That MAN Ain't Right

The return of the return of the king, the second King of the Hill revival season and 15th overall is finally here and we've got another strong season with plenty to discuss. Obviously, I presume that you've binged the entire thing already, but like last year, my plan is to go through the season one episode at a time without spoiling anything that comes after the episode I'm discussing. Starting, of course, with the Bobby and Connie focused season 15 premiere, Failure to Hard Launch. So, let's just dive into it. And like last season, I'll not only be covering every episode of the season over the next few weeks, but I'll have my uncut reactions to each episode posted over on my Patreon as well. Check those out if it interests you. Thanks. One thing about Hank Hill is that he is no stranger to medical ailments. Narrow urethra, back problems, constipation, these all required specific medical specialists and we know that for Hank, the most important thing is a professional with integrity. He could probably get some real use out of today's video sponsor, Zocdoc. I'm sure you, like many people, just have that little lingering ailment or pain that's been bothering you and it can be so hard to find a doctor that won't write you off, but also will give you a little bit of peace of mind about what you're feeling. Zocdoc is a completely free website that helps you book high-end quality in-network doctors so you can find yourself a physician who will actually listen to your needs. In-network appointments, more than 150,000 providers across all 50 states. We're talking primary care, dental health, eye care, skin care, all kinds of specialists. You can search by symptom or specialist to find the care that you need, whether you prefer going in person or having a virtual video appointment. The filters are really helpful. You can filter by which doctors take your insurance, filter by location. You can see who is the most highly rated doctors by verified patients. And when you do find that doctor, you can immediately see their appointment availability and it makes it so easy to book with just a click of a button. There are even same-day appointments available if needed. I moved to a new city within the past couple of years and let me tell you, finding an entirely new medical team is sort of a daunting process, but using Zocdoc that process was so easy. I know medical appointments are booked as needed, and the most important thing is that you find the help that you need. But, the next time you decide to find a doctor for that little ailment or lingering pain, please consider using my link zocdoc.com/johnnytwocellos or click the link in the description and find and instantly book a top-rated [music] doctor today. Okay, I am so excited to be talking about this revival again after season 14 delivered what was pretty easily my favorite animated revival of all time. For season 15, it does seem like there's a bit less pressure since the premiere last year basically had to act as a new pilot for the aged-up setting and slightly explain what happened in the interim period. But, now the show is already returned and been met incredibly positively overall, they can fully enter this new status quo. This one opens up with another pretty fun modern issue for Hank to clash with. He wakes up to find a new massive electric truck parked in front of his house. I love this as a conflict for a couple reasons. One, it can be very annoying to find a neighbor leaving their car in front of your property for prolonged periods of time, even if it's technically totally fine and legal. It's just sort of a neighborly faux pas, and I like that this is just a mildly irritating, very low-key issue for Hank to deal with. But, what really makes this plot fun is Hank's real issue here isn't just that it's parked in front of his house, it's that it's parked in front of his house and electric. >> I don't want anyone to think that's my truck. >> This really ends up being the B story of the episode, but it's a fun sort of mystery for Hank and the gang to solve. Also, for them to just generally gripe about the mere notion of an electric truck. But, the episode title here, Failure to Hard Launch, is all about Bobby and Connie. Now that they're a fully fledged couple, we're starting to see how that relationship develops and continues. And obviously, in today's age, the hard launch is a huge step in a relationship. This feels like a pretty smart and natural aspect of modern dating for King of the Hill to deal with in regards to Bobby and Connie. The A story starts in the restaurant though, and it explores what Bobby is doing to try and fit Connie into his busy work schedule at the restaurant, showcasing that thanks to Emilio being a top-tier sous chef, Bobby is able to sneak off for lunch dates relatively often now. This is a great Emilio episode, easily my new character MVP last season, and I have to say this can continues into this