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Joseph Gribble

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Joseph John Gribble is Dale and Nancy's son, Bobby Hill's best friend, and the Tom Landry Middle School football team quarterback. His biological father is John Redcorn.

Appearance[]

Joseph is a young Native American boy with short black hair and brown eyes.[2] In Seasons 1-4, he mostly wears a green T-shirt and white shorts, whereas in Seasons 5-13 he wears a blue T-shirt and brown shorts.

Personality[]

Prior to puberty, Joseph was shown as an adventurous but naturally naive and sometimes ignorant kid. After entering puberty, he became more awkward due to his new appearance and somewhat dimmer in intelligence. He is also shown to be somewhat of a creep around girls despite his attempts trying to be charming to get a girlfriend.

Also shown once he entered puberty, Joseph gradually began to act more like a teenager as he became somewhat more rebellious and aggressive, at times usually only listening to Nancy when told to do something and actively ignoring others, most notably Dale.

History[]

Joseph is the best friend and neighbor of Bobby Hill. Unbeknownst to him (and Dale), John Redcorn is his true, biological father, whom he closely resembles; his conception was the result of the 15-year affair between John Redcorn and Joseph's mother, Nancy Hicks-Gribble. Joseph was conceived while Dale was out investigating the Marfa Lights, leading Dale to conclude in one episode that aliens actually impregnated Nancy.

John Redcorn occasionally visits Joseph—a running gag in early episodes was that whenever Joseph or Dale would mention their relationship as father and son, John Redcorn would appear. In the episode where Dale takes Joseph on his first deer hunt, John Redcorn appears to present Joseph with a hunting knife given to him by his father, and to impart some wisdom about respecting nature and thanking it for the gift of the deer he would slaughter. At one point, he also gives Joseph a ceremonial headdress. Despite all this, Dale seems to have no idea that Joseph is not his biological son and neither does Joseph (attributing Joseph's coloring to a Jamaican grandmother), and he and Joseph enjoy a very close relationship. In "Spin the Choice", it is implied ambiguously that Nancy finally did tell Joseph, as she takes him aside saying "it's time we talked". Then Joseph tells John Redcorn he knows they are both "alike". Even though at times it is implied Joseph knows, he still calls Dale 'Dad' and looks up to him, later telling everyone he feels guilty being a descendant of "white men" (possibly assuming the others don't know) until the episode "Vision Quest".

In early episodes, Joseph acts a typical American teen, usually quite bright and resourceful most of the time, and gets in trouble other times. He often goes on at length about Dale's conspiracy theories, responding to things with a nasally "Uh-huh!", "Dude", and is protective of Luanne Platter. Normally, he hangs out with Bobby and often relies on him when needs to go ask a girl out. Not long after he wants to learn more about Luanne, whom he develops a crush on as he is thrust unceremoniously into puberty. Occasionally, he attempts to get closer to Luanne, even if Bobby does not feel comfortable with it. He and Connie Souphanousinphone have shared only a few romantic moments; they held hands when they and Bobby were lost in The Caves; they shared a kiss during Joseph's puberty, and Connie agreed to go to the middle school dance with him when she was angry with Bobby. Though Connie seems mostly disgusted and annoyed by Joseph, he has admitted to Bobby that he was in love with her. Connie did have feelings for Joseph. This was only mentioned once and never brought up again. Things were exacerbated when Joseph unexpectedly kissed Minh Souphanousinphone. As of that point, she never really sees Joseph in a romantic light again. After that, he starts to pursue taller girls and women such as Luanne and celebrities. By Season 4 his age, personality, and voice begins to change.

In later seasons, (at the beginning of Season 5) Joseph's voice changes completely. His age shows even more, as he climbs violently into puberty with a growing mustache and grows 6 inches. Minh is the first adult to take notice of his lack of hygiene. After she tended to his injured nose, she proceeded to wash his face. However, as she approached him, he kissed her, and he becomes very embarrassed. She said she will tell Kahn, but she laughs it off as he runs out. Eventually Joseph starts acting quite odd and dim-witted, not to mention clumsy, and has toxic friends. He also becomes increasingly athletic, as he gets involved in a lacrosse team as the star player and even the school's football team as quarterback; in home he is seen body building. Though Dale is proud of Joseph's fitness, he is also fearful of him. Also, along with this growth spurt appears to have become dumber, as before he used to be sensible and focused, but after will often shout out disturbing ideas: an example being where a fellow student told him about his fruit in his lunch, he suggests they "burn it". It is later suggested he is a pyromaniac, as in a counseling session stating at some points he just wished to burn things in "Talking Shop", burning Hank Hill's lawn in the episode "Hank Gets Dusted", and enthusiastically wanting to shadow Hank at Strickland Propane during the eighth-grade shadowing fair at school in "Business Is Picking Up". Joseph's pyromania is also mentioned in the episode "It Ain't Over Till The Fat Neighbor Sings" when Bobby stated he was going to give Pong to Joseph for him to burn. In the series, Joseph is shown to have a girlfriend named Lori, but the relationship ended when she broke up with him in the episode "When Joseph Met Lori, and Made Out with Her in the Janitor's Closet" due to him not wanting to have sexual intercourse, which is ironic considering his weirdly obsessive attitude about women.

