King of the Hill Talkback: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Clown (Spoilers)

[Classic Speedy]

Brand new King of the Hill! Contains 55% MSG and 12% nutmeg! Plot: Bobby takes a college class clowning course, and with the support of the unorthodox teacher, decides to display his new clowning repertoire at the school talent show. Meanwhile, the adults play some kickball in the alley.

Definitely the funniest episode since the Season 9 finale, with both the main plot and the subplot working. There was just something delightfully funny about the neighborhood adults playing kickball... and sucking really badly. Biggest laughs in that part include Dale getting picked last and the group quickly giving up entirely when the ball bounces a ways down the alley.

And speaking of the main plot, man oh man, what a great one-shot character! The professor (played by comedian Paul F. Thompkins) had so many memorable moments and was overall done with such a bizarreness that's hard to describe. This is the kind of guy who thinks anything by comic artists of the early Greek empire is hilarious, and anything else is unfunny because scientific formulas and scholarly writings "proved" so.

Best moment of the episode, by Hank (paraphrased): "He's been goofing off a lot less around here since he began that clowning class, which is good. (pause, wincing) Oh no, he's gone into one of his pratfalls. (pause, pleased) Oh wait, I guess that one was real. And it looks like he cut himself quite a bit. Good job, Bobby!"

I loved the satire present in this episode- how base things like faking fart noises can be funny to the masses, and yet by trying a higher echelon of comedy may be more artistic but will fail miserably. I give this one an "A".

[ShinjiFanGirl]

yay james joyce parody.

[Master Moron]

I kind of liked the idea of someone taking Bobby down a few pegs, since he's not funny at all. But, since the guy taking him down a few pegs was even less funny it wasn't quite as sweet.

[Peter Paltridge]

Well, this one I can relate to. I took a creative writing class once, expecting it to be a blast, but the teacher took his methods so seriously that I couldn't have fun at all.

Why didn't they run this episode when all the OTHER shows were new LAST week? Last week KOTH was a rerun....

[Fone Bone]

I kind of liked the idea of someone taking Bobby down a few pegs, since he's not funny at all. But, since the guy taking him down a few pegs was even less funny it wasn't quite as sweet.

I know what you mean. This episode was great but I knew exactly where it was headed the second Hank said Bobby could take a class. Is it possible that the people of Arlen, Texas are so stupid because the intellectuals there are even stupider and make sure learning ANYTHING is no fun and a chore? Anything that can possibly explain Peggy, although a stretch is a good thing.

That said this WAS a good episode. The teacher had an even bigger ego than Peggy which was kind of appalling but at least he was funny, albeit unintentially so. Bobby is SUCH a human sponge and will whole-hearted ape the person he standing in closest proximity to unless it's Hank. I really understand Hank's frustration with him. When the series started Hank was an uptight stick in the mud and I didn't really understand his problem with Bobby. Then we saw a few episodes and then more of Bobby latching onto a ridiculous fad or viewpoint and I thought Hank's worries were completely justified (outside of the Buddha Monk episode). Heck, when Bobby was kicking guys in the nuts he actually used the woman's exact phrase from women's self defense class. Bobby is the kind of person who is likely to join a cult that massacres a bunch of people when he's older. I also completely understand Master Moron's disgust with him.

This episode would have been MUCH funnier if it had happened in an earlier season. As it stands, Bobby's latest fad episodes have been so overdone that even a rare GOOD one like this just doesn't have the impact it could have. I liked the episode but I was as frustrated with it as Hank is with Bobby. ****

['Stute Fish]

Mixed feelings on this episode. I haven't watched KotH in some time, and I definitely felt that the main plot was rehashing all-too-familiar ground. But then again (to roughly quote): "I learned why juggling the Fragile is as funny as juggling the Intractable".

[Classic Speedy]

The ending to this episode reminded me of "Husky Bobby", one of the best episodes ever.

[90'sCartoonMan]

I kind of liked the idea of someone taking Bobby down a few pegs, since he's not funny at all.

Bobby...not funny? What are you talking about?! Okay, he was annoying with his antics early in this episode, but generally, he has some great lines (heck, he even brought Hank to tears from laughing in the Propaniacs episode AND sold a joke to Yakov Smirnov).

