"Megalo Dale" (also known as "MegaDale")[1] is the one hundred-thirty-sixth episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on January 12, 2003. The episode was written by J.B. Cook and directed by Cyndi Tang-Loveland.
Summary[]
A string of strange events leads to claims that the Megalo Mart is infested and Dale is hired to exterminate the pest—which turns out to be spokesman Chuck Mangione.
Plot[]
One morning, when meeting with Mega Lo Mart manager Norm Gladwell (guest star Tom Arnold), Hank is notified of a rat infestation within the store. When Gladwell asks if he knows a good exterminator, Hank (knowing only one) hesitantly says no. Later in the alley, Dale is upset because a rival exterminator company is taking all his business. Feeling sorry for Dale, Hank informs him about the Megalo Mart job much to Dale's delight.
When Dale gets to Megalo Mart he sets traps all over the store, but they all fail. Later, when Dale is inspecting a security camera wire that was chewed up, he realizes that he's not dealing with a rat. When two music department employees, Chris and Cory (guest stars Topher Grace and Danny Masterson), add info to Dale's suspicions, the exterminator goes to tell the manager. Gladwell lets it slip that Hank said that Dale was "the best". This makes Dale so confident that he demands to stay overnight in the store, promising success by morning (putting Hank's reputation on the line in the process). Before closing time, Dale calls Hank to tell him that he is staying overnight at the store, and reveals that he's hunting Chuck Mangione, much to Hank's shock and displeasure.
After grabbing some equipment from Dale's house with Nancy's help, Hank, Bill and Boomhauer head to Mega Lo Mart to catch the rat and save Hank's reputation. When they get to Mega Lo Mart and meet with Dale, they convince him that they're going to help him track down Mangione, which Dale accepts with glee. As the four men spread out to lay rat traps everywhere, strange things begin to happen. When Boomhauer tries a gyroscope ride and Bill gets stuck to a broken heart pressure machine they are both seemingly attacked by Chuck Mangione. Dale believes that Chuck is responsible but when Hank tries to dispute it, the mongoose Dale let out to flush out Mangione activates a trap that Dale had set earlier.
While everyone is okay, this stunt angers Hank and he admits lying to Gladwell about Dale's abilities and is now going to call Dale's rival company to do the job. When Hank tries to make the call he notices the phone lines have been cut. The group then discovers that the doors have been blocked by vending machines. Suddenly, they hear a trumpet start to play and the lights suddenly start turn themselves off, proving that the four men are not alone in the store.
As they wonder what to do next, Hank suggests moving the machines to get out but Dale is against it (as he believes that the blockade could be rigged). Dale goes off on his own to find the culprit. When he leaves, Hank suggests using a back-to-back method to protect the group from sneak attacks, but it fails when a loud noise spooks them and all three men get separated. Hank is captured by one of the "Chucks". Dale traps another "Mangione", only to find he himself has been tricked and they were actually the teenage employees Dale met earlier, who were simply messing with him by posing as the famed musician. They now plan on humiliating the exterminator, but in turn, Dale flees from the two teens.
As Dale runs away, he reaches a dead-end but is saved by a mysterious stranger before the teens could find him. The stranger turns out to be the real Chuck Mangione which proves Dale's instincts were right all along. When Dale asks why the famed musician was hiding in the store, Mangione reveals that when he signed his endorsement contract with Mega Lo Mart he didn't read it carefully. It required him to be at every store opening in the country, even with them opening 400 stores a year. which leaves him with no professional or private life. He decided to get revenge by living in one of the stores while using the merchandise to live on and to have fun with. Chuck chewed off the security camera wires, allowing him to come and go as he pleases. He also defecates in the store for the employees to clean up. Dale is impressed with Chuck until he hears his friends' cries of distress. Dale goes to help them, and Chuck gives him some advice about how to navigate the store which Dale then uses to stop the teens and save his friends. Outside, the teens are arrested and Gladwell is happy with the results. Hank also apologizes to Dale for doubting him as the four friends head for home with Chuck Mangione playing "Feel So Good" into the night.
In the B-Plot, Peggy and Bobby are playing a game of "Don't Spill the Beans" where Bobby beat Peggy six times, which confused her as she claims to have never lost six time, even having checked Bobby's mouth to see if he put them in his mouth. However, it turns out that Bobby places the beans up his nose in order to win but when he is unable to get them out, Peggy arrived and called out Bobby for cheating, only to learn that because of what happened, Bobby is rushed to the hospital to get the beans out of his nose. After having them removed, Peggy force Bobby to resume the game with the beans he hid in his nose.
Characters[]
- Hank Hill
- Peggy Hill
- Bobby Hill
- Luanne Platter
- Dale Gribble
- Nancy Gribble
- Jeff Boomhauer
- Bill Dauterive
- Norm Gladwell
- Chris
- Cory
- Chuck Mangione
- Ray Holiday (non-speaking)
- Blonde retail worker (non-speaking)
- Tim (non-speaking)
Stinger Quote[]
- Hank: "That's where the culottes are."
Trivia[]
- The episode's alternate name is MegaDale, and is the second episode of the series to use digital animation, after "Bobby Goes Nuts". However, the series would not permanently switch to digital animation until Season 8 to Season 13.
- The teenage Mega-Lo Mart employees were voiced by Danny Masterson and Topher Grace, who at the time were stars of the live-action FOX sitcom That 70's Show. Their co-star Laura Prepon would later voice April in "Talking Shop".
References[]
- ↑ The episode title in its original airing was "Megalo Dale", though the Season 7 DVD changed the title to "MegaDale".