That MAN Ain't Right

King of the Hill season 15 followed up a solid premiere with what is definitely one of my absolute favorite episodes of the entire revival thus far, Care of the Dog. And admittedly, this was one that I was very eager to see just from the title alone, given Hank's adoration for Ladybird who has passed in the interim period. This episode not only delivers an outstanding Hank Hill dilemma that is true to his character, but also gives us a beautiful and restrained tribute to Ladybird and Hank's connection to her. On top of that, there's even more Bobby/Connie relationship development to dig into that bounces off of the Kahn and Minh divorce from last season. It's a great episode, let's dive into it. And like last year, I'll not only be covering every episode of the season moving forward, 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. So, as I mentioned in my last breakdown, this episode was written as the first in the season, and I think you can pretty immediately tell that this was the case. The opening scene feels like something you would pitch the first time you meet to talk about a King of the Hill revival. Hank trying to buy toothpaste at Megalo Mart only to find that it's locked behind a glass case. Just one of the stupidest modern inconveniences that would perfectly annoy Hank, and as we see here, it does. I also appreciated that this was intertwined with a little classic incompetent Megalo Mart employee moment. >> You want to try the one that says toothpaste? >> I love it. We've been getting these kinds of moments since season 1, but the primary story of this episode is genuinely so great and a really natural story to tell for Hank and Peggy as retirees. Obviously, with Ladybird gone, it leaves the possibility for another pet to enter the picture, and I love that they use the opportunity to really challenge Hank. Peggy falls in love with this goofy, scrappy little mutt named Caesar Salad and wants to foster him. And to Hank, Caesar is just the antithesis of his expectations for a dog. Ladybird was a purebred Georgia bloodhound. This guy could not be more different. He's even named after a salad. I mean, can you think of anything less Hank Hill? I loved Hank reading over the cards of Caesar's medical issues and quirks here. >> Hostile towards shadows. >> It's just a very funny, very Hank Hill dilemma. And I think the writing staff has done such a great job finding new King of the Hill plots that are rooted in the new status quo changes, but still somehow feel classic. Needless to say, Hank is not entirely stoked about taking care of Caesar. This episode is also intertwined with yet another big Bobby/Connie storyline, and it's a play on a pretty classic relationship scenario, bringing your significant other home to meet your parents for the first time. Though obviously, Bobby does already know Kahn and Minh, and they are not fans. But I like that it's framed as Bobby trying to take this opportunity to turn over a new leaf with them and prove himself as a provider and significant other for Connie, led by his insistence that he pay for Connie's birthday dinner with the family. But the other smart thing this storyline does is use Kahn and Minh's recent divorce to really throw a wrench in all of Connie's birthday weekend plans. There are so many interesting dynamics at play here. Kahn and Minh currently hate each other. They both hate Bobby. Bobby is trying to connect with everybody, and Connie just wants one damn family dinner. This is also the first reveal that Kahn has moved out of the garage and into Bill's house, which is another little status quo shift that I think could really yield some great storylines. On paper, it might sound like there are just too many things happening here, but I think it's all explored really naturally and concisely. Minh and Kahn don't want to be around each other, which means they're dividing Connie's weekend up to spend time with her individually. And of course, Minh will not allow Bobby to stay over, which brings him back home where he meets Caesar. I love that Bobby pretty instantly sees the appeal of Caesar and has this pretty cute bonding moment with him. And this is also where we get our first real reference to Ladybird in the entire revival. >> I remember it took Ladybird a long time. >> Oh, he's nothing like Ladybird. I'm not even convinced he's a dog. >> The funniest visual in the episode is probably Hank having to walk Caesar with his whole little dog getup, booties, jacket, a parasol, all kinds of stuff that Hank would feel embarrassed to be seen with, which obviously leads to the big initial conflict where Hank doesn't even want to foster Caesar anymore, but Peggy thinks they should full-on keep him. But what I think works so great about this episode is that while you might expect the entire episode to be about Hank slowly being won over by Caesar and finding integrity where he thought there was none and eventually deciding that he actually likes Caesar by the end of the episode. It actually sort of fast-tracks that development and then explores Hank in a much deeper and far more interesting way. That fast-tracking hinges on this one scene where Connie sneaks into Bobby's bedroom since they're forced to sleep at their respective parents' houses. I thought this setup worked very well. Naturally, Connie would want to defy her parents in this pretty annoying circumstance. Plus, it gives a nice nods to the times that Bobby snuck into her room in the original series. But as Bobby and Connie fool around, Caesar starts barking, leading to perhaps our first series father-son brawl. Actually, this entire episode really hinges on the scene because it pushes every single story forward. For the Connie birthday weekend story, it obviously leads to more anger from Kahn and Minh towards Bobby, who becomes more desperate to prove himself to him, but it also showcases the new Souphanousinphone divorce dynamic as Kahn is now desperate to win over Connie and put himself above Minh in that hierarchy. So, he has to very reluctantly accept Bobby. And this drives everything about the awkward Connie birthday weekend ahead. But this also leads to Hank realizing that Caesar actually does have some admirable dog traits that