Isolated & Destroyed: ‘I have met a lot of fathers in my time, most are crap bastards.’

So there’s a piece of advice my father gave me recently. I know, whenever anyone writes about their father’s advice it is almost always wince-inducing. It’s always something heartwarmingly useless like “try your best” or some other non-statement that just makes mini golf, or whatever it is normal people do with their dads, even more awkward. This is because, and I have met a lot of fathers in my time, most are crap bastards. But, for too many reasons to list, mine definitely isn’t. He told me to tell you your’s is though, sorry about that. Anyway this was his advice: “In the end everyone you know will somehow fuck you over. Everyone.”

The reason I bring up my brutually accurate statement is it reminded me of the recent cancellation of my favouite father-son relationship on television. King of the Hill went out recently, bangless and whimpering after 13 seasons of some of the most honest and funny TV in existence. Hank and Bobbie’s relationship is far more nuanced than anything you’ll find in Grey’s Anatomy or the Sopranos. The way all of the different aspects of their relationship, the strained mutual respect, the dislike of all surface interests, the admiration despite lack of understanding, the constant mutual encouragement and a struggle to overcome shared obstacles creates one of the most interesting dynamics in TV, one that goes far beyond the “boy ain’t right” oversimplifications the show was often victim to.

Much in the way Grant Morrison treated Doom Patrol and Animal Man comics in the 1980s King of the Hill takes a cast of one note caricatures and fleshes them out into real people. Boomhauer is not a gibberish speaking single joke like he would be in Family Guy, he is a ladies’ man and excool guy trying to outrun middle age. Boomhauer is also a person every character has genuine tangible respect for. Dale Gribble may be a conspiracy nut but his biggest delusion is his blindspot for his wife’s affair. Bill is an ex-jock who is well intentioned if slightly slow and has failed so consistently in life he stalks his friend’s wife and constantly contemplates suicide. Hank’s dad started as a crazy Kramer-like caricature but as the series progressed and his friends started dying around him he spawned episodes with incredible pathos.

Peggy Hill is no one’s favourite character. Unlike Lisa Simpson, a grating nonsensical mess who gets some half hearted blindingly obvious feminist rethoric throw at her every so often, this is not because the writers do not know what to do with her. It is the opposite.

She is one of the most 3d characters on TV. Her lack of self-awareness, her pomposity masking borderline incompetence, her attemps to be both tough and ladylike and her unwavering love and support for her family is some of the more compelling stuff on the show.

Even the Laotion neighours Connie and Kahn, who would exist for a single semi-racist episode in other shows, have to deal with their racial heritage, the pressure of keeping up appearances and their daughters confusing interracial relationship with an overweight Texan.

No character in King of the Hill is constantly the butt of the joke and none are the perfect person, they are human and they always help their friends.

Despite this depth King of the Hill also managed to be the funniest cartoon we had. Yes, even including you know who. This show was the ultimate love song to the Texan people and I, for one, will mourn its passing.