"Meet the Propaniacs" is the eightieth of King of the Hill. It was originally aired on April 16, 2000. This episode was written by Kit Boss and directed by Shaun Cashman.
Summary[]
Bobby is prodded by Hank into working at Strickland Propane with him for the summer. He is initially dismayed until he creates a propane-centric comedy group with Joe Jack's assistance and happily performs for various Strickland Propane dealerships. However, things go awry when Hank takes one sketch too far by unintentionally humiliating the high-ranking propane association leader Charlie Fortner.
Plot[]
Bobby wants to attend a comedy summer camp after he reads an advertisement while hanging out with Connie. To his disappointment, Hank vetoes the idea and arranges for him to work at Strickland Propane instead. When a grill shortage occurs at a big sales event and Dale incites the crowd to anger, a quick-thinking Bobby recruits Joe Jack and uses propane-themed comedy to appease the crowd, and Hank comes to appreciate his son's talent for making people laugh. As a result of Bobby's success in averting the potential crisis, Buck Strickland proposes sending Bobby and Joe Jack to the company's other branches—North, East, West and South—to boost sagging sales and employee morale. Thus, the Propaniacs, consisting of Bobby, Luanne, Joe Jack, and Donna, are formed, and with Dale's musical accompaniment they visit each branch of Strickland Propane to perform a series of short improvisational comedy routines related to propane and propane accessories.
Eventually, the Propaniacs are invited by Charlie Fortner, the president of the Texas Association of Propane Dealers, to perform at a regional propane convention. Hank relays the news to the troupe at Luly's, exciting everyone. At Hotel Arlington while discussing the troupe's routine for the performance, Hank and Bobby get the idea to invite Fortner up onstage during one of the acts, choosing the 'Gas Cop' sketch during which Joe Jack roleplays a cop and 'arrests' Bobby. Though for the purposes of the convention's performance, Joe Jack would 'arrest' Fortner instead. Upon hearing of the new idea, Joe Jack becomes anxious about meeting such a high-profile propane personality, and, sneaking off, retreats into drinking alcohol. At the start of the show, Joe Jack is nowhere to be found, and the others are forced to start the performance without him. Hank takes Joe Jack's place as the 'Gas Cop' and calls Fortner onstage, but Fortner declines. As Hank drags the protesting Fortner onstage, Joe Jack wanders out, completely drunk and wearing the diaper for his baby costume from another sketch. As he stumbles his way over to Hank and Fortner, the diaper falls off, causing him to inadvertently flash the audience. Covering himself, Joe Jack drunkenly asks a horrified Fortner for another diaper, and Hank, still trying to carry out the sketch by frisking Fortner, and accusing Fortner of stealing a diaper, discovers to his horror in turn that Fortner's self-consciousness stems from his own use of adult diapers.
Inside the Texas Propane Dealers Association office, despite Hank's truthful insistence that the incident was unintentional, an outraged Fortner forbids the Propaniacs from further performing at conventions or propane outlets. Peggy books the troupe at the Arlen Mall, safely out of Fortner's jurisdiction; even though the troupe's propane-specific humor finds no traction with a mainstream audience, Hank still enjoys watching Bobby and the others put on the show.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Bill Dauterive
- Jeff Boomhauer (non-speaking)
- Connie Souphanousinphone
- Joe Jack
- Buck Strickland
- Donna
- Charlie Fortner
- Fritz Kubiak (mentioned)
- Cotton Hill (mentioned)
- Strickland North assistant manager (mentioned)
Stinger Quote[]
- Hank Hill: Blackout! (laughs)
- Bobby Hill: (laughs)
Trivia[]
- The Propaniacs logo T-shirts are a parody/homage of the old Beatles logo. Additionally, the title is a parody of "Meet the Beatles", the name of one of the band's albums.
- Bobby tells Hank he does not want to be a tank wipe. In the Debbie Grund two-parter, Hank said that tank wipe was the lowest paying and most degrading job at Strickland.
- During one of the propane sketches, Luanne plays a British character. The voice she uses for this character is identical to the one she uses for her Sir Reginald Featherbottom III Manger Babies penguin puppet.
- This episode has another example of Peggy's arrogance/stupidity where she refuses to call the group "Propaniacs" because she believes they should be called "Propane Maniacs" as that was the title she came up with.
- The Propaniacs song in this episode is a nod to the 1983 song "Maniac" by Michael Sembello, from the movie Flashdance. The "running man"-style dancing the Propaniacs do at the beginning of their routine is similar to the Flashdance dance from the movie.
- Bobby's Hazmat the Magnificent routine of opening an envelope containing the punchline to the joke is a parody of Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent bit.
- Buck Strickland reveals that he used to go "skirt chasing" with Cotton.
- The keyboard that Dale uses was seen in previous episodes in a room in his house and is seen many times in the same room in future episodes.
- In the episode "Behind Closed Doors", the episode shows Dale and his keyboard as he uses it in the alley.
- The keyboard is a type of keyboard known as a synthesizer, a consumer-grade model with an array of stock rhythms and accompaniment features and built-in speakers.
Quotes[]
- Buck Strickland: "Bobby, you're a funny boy. l used to chase skirt with your granddaddy... He's a mean kind of funny. The point is you kept them laughing till the truck came. I'm thinking maybe we should send those fellas up to Strickland North. It's like a funeral parlor whenever I go there."
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