King of the Hill was one of Fox’s beloved adult animated series. The show ran for 13 seasons and featured an ensemble of realistic yet wacky characters. Many memorable episodes encompass it, including the Thanksgiving tale Goodbye Normal Jeans. This holiday special features Bobby practicing and perfecting his homemaking skills as Turkey Day approaches. His achievements unintentionally cause a paradigm shift that upsets his mother.
The King of the Hill Boys
Created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, King of the Hill stars the Hill family. They are a family of three living in Arlen, Texas. The show most often follows the family’s patriarch, Hank, making him the overall protagonist. The assistant manager at Strickland Propane is frequently the voice of reason amongst his peers. If it weren’t for him, his overzealous friends would be dead a hundred times over. Hank can be a stiff prude, but he’s no stranger to honest fun.
Hank is also a loving family man and father, especially to his son, Bobby. Bobby is the only child of the household, serving as the show’s secondary protagonist. Most of his episodes involve learning life lessons and growing up alongside his friends. He’s also the star of many B-plot stories throughout King of the Hill. Bobby’s a good-natured kid with an outgoing personality who makes mistakes and struggles with maturity. The show portrays him as a slacker, but not without his surprising talents.
Bobby Hill, the Talented Homemaker
In Season 7’s Goodbye Normal Jeans, Thanksgiving is coming, and Bobby is taking home economics. He’s close to failing, though this doesn’t bother Hank, who adheres to traditional gender duties. His wife, Peggy, on the other hand, is more than happy to help their son. However, disaster strikes when she ruins Hank’s jeans while helping with Bobby’s laundry homework. The young Hill asks his home economics teacher to help restore his father’s pants. Bobby gives Hank a pair of perfectly handcrafted jeans the following morning.
Hank praises his son, and afterward, Bobby takes his studies seriously. He becomes a maestro in the kitchen, making delicious meals like moist pot roast. The food is so good it even outshines Peggy’s usual weekday cooking, like fried pork chops. Bobby even makes covers for Hank’s power tools and utilizes furniture cleaning machines. Hank becomes impressed with Bobby’s homemaking accomplishments, leading to the boys bonding like never before. Eventually, the Hill patriarch grants his son the honor of cooking the entire Thanksgiving dinner.
The Insecure Thinking of Peggy Hill
While the boys headline this King of the Hill episode, Peggy has a significant part. The Hill matriarch plays the loving and supportive mother towards Bobby. These aspects go out the window after Bobby demonstrates his superior sewing and cooking skills. Peggy becomes jealous and petty, while a reasonable mother would praise their child’s growth. The worst part is she sees Bobby as a competitor for her husband’s affection. She even attempts to ‘win back’ Hank when doing so is unnecessary.
Essentially, Peggy sees her son threatening her role within the family. She thinks if they don’t need her, they won’t love her. This thought couldn’t be farther from the truth, but she doesn’t realize this. Her fear stays until the episode’s end when Hank has a sincere heart-to-heart with her. He assures her he didn’t marry her because he needed a cook or cleaner. Hank married Peggy out of love, and that’s all that matters to him.
A Side Story Involving Money
This King of the Hill episode also unveils a subplot starring Dale and Bill. It begins in the neighborhood alley with Hank and his friends, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer. Bill makes an impressive hook shot into their ice chest cooler. Dale is not impressed and bets his friend one million dollars he cannot repeat it. Bill tries but fails, prompting a childish taunting session from the physically-grown man. The following day, Bill writes Dale a joke check for the enormous amount of money.
Dale cashes the check despite Bill’s account not having the total amount. Bill is completely drained of money and unable to purchase ingredients for his Thanksgiving dinner. He eventually learns Dale emptied his bank account even though the check was a joke. Dale, unfortunately, remains adamant the bet was legal and refuses to return the money. Afterward, the guys idiotically corner Bobby to get the money out of him.
Final Thoughts
King of the Hill is an entertaining series that’s always worth rewatching. The characters are intriguing, and most episodes are enlightening and fun. Goodbye Normal Jeans from Season 7 is absolutely one of these features. It does not rely on a typical holiday lesson crutch about family togetherness or selflessness. Instead, this King of the Hill episode explores evolving gender roles in the modern-day household. Goodbye Normal Jeans could be the first step toward the oncoming sequel starring Bobby.
Despite her infuriating antics, watching Peggy throughout this episode is fascinating. She’s often considered one of the most unlikable characters in King of the Hill. Goodbye Normal Jeans does a marvelous job showcasing her arrogance, competitiveness, and pettiness. Witnessing her acting like a jealous lover instead of a supportive mother is cringe-worthy. King of the Hill is available on streaming services like Hulu, Disney+, and YouTube TV.
