"Death Picks Cotton" is the 218th episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on November 11, 2007. The episode was directed by Tony Kluck and written by Judah Miller and Murray Miller.
Summary[]
Cotton has a war flashback during a night out at a Benihana-style teppanyaki steakhouse, and ends up on his deathbed from severe burns and a shrimp allergy, but Peggy soon finds out that Cotton just won't stay dead. Meanwhile, Luanne and Lucky test parenting methods when babysitting Bobby.
Plot[]
Hank has decided to build a new shed in his backyard to replace the one Dale had blown up. Hank's excitement is quickly cut short when Cotton appears and kicks down the wall that Hank built. As Cotton mocks Hank's efforts and knocks over tools, he explains his presence by saying about he was just in the neighborhood. Later that evening, Bobby is upset that he is not allowed to join the adults in going to the Tokyaki's, a hibachi restaurant. After Peggy announces that Bobby's babysitter cancellation, Cotton enters and offers to watch Bobby for them. Although Peggy is hesitant to leave Bobby alone with Cotton considering Hank's childhood, Hank does point out that Cotton loves Bobby and she reluctantly agrees.
A short time after everyone leave with Peggy having left Bobby a lasagna in a fridge for dinner to cook in the oven, Cotton announces his hunger, but becomes upset at eating the lasagna cold. Cotton denies taking into consideration despite Bobby points out the lasagna meal needed to be heated in the oven first and he neither will allow Bobby to heat the lasagna nor do it by himself, claiming it is unnecessary since they are both men. Cotton decides to drive as he and Bobby will follow the others to the restaurant at night (without glasses or a license and especially using a mop to reach the pedals) and join them for dinner.
After arriving at Tokyaki's, Cotton doesn't want anything to do with the restaurant since it is Japanese where he finds the family and seats himself while Bobby wanders off to a table with children seated and greets them. Cotton right away gets on edge at thinking the Mexican cook is the Japanese Emperor Hideki Tojo and becomes even more rattled as the performance cooking continues until he starts to get into an altercation and attempts to attack the cook at their table. During the fight, Hank tries to keep Cotton under control. Still, things turn dire when the cook accidentally flicks the piece of shrimp into Cotton's mouth and swallows it, causing him to stifle that he slips and falls onto the tabletop hibachi grill, burning him as well. The cook triggers the fire sprinklers at the tabletop grill on Cotton while everyone watches in horror. Hank pulls and lays down the severely injured Cotton who sufferingly concedes defeat to the cook while everyone watches with sadness and concern whilst Lucky casually comments about Cotton's predicament. While at Bobby's table, he eats the piece of shrimp after the cook flicks it at him and enjoys himself with the children.
Later at the VA Hospital, a doctor explains that Cotton has suffered severe burns, a broken hip bone and torn ligaments, but also points out that Cotton had an extremely severe allergic reaction to the shrimp and four rusted bullets still inside his chest with one being in his heart. The Doctor doesn’t think Cotton is going to make it. Hank, seemingly unable to accepting the severity of Cotton's condition, brushes off the doctor's statements and leaves to finish rebuilding his shed. Back at the Hill residence, Peggy is trying to figure out how Hank will be handling the situation when Luanne asks if they should let Bobby know what is going on. Seeing that Bobby is still captivated by the night at the Tokyaki's restaurant, Peggy denies about letting him know about Cotton's condition before she then asks Luanne and Lucky if they could watch Bobby until things settle down. The couple eagerly agreed and stated how this could be their chance to try parenting skills. However, this starts rocky when Lucky explains to Bobby that he is staying with them as a means to keep him safe from a killer in the area who is targeting children.
At the VA hospital, Dale is visiting Cotton with gifts when he asks if there is anything Cotton wants. Cotton begins a rant about all the things he still wants to do when Dale offers to complete several things for him. That same afternoon, Hank is continuing construction on his shed when Peggy asks if he will visit Cotton. To Peggy's surprise, Hank answers that he will not be visiting Cotton as he believes that his father could not be taken down so easily.
At Luanne's residence, Bobby and Lucky start discussing games when Luanne questions what will happen after since they do not have anything else planned. Hank continues building his shed when Bill asks how Cotton is doing. Hank gives a vague answer that causes Bill and Boomhauer to realize that Hank has not visited Cotton since the accident. Their conversation is briefly interrupted when Dale suddenly charges by and runs into the side wall of the shed. He tells the three how he had visited Cotton earlier and promised the elderly man that he would destroy Hank's new shed. Hank is somewhat surprised to hear that Dale went to see him and hears Bill make his own plan to visit Cotton. This appears to finally cause Hank to start accepting the reality before him. He heads inside and relays this information to Peggy who instantly becomes overjoyed at Hank finally accepting the situation and "expressing" his emotions. On top of a large hill, Lucky tells Bobby how Luanne had seen a cereal commercial saying how kids should be kids and that they will be doing so by riding inside a large tire down the hill. After Luanne gives them the all-clear, the two ride down with Bobby terrified the whole way.
Back at the VA hospital, Hank and Peggy are visiting Cotton when Peggy starts to urge Hank to tell Cotton everything he has always wanted to. After she excuses herself to give them privacy, Cotton mutters out how he knows he was hard on Hank, but it was not done out of hatred. Hank accepts this and tries to tell Cotton he loves him, but this only causes Cotton to become enraged. When Hank retracts his words and says he does not love his father, Cotton suddenly collapses and flatlines, causing a horrified Hank to back away just as the doctor and nurses rush in the room to work on their coding patient and Hank then rushes out.
