January 6, 2013
posted by griphus at 12:25 PM on January 6, 2013
It's also one of the most accurate portrayals of small-town Texas and Texans that you will ever see. The truth is very subtly there, but it's also very clearly there.
posted by mudpuppie at 12:25 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mudpuppie at 12:25 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
It's not conservative propaganda as much as it's centrist. Hank's antagonists were often liberal caricatures but the conflict was always Hank dealing with stuff he was scared of or insecure about. By the end of episode he had imparted his values but also increased his understanding and often erased some prejudices he had held for years.
I would add that it's a pretty well observed reading of how the characters would react to particular situations. One of the qualities I enjoy about "King of the Hill" is that the writing has evolved to make the characters (including those that started off as caricatures) complex and human. They might seem frustrating or backward, but in a lot of ways they accurately portray the sort of people one might encounter living in a community in Texas.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:26 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
I would add that it's a pretty well observed reading of how the characters would react to particular situations. One of the qualities I enjoy about "King of the Hill" is that the writing has evolved to make the characters (including those that started off as caricatures) complex and human. They might seem frustrating or backward, but in a lot of ways they accurately portray the sort of people one might encounter living in a community in Texas.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:26 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
Conservative humor often fails because it comes from this weird, nasty place where you're supposed to laugh at the poor and oppressed. (Comedy is usually either about empathy for the hapless little guy, or making fun of the pompous, and few people are as pompous or lacking in empathy as the good folks at Fox News.) King of the Hill often got around that problem by twisting the facts so the liberals were the mealy-mouthed oppressors, inflicting their silly, big city ways on the good red state folks. South Park got around it by being so over the top and so vicious that it could actually make you laugh at stuff you knew was based on total bullshit. (The whole ManBearPig thing, for instance. Gore was doing very well at the time, convincing a lot of people that climate change was real, but the South Park guys got laughs out of depicting him as a friendless weirdo obsessed with a made-up monster.)
As I said, KOTH wasn't only conservative propaganda, and I'll admit that calling it that may be overstating things. I watched it for years and enjoyed it, more often than not. The show did have a heart, and Hank's conservative ideas were challenged at times. But from 2000-2006 or so, "center-right" became an increasingly scary place. It was a grim experience to wake up every day and read about Bush saying something stupid or doing something evil, at the same time his approval ratings were in the stratosphere. In that context, a show like King of the Hill really felt like part of the problem.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:29 PM on January 6, 2013
As I said, KOTH wasn't only conservative propaganda, and I'll admit that calling it that may be overstating things. I watched it for years and enjoyed it, more often than not. The show did have a heart, and Hank's conservative ideas were challenged at times. But from 2000-2006 or so, "center-right" became an increasingly scary place. It was a grim experience to wake up every day and read about Bush saying something stupid or doing something evil, at the same time his approval ratings were in the stratosphere. In that context, a show like King of the Hill really felt like part of the problem.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:29 PM on January 6, 2013
One of the things that I love about what's presented in the FPP (and the Brad Bird storyboarding link) is that it shows the attention to detail necessary to support the writing. Making an animated show with complex human characters requires a level of subtlety that's hard to really appreciate until you see it spelled out in depth.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:31 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by louche mustachio at 12:31 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
... And as I think it over, I don't really want to derail a discussion of animation technique with a political debate.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:34 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 12:34 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
In that context, a show like King of the Hill really felt like part of the problem.
The thing is, though, that the show regularly relied on populism a lot more than it did conservatism. I can remember a pretty good amount of episodes -- probably as many as those that made fun of froo-froo liberals -- where the (for the lack of a better term) moral of the story is that members of the establishment are rather corrupt. The episode about low-flow toilets, while anti-environmentalist, was a microcosm of radical politics. The episodes revolving around Mega Lo Mart and the one where Alamo beer gave people food poisoning were strongly anti-corporate.
On preview, yeah, okay.
posted by griphus at 12:39 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
The thing is, though, that the show regularly relied on populism a lot more than it did conservatism. I can remember a pretty good amount of episodes -- probably as many as those that made fun of froo-froo liberals -- where the (for the lack of a better term) moral of the story is that members of the establishment are rather corrupt. The episode about low-flow toilets, while anti-environmentalist, was a microcosm of radical politics. The episodes revolving around Mega Lo Mart and the one where Alamo beer gave people food poisoning were strongly anti-corporate.
