"Après Hank, le Deluge" is the one hundred-sixty-fourth episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on March 21, 2004. This episode was written by Kit Boss and directed by Gary McCarver.
Summary[]
Arlen residents are forced to stay at the middle school during a potential flood. Bill is made the shelter leader but quickly lets the power go to his head. Meanwhile, Hank is charged on watching the floodgates and questions if he should open it to prevent the dam from breaking.
Plot[]
Arlen is plagued with heavy rain. While others prepare to evacuate to the Tom Landry Middle School, Bill, in his Army uniform, lays on his bed due to him being a state of depression. As the Hills prepare to leave, Hank (being a part of the Red Cross) goes to look for more people and prepare for the flood. Meanwhile, Bill, finally coaxed to leave, goes down to the school. Hank, meanwhile, notices the flood getting worse and heads for the floodgates at Tut Rampy Dam. He discovers no one there and the red phone ringing. He answers it and is told to do a complicated task: There are cracks in the gates and the gates must be opened to relieve pressure or the gates will burst, destroying most of South Arlen. At the school, the Souphanousinphones arrive. They look around the gym and see a little boy crying and two ladies fighting over a cot. Kahn says that chaos is already brewing. Minh reminds Kahn that they need to find a place to set up. They notice the stage and run to it. Meanwhile, Bill meets a worker delivering cinnamon buns to the shelter. Bill takes them in himself and the people mistake him for a worker (due to his uniform). Down at the gates, Hank notices the cracks getting bigger and, in desperation, opens the gates.
Bill, having been made leader, does childish things (such as choosing drinks) and is applauded by the group. Hank arrives at the shelter but is blamed for destroying an outlet mall and several homes. As he tries to explain himself, he finds Everett, the man who left the floodgates. The crowd does not listen and dubs Hank "Flooder." As people begin wasting supplies, Hank is placed in a cage for punishment by Kahn, Bill's right-hand man. Bill begins to notice food is running out and blames Hank, which the mislead people believe. Then, Kahn is thrown in the cage with Hank for committing an "offense". The two use a weightlifting machine in the cage to break the gate. It is revealed to be a trick to turn Hank in and to give Kahn his position back. As Bill tells Hank about his feeling of respect and power, Hank realizes the flood is over and has been for days. Bill then opens the door, revealing the clear, sunny day outside. Bill is still treated like a respected leader while Hank is treated rudely by others.
Meanwhile, Peggy tries to prevent Bobby from regressing into "shelter shock" and in the end Peggy regresses while Bobby, Joseph, and Connie fool around in the school while Dale attempts to build an ark.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Dale Gribble
- Bill Dauterive
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Luanne Platter
- Lady Bird
- Everett
- Nancy Gribble
- Joseph Gribble
- Kahn Souphanousinphone
- Minh Souphanousinphone
- Connie Souphanousinphone
- C.J.
- Octavio (non-speaking)
- Lane Pratley (non-speaking)
- Stuart Dooley (non-speaking)
- Shawn (non-speaking)
- Clark Peters (non-speaking)
Stinger Quote[]
- Dale: "Pretty yar, huh?" (wood cracks, screams)
Trivia[]
- The French episode title translates to "After Hank, the flood." This is a reference to the comment "Après moj, Le déluge" made by King Louis XV towards the end of his reign.
- While preparing for the flood, Bobby is seen carrying controllers that parody Nintendo 64 controllers.
- The dilemma that Hank faces on whether or not to open the floodgates is an example of a trolley problem, a series of thought experiments in ethics and psychology involving stylized ethical dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number.
Gallery[]