season. Emilio shows time and time again that he not only has Bobby's back as a boss, but as a friend as well, covering for Bobby to go see Connie is more work for him, but he wants Bobby to be able to see his girl. He's a real homie. I really enjoyed the little moments we see here of Bobby and Connie's relationship as well. It's a tiny moment, but when he surprises her at her dorm, her excited laugh is so cute. >> Hello. >> This is also small, but I love seeing them watch stand-up comedy on a laptop in bed together. That's just a cute intimate way to watch something with your partner, and I also think the show has done a great job showing that Bobby still maintains a love for so many of the things we saw him appreciate as a kid, even though he isn't aspiring to be a prop comic anymore. He clearly still loves comedy. These cute lunch dates lead to the titular hard launch question. I like that Bobby is sort of oblivious to these kinds of social media relationship milestones, but they do a good job spelling out the pros and cons, leading to them starting with a soft launch instead of a hard launch. I think focusing on the chain of it all in this circumstance was really smart. It's such a natural hinge point for their lives. Obviously, with Chain being both Connie's ex and Bobby's current business partner, this could become a super messy situation. And on that note, I appreciated how this episode was pretty seamlessly able to weave a Bobby/Connie relationship story in with a Bobby working at Robot Chain story. It's nice when these worlds don't feel entirely separate, and we can get major developments on both of these sides of Bobby's life. And obviously Chain is a character who can be a real wild card. Once he sees Connie's soft launch, he immediately asks Bobby who it is, comically not really even considering that it could be Bobby. This is maybe the best showcase of Emilio being a true homie we've seen. He lies and tells Chain that he's dating Connie, and despite the fact that Bobby clears things up and tells Chain the truth, Chain decides to fire Emilio over this, which goes a really long way to show that Chain is not fit to run a business, frankly. Just fully harming the restaurant he co-owns over a personal vendetta. It also shows how ignorant Chain is despite his business school education. He claims they taught him he can throw a rock at the border and hit two cheaper Emilio replacements. >> They have a class on throwing rocks at Mexicans? >> That genuinely might be the funniest line of the season. But obviously this doesn't go well, and I think the result of this is another pretty great story pivot. Connie suggests Bobby should go to Chain's dad, Ted Wassanasong, to figure out this whole debacle. And I think this actually gave us a lot of interesting insight into Chain as a character, as well as into his dynamic with his father. Ted reveals that he actually holds some regret about investing in Robotic Chain, simply because he gave Chain an easy path to success without actually working his way there. There's kind of a small but significant moment when Ted reveals that he started working in the mailroom before working his way up the ladder, and Chain expresses surprise that his dad wasn't always rich. Now, it's played as a joke, for sure, but it's pretty telling that Chain had not even conceived of a world where the Wassanasongs were not wealthy. Truly born with a silver spoon in his mouth. And Ted forcing Chain to take Emilio's place in the Robotic Chain kitchen is a great way to press the issue, putting Bobby and Chain in close quarters to better understand each other. This leads to Chain understanding how difficult it actually is to work in the kitchen. And I think, most interestingly, we actually get some real insight into Chain's mental state after dating Connie. Chain is clearly a bit emotionally immature and it's clear to us why Bobby is a better boyfriend, but Chain can't really comprehend this. But what I think really works here is that we see that Chain was pretty hurt by the breakup, that he took Connie for granted and realized too late that he maybe really cared for her beyond a superficial level. >> Really? You caught feelings? >> And honestly, I love that despite the fact that Chain has been antagonistic and is sort of a romantic romantic Bobby actually empathizes with him here. This entire episode, Bobby also didn't really think there was much more to Connie and Chain's connection beyond the surface, but when he realized that Chain did actually have these deeper regrets, he felt for him. It shows the kind of person that Bobby has grown into, able to feel this kind of empathy for someone who has been such a headache and pain in his life for a long time and has actively worked to make his life harder. It's a nice moment and I appreciate that though Chain is still this emotionally stunted immature frat boy, he is actually having to face some of the emotions you wouldn't expect him to. It's really adding depth to a character who is kind of one note in the original show. This all resolves in a pretty funny way. The pair get locked in a walk-in cooler together and the only one with the key is Emilio who then basically blackmails Chain into not just hiring him back, but also giving him a raise and a title bump. Truly, we stand Emilio. I will say it does start to feel like this episode maybe tried to cram a few too many beats into this story because this whole walk-in cooler thing starts to play out like a classic sitcom trope where two characters with conflict are locked in a small space together and have to work through it. But Bobby actually found the empathetic thread to Chain before they went into the cooler and then the result was just Emilio blackmailing Chain to get out, which is funny, but it feels like the intention here in the outlining stage was to use that classic trope and it kind of ends up being a bit of an afterthought. ultimately this is a real nitpick because there isn't any one thing about this story I didn't like or would change substantially. They naturally pivoted from a big relationship milestone for Bobby and Connie into a workplace dilemma for Bobby. One that showcased Emilio as a great new player in the cast and also allowed us to explore chain a little deeper. And I do think ultimately empathizing with chain worked well here. Seeing him have a difficult time reconciling with his own emotions was effective. And chain was obviously just a bit of a Bobby foil in the original run. He served a purpose but had very little substance. So I think the revival has pretty immediately elevated him. He's got a lot more going on character-wise in seasons 14 and 15 than he ever did in the original run. I do think the smart thing this story does is end it on a Bobby and Connie note. In his crash out, chain revealed that he actually proposed to Connie and that Connie said she didn't really ever see herself getting married. Which obviously both of these things shocked Bobby. But I enjoyed seeing how he approached the conversation with Connie after this. One, Connie revealed chain was drunk and spiraling when he proposed. So she didn't really take it particularly seriously, which is pretty fair given his track record. I think the fact that he is still dwelling on it was a surprise even to chain. But I really appreciated how delicately they handled the marriage conversation here. I think Connie's attitude towards marriage is incredibly understandable for the character at this point in her life. After just having seen her parents' marriage fall apart, she is having a really hard time believing in that institution. And I also think that's generally an attitude we've seen more and more of in younger generations, particularly because a lot of them have just like Connie, seen their own parents' marriages end. And Bobby is very understanding and delicate with this super vulnerable admission from Connie. Expressing that he totally understands and empathizes with her and knows that their relationship is very new. But also that the possibility of marriage being on the table is kind of important to him. It's a really nice and very grown-up example of relationship communication, dealing with complicated emotions and histories. And immediately after this, they hard launch, much to Hank's approval and Kahn and Minh's dismay. >> No! Anyone but him! >> Okay, let's talk a bit about the electric truck mystery subplot. As I said, it really acts as the B story because it's pretty light and inconsequential, but it definitely has a lot of fun beats. Hank struggling with not only how to leave a passive-aggressive note on the car, but how to word it without actually calling it a truck is very funny. And we love a showcase of Peggy's overconfidence, convinced she's enough of a detective to solve the case herself. I particularly liked the stakeout sequence. We get Boomhauer playing banjo while they wait for the car's owner to show up. And I think this is the first we've seen him really play since "The Bluegrass Is Always Greener", which is a great episode. There are a surprising number of music-focused stories in the original run, definitely something I'd love to see them circle back to in this revival. Hilariously, the truck ends up moving itself across the street with a self-driving feature. One of the things I did enjoy about this subplot is that though, of course, Hank would never fully relent on his distaste for the idea of an electric truck, he did find a couple features that he realized would be pretty useful, particularly the doors opening on their own when the key gets within 3 ft of the car, as he says, in case his hands were full with fertilizer. But this is actually also a great detail that ends up rewarding you on rewatch once the mystery is revealed. I found it very funny that Peggy made a big fuss about solving the entire thing when the way she solved it was actually that Nancy called