Contains spoilers for “King of the Hill” Season 14, Episode 9 — “No Hank Left Behind”
Peggy Hill (Kathy Najimy) goes through a rough time in “No Hank Left Behind.” A pickleball incident leaves her with a knee injury so she heads for Dallas to get an MRI scan, but the machine gives her repeated claustrophobic panic attacks. She stays with Bobby (Pamela Adlon) and they both come to realize that part of Peggy’s panic stems from her fear that her son doesn’t need her anymore. When Bobby confirms his love for his mom, the attacks go away.
It’s a sweet mother-and-son moment, but there’s a reference to a not-so-nice Bobby and Peggy incident in this episode. It comes in the form of a comment made by a radiology tech during Peggy’s time in the MRI machine. She states that it looks like Peggy’s got some scar tissue in her groin that looks like it resulted from her being “kicked by a 12 year old some time ago.” Bobby, aghast, asks: “You can tell it was a 12 year old?”
This, of course, is in reference to the immortal “Bobby Goes Nuts,” the opening episode of Season 6. In it, Bobby takes a self defense course intended for women in which he learns the easiest way to dispatch your foe is to kick them in the groin. Bobby soon turns into the bully, going mad with power, until he realizes that kicking his mom below the belt doesn’t have a similar effect.
Bobby Goes Nuts has legendary status among fans
Incredibly popular since its airing, “Bobby Goes Nuts” has become a bit of a cultural landmark, so it’s nice to see the revival give it a little knowing nod during Peggy’s MRI scene. The Season 6 opener is beloved by fans of the show for its meme-worthy quotes like “That’s my purse, I don’t know you,” and for the fact that Bobby finds himself kicking multiple people in the groin throughout the episode, including both of his parents. It has inspired tee-shirts, tattoos, and other fan-created tributes.
It’s also one of the most critically acclaimed “King of the Hill” episodes. Rolling Stone Australia named it the 76th greatest episode of television of all time, and Mel magazine has an oral history article dedicated to the episode. When Looper ranked the best 25 episodes of “King of the Hill,” we put “Bobby Goes Nuts” in the top spot. And, as of this writing, it’s the most popular episode of the show on IMDb with a score of 9/10. Pamela Adlon even won an Emmy for her work on this episode, which was hailed as a big win for the voice acting community at the time.
