Pilot
From King of the Hill Wiki
| Pilot | |
| |
| Episode no. | 1 |
| Written by | Mike Judge Greg Daniels |
| Directed by | Wesley Archer |
| Production no. | 4E01 |
| Original airdate | January 12, 1997 |
| Guest stars | Gailard Sartain |
| Prev. episode← | — |
| Next episode→ | Square Peg |
"Pilot" is the first episode of the Fox animated television series King of the Hill. It was written by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels and directed by Wesley Archer. When Bobby gets hit in the eye by a baseball at one of his games, rumors of his father Hank abusing him start to spread. It guest stars Gailard Sartain as a case manager.
[edit] Synopsis
Hank Hill, his wife, Peggy, and son, Bobby, drive to a Little League baseball game. Along the way, Hank gives his son a pep talk, emphasizing the importance of winning. As the game gets under way, Bobby, who shows little athletic prowess, manages to get on first base. But he becomes distracted when his father offers coaching advice from the bleachers. A ball roars down the first base line and strikes Bobby in the face, leaving him with a black eye. After the game, Bobby accompanies Hank to the Mega Lo Mart. Two older women spot the pair from twenty yards away. Hank throws a temper tantrum when he is unable to find the hardware department, and the elderly women erroneously conclude that Bobby is being abused. Word spreads throughout the community, and eventually, a social worker named Anthony Page is dispatched to investigate the incident.
Page arrives at the Hill home just as Hank erupts in a temper tantrum (after banging his head on the hood of his car). But Peggy assures Page that her husband is as gentle as a lamb. Later, Hank tells the social worker that his son received the black eye during a baseball game. He also emphatically denies ever hitting his son. But Page remains unconvinced, and begins interviewing neighbors and friends of the family, hoping to uncover the "truth." Hank finally loses his patience and kicks the social worker off his property.
Back at the Child Protective Services Office, the social worker discusses his findings with the case manager. Through this Page comments his personal opinion of how that is "Red Neck Central", however his boss then asks how he enjoyed his conversation with the baseball coach, revealing that Page never did talk to him about the black eye which would have cleared up everything instead of jumping to the conclusion he did that nearly got Bobby removed from his family. He is later removed from the investigation. Bobby tells Hank that if he continues to lose his temper, the government will take him away. The boy then intercepts a phone call from the Protective Services Office, in which a social worker apologizes for the misunderstanding. Unaware that he is no longer under investigation, Hank heeds Bobby's warning and attempts to control his temper no matter how much his son misbehaves. Eventually, Peggy learns that the investigation was halted a week earlier and that Bobby deliberately neglected to tell anyone the truth. Later, Hank tells Bobby, in his own unique way, how much he loves him.
[edit] Notes
- Anthony the caseworker, or someone who looks and acts like him, is later featured as an "American with Disabilities Act" advisor in the King of the Hill episode "Junkie Business". He is also seen buying organic, vegetarian snacks for a Super Bowl party in one episode, and then later attending Luanne's wedding in "Lucky's Wedding Suit".
- This episode is also known as "Bobby The Baseball Phenom."
- Boomhauer's fast talking originated from an angry phone message Mike Judge received about Beavis and Butthead (which the caller referred to as "Porky's Bunghole") and its controversial content.
- The original pilot included a storyline about a Laotian family moving to Arlen, but that was rejected and later became its own episode called "Westie Side Story". The original pilot also didn't have Luanne and Cotton Hill, nor did it portray Dale Gribble as a conspiracy theorist.
- In the Spanish dub, instead of Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer talking about "Seinfeld", they talk about "Beavis and Butthead".
- In Texas, there is a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants known as Luby's. When dining there, one can purchase what amounts to a combo meal, which consists of the main dish, two sides, and a roll. The name of this combo is the Luanne Platter.
