My Favorite Halloween Themed TV Shows - King of the Hill - "Hilloween"
The greatest holiday specials often tackle a "true meaning of (blank)" message in their narratives. Christmas is the easiest one with which to do this. Halloween has a harder time finding a higher significance because the holiday is observed more for fun than it is anything else. King of the Hill was unique in that it took this challenge on headfirst by directly tackling the controversy that sometimes surrounds All Hallow's Eve.
"Elmo? Aladdin? Jenny McCarthy? I don't even know what these things are!"
- Hank Hill (on the absence of traditional monsters in the costume department)
For Hank, there is a real pleasure in being scared and reveling in the macabre / hedonistic elements of the Halloween (like tee-peeing some body's lawn). When he is unable to find any "traditional" character costumes at the store (zombie, vampire, witch, devil) he becomes upset because he senses Halloween is losing it's authenticity.
During the course of the show, religious fanatic Junie Harper (voiced by the incomparable Sally Field) attempts to overthrow the Halloween festivities taking place in Arlene because she sees them as satanic signs and symbols. She tempts Luanne into helping her by praising her intelligence and stroking her ego. Thus, family member is pitted against family member and after Junie Harper directly insults the Hill's parenting, Hank and Peggy draw a line in the sand.
"Now you hold it right there, Junie Harper. I go to church too, and I have raffled and bingoed and bake-saled my way as close to the good Lord as you.
So do not try to one-up me, because I will one-up yours."
- Peggy Hill
"The complacency of fools with destroy them, Proverbs."
- Junie Harper
"Get out of my house...Exodus!"
- Hank Hill
Junie Harper's doctrine confuses Bobby, who ends up attending her Hallelujah House (Junie's wholesome alternative to a Haunted House). In the end, Hank defies the curfew Junie Harper has imposed to Grinch away Halloween from the Arlene citizenry, and tries one last time to convince Bobby and the other children that Halloween is just "good clean fun".
What I like most about this special (besides Sally Field playing a crazy church lady) is the fact that for all his conservative affiliation, Hank really does have a strong touch of Liberal in him. I know a lot of people who dismiss the show because many of the characters are white, Texan, slightly red-neckish types who (without close inspection) might come off as gun-toting Deliverance extras.
But anyone who has actually given the show a chance would soon realize how wrong an impression that is.
Although he might be old-fashioned at times, Hank always has good intentions, and having a son like Bobby requires that he frequently rethink his position on various topics, because above all, even though it might strain his masculinity to verbalize it as such, he really does love his son.
Oh! And let's not forget the lovely Miss Brittany Murphy, who does the voice of Luanne Platter. Hearing her play her part in this episode reminds me of what a good actress she was and what lovely delivery she had. <3 RIP
