Not in My Back Hoe

Not in My Back Hoe
Air date	November 28, 1999
Written by	Paul Lieberstein
Directed by	Shaun Cashman
Episode guide
Previous	"Happy Hank's Giving"
Next	"To Kill a Ladybird"

"Not in My Back Hoe" is the 68th episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on November 28, 1999. The episode was written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Shaun Cashman.

Summary

When Hank meets his doppelganger, Dale and Bill become incredibly jealous of the time that Hank begins to spend with him.

Plot

The guys rent a backhoe/loader to replace a septic tank at Bill's house. After Dale almost hits Hank and Bill and damages the siding of Bill's house with the machine, Hank grows tired of their antics. At the Mega Lo Mart, Hank meets a guy named Hal who is very similar to himself, even driving the exact same truck. Hank is delighted to meet him, even telling Peggy that he "met a guy". Hank runs into Hal again at a gas station, and they decide to go to The Sports Bar together where they enjoy a beer.

When Hank gets home, he arrives to see Bill trying to open a beer can with the backhoe, damaging the road in the process. Hank then suggests having Hal join them in the alley, which Bill, Dale, and Boomhauer begrudgingly agree to. Hal joins them in the alley, but Bill and Dale are not fond of him. Hal and Hank go to look at a track hoe machine, while a jealous Bill and Dale get drunk in the alley until Hank gets home later in the night. They express their displeasure in Hank spending time with Hal, causing Hank to admonish them.

The next day, Hal picks up Hank to go to a sporting goods store in McMaynerbury. Dale and Bill follow them in the Bugabago, with a blanket covering the bug on top of the van. Hank and Hal then go to Earl's Guitars, where they practice playing Hank's favorite song "The Gambler" together.

Dale and Bill get distracted and do not see Hank and Hal leave. When they arrive home, they see Hank and Hal working on the septic tank with the backhoe, infuriating Dale and Bill who feel that Hal crossed the line. Dale then talks Bill into stealing the backhoe so Hank and Hal cannot work on the septic tank project. They drive to a local pet cemetery, where they improperly dig a hole and partially bury themselves.

The next morning, Bill and Dale are noticeably absent from the alley. Hank and Hal meet at a local park, where they realize that their friendship isn't going to work with their different schedules, and they see each other for the last time, with Hank remarking "I'm gonna miss that crazy bastard." The backhoe rental company shows up to retrieve the machine, surprising Hank since he assumed it was already returned. Kahn Souphanousinphone tells Hank he saw Dale and Bill leave yesterday, and Hank talks to some construction workers who point him in the right direction after he shows them a picture of the backhoe. Hank sees damage to a road and tracks the path to the pet cemetery, where he finds Bill and Dale are still trapped in the backhoe. Hank gives them step-by-step directions to dig themselves out, and they free themselves. They ask about Hal, then realize by Hank's reaction that Hank and Hal have ended their friendship.

Characters

• Hank Hill
• Peggy Hill
• Bobby Hill
• Luanne Platter
• Dale Gribble
• Jeff Boomhauer
• Bill Dauterive
• Hal
• Kahn Souphanousinphone
• Mark
• Jimsey
• Minh Souphanousinphone (mentioned)

Stinger Quote

• Dale: (gurgling) (spits, gulps)

Trivia

• The episode title is a reference to the phrase "Not in my backyard".
• The song that Hank and Hal play on guitars together is "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers.
• When Hank picks up Hal to go to Sporting Goods, Hal mentions that the shop "spins around" and that it "used to be a restaurant."
  • This is a reference to the 60th episode "As Old as the Hills" when Hank and Peggy ate dinner at the McMaynerbury Hilton, the very same rotating restaurant in McMaynerbury mentioned by Hal.
• In the Season 11 episode "SerPUNt", Hank's house and the other houses on Rainey Street are shown to have public sewage and not a septic tank.

Goofs

• In the scene where Hank and Hal are trying to enter their cars, Hank turns around to see Hal, and Hal's mouth moves. However, no dialogue or words come out of Hal's mouth despite the lip movement.
• When Hank gives an extra beer can to Boomhauer in the alley, the can is unopened, but Boomhauer takes a sip from it without opening it.
• When Hank's introducing the guys to Hal, he introduces them as Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer. However, they are standing in order from left to right as Dale, Boomhauer, and Bill. This could just be how Hank always introduces them and he didn't think of lining their names up with how they're standing.

Gallery