On preview, yeah, okay.
posted by griphus at 12:39 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Funny, my first thought was how much I loved this show, because it was subtle, and not political, it could have affection for, and appreciate the humanity of, typical Texas people and their lives while showing them in all their ridiculousness, and with all their shortcomings and limitations.
Didn't see it as a conservative show at all, more a generous-spiritied and gentle satire.
posted by C.A.S. at 1:52 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Didn't see it as a conservative show at all, more a generous-spiritied and gentle satire.
posted by C.A.S. at 1:52 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
King of the Hill is one of the cleverest and most sharply-observed animated showed ever made. It's terrific. It strove for realism, to present these odd people, odd people who see themselves at absolutely normal, as accurately and humanely as possible. There is an episode once in a while in which a liberal stereotype shows up, but it's almost never as clear-cut as it seems at first. Sometimes the liberal stereotype will be right, as when Hank had to take anger management classes.
One of the most insightful episodes is when Hank's Mexican-American co-worker has problems with his girlfriend. Hank goes through the episode almost entirely ignoring his plight. At the end the co-worker has pretty much solved things without any real help from Hank at all. We don't even see how he resolved it, the problem has just disappeared somehow. It doesn't reflect well on its main character, but then, it is difficult to imagine a person like Hank jumping into a situation like that sitcom-style.
Fun fact: The voice of Boomhauer is Toby Huss. That's right: Boomhauer is ARTIE: THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!
posted by JHarris at 2:44 PM on January 6, 2013 [6 favorites]
One of the most insightful episodes is when Hank's Mexican-American co-worker has problems with his girlfriend. Hank goes through the episode almost entirely ignoring his plight. At the end the co-worker has pretty much solved things without any real help from Hank at all. We don't even see how he resolved it, the problem has just disappeared somehow. It doesn't reflect well on its main character, but then, it is difficult to imagine a person like Hank jumping into a situation like that sitcom-style.
Fun fact: The voice of Boomhauer is Toby Huss. That's right: Boomhauer is ARTIE: THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!
posted by JHarris at 2:44 PM on January 6, 2013 [6 favorites]
> ...it could have affection for, and appreciate the humanity of, typical Texas people and their lives while showing them in all their ridiculousness, and with all their shortcomings and limitations.
I recall a friend from east Texas saying, with all earnestness, that "King of the Hill" was a documentary.
posted by ardgedee at 2:47 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
I recall a friend from east Texas saying, with all earnestness, that "King of the Hill" was a documentary.
posted by ardgedee at 2:47 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
This is a real treat, Comic Sans notwithstanding.
I was going to say that this is one rare instance where Comic Sans actually works.
posted by chillmost at 2:48 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
I was going to say that this is one rare instance where Comic Sans actually works.
posted by chillmost at 2:48 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
King of the Hill has some deeper looks at bigotry than one would normally see on TV, especially an animated comedy. They show ugly behavior and also its consequences.
Cotton, Hank's grandfather, for instance is racist and sexist and prone to rages, incapable of expressing love for his son. He's not someone you like, even as the show entertains, it shows that he's a hurt, damaged, and bitter man.
But he's also memorable, and they use him to show a more nuanced view of bad behavior, how it affects people, and how it gets passed on to the next generation (Bobby nodding as Cotton says something that we as the viewers are meant to see as awful).
And then there are less subtle moments, like Cotton ogling women: Damn! Sweet Lord! Cling peaches in heavy syrup!
Unrelated bonus: hipsters
posted by zippy at 2:53 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Cotton, Hank's grandfather, for instance is racist and sexist and prone to rages, incapable of expressing love for his son. He's not someone you like, even as the show entertains, it shows that he's a hurt, damaged, and bitter man.
But he's also memorable, and they use him to show a more nuanced view of bad behavior, how it affects people, and how it gets passed on to the next generation (Bobby nodding as Cotton says something that we as the viewers are meant to see as awful).
And then there are less subtle moments, like Cotton ogling women: Damn! Sweet Lord! Cling peaches in heavy syrup!
Unrelated bonus: hipsters
posted by zippy at 2:53 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Uhhh, I think we all know how Hank Hill feels about George Bush.
posted by cyphill at 3:31 PM on January 6, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by cyphill at 3:31 PM on January 6, 2013 [6 favorites]
"Surprise, then, disappointment."
