8.4/10. Definitely a hilarious episode. Aside from the well-documented rib-tickling qualities of Bobby's proud declarations of "I DON'T KNOW YOU!" and "THAT'S MY PURSE!" there's two things I really like about this episode. The first is that it does a really nice job of creating a strange but believable sort of logic behind Bobby's philosophy. He's undermatched against the Chane Wassanasongs of the world, and can't understand why anyone would try to dissuade from using the method that even the odds for him, especially Hank, who encouraged him to fight back. As bizarre as founding an episode on a 12-year-old boy kicking people in the nuts is, the episode makes it believable and even sympathetic through Bobby's guileless, if misguided attempts to defend himself.
But I also love the symmetry of the beginning and the ending. The episode starts with Hank encouraging Bobby to fight his own battles, and Bobby learning a method of defense intended for women. And in the end, Hank not only gets someone else to fight his battle against Bobby for him, but it turns out to be Peggy, a woman, and in a weirdly poetic twist, it hinges on the fact that the technique he learned in a women's self defense class doesn't work on a woman. It's that kind of structure and story logic that makes King of the Hill a sound show, beyond its great ability to be funny.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-01-07T18:08:01Z
8.4/10. Definitely a hilarious episode. Aside from the well-documented rib-tickling qualities of Bobby's proud declarations of "I DON'T KNOW YOU!" and "THAT'S MY PURSE!" there's two things I really like about this episode. The first is that it does a really nice job of creating a strange but believable sort of logic behind Bobby's philosophy. He's undermatched against the Chane Wassanasongs of the world, and can't understand why anyone would try to dissuade from using the method that even the odds for him, especially Hank, who encouraged him to fight back. As bizarre as founding an episode on a 12-year-old boy kicking people in the nuts is, the episode makes it believable and even sympathetic through Bobby's guileless, if misguided attempts to defend himself.
But I also love the symmetry of the beginning and the ending. The episode starts with Hank encouraging Bobby to fight his own battles, and Bobby learning a method of defense intended for women. And in the end, Hank not only gets someone else to fight his battle against Bobby for him, but it turns out to be Peggy, a woman, and in a weirdly poetic twist, it hinges on the fact that the technique he learned in a women's self defense class doesn't work on a woman. It's that kind of structure and story logic that makes King of the Hill a sound show, beyond its great ability to be funny.