"Sleight of Hank" is the 50th episode of King of the Hill. It first aired on February 16, 1999. The episode was written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and it was directed by Jeff Myers.
Summary[]
No Nonsense Hank becomes obsessed at trying to figure out a magic trick when Peggy won't tell him the secret.
Plot[]
Bobby and Peggy paint puffy white clouds on a blue wall in Bobby's bedroom. Hank enters the room and beams with pride at the sight of his son hard at work. But his smile fades when he realizes that the “white blotches” are clouds. Hank announces his intention to paint the wall solid blue so it resembles a boy's room. Later, Dale hands each of his friends an invitation to his wife Nancy's surprise birthday party. Hank groans when he realizes the event is being held at Abracapasta, a restaurant that features magic acts. Hank tells his friends about his dislike of magicians, as they cannot be trusted. Despite his misgivings, Hank shows up at the party. He hands Nancy her present, then attempts to make a quick getaway. But Peggy makes him sit down. During the show, the Astounding Herrera asks for a female volunteer. He extends his hand to Peggy, and she runs to the stage, much to Hank's dismay. Herrera helps her into a large piñata, which is sealed shut. Blindfolded, Herrera swings a flaming pole at his target. But on the third swing, Hank grabs hold of the pole. He then orders the magician to let Peggy out of the piñata. Herrera responds by striking the piñata with the pole. It erupts in a shower of candy. Peggy, however, is not inside. Moments later, Peggy calls to Hank from her seat in the audience. Hank cannot believe his eyes. He then demanded Herrera to explain how the trick was done but Herrera informs Hank, he can't do it due to the Magician Code and that only he, his assistants and Peggy are the only one who knows.
When the Hills return home, Peggy refuses to tell Hank how the trick was done. The next day, Peggy describes the trick to Bobby, telling him it was all accomplished with magic. When Bobby returns home from Sunday school, he authors a report on Jesus Christ. Peggy listens as her son reads his essay aloud. She encourages him to be more creative. Hank then arrived in Bobby's room to and told Luanne it's time to go, which she revealed that Hank and her are going to Abracapasta, which he was upset at it seems he told her before to keep it a secret from Peggy since he is trying to figure out how the trick is done. Hank even got Bobby to come along, Despite Peggy's warning him that he'll ruin magic for Bobby if he goes but went anyway because he didn't want to do his homework.
Blindfolded Luanne playing the piñata with a flaming pole.
At Abracapasta, Hank began to tell secrets of the act, which including sawing a woman in half. As Herrera is preparing his famous piñata trick, Hank had Luanne be the volunteer to go into the piñata so she can reveal what the trick is. Unfortunately, Herrera was one step closer to Hank as he switched the act so now, he will be in the piñata instead of Luanne, which Hank yelled that not how the trick goes and like before, the piñata exploded and Herrera is gone, with him sitting next to a disappointed Hank.
The next morning as Hanks is still figuring out the trick, exclaims that he has figured out the secret behind Herrera's magic. He instructs Peggy to climb inside an empty crate so he can reenact the trick. But once Peggy climbs inside, Hank seals the crate shut. He threatens not to let her out until she divulges the secret. Hank is forced to let her out immediately as they have to accompany Bobby to church to hear his report on Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Bobby chooses to use magic tricks to enliven his presentation. A gasp erupts from the audience when Bobby asks for "a large, wooden cross and a couple of volunteers."
During the drive home from church, Hank and Peggy argue over who is to blame for Bobby's behavior. Joseph tells Bobby that his parents make up by doing something nice for each other. Bobby takes this to heart. He paints white puffy clouds on his bedroom wall, then calls to his mother. When Peggy enters the room, her face lights up. Bobby tells her that Hank must have done the painting, perhaps as a way of apologizing. Peggy approaches her husband and thanks him for the effort. Hank reacts with confusion. Bobby interrupts the conversation. He suggests that Peggy now do something nice for Hank by telling him how the trick was performed. Peggy eyes her husband suspiciously. She accuses him of painting the clouds on the wall to force her into divulging the secret. Another argument erupts. Suddenly, out of total frustration, Peggy kicks Hank in the shin. Hank kicks her back and they both erupt in laughter. When Bobby reenters the house, he realizes that his parents have made amends. Hank tells Bobby that "there are just some things you can't explain." With that, Hank, Peggy and Bobby stare at the cloud-covered bedroom wall… and pick out imaginary shapes. Hank, however, can only imagine things that relate to propane.
In a post credit scene, Bobby (wearing a mask similar to The Masked Magician from Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed) revealed how the trick was done. While Peggy goes inside the piñata, a hidden compartment is revealed to be behind the piñata's tail, where she would exit out and dress like the other assistants, where during the act, while everyone is looking on stage, Peggy would walk across the room without being seen and then return to her seat when the piñata burst into flames. Bobby then told the viewer not to reveal it to Hank as he doesn't want Hank to ruin the magic.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Nancy Gribble
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Bill Dauterive
- The Astounding Herrera
- John Redcorn
- Joseph Gribble
- Stuart Dooley
- Reverend Thomason (non-speaking)
- Sunday school teacher
- Clark Peters (non-speaking)
- Susie (non-speaking)
Trivia[]
- The episode title is a pun on the popular magician concept of "sleight of hand."
- In the shot where Hank is using the paint roller on Bobby's wall, where he has it positioned it is around level with his head. When the shot changes to showing his face the roller has moved considerably higher out of position from his face.
- When Herrera is swinging the fire in the trick for Nancy's birthday party, you can see Dale, Nancy and John Redcorn are at their tables sitting near the stage. In some of the following shots you can see they are further back, towards Hank and Peggy.
- About halfway through the episode Peggy is telling Bobby how to give a good speech. She tells him that when she recites the deceleration of Independence she does it in a funny voice. She begins to recite the constitution instead.
- The tag scene is a parody of a FOX special called Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed in which famous magic tricks were divulged by "The Masked Magician."
In the scene of the first magic show, there is a man in the audience who greatly resembles Alexi Golgarin from the Season 1 "Peggy the Boggle Champ."
Stinger Quote[]
- Dale: "You are so clueless. Ha-ha!"
Goofs[]
- In the kitchen toward the end of the episode, the flour jar reads "Floub."