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:12 PM on January 6, 2013
posted by overeducated_alligator at 4:12 PM on January 6, 2013
Uhhh, I think we all know how Hank Hill feels about George Bush.
posted by cyphill at 3:31 PM on January 6 [3 favorites +] [!]
I was hoping someone would mention that. This is one of the great examples of how much of the show is based on truth. Disappointment with, or incredulity towards, W's handshake was an actual thing. My brother worked for the firm that built the Rangers' stadium when Bush was managing owner (or whatever his real title was). My bro told the same story about the handshake before Bush even ran for governor. When he was governor and announced for presidency, I worked at the Capitol in Austin. Stories and sniggers about his unimpressive handshake were all over.
That's the beauty of King of the Hill. There are dozens of little truths tucked into to every episode that just slide right by you, unless you know to look for them.
(Most of you probably already know about the Luann Platter.)
posted by mudpuppie at 4:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [9 favorites]
posted by cyphill at 3:31 PM on January 6 [3 favorites +] [!]
I was hoping someone would mention that. This is one of the great examples of how much of the show is based on truth. Disappointment with, or incredulity towards, W's handshake was an actual thing. My brother worked for the firm that built the Rangers' stadium when Bush was managing owner (or whatever his real title was). My bro told the same story about the handshake before Bush even ran for governor. When he was governor and announced for presidency, I worked at the Capitol in Austin. Stories and sniggers about his unimpressive handshake were all over.
That's the beauty of King of the Hill. There are dozens of little truths tucked into to every episode that just slide right by you, unless you know to look for them.
(Most of you probably already know about the Luann Platter.)
posted by mudpuppie at 4:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [9 favorites]
If you thought that Bush was basically a monster, the handshake episode was absolutely maddening. See, Hank was a major Bush fan to start with, and then he lost enthusiasm because Bush's freaking handshake was insufficiently macho, not because he saw flaws in Bush's totally fucked-up policies, and and and...
Damn it. I said I wasn't going to get into a political argument about this show. Let's all go look at Brad Bird's PDF instead!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:21 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
Damn it. I said I wasn't going to get into a political argument about this show. Let's all go look at Brad Bird's PDF instead!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 5:21 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
The thing is, though, that the show regularly relied on populism a lot more than it did conservatism. I can remember a pretty good amount of episodes -- probably as many as those that made fun of froo-froo liberals -- where the (for the lack of a better term) moral of the story is that members of the establishment are rather corrupt. The episode about low-flow toilets, while anti-environmentalist, was a microcosm of radical politics. The episodes revolving around Mega Lo Mart and the one where Alamo beer gave people food poisoning were strongly anti-corporate.
I wouldn't call the low-flow toilet episode anti-environmentalist. Quite the opposite, really - the low-flow toilets weren't bad because they were environmentally sound, they were bad because they weren't. Because having to flush six or seven times consumes far more water than a single flush from a traditional toilet.
The show has a very strong anti-hypocrisy bent, and that's neither right nor left.
posted by kafziel at 5:39 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
I wouldn't call the low-flow toilet episode anti-environmentalist. Quite the opposite, really - the low-flow toilets weren't bad because they were environmentally sound, they were bad because they weren't. Because having to flush six or seven times consumes far more water than a single flush from a traditional toilet.
The show has a very strong anti-hypocrisy bent, and that's neither right nor left.
posted by kafziel at 5:39 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
The Bush episode was awkward. Of course Hank would vote for the Texas Republican (the Texas part being more important to him than the Republican part), but the writers were obviously uncomfortable with that and must have thought that finding a way for Hank to be less than enthusiastic about the man would show that Hank doesn't fully endorse Bush's views. The story wasn't executed very well and was the weak spot in what I thought was the best animated show on TV for most of its run.
It's notable that for what a TEXAS show KoTH was, W. wasn't mentioned again, at least I can't recall and I've seen every episode until Lucky appears. The Johnson family was referenced far more than the Bush family.
posted by riruro at 5:51 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's notable that for what a TEXAS show KoTH was, W. wasn't mentioned again, at least I can't recall and I've seen every episode until Lucky appears. The Johnson family was referenced far more than the Bush family.
posted by riruro at 5:51 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
... the low-flow toilets weren't bad because they were environmentally sound, they were bad because they weren't.
