Stand aside, Hank, it’s Peggy’s turn to get a storyline with Adult Bobby. And stand aside, Adult Bobby, because G.H. has returned as a teen to give Hank another opportunity to pull out his most famous catchphrase. Sure, G.H. is Hank’s brother — okay, half-brother — but by positioning him as roughly the same age as Bobby was during the original seasons, King of the Hill is able to revisit Hank and Bobby’s old father-son dynamic, not to mention Hank and Cotton’s, in a fresh-new-hell context.

That context is of course the manosphere, which we will get to, but given where that storyline ends up, it only feels right to prioritize Peggy’s side of things. King of the Hill seeded the idea of Bobby taking his mom for granted back in the premiere, when Peggy kept trying to get in touch with him to no avail, and touched on it again in episode two when he kept bringing his laundry home for her to wash; but outside of those details, she’s mostly played backup as her husband and son fumble their way toward an adult relationship. So it’s a relief to see it come back around here in a storyline that addresses Peggy’s relationship not just with her grown son, but also her aging body, both of which put a damper on her pickleball date with Minh and Nancy.

The knee injury Peggy incurs during that single-versus-doubles match may be the inciting incident that gets her to Dallas for an MRI, but it’s an emotional wound that first sets this storyline in motion when Peggy, already hurt by Bobby bailing on their game, has to hear about how often her friends get to talk to their own kids. Based on the previous episode, I would assume Minh is exaggerating, or at least mischaracterizing, her frequent conversations with Connie, but I enjoy the revelation of Joseph being a total mama’s boy (which takes on some interesting Oedipal shading via a couple of gags later in the episode; see Musings for more). In fairness to Bobby, he seems to be even busier with the restaurant than he was back in the premiere, thanks to Emilio mixing up the dates for the Dallas Foodie Fest — at least he got the month right! — but his attempt to pawn his injured mom off on Joseph, who won’t mind driving her back to Arlen because he wants to see Nancy anyway, is some real shitty son behavior. Peggy’s pride won’t allow her to express how much it hurts to not be her son’s “priority numero uño,” but when she starts having panic attacks in the MRI machine, it’s pretty obvious what’s setting them off.

If only Peggy were self-aware enough to make that connection, maybe she wouldn’t have to spend two nights at Bobby and Joseph’s place, and maybe Lead Dead Redemption would still be the apartment’s Pencil Fight champion. Then again, if Peggy were a little more self-aware, it could be argued that she’s faking the panic attacks to force the issue of her son paying attention to her. But narcissist though she may be, Peggy isn’t that conniving, so I’d give her the benefit of the doubt even if she weren’t passing out in the hospital elevator on the way to her second try in the MRI machine. Luckily Bobby, who remains a good kid at heart, is able to recognize what’s happening and his role in it pretty quickly and lands on a brilliant solution that gives Peggy everything she needs: (1) a reason to see him every week during Robata Chane’s mother-son lunch promotion, (2) assurance that her cooking is as much a part of his chef identity as Hank’s grilling, with a themed menu inspired by her, and (3) the ability to get through her MRI without having to acknowledge her own weakness. Well done, Bobby, but really, it’s the least you could do after giving her that scar tissue on her groin.

Bobby isn’t the only son gaining some respect for his mom in this episode, though G.H. requires more of a helping hand, a “mantor” if you will, to get to the point where he’s willing to hug DiDi. Bobby does have the head start of being raised by Hank Hill, though, while G.H. has presumably been without a father figure since he was still a baby. And even if Cotton had survived to usher his third son into manhood, odds are high G.H. would still be the little turd he is at the beginning of this episode, and likely would have absorbed even worse attitudes toward women than he has from Eli Sellwick, the creator of Man Made. Eli will get his own lesson in respecting his mother by episode’s end, but first he has to give Hank a crash course in incel culture.

