The Passion of Dauterive is the two hundred-eighth episode of King of the Hill. It was first aired on April 29, 2007. The episode was written by Tony Gama-Lobo and Rebecca May, and directed by Anthony Chun.
Synopsis
One evening, Bill is in natural Lonely Guy mode, having fallen asleep on the couch in front of the TV. During the Dr. Money infomercial (as seen in “The Year of Washing Dangerously”), Bill is awakened by the sound of his roof collapsing onto his bed. Hank reproves Bill for not listening to him and having his roof inspected six months ago, but Bill takes the event as a sign that he needs more than a home maintenance organizer as Hank suggests.
At church, Rev. Stroup mildly rebukes the flock for not attending a recent pancake breakfast and calls their attention to a host of new church activities in the bulletin. Bill decides to immerse himself in a new regimen of church involvement. He starts by joining an evening Bible study, answering a softball question about patience. After a consultation with Stroup, he gives up grandiose plans to go on short-term missions and decides to stay in Arlen. Hank then realizes why: Bill and Stroup are “involved.”
Hank confronts Bill on this, visiting him while Rev. Stroup is also at Bill’s house. Stroup admits that congregations “can be less than accepting” of situations like this, which had something to do with her having to leave St. Paul, Minnesota, and Bill asks Hank to keep it on the down low.
Later, Bill offers to take Hank out to dinner, but it turns out that he needed Hank as camouflage to disguise a date between Bill and Rev. Stroup. Bill is obviously titillated by the secrecy of the relationship, and Hank tells Stroup of his disapproval at the first chance. Despite her experience at St. Paul, Stroup agrees with Hank. However, she admits her relationship to the horrified congregation the following Sunday. Dale calls it “a disaster of Biblical proportions.” Bill and Karen take their behavior public, visiting with the crew in the alley and wearing matching sweat suits when going to the movies. The deacon board at Arlen Methodist gets in touch with Hank, on the pretext of asking him to join the Building Committee, and ask him to get the couple to either dial back the displays of affection or else stop dating.
Hank communicates this to Bill and Karen, and Karen resolves the matter by resigning as pastor. Bill thinks that their relationship is no longer “forbidden,” which it never really was in the first place, and Karen moves out of the parsonage and into Bill’s house. Bill is torn emotionally now that their relationship is routine. He tries acting like a jerk so he’ll be dumped, but she doesn’t follow through.
Bill retires to Hank’s patio, where Hank tells Bill to be honest with Karen. She does not take it well: “I pegged her for a cryer, not a screamer,” Peggy says.
Stroup goes back to being pastor of Arlen Methodist but on a provisional basis as part of her being disciplined. She gives Bill the stink eye from the platform. Bill tells Hank his purpose in life is really doing whatever Hank tells him, which was the same conclusion he reached in “Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men.”
Trivia
- While Bill is asleep, an infomercial is seen on television featuring Dr. Money. This is the second appearance of Dr. Money, the first being in the Season 10 episode The Year of Washing Dangerously.
- While Bill and Karen are outside the Agora Theater, Flowers of Time from the episode Chasing Bobby is revealed to be playing at the theater. Also, Karen states that she and Bill are going to see the "new horror movie" which title can clearly be seen as "He's in the House."