Ah, I misremembered!
posted by griphus at 5:58 PM on January 6, 2013
Ah, I misremembered!
posted by griphus at 5:58 PM on January 6, 2013
The voice actors and writing staff for KotH would go on mandatory trips to Austin and the surrounding, less weird areas specifically so they could meet regular Arlen-style Texans and portray them warmly and accurately. Mike Judge himself almost never came to Los Angeles, recording his sessions from his home studio, because he wanted to keep himself in Hank Hill's milieu as much as possible (or so my friends tell me).
posted by infinitewindow at 6:02 PM on January 6, 2013
posted by infinitewindow at 6:02 PM on January 6, 2013
I'm such a big fan that I have a beagle named Lady Bird. This and the Brad Bird PDF are both a real joy to read. Thanks for them!
posted by waldo at 6:07 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by waldo at 6:07 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's notable that for what a TEXAS show KoTH was, W. wasn't mentioned again, at least I can't recall and I've seen every episode until Lucky appears. The Johnson family was referenced far more than the Bush family.
And Willie Nelson or Tom Landry were probably mentioned more than both combined. It wasnt a political show. It was a show about folks going about their daily lives in Arlen. Folks in fictional Arlen -- and nonfictional Allen or Arlington or whatever -- probably think about football and music more than politics. Or at least they did 10 years ago.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:10 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
And Willie Nelson or Tom Landry were probably mentioned more than both combined. It wasnt a political show. It was a show about folks going about their daily lives in Arlen. Folks in fictional Arlen -- and nonfictional Allen or Arlington or whatever -- probably think about football and music more than politics. Or at least they did 10 years ago.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:10 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
ardgedee: "I recall a friend from east Texas saying, with all earnestness, that "King of the Hill" was a documentary."
I'm from Houston, so while east Texas, I'm not from small-town Texas, but every time I see something set in Texas, I have to wince, because it is so different from what I've ever seen or experienced. Except KotH. I've only seen the first season, so I don't know how well it holds up after that, but that first season is about the only set-in-Texas thing I can remember where I watched it and thought, "Yeah, that's fairly accurate".
My dad calls it a documentary as well.
posted by Bugbread at 7:17 PM on January 6, 2013
I'm from Houston, so while east Texas, I'm not from small-town Texas, but every time I see something set in Texas, I have to wince, because it is so different from what I've ever seen or experienced. Except KotH. I've only seen the first season, so I don't know how well it holds up after that, but that first season is about the only set-in-Texas thing I can remember where I watched it and thought, "Yeah, that's fairly accurate".
My dad calls it a documentary as well.
posted by Bugbread at 7:17 PM on January 6, 2013
Hank always seemed to me a Johnson guy at heart. He's also incredibly civic-minded throughout the show. And right out of the gate he's shown to disdain racism and sexism, or at least what he understands of those things. A lot of the time his more conservative views turned out to be things he'd believed without ever really thinking about, or just rooted in insecurity, and his views change when he's confronted with that.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:56 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 8:56 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
And what's great about the show is that Hank Hill is a very good father. With most sitcoms, the humor involving a father involves some misdirection or another that can only resolve with the father looking like a complete dumbass. (See, for example, the entire opus of Home Improvement.)
But while Hank would make mistakes and occasionally be wrong, the jokes were never at the expense of his commitment to family. It seems such a little thing, but Hank Hill is written to genuinely love his wife and son.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:02 PM on January 6, 2013 [5 favorites]
But while Hank would make mistakes and occasionally be wrong, the jokes were never at the expense of his commitment to family. It seems such a little thing, but Hank Hill is written to genuinely love his wife and son.
posted by grabbingsand at 9:02 PM on January 6, 2013 [5 favorites]
The "NO Desert Cactus Tumbleweed shots. RESEARCH LOCATIONS instead of making it up." bit seems to be coming from the same place of striving for an accuracy instead of a cartoon version of Texas.
posted by RobotHero at 9:05 PM on January 6, 2013
posted by RobotHero at 9:05 PM on January 6, 2013
Unlike the Simpsons or Family Guy, it stays pretty grounded, and I sort of figured it could have been shot live-action without losing anything. But now I wonder if the restrictions of shooting a TV-show would have made it less accurate a portrayal. Like when you construct sets and hire actors and lighting crew and costumers and everything, you risk losing connection to the reality of what you're depicting.
posted by RobotHero at 9:16 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotHero at 9:16 PM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]
And Willie Nelson or Tom Landry were probably mentioned more than both combined. It wasnt a political show. It was a show about folks going about their daily lives in Arlen. Folks in fictional Arlen -- and nonfictional Allen or Arlington or whatever -- probably think about football and music more than politics. Or at least they did 10 years ago.