her and told her whose truck it was. It's very Peggy to just take credit as having done the detective work when she actually was just given the answer. So yes, it turns out the truck was Nancy's, a gift from the TV studio for selling Arlen getting renewed, with Dale obviously keeping this from everyone the whole time. And if you watch back, the first time the whole gang approaches the truck towards the beginning of the episode, Dale actually makes an excuse to stay back. And as we learned later, it's because if he had gotten closer to it, the doors would have opened. Dale was also the one to tell Hank that there had been a response note after they left theirs. Lots of little hints that he knew something everyone else didn't. This didn't end up being any sort of mind-blowing mystery or top-tier B story, but it was a lot of fun. I like seeing the alley gang have to put their heads together to figure something out, get a little bonding in while they're at it, and of course we love Dale being a shifty little guy. It was pretty fun. Overall, this was a solid premiere. I liked that it pretty naturally continued both the Bobby-Connie relationship and gave us a strong robotic chain focus story. And while Hank and Co. were relegated to the B story, it was a fun, light, low-key mystery with plenty of Hank-isms. Though, in regards to the Bobby-Connie through-line, one thing that I have found interesting about these revival seasons are the more serialized elements. King of the Hill always had ongoing stories that would carry over in some ways. Hell, season 3 had Luann's hair grow back over the course of the entire season after propane boom, showing it at a different lengths across all those episodes. But because these seasons only can contain 10 episodes a piece as opposed to the 20-plus in the original run, these plot elements feel a bit more front and center simply because there's a higher ratio given the shorter episode counts. And the thing that this has definitely affected the most is the progression of Bobby and Connie's relationship. And where season 14 got them reacquainted before finally getting them back together towards the end of the season, this one puts a lot more focus on the progression of the relationship itself. On one hand, I do think it's pretty nice to have that thread and through-line to follow across the revival. On the other hand, sometimes I wish we had a bit more time to focus on other Bobby stories that aren't centered around Connie or the restaurant. Hopefully, as we move forward, this is something we'll see more of. Now, I do think this is a very solid premiere, but interestingly, it doesn't seem to have been written as the premiere. Though both seasons 14 and 15 have been binge-released on streaming, they've actually jumbled up the production order pretty substantially in both seasons. This episode is actually given a production code for the third episode in the season, and it makes me wonder what exactly about it made them think it was the right one to launch the season with. Particularly because it's a pretty Hank-lite episode and Bobby-heavy episode. Maybe sort of symbolically showing that the show is starting to lean a bit more into Bobby as the emotional through-line since we're really following a lot of the major milestones in his life in young adulthood. Though, the next episode, "Care of the Dog", seems to have been initially written as the first of the season, and I actually think that one really feels like it would have made for a great premiere, which I guess I'll go over more in detail in the next video. And look forward to that because spoilers, I loved that episode. Hopefully dropping that video tomorrow. Ultimately, since it's all binge release, it doesn't make a huge difference. Fans are likely going to binge everything as quickly as they can, but I do find these decisions interesting as they seem to be remnants of the cable era shifting into the streaming age. This episode did serve as a perfectly solid premiere, and that is what I've got to say about season 15 episode 1, "Failure to Hard Launch". If you enjoyed this breakdown, please stay tuned because I have breakdowns for every season 15 episode on the way. Maybe even subscribe if you're interested, and also consider checking out my Patreon where you can see my uncut reactions to the episodes. Hey, I also have plenty of other King of the Hill videos across the channel if that interests you, including coverage for every single season 14 episode from last year, which I even threw into this one big compilation for your convenience. Stay tuned for more. Peace. >> I stay mellow watching Johnny 2 Cellos. He talks cartoon teasers. Really cool fellow. He keeps you posted on adult cartoons. If that's what you're into, then grab a spoon and a very big bowl [music] of your favorite cereal. Feels like Saturday morning cartoon material. Johnny 2 Cellos, watch him on YouTube. Now, enjoy the screw fam. Bust [music] a move.