Escape from Party Island

Escape from Party Island
Air date	March 16, 1999
Written by	Jonathan Collier
Directed by	Gary McCarver
Episode guide
Previous	"Jon Vitti Presents: Return to La Grunta"
Next	"Love Hurts and So Does Art"

"Escape from Party Island" is the 52nd episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on March 16, 1999. The episode was written by Jonathan Collier and directed by Gary McCarver.

Summary

When Hank chaperones his mother and her friends on their annual trip to collect miniature glass figurines, he is horrified to see they've traveled to the island during spring break.

Plot

As Hank sips beer in the alley, he worries about his mother, who is traveling to visit the Port Aransas Museum of Miniatures. Tilly previously developed a love of miniatures to distract her from her dysfunctional marriage to Cotton. When the van finally arrives, Tilly explains that she and her friends, Delia, Maureen, and Lillian, got behind schedule during their visit to a pancake house. Hank grows concerned. He volunteers to drive the women the rest of the way, this despite his longtime hate of miniatures. Hank tells Peggy that his mother only expressed interest in miniatures when "she was heading into a funk." As the group makes its way through the exhibits, Hank reacts with great displeasure when he hears the name Lyle Neff, who is hard at work on one of his latest miniatures. When the ladies retire early for the evening, Hank hangs out at the motel bar and enjoys a beer. He befriends two college-age men, Randy and Chad. Unbeknownst to Hank, the entire town is the location of MTV's Spring Break festival and is about to be overrun with students eager to celebrate Spring Break. Meanwhile, Bill decides to "put the moves" on Peggy now that Hank is out of town.

On their journey to the miniatures museum the next day, Hank and the women encounter throngs of college kids. While visiting the museum gift shop, Tilly falls in love with a glass unicorn. Hank grows more concerned for his mother's mental well-being, as well as the fact neither she or her friends seem to understand the situation with the college vacationers. Later, the group enters the Tea House, which has been completely transformed to accommodate the younger crowd. Hank watches in horror as a deejay stages a wet T-shirt contest. Afterwards, Hank hails Chad and Randy when he spots them in a crowd, but the boys respond by hurling water balloons. A short time later, Hank and the women pack their belongings, climb into the van and begin their journey towards the ferry. Suddenly, Tilly realizes she left her unicorn back at the motel. When Hank informs her that returning to the motel will mean missing the ferry, a verbal altercation ensues. Tilly exits the van and walks off into a crowd. Meanwhile, Bill invites Peggy to his home for a barbecue, but Peggy does not take him up on his offer.

Hank loses sight of Tilly and she disappears into the crowd. He eventually ends up back at the museum, where he strikes up a conversation with Lyle Neff. Lyle tells him that women are often times sad and lonely and that miniatures are sometimes the only thing that prevents them from losing their sanity. Hank recalls his youth, when his parents were in the process of breaking up, and how his mother embraced the miniatures. He sees truth in Lyle's words. When he finally catches up to his mother, Hank gives her a miniature of Los Angeles International Airport. Tilly is overjoyed. Meanwhile, Peggy and Luanne sit contentedly on a bench and watch Bobby's baseball game. Bill, heavily disappointed from Peggy not showing up for the barbecue (as well as burning himself during the preparation), sits down next to Peggy and places his arm around her. Peggy responds by striking him with her large foam finger. Bill loses his balance and falls from the bleachers.

Meanwhile, Hank and his mother return to the van. They learn in their absence that Lillian left the vehicle looking for them and unknowingly made her way towards the main stage of the MTV Spring Break event. In a fever pitch, Hank pushes off the obnoxious armadillo stage host, grabs hold of his Super Squirter and uses bursts of water to break through the line of drunken revelers. Hank and the women then head for the ferry. Unfortunately, a giant inflated beer can floats towards them, causing Hank to swerve. The van enters the exit lane of a parking lot, where its tires are shredded by spikes. At first, Hank refuses to drive the vehicle on its rims. When Adam Sandler descends from the sky in a helicopter singing Sloppy Joe, Hank floors the accelerator and reaches the ferry just in time.

Character to the right looks very similar to Dale (see Trivia)

During the end credits it is revealed that Bill got a broken arm as a result from falling from the bleachers. Hank (with full knowledge of what happened while he was away) throws beer cans at Bill's injury while sarcastically thanking him for "taking care of Peggy for me". Bill promises he won't do it again just as Hank throws another one at him.

Characters

• Hank Hill
• Peggy Hill
• Bobby Hill
• Luanne Platter
• Dale Gribble
• Jeff Boomhauer
• Bill Dauterive
• Tilly Garrison
• Lillian
• Maureen
• Delia
• Unnamed, elderly blond woman
• Lyle Neff
• Randy and Chad
• Deejay
• Rockadillo
• Cotton Hill
• Joseph Gribble (non-speaking)
• Stuart Dooley (non-speaking)
• Tea House waiter (non-speaking)
• Snack Shack employee
• Ladybird (mentioned)

Stinger Quote

• Unnamed woman: "I know your kind."

Trivia

• When Hank is walking from the shop with the four drinks, you can see a bag of something on the tray but when he reaches the car it's gone.
• Even though Hank rushes to get the last ferry of the day, the actual Port Arkansas has a 24 hour ferry service.
• The music played during the wet T-shirt contest is "Pretty Fly For a White Guy" by Offspring. The song played later, as Hank fends off the armadillo mascot, is "Dragula" by Rob Zombie.
• When Hank is driving towards the ferry point (when it is nighttime), you can briefly see someone who looks like Dale lying against a mailbox.
• Series creator Mike Judge initially found fame upon being the creator of a series made for MTV, being the famous 1994 animated series Beavis and Butt-Head. Though the episode's events mocks MTV, it mainly mocks the more indulgent, crass, and excessive birth of American college party culture of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and MTV's direction to cater to this crowd. Mike Judge has also cited difficulties with creative rights and control with MTV in regards to Beavis and Butt-Head, which was one of the reasons the show initially ended its run in 1997. Beavis and Butt-Head would further touch upon this topic in their 1999 PC adventure game, Beavis and Butt-Head Do U.

Goofs

• When Dale pops his head in Bill's fence when said, "Barbecuin'", his mouth did not move.

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