King of the Hill set an infamous show record with an episode released 18 years ago today that also surprisingly parodied a real life person. King of the Hill is currently enjoying a whole new time in the spotlight thanks to the release of a new revival series earlier this Summer with Hulu. Launched 15 years after the original series came to an end, it’s been a great time to also go back and check out the classic series’ episodes to see how much has or hasn’t actually changed for Hank Hill and the rest of the people of Arlen, TX.
Videos by ComicBook.com
18 years ago today, on October 14th, 2007 King of the Hill aired “Four Wave Intersection.” The Season 12 episode on the outside might not seem like it would be the most memorable one when compared to the rest of the later era seasons. It’s a great episode for Boomhauer as it showcases a focus on his past and what his current age means for his identity, but the rest of the waterpark stories within it likely haven’t stuck around in fans’ minds. But this episode actually set a record for Hank threatening to kick someone’s ass three times in a single episode.
Hank Really Likes to Kick People’s Asses
King of the Hill Season 12, Episode 4 titled “Four Wave Intersection,” sees Arlen hit by a huge heat wave and Bobby and the others convince Hank to get them season passes to a local water park to help cool off. It’s from here that the chaos begins as when Hank drops off Bobby and the others, it’s soon revealed that local surfers have taken over one of the rides. Rather than letting park goers use the surfing pool, “The Big Ka-Tube-Ah,” these surfers bully Bobby and the others (sending him nude down a giant water slide).
Bobby and the others try recruiting Boomhauer for help as it was revealed that Boomhauer was a longboard surfer in his past, but Boomhauer is ridiculed as well when his old style ways are no longer in fashion. It gets to a point where Hank gets frustrated enough to be involved and he gives the first of his threats, “I don’t know what the heck is going on here, but someone needs to get their asses kicked.” Hank threatening to kick someone’s ass is one of the show’s long running gags, and it’s even funnier when he actually does follow through and kicks cede asses.
But the big aspect of this episode is that Hank continues to reiterate kicking cede asses with the second threat, “I am going to kick their asses.” Then it leads to the final confrontation with the bully surfers themselves where Hank finally says, “To kick your ass!” when asked why he came to the water park. Not only did this episode have Hank hilariously threaten to kick asses three times for the first time in the series’ history, but each of them is different from one another in tone and verbiage the more Hank gets involved with the situation.
This King of the Hill Episode Also Parodied Real Life
While Hank hilariously threatens to kick asses the most times in this episode compared to every other in the series, he isn’t the one that ultimately throws a punch. It’s Boomhauer as he hits one of the bullies with his surfboard and kicks off a new era for the theme park. On the other side of things, Bill ends up getting stranded on the side of the road and becomes a figure of the town. Waving to people as they pass by, he ends up taking up the mantle of the “Heat Waver” who helps raise morale during the heat wave. This unwittingly was a parody of a real-life individual who was famous in his town for doing the same.
Johnny Barnes was a popular fixture in the town of Hamilton, Bermuda as he would stand at the Foot of the Lane roundabout in the area and wave to passing traffic for several hours a day. He was such a fixture of the town for fifty years that he was listed in several guidebooks for the town, and tourists would come say hello to him specifically. It’s not the exact same situation as Bill, but it is a wild coincidence for King of the Hill that came to light years later.
This goes to show the kind of magic King of the Hill had been working with since it first began all those years ago. It’s the kind of magic that can both have Hank threatening to kick asses so many times in a single episode, but also be mostly about Boomhauer. All the while it also had a fun side story for Bill that mirrored real life. It’s part of the sticking power of the series all these years later, and it’s why its current revival era has been received so well too. It’s all coming full circle.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios
