While The Simpsons explores what animation can get away with, King of the Hill is much more tethered to reality, concentrating more on relationships than antics, more likely to elicit a knowing chuckle than deep guffaw, its deceptive sophistication is a universe away from creator Mike Judge's first endeavor, Beavis and Butthead. About the only connection between the two shows is how deeply unattractive the lead characters are: no idealized human forms here.
Last night, the ever frustrated intellectual Peggy had to suffer the indignity of sharing her new book shop with deranged Dale's gun selling in order to draw customers through the door. The shop's inevitable failure seemed a realistic ending, which was leavened by a final scene with Peggy sharing bookish thoughts with gun-traders inadvertently drawn into literature: a fine episode.
Malcolm alternately followed father Hal's latest doomed obsession, with race walking, Malcolm's attempt to stifle his intemperate verbal impulses, brother Reese's "date" with his equally dim girlfriend and necessary chauffeur Craig, and brother Francis' insistence on wetting and wearing his expensive new boots until man and boot bond. Hal - for once - is rewarded, Malcolm verbal prudence succeeds beyond reasonable expectation outwardly but eats him alive internally, things veer off into the surreal for Reese and Craig, and Francis proves, once again, his mother's equal in stubbornness. Super episode.
Lastly, Andy has created a hilarious ensemble-office comedy that stands sitcom cliches of their heads, zigging when we expect zagging and the reverse. Last night Richter's mentor Conan O'Brien proved himself an actor, playing the company's new "bossy boss" (boss supreme), having inherited the company from his mother, and upsetting the corporate sociology with inscrutably odd behavior and Machiavellian manipulation. The rich really are different.
Keep it on Fox for the post-holiday return of 24 tomorrow night - can't wait.
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