Hank Hill’s Most Endearingly Naive Moments on ‘King of the Hill’
Of all the gullible saps in Arlen, Texas, there might not be a single one who is easier to trick than Strickland Propane’s own Hank Hill — hell, just ask Buck Strickland.
Hank’s earnest traditionalism makes him the perfect protagonist for King of the Hill. Not only does he firmly believe that there is one right way for all red-blooded, rule-abiding American men to live their lives, but Hank also automatically assumes that everyone he meets lives by his own narrow code until proven otherwise — and, sometimes, for a long while after that. Hank is honest to a fault, which means that he has a harder time sniffing out dishonesty than he does smelling marijuana, or, as he thinks it’s called, an “inferior grade of tobacco.” Damn NAFTA.
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Hank’s honorable naivety has led to some of the most iconic moments in King of the Hill history, which we have power ranked for propane enthusiasts everywhere. Here is our list of Hank’s best “Oh, honey!” moments, starting with…
Hank Thought Gale Was Just Smoking A Hand-Rolled Cigarette With A Weak Flame
Ah, the light that launched a thousand bong decals. You gotta wonder whether, when Hank unintentionally ripped the reefer in “High Anxiety,” he ever would have figured out that Gale was on the ganja if the eBay aficionado hadn’t told Hank what he just smoked. You can imagine Hank getting home and firing up the propane grill to cook up a couple medium rare steaks while remarking to himself, “That Mexican tobacco sure does make a man hungry.” Still, this slip-up is nothing compared to what happened later in the same episode when…
Hank Let Buck Convince Him That He Killed Debbie in A Doobie Haze
Buck Strickland probably wasn’t planning on Hank finding the shotgun shell he planted in Hank’s truck the very night he launched his scheme to frame Hank for his mistress’ “murder.” But Buck definitely didn’t anticipate that, upon finding the faked evidence wedged into the front seat of his ride, Hank would actually believe Buck’s lie and convince himself that he committed the crime in a marijuana-induced stupor that somehow wiped his memory of the events. Thankfully, Hank’s actual memory of Gale’s eBay auction was better than his understanding of weed.
Hank’s Plan to Lose Snoop Dogg During the Car Chase
“Ho Yeah!” was probably the greatest episode in King of the Hill history for exploring Hank’s naivety of the nastier side of the world, but arguably the best bit in the entire episode was when Hank thought that the sleazy pimp Alabaster Jones, voiced by the D-O-Double-G, would consider breaking traffic laws to be a bridge too far in his criminal career. The Mack Daddy of Heimlich County was mistaken.
Hank Tried to Help Luanne Join the Mile High Club
As heinous as that sounds to us, that title wouldn’t mean much of anything to the most gullible uncle-niece duo in Texas who thought that some airport creep was trying to help Luanne join an esteemed association of air travelers in “Happy Hank’s Giving.” Well, technically, that’s exactly what the off-screen sleazeball was trying to do to Luanne, but she and Hank would be shocked and surprised to find that the “application” would be more of an audition.
Hank Payed Sticker Price for Every Car He Ever Bought… And Not A Penny More
Hank was never more irate about being duped than he was in “The Accidental Terrorist” when he realized that, traditionally, you're supposed to do some market research before buying a car at the dealer’s sticker price — but he wasn’t angry enough to be an intentional terrorist. After Hank gets caught up in a car-torching scheme that lands him under arrest, Tom Hammond tells the cops that Hank is “the most honest man I know. If he looks you in the eye and shakes your hand and tells you that he didn’t do something, then he didn’t do it!”
Hammond might not have believed it himself, but we sure do.