This. I'm a liberal New Yorker, and I love King of the Hill and always found Hank to be a very appealing character. It's true that the "Hank vs. stupid big-city liberals" plots were there, but they were far more common very early (first season) and in the later seasons. During the show's peak - roughly seasons two through five or six, I'd say - most of the plots are more character driven than anything else. Most of the humor is, too.
The Bush episode is a great example of that. Hank not liking Bush for his handshake is funny, and it's funny because Hank is just the sort of guy who would get worked up over a handshake. The whole plot line is more about Hank's character than his politics.
posted by breakin' the law at 9:25 PM on January 6, 2013
This. I'm a liberal New Yorker, and I love King of the Hill and always found Hank to be a very appealing character. It's true that the "Hank vs. stupid big-city liberals" plots were there, but they were far more common very early (first season) and in the later seasons. During the show's peak - roughly seasons two through five or six, I'd say - most of the plots are more character driven than anything else. Most of the humor is, too.
The Bush episode is a great example of that. Hank not liking Bush for his handshake is funny, and it's funny because Hank is just the sort of guy who would get worked up over a handshake. The whole plot line is more about Hank's character than his politics.
posted by breakin' the law at 9:25 PM on January 6, 2013
But while Hank would make mistakes and occasionally be wrong, the jokes were never at the expense of his commitment to family. It seems such a little thing, but Hank Hill is written to genuinely love his wife and son.
Something similar could be said of all the characters on KotH. I mean, Dale's a buffoon and not much of a father figure in a sense, but he certainly loves Joseph. Khan might put a lot of pressure on Connie, but he's often shown to be an OK guy, deep down. Even Cotton, probably the most despicable character on the show, has his moments. There was something refreshing about the show having characters that were multidimensional, and flawed, but still generally decent.
posted by breakin' the law at 9:35 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
Something similar could be said of all the characters on KotH. I mean, Dale's a buffoon and not much of a father figure in a sense, but he certainly loves Joseph. Khan might put a lot of pressure on Connie, but he's often shown to be an OK guy, deep down. Even Cotton, probably the most despicable character on the show, has his moments. There was something refreshing about the show having characters that were multidimensional, and flawed, but still generally decent.
posted by breakin' the law at 9:35 PM on January 6, 2013 [4 favorites]
If you thought that Bush was basically a monster, the handshake episode was absolutely maddening. See, Hank was a major Bush fan to start with, and then he lost enthusiasm because Bush's freaking handshake was insufficiently macho, not because he saw flaws in Bush's totally fucked-up policies, and and and...
OK, last comment, but...in fairness, the episode was made during the 2000 election, and at that time most people thought Bush was a basically harmless center-right nincompoop. If you evaluate the handshake episode in the context of the time, its preoccupation with minutiae wasn't a bad satire of the 2000 election. Of course, that was entirely the wrong way to view that election, but that's another conversation...
posted by breakin' the law at 9:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
OK, last comment, but...in fairness, the episode was made during the 2000 election, and at that time most people thought Bush was a basically harmless center-right nincompoop. If you evaluate the handshake episode in the context of the time, its preoccupation with minutiae wasn't a bad satire of the 2000 election. Of course, that was entirely the wrong way to view that election, but that's another conversation...
posted by breakin' the law at 9:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Cotton on meeting Kahn is one of my favorite moments on the show. Everyone assumes Cotton will say something nasty or ignorant and Kahn will tear him a new one...
HANK: This is my new neighbor.
DALE: He's Japanese.
COTTON: No he ain't. He's Laotian. Ain't you, Mr. Kahn?
posted by zippy at 9:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
HANK: This is my new neighbor.
DALE: He's Japanese.