he didn't see before. Namely, he is a good guard dog. He was quick to bark at Kahn and Minh and Connie as they were basically trespassing on their property. Though, it is kind kind that he drew this conclusion after they specifically barked at the Super Nusin bones. This was like inches away from venturing into racist dog territory like with Ladybird back in the original, but I really love that they sort of took that classic King of the Hill formula, fast-tracked it so that we get to a place where Hank actually loves Caesar and sees his value, and then gives us a whole new angle as to why Hank has an issue with caring for Caesar. While testing Caesar's guard dog abilities, Dale breaks his tooth and they take him to the vet who then reveals that Caesar is not actually 2 years old like the shelter claimed. He's actually closer to 10 years old, which pretty quickly leads Hank to insisting that they're going to take the dog back. Now, the reveal for why Hank changed his tune so emphatically wasn't particularly surprising, but it was still very very emotionally affecting. Hank is obviously not a character who is willing to show his emotions very often. Well, outside of anger, we see that relatively often. But any outpouring of sadness or grief is rare even when Hank is alone and we're seeing him solo, but it's clear that Ladybird was one of the things that Hank cared most about. One of the few times we see Hank cry in the series was when Ladybird had run away and he feared that she might have rabies. I mean, he was willing to do a dog dancing competition with Ladybird. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what does. He loved that dog. The revival has actually not even mentioned Ladybird until this episode, and obviously the implication was that she had passed, which makes sense. She was already pretty old for a bloodhound. But Hank's silence on the matter might have actually been a strong hint towards his mental state surrounding that loss. We know it must have hit him hard, and through this Caesar storyline, we actually get this beautiful tribute to Ladybird through Hank's grief. I truly adore how this was handled. Caesar finds one of Ladybird's old dog toys and it seems to bring Hank to his senses. He takes Caesar for a walk to Ladybird's gravestone and he just talks to her. God, this is such a great scene and it feels so true to Hank. >> When we lost you, well, I'm not sure I'm ready to go through something like that again. >> It's not overly complicated or some shocking reveal. It's just emotionally anchored in Hank Hill as a character. Learning that Caesar was already 10 just meant that he was that much closer to feeling that same kind of pain and grief he felt when he lost Ladybird. And Hank Hill is the type of person who rather than talk about or confront or interrogate that kind of grief, he'd rather bottle it up, ignore it, and never feel it again. The fact that he realized he could feel this way about Caesar is all that needs to be said about how quickly Hank connected to Caesar and how much he already cares about him. And it's truly so perfectly Hank Hill that he felt the need to ask Ladybird's permission before bringing Caesar into the family full-time. Though I don't think he'd admit it, Hank is incredibly sentimental. And I feel that the way they executed the story was done with really admirable restraint. I think a lot of shows would have felt the need to do an emotional flashback to the events of Ladybird's death or explore it a little more explicitly since it's clearly a big milestone event in Hank's life, but simply showing this through Hank's actions and emotions and giving us this one simple one-sided conversation where Hank reveals his innermost grief, it's so well done. One of my favorite moments in the entire revival, very easily. Okay, let's dive back into the other side of the episode. We're winding it back to that hinge scene where Bobby and Connie get caught in bed. On their side of the story, this leads to Khan allowing Bobby and Connie to stay with him for the night, which actually means they're all staying with Bill for the night. I really enjoyed the layering of these circumstances. This was the first real look we got at Khan's life with Bill. And we actually see that he's having a pretty positive effect on him. This is another through-line for the season I really appreciated, but we'll get to that more as the season continues. Regardless, despite Khan very reluctantly being cool about the Bobby and Connie thing, it isn't exactly a comfortable scenario for either of them. I know there has been a lot of talk about Ronnie Chieng's performance as Khan, and we get a lot more of him this season than last season, which really only saw him in one episode. And I'm really happy that's the case because even though people don't really love Ronnie Chieng's performance as Khan, I still feel like Khan's presence in the show was missed last year. And I do think that though it is still hard to adjust, and he still sounds a little too young in my opinion, that Ronnie Chieng's performance is improving. They're giving him more to do and a wider range of emotions to explore, and I think he's largely hitting the emotional beats effectively. Even though I expect the bigger issue for many fans is simply that the voice change is distracting, which I can't disagree with. But I really appreciated his performance in this sequence in the middle of the episode. When Bobby and Khan go out to make preparations for Connie's birthday, Bobby is really laying it on thick trying his hardest to connect with Khan. And I really enjoyed seeing just how hard Bobby is working to win over the Super Nintendo's. These are people who have been really incredibly nasty to him his entire life, and it shows his level of care for Connie. But in the middle of these bonding attempts, Khan just starts crying. >> I lost my marriage. I'm losing Connie. I live with Bill. And you're dating my daughter again. >> I appreciate that though Khan is largely antagonistic to Bobby here, we not only get to explore his current grief, but show Bobby lend an empathetic ear despite all of it. He literally tells Bobby that he hates him, and Bobby still puts his best foot forward in an attempt to