Hank’s initial interest in Eli’s “Four F Bombs” philosophy — family, faith, fitness, and finances — is sly commentary on how toxic masculinity can be smuggled inside seemingly benign, even wholesome packaging. Eli’s sales pitch for the Man Made weekend boot-camp-inar aligns closely enough with Hank’s appreciation for “good old-fashioned character building” that he’s actually eager to be G.H.’s adult sponsor — he even offers to pay for it! And sure, he wasn’t expecting a mud course would be part of the deal, but G.H. seems into it, and Hank’s football past prepared him for this, so he grits his teeth and goes along. But once it gets to the point where Buck Strickland is being called a beta and G.H. is bemoaning how he’s “destined for cucktitude,” whatever those words mean, Hank realizes that Eli’s idea of masculine strength is much different from his own.

I won’t deny that it is satisfying to hear Hank Hill lecture these budding incels about how respecting a woman’s decision is the foundation of a good relationship, but I’m glad “No Hank Left Behind” doesn’t settle the matter there. Hank fixing everything with a good speech would be the opposite of satisfying, and G.H. lashing out when Hank tries to correct his attitude towards the girl who “friend-zoned” him is a clever way for King of the Hill to acknowledge that while Man Made’s specific flavor of misogyny may be of the moment, it’s in no way a new phenomenon. The fade from G.H.’s sneering face to that of Cotton in Hank’s memory is a clever way to raise the old shinless bastard from the dead, and underlines how remarkable it is that Hank escaped the influence of the man who blamed Hank’s mother for turning him into a sissy and a soy boy. (I am raising one skeptical eyebrow at Cotton using that terminology and then moving on.)

It’s fitting that while Hank does eventually manage to get his point across to G.H. and the rest of the “nads of truth” circle, he only manages to do so with the help of a woman. Okay, women, since Tilly and Peggy both certainly deserve some credit for shaping Hank into the man who’s willing to ring the Bell of Defeat and demand only a partial refund if it means getting G.H. out from Eli’s thrall. But when that doesn’t work, he has to call in reinforcements in the form of another mother, Eli’s own, who efficiently exposes her son as the pathetic overcompensating shrunken-shirt beta he is.

The reveal of Eli’s angel investor opens the door for Hank to … well, fix everything with a good speech. But this one hits harder following such a clear object lesson in respecting the women who support you, whether it’s by giving you $50,000 for a terrible business venture or finding you a positive male influence to spend the summer with. DiDi deserves that hug she gets from G.H., and Hank deserves this second shot at male bonding through automotive repair. (The ol’ “buy a junker and fix it up together” plan didn’t work out the way he hoped when he tried it on Bobby.) G.H. may have come into this world as a cruel joke Cotton made at his older son’s expense, but thanks to his mom and his big bro, he may still have a shot at becoming a Good Hank.

Musings

• Eli is voiced by Diedrich Bader, who has performed multiple guest roles on KOTH over the years, but his season-11 appearance as Dirk the bodybuilder in particular feels like a prelude to this character.

• Nice try, Joseph, but while Peggy may not have spotted what you hid under that issue of Metropolitan Lady, I certainly did and am curious about this bright-orange strain that you, and presumably Bobby, have been partaking in.

• In addition to Metropolitan Lady (cover story: “Hot Mom Summer”), Joseph appears to be reading Horse magazine, so I assume he’s been keeping his promise to check in on Switzer. 

• In other Joseph news, he wants whoever he’s having dreams about to know “Baby weight don’t scare me, girl.”

• I am dying to see what Robata Chane’s spin on Spa-Peggy and Meatballs will be, and whether it will use just the right amount of sugar or the perfect amount of sugar.

• Back in “Bobby Gets Grilled,” I wondered how Bobby was introduced to authentic robata, but Junichiro’s cameo in the opening scene reminded me that he did at least spend a two-part episode in Japan as a kid. I wonder if he ever went back to visit his half-uncle and do a culinary tour.

• This seems like a good time to note that in the new opening, we see a younger Bobby leaving in a van to the airport with his parents, which would seem to indicate he accompanied them overseas for a while.

• Whatever artist is responsible for the foley work on the nads of truth, I salute you.

 Hank is put in the awkward position of having to help raise his half-brother, G.H., in the age of the manosphere.