Back at the Hill's residence, Hank is overwhelmed by guilt as he rethinks the conversation he had with Cotton. Peggy attempts to comfort Hank by stating how he should not feel bad about what he said since Cotton made life so hard for Hank. Their talk is ended when a call from the hospital informs them that Cotton is still alive, much to Hank's surprise.
Meanwhile, Lucky is playing a game with Bobby when Luanne starts to fear that they are not being strict enough. Lucky backs Luanne up and the two right away begin being more firm. Hank and Peggy rush to the hospital where they find Cotton still alive in his room. The doctor explains how he is unsure how Cotton pulled through but remains firm that Cotton does not have long to live. After he leaves, Cotton begins talking to Hank about things he wants to take care of when he passes; including Hank sending Cotton's severed head to the Japanese emperor.
Feeling they were too firm with Bobby, Luanne, and Lucky decide to be fun and firm at the same time. The newest change finally makes Bobby snap and leave, making Luanne triumph at their success.
At the hospital, Hank continues to try to be comforting but Cotton refuses to make things easy by stating he wants to die alone as he feels certain no one cares about him. Hank tries to tell him otherwise but struggles to get the words out. With Cotton continuing to mock him, Hank leaves the room to calm down. Seeing her husband so upset, Peggy goes into Cotton's room and urges him to let go. In classic fashion, Cotton proves otherwise and angers Peggy by saying she should be in his position and that he sees Hank as useless. Fed up, Peggy states that Cotton has always been loved by his son despite the horrible way he always treated him. She continues to push back by claiming she hopes Cotton continues to live so that he can continue being miserable and unhappy. Cotton mockingly laughs at Peggy. After asking her, "Do you now?", Cotton falls back on the bed and dies.
A moment later, Hank returns and Peggy informs him that Cotton has truly passed away. When Hank voices how he should have been present, Peggy claims that Cotton stated he did care for Hank and was upset about not being able to tell Hank himself. She lastly adds how Cotton had changed his mind about wanting his head cut off.
At home, Hank places a plaque on his newly built shed in honor of Cotton. The men bask in the glory of the completed task and tribute when the shed explodes. Dale, unfazed by the explosion, happily celebrates the shed's demise and runs off happily at having kept his promise to Cotton.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Cotton Hill
- Dale Gribble
- Bill Dauterive
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Luanne Platter
- Lucky Kleinschmidt
- Tokyaki's employees
- VA Hospital doctor (voiced by Stephen Root)
Stinger Quote[]
- Cotton: "You finally got me, Tojo."
Trivia[]
- This episode is Cotton's final living appearance (he is referenced in "Serves Me Right for Giving General George S. Patton the Bathroom Key").
- Following this episode's premiere, Fox published the following obituary for Cotton: Arlen Bystander (Arlen, TX): Cotton Hill, age unknown, World War II veteran, died Sunday in a Texas VA hospital. Hill suffered from several injuries ranging from four rusty bullets lodged in his heart from his military service, a broken hip, and torn ligaments in his ankle-knees, to an infection in his esophagus and severe burns caused by a freak shrimp accident that occurred earlier this week at Tokyaki's Japanese restaurant. Hill leaves behind sons Hank Hill and G.H. (short for "Good Hank"); daughter-in-law Peggy Hill; grandson Bobby Hill; ex-wife Tilly; second wife Didi; first love and former Japanese lover Michiko; an illegitimate Japanese son, Junichiro; and nephew Dusty Hill (of band ZZ Top).
- Cotton is shown to have resumed his anti-Japanese sentiments, despite having made peace with the Japanese back in "Returning Japanese II".
- Didi and G. H. are not seen or mentioned, but Cotton seems to allude to having finally driven them away: "I wants to die alone just like I was born [...] I've successfully burned all my bridges. Nobody loves me and I don't love nobody."
- During the scene where Bobby shows Cotton his dance moves, the song that he is playing is "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls.
- Hank is shown rebuilding the shed that Peggy and Dale blew up in the "Peggy's Gone to Pots".
- Cotton seems to imply that his mother (Hank's paternal grandmother) died giving birth to him.
- Hank's final words to Cotton are "I gotta get out of here."
- The Japanese restaurant, Tokyaki's, where food is flipped from the grill into the mouths of the patrons, "like Scooby-Doo", as Bobby says, is based on the format of the Benihana Japanese restaurant chain.
- Cotton's hospital room number is 237, the same room number Dick Hallorann warns Danny Torrance not to enter in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining.
Goofs[]
- When Peggy hugs Hank at home after he agrees to visit Cotton, Peggy's right hand only shows three fingers, as her index finger is missing; her three fingers look like they are floating.
Quotes[]
Cotton: "Drop your weapons!"
Hank: "Dad, relax, it's just salt and pepper, now sit down."
Cotton: "Those are Tojo Whomping Sticks boy, drop em, now!"
Cotton: "You finally got me, Tojo. I actually respect you."
Cotton: "Mr. Reaper, I'd preferred, if you put your hood back on."
Peggy: "Why won't you die?"
Cotton: "This was supposed to happen to you! You're worthless! Your not even good enough to be married of my worthless nothing of a loser son!"
Peggy: "Enough, Your son has always loved you despite your constant torcher! You want to die alone? Fine! You want keep coming back and never die? That's fine too. In fact, I hope you do go on living forever, as the unhappy person you are in the hell you have created here on earth. I hope you live forever! I really do!"
Cotton: "Do you now? (laughs and dies)"
Gallery[]
