The Redneck on Rainey Street is the one hundred-seventieth episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on May 16, 2004. The episode was written by Jim Dauterive, and directed by Gary McCarver. Guest stars include Bob Hoskins and country western star Trace Atkins.
Synopsis
As Hank and his friends drink beer in the common alley, a realtor named Abbie Holiday introduces herself. She tells the guys that the neighborhood they live in is red hot, and goes out of her way to compliment Hank on his house. Hank is thrilled. Meanwhile, Connie applies for the Rice University summer program. The admissions officer, Ruth Brown, is impressed with Connie’s grades. But later, Kahn howls like a wounded animal when he finds out Connie was turned down. Kahn pays Ruth Brown a visit to find out why his daughter received a rejection letter. Brown says Connie is just another bright Asian girl, and had she been Latino, African-American or even white, she would have been accepted immediately. Kahn can’t believe his daughter has fallen victim to reverse discrimination. He speaks with Ted Wassanasong, whose son, Chane, got into Rice’s summer program. Ted says it helped that he made a very large donation to the school. Later, when Kahn pulls into a gas station to fill up his car, he accidentally smashes his side view mirror. A beefy passerby named Elvin Mackletston introduces himself. He says a buddy of his can hook up Kahn with a new mirror. And he talks Kahn into believing that belief in the American Dream has castrated him. Kahn decides to get rid of his Maxima and replace it with a Chevy El Camino. And he begins talking like the rednecks he’s always made fun of. Hank and his friends don’t know what to make of the change. When Kahn returns home, he tells Minh that the life of a redneck is preferable to being dragged down by a ball and chain at work. Minh begins to warm up to the idea of having no aspirations or dreams. Feeling liberated, she tells Kahn she’s more than happy to be his redneck bride. Meanwhile, Hank and Peggy conclude that Kahn has lost his mind. Later, Kahn goes “catfisting” with Elvin and his friends Mud Dobber, Lucky, and Elvin’s wife, Sherilynn. Kahn reaches into the water and pulls out a big catfish. He and Elvin swordfight with the fish they’ve caught. As time passes, Kahn fills his yard with junk, until his house looks like something out of hillbilly heaven. Abbie informs Peggy that Kahn’s new lifestyle is dragging down the value of the entire neighborhood. Hank reacts with horror when he hears the news. Hank makes his way next door to have a word with Kahn, but he soon clashes with Elvin. A short time later, Kahn and Mihn leave for some street racing. Hank assures Peggy that Kahn and Minh are too materialistic and arrogant to keep the act going much longer. Abbie Holiday stops by and informs the Hills that the Souphanousinphones missed a mortgage payment, and they’re about to lose their house. Hank and Peggy look alarmed. Kahn, Elvin and Mud Dobber head for a local record store to pick up the latest Trace Adkins album. When they discover the store is closed, Elvin talks Kahn into throwing a brick through a store window so they can run inside and steal a copy. Minh talks Kahn out of throwing the brick. Elvin gets impatient, grabs the brick from Kahn and hurls it through a window. Elvin enters the store, grabs some CDs and takes off. Later, Elvin ridicules Kahn for letting Minh tell him what to do. Kahn and Elvin get into a fistfight, and when it ends, an impressed Elvin tells Kahn he’s taking him “stickin’.” When Minh returns home, Hank tells her that she’s about to lose the house. Hank assures Minh he’ll find Kahn and set him straight. A short time later, Hank receives a phone call from Buck Strickland, who wants to know if Kahn is worth betting on the stick fights behind the lumberyard. Strickland tells Hank that Kahn is facing off against a gorilla of a man. Hank races to the lumberyard, where he tries to talk Kahn out of fighting. Kahn’s giant opponent repeatedly swings a two by four, narrowly missing Hank. And Kahn also takes a few swings at Hank, to the delight of the crowd. Hank tells Kahn he’s got to think about Connie’s well being. This hits a nerve, and Kahn lowers his stick. The crowd revolts, forcing Hank and Kahn to make a run for it. Later, Connie meets with another admissions officer, only this time he concludes she’s a “hillbilly genius.”
Trivia
- This episode aired on May 16, 2004. Elvin Mackleston (Adkins) talks about the release of the new Trace Adkins CD with the song "Hot Mama" which is off of his "Comin' on Strong" which was released on December 02, 2003.
- The Souphanousinphones live at 86 Rainey Street, according to a letter from Southwest Mortgage. However, in the seventh season episode "The Witches of East Arlen," the Gribbles are shown to live at that address.
- Tom Petty's character, Lucky, and Trace Adkins' character, Elvin, become recurring characters in season 9.
- Tagline: "Are you rockin' in the free world? Are you?" - Elvin
- This episode includes a new recording of Tom Petty's "Rebels," specially recorded for the show by the group Drive-By Truckers.
Quotes
(Peggy and Hank are discussing Minh and Kahn's descent into trashiness)
Hank: "Don't worry - Kahn and Minh will sober up and snap out of it soon. They're too arrogant to live like this for long."
Luanne: (about Kahn) "He's got the coolest car-truck, and he's got a laundry machine in his yard for stray dogs to have puppies in!"
Stuart Dooley: (to Connie) "You're dad's white trash."
(Kahn goes roaring by in his El Camino, whooping out the window)
Hank: "Go figure - he's been pushing Connie all these years and he's the one that broke."
Bobby: "Let that be a lesson to you, dad."
Kahn: "What do you say, Minh, will you be my redneck bride?"
Minh: "Oh...yes, Kahn, I will - now take me in the back of the El Camino!"
Minh: "I ate a squirrel quesadilla, but this is where I draw the line!"
Allusions
- Elvin: "Are you rockin' in the free world?"
"Rockin' In The Free World" is a song by folk rocker Neil Young. Although the chorus consists of the repeated line "Keep on rockin' in the free world," the verses describe societal problems like homelessness and drug abuse. The song's title is ironic, not patriotic.
- Reverse Affirmative Action: The opening scene in which Connie is rejected from a prestigious summer program because she is "just another over-achieving Asian" is a reflection on an unfortunate situation in contemporary education. Many schools are tacitly holding qualified Asian students to higher standards, especially the California state universities.
- Kahn: " . . . TPS reports".
- TPS reports were made famous in Mike Judge's movie Office Space, even though they are a fake type of memo.