PLOT: After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a modified Arlen, Texas to reconnect with outdated mates Dale, Boomhauer and Invoice. In the meantime, Bobby resides his dream as a chef in Dallas and having fun with his 20s together with his former classmates Connie, Joseph and Chane.
REVIEW: King of the Hill has been off the air since 2009 and lots has modified since then. The world is a really completely different place and so there’s all the time the query of whether or not or not that the humor would translate into trendy period. And I’m blissful to say that this new iteration completely nails the tone and spirit of what made KOTH nice. That is my favourite animated collection of all time, so I had very excessive expectations, and so they had been met in nearly each manner.
Season 14 follows Hank and Peggy returning to Texas after spending years in Saudi Arabia. After many years of adoration in direction of Texas, they’re shocked at how a lot they don’t acknowledge. Bobby is now a Chef at a restaurant in Dallas, and due to this fact doesn’t work together as a lot together with his mother and father. However when he does, it feels identical to outdated instances. Dale had received his marketing campaign to be Mayor (which didn’t final lengthy), Invoice turned an absolute mess, and Boomhauer now has a stepson. Until I simply occurred to overlook it, there’s no actual point out of Luanne and Fortunate, which isn’t a shock on condition that their authentic voice actors (Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty) have since handed. However many of the characters are accounted for and really feel like respectful continuations.
There’s all the time been one thing particular about KOTH in that, when you perceive the character dynamics, each little line may cause gut-busting laughter. And none of that’s extra evident than with Peggy Hill, whose oblivious ignorance is without doubt one of the highlights of the season. Her mispronouncing Saud-eye Arabi-ee-eye or her clear ignorance of the tradition is a superb carryover from her Spanish days. Although if any character feels a bit of shortchanged with what she’s as much as this season, it’s in all probability her. However with solely 10 episodes, there’s solely a lot that might be carried out.
After Season 6, the community mandated that the present change from syndicated (the place storylines would carry over and be referenced all through the season) to being episodic, with the logic being that it could be extra accessible. Fortunately, we see the return of the syndicated story format, and thus, the present is basically in a position to shine once more. The Bobby storyline specifically works splendidly, each as a technique to present how a lot he’s grown, but in addition how a lot he’s nonetheless the identical character we’ve all the time beloved. His gradual development from episode to episode and his love for his job actually present how a lot he actually takes after Hank. I used to be genuinely rooting for his reunion with Connie in a manner that I wasn’t anticipating, and that’s all because of the fantastic writing.
I’d argue that the most effective episode of the season goes to “New Ref In Town”, the place Hank turns into a secret Soccer ref. Pre-Saudi Hank overtly hated soccer and so it’s enjoyable to see his character progress, and the logical causes for why his character would develop to find it irresistible. And that is true of many of the character progress within the present. All of it simply suits with what we had seen within the prior 13 seasons. The one one who feels a bit off is Connie, who does some stuff that feels a bit of out of left area. Nevertheless it’s a great way of showcasing how a lot individuals can actually change throughout their early life.
By way of negatives, a number of the voices really feel a bit of off. Like many different animated exhibits that may change their voice actors with actors of coloration who really voice characters of coloration, Toby Huss is sadly not voicing Kahn Souphanousinphone. As an alternative, Ronny Chieng takes up the mantle and truthfully does a horrible job of it. He does the snigger proper, however that’s nearly it, together with his whole cadence and phrase construction being off. It’s like he hardly took the time to hearken to what Kahn appeared like prior. This takes lots of the humor away from the character. Satirically, Huss really takes over for Johnny Hardwicke as Dale after episode 7, and does a spot-on carryover of the newer Dale voice. Actually, there are occasions when it feels extra just like the outdated Dale than even Hardwicke managed. Joseph can be changed by Tai Leclaire, and it seems like the right mix of Joseph’s outdated voice and John Redcorn.
Total, this season is a return to kind for the collection. Those that had been apprehensive this could carry over extra traits from the tip of the present ought to set these fears apart and take a look at this as much more of a continuation of these first six seasons. There are some stunning tributes to Johnny Hardwick and Jonathan Joss, two essential actors to the collection that each sadly handed away earlier than the brand new collection aired. I can’t await Season 15 and hope that we get many extra adventures with these fantastic residents of Arlen.
KING OF THE HILL: SEASON 14 IS NOW STREAMING ON HULU AND DISNEY PLUS.