COTTON: No he ain't. He's Laotian. Ain't you, Mr. Kahn?
posted by zippy at 9:43 PM on January 6, 2013 [2 favorites]
The irony of obsessing about about the animation is that this cartoon is one of the rare ones that could be a live tv show instead of being animated. It reminds me a lot of shows like Roseanne.
posted by readyfreddy at 9:53 PM on January 6, 2013
posted by readyfreddy at 9:53 PM on January 6, 2013
My favorite episode is "Reborn to Be Wild," because the moral at the end is so nice, and so organic to Hank Hill's undemonstrative but deeply moral character, and he struggles so hard to get to a place where he can express it to Bobby and share that part of himself with his son:
AMEN HANK.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:02 PM on January 6, 2013 [11 favorites]
BOBBY: When I turn 18, I'm going to do whatever I want for the Lord. Tattoos, piercings, you name it.But also because it includes this gem when Hank talks to a Christian rocker: "Can't you see you're not making Christianity better? You're just making rock n' roll worse!"
HANK: Well, I'll take that chance. Come here, there's something I want you to see. (Hank takes down a box from the shelf and opens it up) Remember this?
BOBBY: My beanbag buddy? Oh, man, I can't believe I collected those things. They're so lame.
HANK: You didn't think so five years ago. And how about your virtual pet? You used to carry this thing everywhere. Then you got tired of it, forgot to feed it, and it died.
BOBBY (looks at a photo of himself in a Ninja Turtles costume): I look like such a dork.
HANK: I know how you feel. I never thought that "Members Only" jacket would go out of style, but it did. I know you think stuff you're doing now is cool, but in a few years you're going to think it's lame. And I don't want the Lord to end up in this box.
AMEN HANK.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:02 PM on January 6, 2013 [11 favorites]
Typical plot: Silly wussy liberal do-gooder types fuck everything up, but then Hank sets things straight with some good old-fashioned Texas commonsense.
Looking through the episode summaries, this doesn't seem common. In the first four seasons I only see the low-flow toilet thing. Meanwhile there is an episode where Hank fights with a litigious Evangelical Christian woman who wants to end Halloween and indoctrinate kids, an episode where Bobby learns that white power jokes aren't funny, and an episode where Hank scares Bobby into never messing around with a woman's birth control.
Seems reasonable.
posted by Winnemac at 11:03 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Looking through the episode summaries, this doesn't seem common. In the first four seasons I only see the low-flow toilet thing. Meanwhile there is an episode where Hank fights with a litigious Evangelical Christian woman who wants to end Halloween and indoctrinate kids, an episode where Bobby learns that white power jokes aren't funny, and an episode where Hank scares Bobby into never messing around with a woman's birth control.
Seems reasonable.
posted by Winnemac at 11:03 PM on January 6, 2013 [3 favorites]
Echoing Robot Hero and breakin' the law.
Many years ago Entertainment Weekly did a full-page, non-caricatured illustration of Hank, Peggy, Bobby, and Luanne for a Fall preview or something. It was realistic enough to make me forget that they came from an animated cartoon, which then made me realize that they were far more fleshed out, nuanced, and "real" than any other fictional characters I could think of.
posted by whuppy at 7:05 AM on January 7, 2013
Many years ago Entertainment Weekly did a full-page, non-caricatured illustration of Hank, Peggy, Bobby, and Luanne for a Fall preview or something. It was realistic enough to make me forget that they came from an animated cartoon, which then made me realize that they were far more fleshed out, nuanced, and "real" than any other fictional characters I could think of.
posted by whuppy at 7:05 AM on January 7, 2013
Also, the "propane and propane accessories" thing, while it is firmly in shtick/catchphrase territory also reveals something pretty great about Hank: he is not just content, but genuinely happy with his job. I mean, the joke is clearly that he doesn't aspire to be anything more, career-wise, than he already is, and that his job isn't remotely "important" (and, also, his boss is an honest-to-goodness sociopath.)
