The Ending Of King Of The Hill Explained
Featuring multiple cancellations, a surprising reveal, and lots of propane and propane accessories, Hank, Peggy, and Bobby's journey to the "King of the Hill" finale has been long and eventful.
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00:00Featuring multiple cancellations, a surprising reveal, and lots of propane and propane accessories,
00:06Hank, Peggy, and Bobby's journey to the King of the Hill finale has been long and eventful.
00:13King of the Hill holds up to in no small part to its forgiving attitude toward the peculiarities
00:19of its characters.
00:20The show makes no bones about their shortcomings, but it always gives them space to grow.
00:25Many of the characters are based on personalities from series creator Mike Judge's childhood,
00:31giving the whole show a sense of down-to-earth realism that was rare in comedies of its time.
00:36Jokes that would have quickly descended into cheap shots in most other sitcoms have a way
00:40of disarming themselves instead over the course of episodes.
00:44The series almost always leads with a message of acceptance, though it's also never afraid
00:50to poke fun at the over-the-top traits of its ensemble.
00:54Why do you have to hate what you don't understand?
00:57I don't hate you, Bobby.
00:59Hank Hill's family and friends feel like people you might meet at the grocery store or at
01:03a company picnic.
01:04The relationship between Peggy and Hank is impressively committed and supportive, and
01:09any apprehension they feel about Bobby's outlandish interests and decisions is eventually outweighed
01:15by their desire to let him express himself.
01:18Despite occasional slow episodes or jokes that don't land, the cleverness of King of
01:23the Hill often lies in its refusal to pretend to be anything but what it is, while also
01:28being more complex than audiences might guess at first.
01:32After such a lengthy run, it's perhaps more surprising that King of the Hill lasted as
01:37long as it did and was only canceled in season 13.
01:41According to Mike Judge, the series was essentially canceled in 2005, only for Fox to surprise
01:46the crew by ordering more episodes.
01:49The episode originally intended to close out the series was season 11's Lucky's Wedding
01:54Suit, which sees Lucky and Luanne get married alongside a subplot involving a frivolous
02:00lawsuit.
02:01However, the show was renewed yet again, making the episode nothing more than the season 11
02:06finale.
02:07By the time King of the Hill was actually canceled, the show had already faced death
02:12several times.
02:14Though the abrupt end may have disappointed viewers, Judge seemed fine with it, noting
02:18to the Chicago Tribune,
02:19"...I think it's a good time to stop.
02:22I'd rather stop when it's still decent, rather than run it to the ground.
02:26It'll be a little weird.
02:27This'll be the first time since 1992 that I haven't had a show on the air, but I'm okay
02:32with it."
02:33Even some of the most popular sitcoms in TV history have been criticized for having less
02:38than satisfying conclusions.
02:40But the episode To Sirloin With Love grants fans a fulfilling final note by showing the
02:45sincere sense of support and community that surrounds the Hills.
02:48With Peggy spending much of the episode off doing her own thing as Hank and Bobby go through
02:53a whole emotional arc, this episode of King of the Hill evades the standard feelings of
02:58emptiness and lack of direction that many finales suffer from.
03:02"...Usually your pep talks go in one ear and out the other, but this time, I'm feeling
03:07the pep!"
03:09The charm of the To Sirloin With Love conclusion is that it feels just like any other episode,
03:14but it just so happens to knock it out of the park by hitting on many of the show's
03:18recurring themes.
03:19Though the early parts of the episode feature some of the best Hank and Bobby dialogue in
03:24the whole series, the concluding moments take it a bit easier by allowing the animation
03:28to do the talking.
03:30Scenes of the whole neighborhood coming out of their homes one by one to enjoy a well-cooked
03:34meal together tie together a show that, even in its roughest moments, is about the transformative
03:40power of loving your neighbors for who they are.
03:43The dynamic between a conservative father and his free-spirited son makes up much of
03:48the central focus of King of the Hill, so it might not be a huge surprise that the finale
03:52takes the relationship as its central focus.
03:55Over the course of the series, Hank and Bobby have their bond challenged in many ways, but
04:00even without outside instability pushing things to a head, there's the simple problem that
04:05the two just don't have much in common.
04:08While the show often sees them making peace with their differences, To Sirloin With Love
04:12provides a heartwarming twist by finally giving them a shared interest.
04:17When Peggy announces that she'll be off with friends for the night, Hank is concerned,
04:21noting that he and Bobby don't have all that much they can talk about without her around.
04:26However, they connect at a restaurant when Bobby correctly identifies a flaw in the steak
04:30on his plate, showing Hank that he is a top-notch purveyor of meats.
04:35"'Everybody knows the tiny bone side of the sirloin is the most tender.
