King of the Hill/King of the Ant Hill

King of the Ant Hill
Season 1, Episode 11
Airdate	May 4, 1997
Production Number	4E13
Written by	Johnny Hardwick & Paul Lieberstein
Directed by	Gary McCarver
← 1x10 Keeping Up with Our Joneses	1x12 → Plastic White Female
King of the Hill — Season One

King of the Ant Hill is the eleventh episode of the first season of King of the Hill.

Starring: Mike Judge (Hank Hill, Boomhauer, Dooley), Kathy Najimy (Peggy Hill), Pamela Segall (Bobby Hill), Brittany Murphy (Luanne Platter, Joseph Gribble)

and Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble)

Also Starring: Ashley Gardner (Nancy Gribble), Toby Huss (Kahn Souphanousinphone)

Uncredited: Stephen Root (Bill Dauterive)

Plot Overview

As the block is having a Cinco de Mayo party, Hank wants his lawn to look its best. Unfortunately, when he believes Dale's twice-a-week spraying is damaging his lawn, it puts a strain on their friendship he calls it off and Dale tries to win back his business by planting fire ants on his new lawn.

Notes

Seen, But Not Heard

• John Redcorn

• Minh Souphanousinphone

Arc Advancement

Characters

• A comment Luanne makes about Buckley suggests they are dating again.

• It's revealed that Dale is an exterminator. It seems to be a one-man operation by the name of Dale's Dead-Bug with his own van with a dead ant queen on top.

• Hank is shown to take pride in his lawn care.

Trivia

The Show

• This marks the first appearance of the Gribble basement which serves as Dale's base of operations.

Goofs

• The low density patches Kahn point out are quite visible in the one shot, but in all other shots, Hank's lawn looks consistent.

• When Luanne rolls around on Hank's lawn, it's obvious that when she rolls from left to right, it is simply a reverse of her rolling from right to left, as indicated by the direction of her hair.

• When Hank chases Dale he's wearing shoes, but for a couple of shots, he's barefoot with mud stains around the bottom of the pant legs. His shoes then return and the mud disappears for the rest of the scene.

Quotes

• Kahn: Sucky lawn bring down value of my property.

Dale: Now, you listen here, Kahn: if anyone's bringing down the value of this neighbourhood, it's me.

• Hank: I've poured my whole life into this lawn. My heart, my soul, the tender feelings I've held back from my family.

• Dale: Come on, I need to make up the income. I'll do it for free.

• Hank: (posing with garden hoe) What do you think? Does this say "Hank Hill"?

Peggy: I thought we just came for seed and fertiliser. Why are men so attracted to hoes?

• Hank: A man who can't keep up a lawn is either inept or stupid. Without my lawn, I am Bill. Do you want to be married to Bill?

(Peggy shudders)

• Hank: This is exactly what those environmentalists should be spending their time on. Finding ways to use nature against other forms of nature that are inconvenient to man.

• Joseph: That's the queen, stupid. It looks just like the one on my dad's truck.

Bobby: You mean Dale Gribble's truck?

Joseph: Yeah, yeah, my dad.

• Dale: Hank, I was just telling the guys about Stonehenge. It seems the Druids used it as some kind of sophisticated celestial --

Hank: Uh, Dale, I didn't come here to --

Dale: Oh, no! For once, you will hear me out... calendar. Now what can I do for you?

• Hank: Dale, you're the only one who can help me.

Dale: That's right. I am. The question is, why should I?

Hank: Well, I'll give you 2 dollars.

Dale: Ha! 2 dollars?

Hank: (sighs) Because you're my friend.

Dale: Ooh, I'm Hank's friend. Tie a ribbon around me.

Hank: Because I'm coming to you, man to man, offerin' you a genuine apology for choosing my lawn over our friendship.

Dale: Jeez, Hank, I was just holding out for $2.50.

• Bill: Poor Hank. Serves him right.

Dale: Damn straight.

Kahn: Yeah, yeah, it does.

Boomhauer: Mm-hmm.

Kahn: You know, where I come from, we got a thing called karma. You do something bad, it come back and bite you in the ass! Big, white, stubborn ass!

Hank: Uh, guys, I can hear ya.

• Nancy: Oh, sugar! We're out of sugar, sug.

• Dale: If all you're going on is my confession, forget it. I'm simply not credible.

• Dale: While I was blacked out, was anything inserted into me?

Hank: You're alive?

Dale: Answer the question.