Rent King of the Hill: Series 7 (2002)

King of the Hill: Series 7 review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Series 7 of King of the Hill could best be described as the season where things went incredibly weird while still staying within the parameters of the grounded basis for the show. It still features all the hallmarks of the animated sitcom; Hank still has morality questioned, Bobby finds himself eccentrically discovering himself, and Peggy has her ego taken down a peg. But the types of stories involve some more out-there scenarios and unorthodox animations for such a show go pretty high this time around.

Just look at the first episode of “Get Your Freak Off” where Hank Hill once more plunges face-first into trying to sway Bobby into forcing his old-fashioned morality on Bobby. Raising Bobby into his teenage years is proving to be quite the challenge as the boy finds himself dancing provocatively at boy band concerts and attending parties with much making out. There’s an interesting bit of questioning here about how far kids are allowed to grow up and how encroaching adults can be in forming that line between freedom and discipline.

Hank can’t really save Bobby from being attracted to danger in "Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do", where he is lured by a bad girl into creating meth for the science fair (yes, really). It’s more up to Connie to decide whether or not Bobby should take the fall for his ignorance. One area where Hank seems more comfortable with Bobby’s interest is in "Goodbye Normal Jeans", where Bobby’s specialty in laundry and dinner impresses Hank and angers Peggy.

Probably one of the weirdest episodes of the series is "Dances with Dogs", an episode where Hank and Bobby take secret interests in dancing with their dogs. I’m not even sure whether I despise this episode or not. There are no standout moments of humor beyond the mere concept and there are no distracting flaws in the motivations of the characters. It’s just a strange, strange episode that I’m honestly not sure how it came about, outside of just being an unorthodox story.

There’s also a heavy amount of violence this season. "The Texas Skillsaw Massacre" involves Hank accidentally cutting off Dale’s finger and coming to terms with his anger. "Full Metal Dust Jacket" features Dale selling guns out of a book store where injuries occur. "Pigmalion" features Luanne falling in love with a pork mogul who is such a psychopath he ends up being mutilated on his own killing floor.

These episodes run pretty far off the rails with such stories as "Megalo Dale" where the Megalo Mart in invaded by a vindictive Chuck Mangione. But then there are the more grounded episodes of “The Good Buck” where a drunk and depressed Buck Strickland finds himself pulled out of the muck by Luanne’s sympathy and spirituality. "Night and Deity" features Dale becoming perhaps too interested in a local bird exterminator while Nancy grows jealous. "Maid in Arlen" showcases a rather tender romance between Bill and Kahn’s mother.

But if I had to choose one of the most hilarious episodes of the season, it is without question "The Witches of East Arlen". In this episode, Bobby finds himself lonely while searching for a new interest and runs into the older crowd of magic-obsessed geeks, the leader voiced perfectly by David Cross. I like this episode not just because of the pinpoint accuracy in nailing the aspects of the suburban geek crowd who works retail but for Bobby learns the lesson all on his own that he doesn’t have to kowtow to absurd lengths for friendship.

I’ve often looked upon Series 7 as the weird season just for how strange and ludicrous it becomes while still being relatable without divorcing too much from what it once was. It has a lot of classic Bobby moments and finds plenty to do with just about every character. It’s not exactly the best season considering its stumbling in handling topics of racism in "Racist Dawg" and child abuse in "An Officer and a Gentle Boy". But overall it’s another strong season for this underrated animated sitcom.