Bobby is SUCH a human sponge and will whole-hearted ape the person he standing in closest proximity to unless it's Hank. I really understand Hank's frustration with him. When the series started Hank was an uptight stick in the mud and I didn't really understand his problem with Bobby. Then we saw a few episodes and then more of Bobby latching onto a ridiculous fad or viewpoint and I thought Hank's worries were completely justified (outside of the Buddha Monk episode). Heck, when Bobby was kicking guys in the nuts he actually used the woman's exact phrase from women's self defense class. Bobby is the kind of person who is likely to join a cult that massacres a bunch of people when he's older.

That's pretty much what that episode where Cotton send Bobby to his old academy proved. That's Bobby's strength, though, he's malleable, he can adapt. Besides, he's only 13, he's still discovering himself. And despite whether he's being a warlock or dancing to current boy bands, he always tries to make people laugh.

I thought this episode hit the right notes. Making fun of the art of comedy...genius. I loved how the kids in the class had to look at the professor because they didn't know whether or not Bobby was funny.

The subplot was great, but I did sort of have a problem with John Redcorn sucking so badly at kickball. The dude can catch arrows! Oh well, at least it was funny.

[Fone Bone]

Bobby...not funny? What are you talking about?! Okay, he was annoying with his antics early in this episode, but generally, he has some great lines (heck, he even brought Hank to tears from laughing in the Propaniacs episode AND sold a joke to Yakov Smirnov).

Neither of those things are anything to brag about.

That's pretty much what that episode where Cotton send Bobby to his old academy proved. That's Bobby's strength, though, he's malleable, he can adapt. Besides, he's only 13, he's still discovering himself. And despite whether he's being a warlock or dancing to current boy bands, he always tries to make people laugh.

I absolutely LOVED that episode with Cotton and it really showed Bobby in a positive light. I just wish that every single other episode (outside of the AWESOME Buddha one) has refused to do that. Since Hank has to be right about everything that garantees that Bobby will be a weak-willed sponge and Peggy will be an idiotic ego-maniac. The show really needs to learn to treat it's characters better. That said, I did like the fact that Bobby was resisting the guy a little at the beginning and I'm always kind of hoping that Bobby will someday see the idiots for who they are without Hank's help. But it will never happen.

I thought this episode hit the right notes. Making fun of the art of comedy...genius. I loved how the kids in the class had to look at the professor because they didn't know whether or not Bobby was funny.

That was funny and is one of the genius things about KotH's hatred of intellectuals. Maybe it's getting old but it doesn't stop it from being true.

The subplot was great, but I did sort of have a problem with John Redcorn sucking so badly at kickball. The dude can catch arrows! Oh well, at least it was funny.

Actually John Redcorn sucking at kickball was one of the funniest things about the episode since he was picked first.

[Master Moron]

Well, this one I can relate to. I took a creative writing class once, expecting it to be a blast, but the teacher took his methods so seriously that I couldn't have fun at all.

Why didn't they run this episode when all the OTHER shows were new LAST week? Last week KOTH was a rerun....

Oh yeah. I one time had a creative writing teacher in high school who was so set in her ways that you weren't really allowed to be creative at all. I wrote a paper that I thought was excellent. And she gave me an F because of technical crap. I dropped her class. When I got to college I got As in my writing classes. Then I stapled my A paper to her forehead. Okay, that last part didn't happen. But, man, a couple of summers ago I found that old creative writing paper and I still think it was a pretty good paper. I've improved my writing since then, but man, I really hope someone who she failed told her off.

I think my main problem with this episode was that no one ever told this idiotic instructor off. He never really got his comeuppance. I mean, I suppose maybe at the talent show he realized that his humor sucked, but he just seemed to brush the boos of the audience off. I would have liked it better if someone booed him. Actually, it would have been a better ending if the whole audience just beat the crap out of him.

[Spider-Man]

I mean, I suppose maybe at the talent show he realized that his humor sucked, but he just seemed to brush the boos of the audience off. I would have liked it better if someone booed him. Actually, it would have been a better ending if the whole audience just beat the crap out of him.

I don't think he did realize his humor sucked and I'm sure he stay just as disillusioned. And I don't think having the whole crowd beat him up would've been better. In fact it would have been worse. It just wouldn't have fit the tone of the show. Not everyone gets the comeuppance they deserve but the characters who need to learn a lesson like Bobby do learn their lesson. I think this was probably the best Bobby-centric episode since "Husky Bobby." It was well done although I was disappointed to see FOX just air off a new episode of King of the Hill (the best cartoon they have right not) during a night of repeats when no one will watch.