'King of the Hill's Most Shocking Episode Changed the Show for the Better

3 weeks ago 12

TV Features

collage of Dale, Hank, and Luanne from King of the Hill

King of the Hill was a strong show from the very beginning. In its first year, Entertainment Weekly and Time included it on their Best TV of the Year lists. But, it truly defined itself and stood out from other Fox animated series like The Simpsons with its bold two-parter “Propane Boom” and “Propane Boom II: Death of a Propane Salesman.” “Propane Boom” was the Season 2 finale and ended with an explosion at Mega-lo-Mart while Hank Hill (Mike Judge), Luanne Platter (Brittany Murphy), and Buckley (David Herman) were inside. Between episodes, Fox ran promos speculating which of these characters had died. The cliffhanger and the subsequent character death were more than a publicity stunt. They were an important arc that showed audiences exactly how good King of the Hill could be.

‘King of the Hill’ Dealt With Consequences of Its Shocker

It wasn't surprising when the character who'd died in the explosion turned out to be Buckley. Most viewers expected this ancillary character would be killed off rather than a major character like Hank or Luanne. But, what was surprising and what makes "Propane Boom" feel so defining in retrospect is how long the show continued to deal with the fallout. Luanne slowly regrowing her hair after losing it in the explosion is a visual marker of time you don't expect from a cartoon. Just like her hair took time to grow back, she also took time to grieve Buckley. There are multiple episodes throughout Season 3 dealing with her grief, including the Thanksgiving episode and "Wings of the Dope" which came at the tail end of the season. King of the Hill used the explosion and Buckley's death to distinguish itself from other animated shows by showing how they would handle the consequences of major events and the passage of time. At the same time, the show never missed a beat comedically. "Propane Boom" is full of jokes, and the two-parter showed that King of the Hill could deal with grief and PTSD without ever slipping into dramedy territory.

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Buckley’s Death Set the Stage for Other Dramatic Arcs for 'King of the Hill'

Luanne speaks at Buckley's funeral on 'King of the Hill.'

"Propane Boom" set the stage for other shocking cliffhangers and long arcs that would come later. Season 3 ended with Peggy Hill (Kathy Najimy) jumping out of an airplane and discovering her parachute's emergency cord doesn't work. If it weren't for Buckley's death in the previous finale and Luanne's long grieving process, this season finale wouldn't have had the same impact. But, because King of the Hill had established itself as a show where events can have real consequences, Hank watching Peggy plummet to the ground was meaningful in a way that a similar scene on another animated comedy like The Simpsons or Family Guy wouldn't have been. Thanks to "Propane Boom," when audiences saw Peggy's fall, they not only felt genuine suspense but a sense of trust that King of the Hill would handle the consequences without suffering comedically.

‘King of the Hill’ Contrasted Starkly With ‘The Simpsons’

Buckley's funeral on 'King of the Hill.'

"Propane Boom" and the promo campaign surrounding it were similar to the "Who Shot Mr. Burns" cliffhanger stunt The Simpsons had done years earlier. But it had bigger stakes and a more macabre feel since it was built around an actual character's death. In the second part of "Who Shot Mr. Burns," Mr. Burns is immediately revealed to not be dead. This approach couldn't be more different than how the second part of "Propane Boom" handles the fallout from the explosion at Mega-lo-Mart. In King of the Hill, not only is there a genuine death, but the characters' grief and PTSD permeate the episode.

As an animated show with a more realistic side than most cartoons, King of the Hill treads in mostly new territory, so the series constantly defines itself and the rules of its universe. The shocking cliffhanger helped define the world of King of the Hill as one where major events like death could happen and have serious consequences without eclipsing the comedy.