King of the Hill/Wings of the Dope

Wings of the Dope
Season 3, Episode 23
Airdate	May 4, 1999
Production Number	3ABE21
Written by	Johnny Hardwick
Directed by	Cyndi Tang-Loveland
← 3x22 Death and Texas	3x24 → Take Me Out of the Ball Game
King of the Hill — Season Three

Wings of the Dope is the twenty-third episode of the third season of King of the Hill, and the fifty-eighth episode overall.

Starring: Mike Judge (Hank Hill, Boomhauer), Kathy Najimy (Peggy Hill), Pamela Segall Adlon (Bobby Hill), Brittany Murphy (Luanne Platter), Johnny Hardwick (Dale Gribble)

and Toby Huss (Kahn Souphanousinphone)

Also Starring: David Herman (Buckley), Lauren Tom (Minh Souphanousinphone), Jennifer Coolidge (Miss Kremzer), Dawnn Lewis (Sharona)

Uncredited: Stephen Root (Bill Dauterive)

Plot Overview

When the guys take up fixing trampoline Kahn bought from Buckley's estate, Luanne soon encounters what believes is Buckley's angel.

Notes

Stinger Quote

Buckley: Hey.

Music

• The Dream Academy - "Life in a Northern Town"

• Willie Nelson - "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground"

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Luanne finally gets closure with Buckley with the visitation from his angel.

• After Luanne gets a message from Jesus via Buckley that she should drop out of beauty school and is meant for something else, she gets into an accident and meets some college students who thought she went to their school. This convinces her to take her tuition money from beauty school and use it to enrol into the Arlen Community College.

Referbacks

• Hank claiming Buckley couldn't even find a hammer in the Mega Lo Mart is an allusion to the heated exchange he had with Buckley in the pilot.

• Luanne's last words to Buckley's angel is "Chicken thigh," the same last words Buckley is shown saying to Luanne in "Propane Boom".

Trivia

The Show

• This marks the last appearance of Buckley, not counting his brief appearance in the opening title sequence.

Behind the Scenes

• Airing shortly after the Columbine High School shooting, Mike Judge received a letter from a young woman who had been hiding in the school at the time and planned to tell a friend she was in love with how she felt if they both made it out, but he turned out to be one of the shooters. She credited the episode with enabling her to deal with the grief she had been pressured to swallow and even quoted Luanne in the letter - wondering if the boy was "guardianing some other girl" because he never knew how she felt.

Quotes

• Hank: This is a fix-it opportunity that only happens in the movies.

• Dale: Reverse psychology. That'll never work.

Hank: Yes, it will.

Dale: Gotcha!

• Luanne: I just took a test last semester. And now I've got another test. It's not fair! How often in real life are you tested?!

• Luanne: It's not fair. My customer kept swatting flies.

• Luanne: This was Buckley's trampoline. It was his favourite one. He named it Number One.

• Luanne: You are an angel! Unless you're just a hallucinogen of my mind. If you're really Buckley's angel, then tell me something only the real Buckley would know.

Buckley: Uh, you have a birthmark on your butt the shape of a Honda key.

Luanne: (gasp) You are a real angel!

• Luanne: Last night, I was visited by an angel - Buckley's angel.

Bobby: Cool.

Luanne: Mm-hmm. He was on the trampoline and he said to tell y'all "hey."

Peggy: I think someone's been studying a little too hard for her beauty school test.

Luanne: Probably Sharona Johnson. She's always studying. It's not fair.

• Peggy: She is giving me the heebiest of jeebies.

Hank: The angel part, sure, but the whole not crying thing - I like that. I like that a lot.

Peggy: I told her to use proper ventilation around those hair chemicals.

• Hank: Luanne claims she saw Buckley's angel last night on the trampoline. I convinced her it was her guardian angel and now she's on an even keel. I should've thought of this years ago. It's like she has a boyfriend I never have to meet.

• Sharona: Do you hear yourself? You're crazy.

Luanne: I don't have to hear myself. Buckley's angel hears myself.

• Dale: It's a sign! We've been playing God with Buckley's trampoline. Now God is playing God with us! And he's a lot better at it.

• Peggy: So, Minh, have you ever had any religious visions?

Minh: This about Buckley's angel, huh, Peggy Hill?

Peggy: You know?

Minh: Not too much happen in this neighbourhood. When someone comes back from dead, it gets around.

• Peggy: I mean, Luanne is clearly crazy. If it was a true religious vision, why would it come to her? I was home.

• Hank: You'll pass the test and he'll be have finished his good deed and there'll be no need for him to come back to Earth again. And if you do see Buckley's angel again it'll actually be an evil angel of death. I didn't make up the rules. It's in the Bible.

• Luanne: He better not be guardianin' some other girl.

• Luanne: Maybe I should drop out of beauty school, Aunt Peggy.

Peggy: What? Luanne, you have wanted to go to beauty school since you were six! You have wanted to graduate beauty school since you were twelve! If you give up on school, honey, you are giving up on your dreams. "Education is the sleeping pill that makes dreams happen." - Peggy Hill.

Luanne: But school is hard. I should just give up and sell pretzels.

Peggy: Uh-uh. Now you have to reach deep inside yourself and stop depending on your uncle, or your boyfriend, or your boyfriend's angel. This time it is all up to you. Buckley's angel helps those who help themselves.

Luanne: I'll do it! You'll help me, right?

Peggy: Of course.

• Luanne: I don't know why you didn't come, Buckley's angel. If this is some kind of test, I'll have to take a make-up test because I have a makeup and hair test this morning.

• Buckley: You're gonna fail the test.

Luanne: What?!

Buckley: Yeah, I have a message from Jesus, something about how you suck at beauty school, except worded nicer. (pulls out letter) Oh, here. Uh, "Luanne, you really suck at beauty school. Drop out. Love, Jesus." Huh. He underlined "really." Guess it wasn't nicer.

Luanne: I thought angels were supposed to be good. You're a terrible angel, Buckley. I wish you never died!

Buckley: Hey, Jesus said it. Not me.

• Hank: Well now, what's this? Huh. It's a letter. "From the Desk of Buckley's Angel". Let's see here. "Dear Bill, Boomhauer, and Dale. I have been unable to find a woman for Bill. Any woman. Or a crank shaft from a 1968 Dodge. And the porthole to Hell is actually located in Hank's garage near all of his tools which should be avoided by anyone afraid of the porthole to Hell." Well, that's that. Goodbye, Buckley's angel.

• Hank: Huh. I didn't know there was a wiener wagon stopping in Arlen.

Bobby: Obviously not or you would have taken me.

• Buckley: Before I go, uh, could I have one last kiss?

(Buckley leans in and gets too grabby)

Luanne: No, that part's over.

Buckley: Why?

Luanne: Chicken thigh.