The other side of that coin -- and this is where that trademark subtlety shows up -- is that Hank appreciates and takes pride in his lot in life. There's a lot of sitcom characters who follow their Big Dream of becoming a famous writer or musician or artist or whatever, and, except in the darker sitcoms, they usually attain it. Or, an ordinary job is a source of griping and embarrassment. But Hank is a man who is genuinely proud of his ordinary job. It's pretty amazing to see the writers balance the irony of deep investment in propane and propane accessories, all the while making that investment a virtue.
posted by griphus at 10:51 AM on January 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
The other side of that coin -- and this is where that trademark subtlety shows up -- is that Hank appreciates and takes pride in his lot in life. There's a lot of sitcom characters who follow their Big Dream of becoming a famous writer or musician or artist or whatever, and, except in the darker sitcoms, they usually attain it. Or, an ordinary job is a source of griping and embarrassment. But Hank is a man who is genuinely proud of his ordinary job. It's pretty amazing to see the writers balance the irony of deep investment in propane and propane accessories, all the while making that investment a virtue.
posted by griphus at 10:51 AM on January 7, 2013 [6 favorites]
This show actually had one of the loveliest things to say about self-acceptance I've ever heard; it was an episode which dealt with Peggy trying to overcome her self-consciousness about her big feet by accepting a foot modelling job, only to find out that it was for a foot fetish site. She's sitting in her room, crushed, when Bobby - who's gearing up for a supersoaker fight with his friends - comes in to check on her. He tries to console her by telling her that she shouldn't be ashamed of her feet; after all, he's not ashamed of being fat. "No, Bobby, you're not fat, you're just husky," Peggy says.
Then Bobby says:
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 AM on January 8, 2013 [11 favorites]
Then Bobby says:
No, Mom, I'm fat. But -- big deal. I don't feel bad about it. You never made me feel bad about it, and just because there are some people in the world who want me to feel bad about it, doesn't mean I have to. So Bobby's fat. Eh. He's also funny, nice, he's got a lot of friends, a girlfriend, and if you don't mind, I think I'll go outside and squirt her with water. [starts to leave, pauses] What are you gonna do?And he leaves, leaving Peggy to think a moment - and in the very next scene she is proudly marching into a shoe store asking to see what they have in size 16.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:05 AM on January 8, 2013 [11 favorites]
Yeah, Bobby's one of the great comic creations of our age I think.
posted by JHarris at 12:13 PM on January 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by JHarris at 12:13 PM on January 8, 2013 [2 favorites]
This show actually had one of the loveliest things to say about self-acceptance I've ever heard; it was an episode which dealt with Peggy trying to overcome her self-consciousness about her big feet by accepting a foot modelling job, only to find out that it was for a foot fetish site. She's sitting in her room, crushed, when Bobby - who's gearing up for a supersoaker fight with his friends - comes in to check on her. He tries to console her by telling her that she shouldn't be ashamed of her feet; after all, he's not ashamed of being fat. "No, Bobby, you're not fat, you're just husky," Peggy says.
Then Bobby says:
No, Mom, I'm fat. But -- big deal. I don't feel bad about it. You never made me feel bad about it, and just because there are some people in the world who want me to feel bad about it, doesn't mean I have to. So Bobby's fat. Eh. He's also funny, nice, he's got a lot of friends, a girlfriend, and if you don't mind, I think I'll go outside and squirt her with water. [starts to leave, pauses] What are you gonna do?
And he leaves, leaving Peggy to think a moment - and in the very next scene she is proudly marching into a shoe store asking to see what they have in size 16.
Who? Who in the media tricked you?
posted by kafziel at 1:33 PM on January 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
Then Bobby says:
No, Mom, I'm fat. But -- big deal. I don't feel bad about it. You never made me feel bad about it, and just because there are some people in the world who want me to feel bad about it, doesn't mean I have to. So Bobby's fat. Eh. He's also funny, nice, he's got a lot of friends, a girlfriend, and if you don't mind, I think I'll go outside and squirt her with water. [starts to leave, pauses] What are you gonna do?
And he leaves, leaving Peggy to think a moment - and in the very next scene she is proudly marching into a shoe store asking to see what they have in size 16.
Who? Who in the media tricked you?
posted by kafziel at 1:33 PM on January 8, 2013 [1 favorite]
While we're on this, the episode where Peggy gets that fake doctorate is amazing, just because about halfway through it turns into a surprisingly well-written heist.
posted by griphus at 1:45 PM on January 8, 2013
posted by griphus at 1:45 PM on January 8, 2013
I completely missed this thread, and the discussion it seems, but before the thread closes, I wanted to throw in that one of my favorite things about KotH is that when Hank makes an "or else" declarative wherein he threatens to kick someone's ass, not only does he follow through, but he does so by literally kicking them in the ass.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:42 AM on January 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 11:42 AM on January 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
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posted by TwelveTwo at 9:01 AM on January 6, 2013 [1 favorite]