04:39What kind of steak joint is this?"
04:41A man at a nearby table agrees, introducing himself as the coach of the Heimlich County
04:47Junior College Meat Examination Team, which he asks Bobby to join.
04:52When Bobby asks for his dad's approval, Hank is so overwhelmed with joy that he immediately
04:57agrees.
04:58Just like that, Bobby's on the team, and Hank has never been happier.
05:02Keeping in step with the core format of King of the Hill, Bobby soon experiences doubts
05:08about the team his father is so overjoyed to see him become a part of.
05:12Though Bobby immediately proves himself a skilled grater by noticing a detail in a cow
05:17carcass that his teammates don't immediately see, he clocks them as being a little weird
05:22right off the bat.
05:23When they go out the night before they're meant to compete, they tell Bobby he can't
05:27jinx them by eating meat before the event.
05:30After that, they throw red pepper flakes in the faces of their competitors, shocking Bobby.
05:35However, his coach encourages this behavior, making Bobby question his future with the
05:41group.
05:42Did you know that no one can hear you scream from inside a meat locker?
05:45When Bobby makes a simple mistake and the others deride and ostracize him, he tells
05:50Hank he has to quit the team.
05:52This causes Hank to have somewhat of an overreaction, as he was so excited to finally bond with
05:58his son.
05:59This isn't so much about the competition as it is about their relationship, a point that's
06:03driven home when Bobby sees the grill his dad has bought for him in celebration.
06:08Peggy tells him in no uncertain terms that Hank's disappointment comes from the happiness
06:12he felt when he realized that he could finally share an important part of his life with Bobby.
06:18Even though Hank's feelings of sadness around Bobby's desire to quit the meat examination
06:23team are justified, Bobby has every right to leave the strange group.
06:27The shady tactics they resort to in order to claim a win are only the tip of the iceberg.
06:33Bobby's interactions with the others show Bobby that there's something deeply weird
06:36about every one of the people on the team.
06:39The focus on competition over enjoyment unsettles him, and plays a major role in his decision
06:44to step away.
06:46It's clear that Bobby not only has a good sense of ethics, but also a healthy ability
06:50to keep his ego in check.
06:52Hank's pride in Bobby is adorable, and his stubbornness eventually wanes as he realizes
06:57just how right Bobby was about the team.
07:00Finally understanding his son's desire to quit, Hank learns a classic King of the Hill
07:05lesson, but To Sirloin With Love makes it easier on him than usual.
07:09He quickly realizes the error of his ways and seeks to rectify his mistakes.
07:14Although To Sirloin With Love is technically not the final episode of King of the Hill
07:18— more on that later — it's hard to imagine a more fitting end to the series.
07:23The story ends with Hank and Bobby sharing a delightful moment as they feed the neighborhood
07:28together.
07:29Even though the two don't always see eye-to-eye, their shared love of grilling can always bring
07:34them back together.
07:35Oh, you're just getting started, Bobby.
07:37You'll be grillin' your whole life.
07:40Just like you.
07:42Yep.
07:43Yep.
07:44Despite Hank's consistent, series-defining declaration,
07:48That boy ain't right.
07:51Bobby is arguably the most right person in King of the Hill, and he proves it in the
07:56finale.
07:57Not only does he show surprising maturity in pleading his case with the waitstaff when
08:01he realizes his stake isn't what it should be, but he's also a great team member who's
08:05capable of working with the goals of a larger group in mind.
08:09Bobby's calm and friendly demeanor doesn't seem as special as it is until we see it contrasted
08:14with people who have such a long way to go in their own development.
08:18If Bobby's arc had to come to a close, this was the time and place for it to happen.
08:23Although he was always capable of being profound beyond his years, here he's able to forgive
08:29and connect with his dad even when Hank is being a bit immature.
08:33Besides that, he puts aside his own feelings of resentment toward the team that treated
08:38him badly, stepping in where he's needed so that they're able to succeed in the competition,
08:43even though he no longer wants anything to do with it.
08:46Juggling his father's expectations, the need for personal boundaries, and his own self-interest
08:51to succeed successfully is the kind of thing that has us taking notes on how to be more
08:56like Bobby Hill.
08:57A consistent truth in King of the Hill is that you should keep things honest no matter
09:02how much you want to win.
09:04That message comes back in a big way in To Sirloin With Love.
09:08Bobby notices the shady dynamics of the meat examination team early on, and he finds himself
09:13completely unwilling to engage in their over-the-top attempts to hurt their competitors.
09:18Though we know by now that Bobby is a good kid who will follow his own ethics above any
09:23group dynamics, his intuition has been honed into something truly impressive by the serious
09:28conclusion.
09:29This episode is far from the only competition gone wrong to appear on King of the Hill,
09:34but it is one of the most revealing for its characters.
