"To Spank, with Love" is the 46th episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on January 19, 1999. The episode was written by David Zuckerman, and directed by Adam Kuhlman.
Summary[]
Peggy is fired from her job when she spanks a student but finds help from an unexpected source.
Plot[]
Peggy receives a phone call from the dispatch office. She is asked to fill in for a Spanish teacher at Bobby's school and warned of a "surprise" in-class evaluation. While the class begins well enough, the mischievous students Dooley and Clark Peters soon pull a series of pranks on Peggy, causing her great embarrassment and frustration as it gives the impression that she cannot control a classroom. When Peggy returns home, she shows her family the results of the in-class evaluation, which concludes she "needs improvement." The next day, Peggy takes a more proactive approach with the bullies. But Dooley ends up pulling down Peggy's pants in front of the class, causing the students laugh at her. Furious, Peggy grabs Dooley, places him over her knee, and gives him a spanking. The students are in disbelief, and Peggy is mortified at what she has done.
A short time later, Hank attempts to assure Peggy that she will not lose her job over the incident. He recalls how, as a child, he was disciplined with a paddle nicknamed "Ol' Spanky", though it quickly becomes clear the spankings had more of an effect on his psyche than he lets on. Bobby comes in and castigates his mother for what she had done, saying she should have simply pulled up her pants and moved on. The next day, Peggy is in a meeting in Principal Moss' office with Dooley's parents. Though Dooley's parents forgive (and also commend) Peggy for her actions, Moss promptly fires her, as she violated the procedure for administering "legal spankings... at every turn" and calls in Emily to escort Peggy from the school. Later, back at home, Peggy starts sobbing on the bed with her teaching trophies, and when Hank, feeling bad, tries to give her a book about designing software, she throws it down at the floor and continues blubbering in sadness. Later, she tries to find comfort while gardening, but Cotton pulls up saying he needs her to make 200 pancakes for the Arlen VFW breakfast. Feeling awkward listening to Peggy's continued sobbing, Cotton tries to make small talk, and Peggy tells him she was fired for spanking Dooley. Cotton finds the reason for her dismissal ridiculous and offers to talk to his friend and fellow VFW-member Jeter Turbeville, Hank's middle school principal who proudly claims to have disciplined "thousands" of students by spanking them. Turbeville and his fellow veterans circulate a petition in an effort to get Peggy reinstated. He then gives Peggy Ol' Spanky, the same paddle he used as principal, which she hesitantly accepts. Shortly thereafter, the school board votes on the matter and Peggy wins back her job. But when Peggy returns to school, she brings Ol' Spanky along for good measure–much to the concern of her students, and insists on being called "Paddlin' Peggy."
Bobby approaches his father about his mother's aggressive attitude. He explains that fear of the paddle is giving his friend Joseph nightmares, which is why he won't come over to hang out at his house. Bill suggests that Peggy is letting power go to her head, but Hank sheepishly claims that she has been "hard to talk to lately". Meanwhile, word of "Paddlin' Peggy" spreads throughout town, and a local television news channel stops by the Hill house to tape a segment on the (in)famous substitute teacher. Peggy begins to panic when she realizes the paddle is nowhere to be found. She discovers it protruding from Dale Gribble's trash, and immediately assumes that his son, Joseph, tossed it there. Joseph strongly denies the accusation, but Peggy is certain he is the culprit. She raises the paddle over her head, prepared to strike the boy, as Dale pleads for somebody to stop her. Suddenly, after accusing Bill, who calmly denies the claim, Dale frantically confesses it that he stole the paddle, saying she had gone crazy and needed to be stopped. Peggy, horrified by a nearby reflection of herself looming over a frightened Joseph with the paddle poised to strike, realizes she has gone too far. She drops the paddle and Dale comforts his son, calling Peggy a bully, and Bobby shakes his head in disapproval.
Back home, Peggy regrets ever using the power of the paddle in the first place. Hank tells her that he was saving an important speech for when Bobby would be bullied, but thinks he can apply it to the situation. Peggy is grateful for Hank's support but refuses to hear the speech, and later returns to the school hoping to find her old self – the one who could teach children without "scaring the bejesus out of them." When Dooley again makes her the brunt of a practical joke by pinning a drawing of her with her pants around her ankles to an overhead map of Spain, Peggy suddenly swings a mace over her head, and swipes the picture clean off the map. She then recounts to her shocked students how innocent people were brutally punished with such a device during the Spanish Inquisition, even though they did nothing wrong. She concludes her lesson by saying the worst part of the Inquisition was that no one ever apologized to the victims, as a subtle apology to Joseph. Later, Peggy asks Joseph and Bobby to help her spread mulch in her garden. When Joseph asks what the mulch is made of, Peggy smiles and says "Paddle... and goat manure."
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Joseph Gribble
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Bill Dauterive
- Connie Souphanousinphone
- Cotton Hill
- Jeter Turbeville
- Eustice Miller
- Randy Miller
- Principal Carl Moss
- Clark Peters
- Stuart Dooley
- Emily
- Ms. Ayres
- Tim Dooley
- Melinda Dooley
- Ladybird
- Kahn Souphanousinphone (non-speaking)
- Minh Souphanousinphone (non-speaking)
- Leventhal (non-speaking)
- Susie (non-speaking)
- Tom (non-speaking)
- Judy (non-speaking)
- Sharona Johnson (mentioned)
- Mrs. Gonzalez (mentioned)
Stinger Quote[]
- Dooley: "Tú eres muerto."
Trivia[]
- The title is a reference to the 1967 film "To Sir, With Love" which shares a reference with a later episode.
- The "mace" that Peggy uses is actually a Morning Star or Medieval Flail; a mace does not have the chain.
- The episode title is a spoof on the 1967 movie To Sir, with Love, which is about students coming to terms with a 'different' type of teacher.
- This episode marks the first appearance of the recurring character and hall monitor Emily.
- Bill reveals that his father spanked him from the age of nine until sixteen.
- Mega Lo Mart is shown being in the process of being rebuilt and remodeled (due to the explosion).
- This is the only episode to ever show the lawn garden at The Hill residence. The garden never appears again.
- This episode reuses animation from "Square Peg."
Goofs[]
- When Peggy takes out the flail, Stuart Dooley's jacket disappears; it is back on once she talks about the Spanish Inquisition.
Gallery[]
