"Goodbye Normal Jeans" is the one hundred-thirtieth episode of King of the Hill. It first aired on November 24, 2002. The episode was written by Kit Boss and directed by Kyounghee Lim and Boohwan Lim.
Summary[]
When Bobby easily outshines Peggy in cooking, cleaning, sewing, and other household tasks, her jealousy reaches an all-time high and threatens to ruin Thanksgiving.
Plot[]
In Home Economics, the class is ironing clothing, but it does not take long for Bobby to use his iron to produce bubbles with the act he is pretending to iron underwater. Ms. Bittner is not impressed and warns him that she has failed funnier people than him. She then addresses the class with a take home assignment of stained cheerleading uniforms that they will have to identify stains and remove them, saying that Ernie the Janitor helped her create the stains.
That night at the Hill residence, Peggy is putting together a "perfect" Frito pie dinner. Hank goes to get Bobby but is startled to see his son with the cheerleading uniform. When Bobby explains that it is part of an assignment and fears he may fail Home Economics, Hank states that Bobby is supposed to fail such a class simply because he is a boy. Returning to Peggy and informing her of the class their son is taking, Hank expresses concern about Bobby learning such things, as it will supposedly remove the motivation to get married.
In the alley, he tells the guys the same thing when Dale tries to suggest that it will not be as bad as Hank believes based on his own experience of cleaning after the team as the towel manager, but Hank is not convinced. The topic is changed when Bill performs a hook shot of landing his empty beer can in the ice chest. Dale bets one million dollars that Bill cannot do it again. Accepting the challenge, Bill tries the hook shot again but misses, prompting Dale to taunt him.
Later, Bobby speaks to Peggy about how Hank believes men can install and repair washing machines but are not supposed to use them. Brushing off her husband's beliefs, Peggy helps Bobby with his assignment. She puts pre-soak spray on the stain, in addition to bleach with hot water, before allowing him to turn the machine on. When the cycle is done, they are both surprised to find the uniform littered with holes, frayed edges, a darker shade of color, and the stains still present. However, Peggy finds something more frightening when she spots Hank's jeans had been left in the washer and were affected by the wash cycle; now having holes and bleach stains.
Back at Tom Landry Middle School, when getting a B minus from Ms. Bittner on his assignment, Bobby admits that he has not paid much attention to her class throughout the year but asks if she would be willing to help him fix Hank's jeans. Seeing that he has asked genuinely, she agrees to help and examines the jeans. That evening, Hank arrives in the alley and is teased by Dale for appearing like a bank employee for wearing khakis. At the reminder of the bank, Dale reminds Bill of their bet and that he owes him one million dollars. Bill playfully writes out a check for one million dollars and hands it to Dale.
The next morning, Bobby presents Hank with a new pair of jeans that he made with denim he got from Ms. Bittner and using Peggy's sewing machine. However, Peggy doubts that her sewing machine was used with the claim that it cannot sew straight lines. Deciding to try the pants, Hank finds they're a better fit than the pair Peggy ruined and praises Bobby further when he uses Hank's power sander to loosen the denim, causing Peggy to become incredibly jealous. That evening, Bobby is making dinner when his parents arrive and Hank again gushes about his new jeans. At seeing Bobby cooking, Hank becomes a little discouraged but allows Bobby to finish as long as he doesn't bother Peggy cooking the usual Tuesday porkchops.
At the bank, Dale attempts to cash the check Bill wrote but learns that the latter only has $418.75 in his account. In typical Dale fashion, he proceeds to order the clerk to cash out every cent.
At the Hill house, Hank is eating Peggy's tough porkchops when Bobby presents his pot roast that right away gets Hank's attention. Peggy tries to prevent Hank from eating it, but he continues to eat serving after serving while disregarding her porkchops. After dinner, Peggy confides in Nancy about what happened and is given a homemaker's magazine to give her an unfair advantage. Although she claims to have never needed such a magazine before, Peggy spots a beautiful centerpiece that she later tries to make herself, but it is quite lacking in appearance while full of fleas.
Because of the pests, Peggy has to go to her hairstylist at Herr Hair to get her hair cleaned. Ernst senses the Peggy is upset about something and urges her to tell him. Peggy right away converses about how Bobby is outdoing her in household tasks and making her look unneeded. Having an idea, Ernst suggests Peggy uses intimacy to get Hank's attention back. Labeling herself an excellent lover, Ernst gives her a new hair style that they believe will win Hank back.
At a grocery store, Bill attempts to buy groceries for his Thanksgiving dinner but the cashier informs him that he does not have enough money for the purchase. After repeatedly removing items until there is nothing left, the disgruntled Bill eats a stick of butter before leaving.