Despite that John Redcorn has a very sexy vibe and is very appealing to women, Joseph's personality gets in the way as he acts more like Dale. They both believe the conspiracy that Nancy was impregnated by aliens.

Relationship[]

Family[]

  • Dale Gribble: Dale is Joseph's legal father, although both are unaware that they are not biologically related. Joseph overall seems to have a good, healthy relationship with his dad although he at times shows typical teenage rebellion toward Dale. The two love and care for each other although Dale has admitted that sometimes he is scared at the thought of Joseph attacking him during his mood swings that are typical of adolescence. Despite this, Joseph has shown several times that he possibly believes some of Dale's conspiracy theories and ideals but doesn't fully support or believe most of them as they will conflict with his conscious.
  • Nancy Gribble: Joseph's mother. Little is known about their relationship as they do not often interact one-on-one but they do appear to get along well. Unlike with Dale most times, Joseph finds structure and discipline from Nancy and at times will only listen to her when told to do something. Like Dale, Joseph appeared to be unaware of Nancy's long-time affair with John Redcorn and believed his parents have a solid relationship.
  • John Redcorn: John Redcorn is Joseph's biological father but Joseph himself is unaware of this and sees John Redcorn as a family friend. Joseph often finds himself being given guidance from John Redcorn concerning various things but usually misses that John Redcorn is acting in a fatherly manner. At times, Joseph keeps his distance from John Redcorn when he feels the older man is trying to push his friendship onto him. Despite this, Joseph does accept some of John Redcorn's advice when he truly needs it when in a moment of crisis.
  • Kate: Kate is Joseph's paternal half-sister. She was born around the same time as him due to their father cheating on Nancy. Upon meeting each other, the two got along immediately due to having so much in common, although this led to them developing a crush on each other since they didn't know they were siblings, much to the concern of Peggy who noticed these feelings and Bobby was frequently sent over to them to make sure they didn't act on these feelings. In the end, Kate eventually moves in with John Redcorn and apparently doesn't interact with Joseph anymore, although it's possible that Kate's parents told her about her, and Joseph being related once they moved in with John Redcorn. It is unknown what became of Kate after that since she was never seen again on the show. Joseph decided that there is something oddly familiar about her, and no longer wants to date her.

Others[]

  • Bobby Hill: Joseph's longest and closest friend. They are often seen in each other's company and getting into various situations together. Despite their close friendship, Joseph is shown to not want to put up with Bobby's antics when he does not know when to stop and will at times cease their friendship although it often does not last long.
  • Hank Hill: Joseph is shown to have respect toward Hank and have a common bond through certain sports. As Hank is an "alpha" figure, Joseph seems to automatically respect and listen to Hank, correcting himself when he addresses Hank as "Dude" to "Mr. Hill".

Episode Appearances[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Season 5[]

Season 6[]

Season 7[]

Season 8[]

Season 9[]

Season 10[]

Season 11[]

Season 12[]

Season 13[]

Trivia[]