help Khan find a way to feel connected to his daughter. Granted, Bobby is also doing this for Connie and to try to prove himself to Khan, but I think this would be hard for anyone to do given the circumstances. And on Bobby's end, I really appreciated the way the story ended. Khan fully steals Bobby's birthday gift idea for Connie, a necklace with her birthstone in it, but ultimately, Bobby's actual gift to Connie was worth so much more. >> All Connie really wants is for you and Minh to stop fighting for one day. >> This line actually gets through to Khan. He puts aside his pride and coordinates a proper dinner with Minh for Connie's birthday. Bobby basically facilitated the one thing that would really make Connie happy on her near ruinous birthday weekend. I also appreciated that Bobby sort of got the last laugh here. Since Khan took his gift idea, he had to improvise and he opts to sing a Backstreet Boys parody about Connie's birthday for her in front of everyone at the restaurant. And while I do think this is a pretty cringe moment, I also think that's why it's so great. For one, we know Bobby was into parody songs like this. He's on record as a Weird Al Yankovic fan. Two, it's great to see that Bobby is still pretty fearless when it comes to putting himself out there and performing something silly. This is something that always made him stand out and even made him more popular as a kid. And it's something that Connie definitely has always appreciated about him. And three, it's the perfect payback because obviously both Khan and Min would find this kind of thing incredibly embarrassing. They're forced to sit there as someone in their party makes a big silly public display that pretty specifically makes them ashamed to be seen with them. And I also love that this sort of acts as a nice wrap-up of Bobby's journey in this episode. the entire time trying so hard to appeal to Khan and Min to make them appreciate him, but in the end, the most important thing is that Connie likes Bobby. This final act is literally him doing a thing that has absolutely zero appeal to Khan and Min because he knows the important relationship in his life is his girlfriend and she's the one who appreciates this embarrassing display of public affection. It's very sweet. Side note, I love Connie's birthday dinner outfit here. Whoever designed this on the King of the Hill team, great job. It's a really good look. Overall, this was an outstanding of my favorites in the revival for sure. Tasteful references back to the events we were all interested to know about, exciting status quo shifts that both add the prospect of fun new stories and move our characters forward in compelling ways. Great development for the ongoing plot threads they've been sprinkling through these new seasons. Funny moments, heartfelt moments, it's just really great stuff. It also makes me wonder why exactly they shuffled the episode order around for season 15 because this also feels like an ideal season opener to me. It really involves all of our main characters in substantial and impactful stories. It works really well re-establishing where everybody is in the show at this point, particularly with Bobby and Connie's relationship, Cotton and Minh's divorce, and the newly established Kahn rooming with Bill scenario. It has an emotional moment that hearkens back to the classic show. I don't know, this just feels like a great season opener and I'm surprised they opted to shift it to episode two. Of course, the production codes could just be the order they were produced in and it's possible that the broadcast order was fluid throughout production, but this feels like a season premiere to me. But, I also think another reason it works so well because it involves all the characters actually being in the same place. While the King of the Hill revival has obviously done an incredible job overall, I do think that some of the ways they've shifted the status quo have forced them to subtly adjust formatting. In a typical King of the Hill episode, an A story and B story will have overlapping or intertwining beats, even if those A and B stories are mostly separate. However, with Bobby and Connie now living in Dallas, often this can't happen as naturally. And so, the A and B stories end up feeling a little disparate, like the season premiere's electric truck mystery and hard launch storylines. So, it's episodes like this where Bobby and Connie return to Arlen that feel a bit more classic in structure. Even though they are separate stories, you've got scenes like Hank walking in on Bobby and Connie that both propel the Caesar plotline and the Bobby trying to win over the Super Nuson Poons plotline forward. I think I said this last year, but sometimes when we're at Robot Chain for half the episode and in Arlen for the other half, it feels like two shows happening simultaneously. I do think they have generally found solid ways to intertwine these stories despite the distance and the excitement of the new locations adds more positive than negative, but part of me wishes the proximity issue wasn't as drastic. But again, this is just an excellent episode, one of my favorites of the season and of the entire revival. I love that the Hills have a new dog and I'm excited to see him incorporated into stories in the future and the Bill and Connie roommates development is almost spin-off worthy honestly. Bobby and Connie's relationship has also been moving along in a satisfying way. It's just been great stuff and that is what I've got to say about season 15 episode 2 Care of the Dog. 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 these episodes. Hey, I also have plenty of other King of the Hill videos across the channel if those interest you including coverage for every single season 14 episode from last year which I even threw into a big compilation for your convenience. Stay tuned for more. Peace. >> I stay mellow watching Johnny 2 Cellos. He talks cartoon teasers, a really cool fellow. He keeps you posted [music] on adult cartoons. If that's what you're into then grab a spoon and a very big bowl of your favorite cereal. Feels like Saturday morning cartoon material. Johnny 2 [music] Cellos, watch him on YouTube. Now enjoy the groove and bust a move.