In the garage, Hank is enjoying a knitted cover cap for his circular saw that Bobby made when Peggy returns. Hank is impressed with her new hairstyle but completely misses her sexual flirting. At bedtime, Hank is ready to sleep after numerous servings of dinner when Peggy tries to be intimate. However, she hopefully thinks his sudden nausea is from Bobby's cooking but becomes upset when he clarifies that it is the smell of the products in her hair.
During the night, Hank is awoken by the hair products and begins separating his half of the bed to get some distance when Peggy wakes and questions what he is doing. He answers that he cannot sleep because of the smell of her hair. Peggy angrily leaves and heads to the living room where she finds Bobby ready to shampoo the couch. While blaming her son's cooking for Hank "being ill", Bobby offers her his room while he cleans the dusty sofa. After he had finished cleaning the sofa, he is found by Hank who offers him to sleep in Peggy's bed. The two men can be heard by Peggy enjoying themselves, causing her to become disheartened when she is left out of their merriment.
The next morning, Peggy finds the kitchen has been used and sees that Bobby made breakfast for himself and Hank. Sarcastically asking how their night went, she is first delighted to hear the two did not sleep much but becomes upset when hearing the reason was because they had stayed up having genuine talks. Storming back to Bobby's room, she finds the magazine Nancy had given her. Thinking Hank will be upset, Peggy calls her husband to the room and shows him the magazine. Her plan to get him mad at Bobby backfires when Hank instead finds a turkey recipe he hopes Bobby will try. Bobby confesses that he had already been working on the recipe during the night but needs a serving tray. When Hank offers to help him locate it, Bobby asks Peggy to put the turkey in the oven.
As she angrily does so, Peggy suddenly changes her mind and decides to take the turkey. With her car blocked by Hank's truck and the men distracted by Dale revealing he emptied Bill's account, Peggy takes Bobby's bike and begins her way through town. Being momentarily distracted, she falls off the bike, damaging the turkey. Reaching Ernst's apartment building, she locates his apartment and gives a dramatic explanation that makes Ernst think she is seeking another man and invites her inside. Once inside, Peggy is shocked to discover Ernst is not gay as she had believed and that he has a wife and infant son.
As Hank and Bobby are preparing dinner, they get a call from Ernst, who reveals Peggy ran to his place with the turkey and how she feels unneeded. When the call ends, Hank sends Bobby over to Bill's while he begins cooking. Peggy is dropped off at the house by Ernst. She is greeted by Hank but is saddened to see that he has prepared all of her "signature" dishes and that he confesses he does not keep her around to cook and clean but because he loves her.
In a scene during the credits, Bill hails Bobby's cooking as the best Thanksgiving dinner he has ever had. As they break the wishbone with Bill being the winner, Dale suddenly declares that Bobby now owes him the rest of the million dollars that Bill owes him.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Nancy Gribble
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Bill Dauterive
- Ernst
- Claudia (non-speaking)
- Brett (infant)
- Ms. Bittner
- Ernie the Janitor
- Arlen Bank & Trust teller (voiced by Pamela Adlon)
- Carla
- Lady Bird
- Susie (non-speaking)
- Leventhal (non-speaking)
- Shawn (non-speaking)
Stinger Quote[]
- Hank: "Boy, that cheese! Mm!"
Trivia[]
- This is the middle episode of the series; there are 129 episodes before it, and 129 after.
- The episode name is a spoof of the opening lyric "Goodbye Norma Jean" in Elton John's "Candle in the Wind". Norma Jean was the real name of the legendary actress Marilyn Monroe.
- One of the coins Dale asks for at the bank is a Utah state quarter. However, Utah state quarters were not minted until 2007, and this episode aired in 2002. This impossible request may be explained by Dale's obsession with conspiracy theories, since he could possibly believe that the quarter is being secretly minted.
- Realistically, using hot water and bleach are not advised to be used on a cheerleading uniform as they can badly damage the fabric. Pre-soak can be used but it is heavily recommended to read the washing instructions beforehand. A cheer uniform can be placed in the washer, but it is better to turn it inside out to reduce rubbing against the machine which could loosen fabric and thread. It is also suggested to leave to hang dry as using a dryer can also damage or shrink the fabric.
- In reality, it would be highly unprofessional and illegal for a bank teller to inform someone who is not the account holder of the exact balance available. It is also a security measure to have a check higher than ten thousand dollars approved and that it would need to be reported to the IRS.
- Despite riding a bike in this episode, in the later Season 10 episode "Bill's House", Peggy claims she does not know how to ride a bike.
Goofs[]
- At the bank, Dale's undershirt repeatedly disappears and appears.
- When Bobby is cleaning the couch, the door to the master bedroom is seen as the second door in the hallway but when Peggy enters the room in the morning it is the door at the end of the hall.
Gallery[]
