Rent King of the Hill: Series 6 (2001)

King of the Hill: Series 6 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

It’s fair to say that the sixth season of King of the Hill contains some of the most notable jokes of the entire series. While the show had protruded quite well into the pop-culture consciousness, where the mere phrasing of “propane and propane accessories” had become as notable as “D’oh!”, it is in this season that much of the funniest episodes based on the mere premise were hilarious. The show still manages to keep to its more realistic roots but divulges into much more outlandish territory.

Consider how the season premiere of "Bobby Goes Nuts" sets the bar pretty high. Tired of being bullied, Bobby seeks out a self-defense class but can only land a spot in a women’s self-defense class. This leads to him misusing his lessons of kicking men in the groin as a means to become a bully himself. Not only does the episode touch upon the nature of gender-based bullying but it also features one of the greatest moments of slapstick in the series when Bobby makes the mistake of punching Hank in the testicles.

Some more interesting developments come about with Bobby in how his relationship with Connie takes a turn for the worse in "Father of the Bribe". Tired of being forced by family and school to hide their affection, the couple try to play their parents for fools as a means of spending more time together. In doing so, however, their parents take note and try to force them together, leading their relationship in the opposite direction. This break-up carries into the follow-up episode of "I'm with Cupid" where Bobby experiences the fallout with Bill giving the worst of advice for a girlfriend-free boy.

This season’s Christmas episode, "The Father, the Son, and J.C.", is particularly worth noting for the turn it takes. Taking a break from the Bill-centric depression-fueled Christmas episodes, this episode focuses on Hank trying to come to terms with the love of his father amid a Habitat for Humanity project. His confession of emotions leads to an unorthodox Christmas that involves holding a home hostage with a nail gun and Jimmy Carter being called in for negotiations. If it sounds strange, that’s because it is.

Though Carter does not provide the voice for such a cameo, there are still tons of guest stars this season. Jeff Goldblum perfectly plays a swindling con-artist in "The Substitute Spanish Prisoner". Alan Rickman brings his thick English accent to the Renaissance Fair episode of "Joust Like a Woman" where he plays an egotistical king, only to break his accent when slipping into the role of Texas real estate salesman. "The Bluegrass Is Always Greener" features a star-studded line-up of actors playing themselves which includes Yakov Smirnoff and Charlie Daniels.

One of the more compelling misunderstanding episodes is "My Own Private Rodeo" where Dale tries to come to terms with his father. As a result of Dale’s dad not wanting to make it known he was gay, Dale instead believes that his father tried to seduce his wife. This then transforms into Dale mistaking his father for being a CIA agent. All of this is built up to be a story of acceptance about gay people without directly involving homophobia, despite the childish and sheepish reactions of Hank, Bill, and Boomhauer.

Of course, the highlight of this season is the two-part finale of "Returning Japanese". This would seem like a bit of a cliche episode where someone in the writer’s room just blurted out “what is they went to Japan?” For being that kinda episode, the show manages to find a compelling reason for the trip as Cotton Hill hasn’t gotten over a woman from the war and discovers he has a Japanese son, looking like a Japanese version of Hank, voiced by David Carradine. The Hill family’s culture clash moments are pretty hilarious considering how wrong they are proven with a more realistic depiction of Japan.

There’s a bittersweet nature to this season, however, as it seems like most of the continuity present comes to a close. For example, we won’t see the Japanese Hill member of Jinichiro in future episodes. There are also a lot of standard animated sitcom scenarios in play involving religion and cults. That being said, this is still a strong season and the magnificent episodes far out-weigh the lukewarm ones. It also features the most meme-worthy of episodes so if you’re aiming to get in on most of the King of the Hill in-jokes, this is the season to pursue most.