  • Joseph's middle name is "John"—a clue to his biological conception by John Redcorn.
    • This also makes him one of the two characters to be named after a parent, the other being Luanne Platter, whose first and middle name is "Luanne Leanne" after her mother.
  • Some fans[citation needed] theorize that Joseph's name might be a nod to Chief Joseph, a leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain (Wallowa) band of Nez Perce, a Native American tribe of the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States, in the latter half of the 19th century, and would be another hint about his Native American ancestry.
  • Joseph makes the lacrosse team in one episode. Lacrosse is a sport invented by Native Americans—another reference to his conception by John Redcorn.
  • He is the only character in the show to have been shown to physically mature, growing 6 inches of height during the summer (he was 5'2" when he went to camp and 5'8" when he came back), not to mention having a deeper voice and a wispy mustache.
  • By Season 5 (in "I Don't Want To Wait..."), the show had Breckin Meyer take over as the voice of Joseph from Brittany Murphy to reflect his pubescence.
  • Joseph is naturally great at all sports.
  • Joseph has a fondness for vandalizing. He also likes to burn things.
  • Joseph has only had one steady girlfriend throughout the series run, Lori.
  • Even though Joseph isn't biologically related to Dale, he has facial features from all 3 of his parents. Nancy's eyes & brow, John Redcorn's cheek bones & chin, and Dale's nose & mouth.
  • In the episode "The Son That Got Away", Bobby, Joseph, and Connie get lost in the Arlen caves, which causes Peggy to remark "Oh my goodness that is where half of Arlen's unplanned pregnancies begin." The next shot is of John Redcorn and Nancy giving each other a concerned look - hinting a possibility that Joseph was conceived in the caves.
  • Joseph's favorite food is "Spasghetti And Meatbugs" as revealed in "When Joseph Met Lori, and Made Out with Her in the Janitor's Closet".
  • Joseph also has an episode centered on him "The Courtship of Joseph's Father".
  • The technical term for someone like Joseph who has urges to burn things is a pyromaniac.
  • In "Business Is Picking Up", Joseph works with Hank at Strickland Propane for a week, although Hank tried to end this sooner due to Joseph showing dangerous tendencies without concern.
  • Joseph Gribble is also the name of a character in the Marx Brothers movie Room Service (1938).
  • Joseph is Peggy's middle name.
  • Joseph last appearance before he hit puberty was "Naked Ambition".
  • Joseph's first line in the series was, "What is it daddy?".
  • According to "To Sirloin With Love" Joseph's last line was, "C'mon Bobby, eat the whole thing." But according to the last unaired episode his last line was, "I'd like to hear more from the guy who said Hey Johnson."
  • In "Of Mice and Little Green Men", it is revealed that Hank is Joseph's godfather.

Quotes[]

  • "Pilot" When Bobby and Joseph are doing Hank impressions: "I'll tear you a new one."
  • "To Spank, with Love" When Bobby, Joseph, and Peggy are gardening: "Your mom is as cool as most peoples dads."
  • "Naked Ambition" When Bobby and Joseph are outside looking at Luanne: "I got a monkey on my back and it wants to see Luanne naked."
  • "'Twas the Nut Before Christmas" When Bobby, Connie, and Joseph are drunk: "Look at the stars, they're just so many of them."
  • "Bobby Goes Nuts" When Joseph gives advice to Bobby before he goes into the detention room: "My dad says when you are in a jail type situation, the best thing to do is take out the tallest guy there. That way you establish who's boss right from the get go. Or you can just hang yourself with your pants, he said that's another way to go."
  • "Of Mice and Little Green Men" When Dale tells Joseph he is an alien: "You missed my damn try-outs and you're calling me self absorbed?
  • "The Incredible Hank" When Hank and Joseph cross paths in the alley: "Sup."
  • "Après Hank, le Deluge" When Bobby and Joseph are in the school hallway: "Hey lets go into the girls' locker room. And stand where naked girls have stood."
  • "Mutual of Omabwah" When Dale and Joseph are selling bee venom: "Oh my head hurts, but now it doesn't."
  • "Business Is Picking Up" When Joseph goes to Hank's display: "Hey Mr. Hill, I want to do propane."
  • "Grand Theft Arlen" When Joseph is helping Bobby exercise. "Grab the bar you sissified lady snot."
  • "Four Wave Intersection" When Hank asks Joseph to go home: "Uh I can't take it in my house. My dad has heat cranked all the way up. He said something about fighting fire with fire. But it wasn't working for me."
  • "The Courtship of Joseph's Father" When Dale won't let Joseph in the house: "I forgot what you looked like."
  • "Strangeness on a Train" When Bobby, Connie, and Joseph are coming up with what to do: "We should pee in places where pee isn't supposed to go."
  • "Bwah My Nose" When Bobby and Joseph are cheering on their dads at practice: "Awesome folding dad, really square. Dude I can't do it."
  • "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day" When Bobby and Joseph find hank's old records: "Dude, the computer this goes in must be huge."

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ "My Own Private Rodeo"
  2. ↑ "Dale to the Chief"
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