Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for King of the Hill season 14, episode 3.Hank Hill changed a lot between the original series and theKing of the Hillrevival, and this one moment he had with Bobby proves it. The time skip betweenKing of the Hillseasons 13 and 14 let several things change.Bill got worse in theKing of the Hillrevival, Bobby became a 21-year-old who runs a Japanese restaurant, and Dale even briefly became the mayor of Arlen.
Hank also changed in the years he spent in Saudi Arabia, but his changes weren’t as obvious. He’s still repressed, still loves beer and propane, and still finds himself too traditional for the modern world. That’s why it was so surprising to discover that Hank changed a lot in theKing of the Hillrevival, and this scene shows just how different he is.
Hank Accepts Bobby Not Using Propane At His Restaurant
Even people who haven’t seenKing of the Hillprobably know that Hank sells propane and propane accessories, and that he deeply loves propane. In season 14 alone, Hank lists propane as one of his “two loves,” even above Peggy, and Bobby says that propane sometimes ranks higher than him.Hank’s love of propane is one of his longest-running character traits inKing of the Hill, and it’s a hill he’d die on.
Naturally, Hank saw it as a betrayal that Bobby used charcoal, not propane, at his restaurant. However, despite his decades of loving propane and shunning any other flammable material,Hank ended up accepting Bobby’s use of charcoal. ManyKing of the Hillfans likely never thought they’d see the day Hank accepted something other than propane as a cooking fuel, but that day has come.
King of the Hillseason 14, episode 3 features one of Hank’s most significant moments of growth in the entire series.KotHhas always been about growth, but this is Hank letting one of his oldest and most stubborn beliefs go to see things from Bobby’s perspective. He even compliments Bobby’s authenticity. It’s not dissimilar to the finale ofKotHseason 13, when Hank finally let Bobby use a grill.
Hank Is Learning To Accept Bobby As His Own Person
Hank’s Acceptance Of Charcoal Is Just The Latest Step In His Developing Relationship With Bobby
Hank’s acceptance of charcoal highlights a throughline inKing of the Hillseason 14: Hank is accepting Bobby as his own person and as an adult peer. In the originalKotH, Hank and Bobby clashed all the time. Their personalities didn’t mesh at all, and Hank was trying to raise Bobby into the type of traditional man that he admired.
Now, however, Bobby is an adult, and Hank doesn’t have to raise him anymore.They still don’t agree - on beer, propane, or anything else - but Hank and Bobby have a mutual respect for one another. Hank is learning to be less stubborn and rigid, which lets him see things from Bobby’s perspective. He doesn’t agree with the use of charcoal, but he understands and respects why Bobby uses it.
More broadly, Hank learning to accept Bobby as an adult highlights why theKing of the Hillrevival is so great. As previously mentioned,KotHwas always about Hank learning to widen his worldview and learning that not everything fits into his black-and-white sense of right and wrong. TheKing of the Hillrevival deeply understands that, and it took Hank’s continuing growth to the next level with Bobby.
