who needs the drama?
Maybe it's because there hasn't been a new episode of King of the Hill since May, but it seems like this episode portrayed Hank as even more extreme than usual. The core of his character's comedy power comes from how traditional and strict he is, and many episodes revolve around that very idea, but this week's episode took Hank farther in that direction than I've ever seen him. And to further exaggerate his character, this episode included the most permissive family ever as the parents of Bobby's new friend. It soon became hard to tell which parenting style was worse, the Hills' or the anti-Hills'.
Making references to popular culture in a comedy series seems unwieldy for two reasons: first, the applicability will fade as the fad comes and goes; second, the nesting of popular cultural symbols in an example of popular culture sometimes startles the viewer (at least it does me). Shows which use this tactic (like this episode of King of the Hill and many Will and Grace episodes) give off a subtle air of mockery and hipness, but will it last after the references are no longer understood by modern audiences? Does it matter?
(The answer is no.)
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