(S11E04)

Lucky: I'm not sayin' stumpin' isn't risky. When you're out there with nothing but chains, beer and a winch you could rip your arm off and there ain't no one out there to sue.

Hank wasn't featured much in this episode, and that's rare. It seems that even when the plot doesn't revolve around Hank, he still serves as the lone voice of reason that helps maintain some semblance of sanity and common sense among his friends and family. Ultimately, he's the one that helps guide the story to its conclusion. This episode, however, focused on Luanne and Lucky, two people who pretty much live by their own code, which doesn't leave much room for Hank or anyone else. It also left us viewers with a nice little story about the compromises and sacrifices one has to make when they decide to spend their lives with someone.

I wouldn't want every episode to focus completely on Luanne and Lucky, but I do like the characters. Lucky (brilliantly voiced by Tom Petty) would seem odd if he wasn't so steadfast in his convictions. Luanne isn't exactly a pushover, either, though her worldview seems trapped back in high school where kids go to prom, fall in love, and never again experience that kind of bliss. I loved how determined she was to finally have a decent prom night, even if that meant attending as an adult and taking a frightened fifteen year old with her.

I can't say this was my favorite episode, but King of the Hill is so different than other animated fare that surrounds it on Sunday nights I can still enjoy a lackluster episode because I genuinely care about the characters. I loved how enamored Hank, Lucky and the other fellas become with the fabled tree stump, and the finally scene with Luanne and Lucky slow dancing to "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago was the perfect ending: two people, fiercely independent, slow dancing to a song clearly not made for slow dancing. It may have seemed strange to everyone else, but conformity has never been much of a concern for either of them.