09:37The added stress on Bobby to do well with the team so his father will continue to be
09:42proud of him is extreme.
09:43But even despite Hank's disappointment, there's no question that he truly loves his son.
09:48Later in the episode, when Bobby gets upset with himself for only getting fourth place,
09:53Hank is overjoyed, celebrating his fourth-place slot with a level of enthusiasm that can't
09:58help but be endearing.
10:00The knowledge that Hank doesn't care whether Bobby succeeds, only that they have a common
10:05interest, only pushes forward the enduring message of fair play that pops up so often
10:09throughout the series.
10:11Among Hank Hill's beer-drinking buddies, Boom Hour is always the most mysterious one.
10:16He has this slurred, rapid-fire way of talking, making it nearly impossible to understand
10:21him.
10:22It's just dang ol' complicated, you know, man?
10:24It's like a dang ol' Rubik's Cube, man.
10:26You're, like, talking about it in blue-red, man, then you get to one side, and then you're,
10:29like, messing up the other side, man.
10:31Initially being pretty one-dimensional, Boom Hour is often defined by his interest in women
10:36and muscle cars, though his luck with both is regularly called into question when the
10:40series starts unpacking the details of his life.
10:43Regardless, Boom Hour is highly astute and capable of giving calm and reasonable advice
10:48to others, making him a helpful guy to have around.
10:51By the end of the series, Boom Hour gets a few spotlight episodes and even some fairly
10:56profound moments with characters like Bobby and Hank.
11:00After spinning the whole series without ever actually stating what his job is, the last
11:05episodes tell us that Hank's bestie Boom Hour was actually a Texas Ranger the whole time.
11:10The revelation occurs in a casual scene in which Boom Hour smells the grill outdoors
11:15and leaves his home to join in.
11:17His wallet pops open, revealing a badge and solving one of the show's big mysteries in
11:21a perfectly low-key way.
11:23Does this mean that Boom Hour was casually spying on anti-government conspiracy theorist
11:28Dale throughout their friendship?
11:30We may never know.
11:32To Sirloin With Love acts as the finale to King of the Hill, but it wasn't the last episode
11:37to actually air.
11:38Four more episodes that had already been produced premiered in syndication after the fact.
11:43The Honeymooners, Bill Gathers Moss, When Joseph Met Lori and Made Out With Her in the
11:48Janitor's Closet, and Just Another Manic Conde.
11:52These are more like ordinary episodes than series finales, but that doesn't mean they
11:57aren't still fun to watch.
11:59Hank's mother announces her intention to marry a man Hank hasn't even met, Bill decides to
12:04combat his depression by getting some roommates, and Joseph's love life picks up steam.
12:09In Just Another Manic Conde, the last episode to air chronologically, the often combative
12:14relationship between Hank and his neighbor Khan gains a new dimension as the two spend
12:20some one-on-one time with each other.
12:22With men and Connie on a trip, Hank is tasked with checking in on his neighbor.
12:27Deciding that medication is unnecessary, Hank tells Khan to not bother waiting in line at
12:32the pharmacy.
12:33Yeah!
12:34You right!
12:35I think I'll self-medicate with 50,000 BTUs of ass-kicking hellfire!"
12:40This sends Khan into a manic episode in which he becomes uncharacteristically upbeat and
12:46wants to work endlessly on a shared grill project with Hank.
12:49However, Hank soon realizes he misunderstood the extent of Khan's bipolar disorder when
12:54his neighbor hits a low point and is unable to complete the project.
12:58Though Hank doesn't always behave in the best way, he and Khan ultimately end up becoming
13:03closer due to their newfound understanding.
13:06To all good things, there must be an end.
13:09Even though King of the Hill has an excellent conclusion, it can still feel bittersweet
13:14to fans who wanted another 13 seasons.
13:17If that's you, you may be in luck, as there have been recent rumors of a revival series
13:21coming from original co-creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels.
13:25Although very little information has been released to date around what we could expect
13:29from a return to Arlen, chances are it would involve quite a lot of talk of propane and
13:35propane accessories, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
13:39In January of 2022, Daniels told Collider that his and Judge's idea for a revival would
13:44start with a time jump, aging the show's characters significantly.
13:48However, it's still unclear whether or not the revival will actually happen.
13:53In September of 2022, it was announced that Fox was uninterested in bringing the series
13:58back, leaving Judge and Daniels without a definite home for the reboot.
14:03King of the Hill could still be coming back, however, and Judge and Daniels seem excited
14:08to bring it to life.
14:09Spending years with the Hills was a formative experience for a lot of sitcom fans, so here's
14:14hoping the new series will be every bit the low-key slice of life we've come to know and love.