CompassJimbo
Where’s Your North?
- Location
- The former Rubber Capital of the World
Best of luck, Athene. And I'm glad to know you're managing to get past this rough patch.
Project Ludovico
- Thread starter Athene
- Start date
-
- Tags
- athenemas film media movie review
Athene
Rise for the Shadow Queen
- Location
- Dream of The 90s
- Pronouns
- She/Her
This is probably going to be the most mainstream and "why are you reviewing this" thing ever, but I think this is a work that often gets overlooked, overshadowed and not appreciated for what it did and how it did it.
I'm going to talk about King of the Hill.
Please don't take that mouse up the upper corner of the screen or close that tab or like, swipe left. See I didn't appreciate this show as much as I should have growing up or in fact recently. It was a funny show I really enjoyed but I often found it "boring" as a kid and it was overshadowed by the two shows that surrounded it: The Simpsons and Family Guy. Until I saw this comic, that is; Because it made me stop, think and re-evaluate the show with who I am now. Rewatching it, I found it to be an amazingly heartfelt show that managed to be incredibly progressive yet centrist, with generally excellent characterization and often dark themes.
"He's not crazy Peggy, he's just suicidal"
This is Hank's response to Peggy saying that Bill is in dire need of therapy after he's just tried to kill himself. I've actually heard the same thing several years ago, after I had attempted to commit suicide. The doctor said I should go in for therapy and when I told my parents they protested that I wasn't some kind of crazy person. When I was a kid, I thought Bill was a loser because I was growing up in the same kind of environment that the show is set in. Now I realize that I've lived parts of B ills life and he's just a dude in serious need of help, but isn't getting it.
King of the Hill is a show where a lot of people need therapy. Hank Hill was raised by an abusive dad and a mom that checked out as a defense mechanism, and he has trouble as an adult with handling emotion. Peggy Hill is the avatar of the Dunning-Kruger effect, because she feels a compulsive need to be the best at everything to prove her overbearing mother wrong. Bill Dauterive is an absolute wreck of a human being who just wants to be loved but gets abused by people and kicked down by life, never able to fully recover because dear lord get this man some help. People suffer from a wide variety of issues that the community they live in is not prepared to deal with with properly and they suffer as a result.
"You're not turning into some kind of feminist are you Peggy?"
The show manages to broach some pretty serious topics such as rape, depression, abuse, suicide, homophobia, disability, and more while still remaining respectful yet funny. It does this in several ways, the first of which is by making the protagonist Hank Hill. Hank is as straight as an arrow, a man who will pull a cop over to tell him that he's got a taillight out and wouldn't even dream of doing a dishonest thing in his life. Hank Hill is the kind of conservative you miss these days. While he's ever increasingly trapped in a world he doesn't understand, he remains honorable and polite to everyone around him, always trying to do the right thing.
This keeps the show progressive while also being fair because its about how Hank deals with these issues. Hank, Bill and Boomhauer find out they're at a gay rodeo and Hank's friends start laughing and making jokes. Hank jumps on them and tells them first that the Gay Rodeo is a legitimate sporting event that he's seen on ESPN 3, and when they start making fun of gay people themselves, he silences them and tells them they're being jackasses. Hack isn't particularly comfortable with homosexuality because of his upbringing but he believes in a basic level of being a person. He's the kind of conservative a liberal will lament not seeing more of these days. He and other characters are presented well and their characterization makes them and the situations come off as real.
"My hairdresser says I would be a lipstick lesbian, which is apparently the best kind there is."
The show's willingness to actually directly or indirectly deal with subjects is a breath of fresh air. Hank accidentally gets marked as a woman by the state and has to prove to a doctor that he's a man, but the doctor will only confirm it after chromosome tests because of the existence of trans people "makes things not as simple as they used to be." A frustrating part of a Trans persons life is directly addressed in the show and while Hank comes off as ignorant about FTM people, he's portrayed pretty clearly as being ignorant. This isn't a subject that comes up at all in shows that much and self declared progressive shows actually have a pretty terrible track record, because they assume that because they think they're progressive, whatever they think is right when dealing with people that aren't them.
"You think you can touch anyone when you want, where you want? You think it's okay because no one says it's not?"
Indeed, the show managed to sneak in an episode about rape culture and sexual harassment early in its run, when Hank is sexually assaulted by a bottlenose dolphin. By using a more outrageous setup, you get in under peoples radar while handling the subject. People will stop listening or reject messages if the wells has been tainted but this episode directly satirizes how rape victims are treated. Hank is told he led the dolphin on, that he got it excited, that the dolphin only did it out of love. He tries to take the attitude of "I can just ignore this" but only gets closure by talking to people about it, where he finds out that Bill was also sexually assaulted by a dolphin on two occasions, and he also felt that not telling anyone would make it better but he's been suffering the entire time. I didn't get it when I was 14 in the same way I didn't notice the problems with Revenge of the Nerds and Pretty in Pink, but watching it as a 30 year old woman, its pretty undeniable what the episode is about.
Now if your eyes glazed over when I talked about rape culture, don't click that x just yet, because I bring a peace offering:
"Leanne's first husband is working on an offshore oil rig in the gulf, and he swears he's not coming ashore until I fax him her death certificate. Now what makes you think you can do any better?"
"Because she loves me. "
"Then why did she hit you? "
"It's a new love game she made up. It's not my favorite, but she seems to like it."
Boom, year of our lord 1999. Leanne Platter is physically and emotionally abusive to her partners. This is presented as a real and serious issue. People are terrified of her and they're worried about Bill when she starts quite clearly abusing him. Bill isn't mocked for being attacked by a woman, people are concerned for him but can't talk him out of the relationship. Hank drills Bobby on a hand signal that means "Run to a neighbors house and don't come out" in case Leanne becomes violent. The show is able to generate humor even in the unfunniest of circumstances without punching down on them. Compare this to Family Guy where Peter is outright raped by his wife and we're supposed to laugh because "last night I was the woman." That's not funny, that's horrifying and its not healthy for anyone.
"Why do you have to hate what you don't understand?"
"I don't hate you Bobby"
One of the core relationships in the show is the relationship between Hank and Bobby. To Hank, "That boy ain't right". Bobby is not even remotely gender conforming; dreaming of having highly specific gendered occupations such as "Golf Course Dream Girl", "Rockette" and "Hostess", and is intrigued when he learns that guys can shave their legs too. He's not athletic, he's easy going and free with his emotions, and he's just plain not Hank. Hank has difficulty with handling emotions and a son that doesn't conform at the best of times. Hank and Bobby struggle with each other a lot, and they both make plenty of mistakes in their dealings with each other, but Hank loves his son deeply. He never in my opinion, does he go too far and when approaches that line, the show deals with it. They end the series with Hank and Bobby bonding over a shared interest, with them saying they've only just begun.
I could go on talking about all the characters and their story beats for the longest time, but I'll leave it simply: King of the Hill is a show about characters that are absolutely human. The characters you're supposed to care about have plenty of failings but they also have strengths. Peggy may be Dunning-Kruger, but she's assertive and confident for example, and she won't allow herself to be mistreated by anyone. The show has its problems; it arguably went on for too long, it had consistency issues with some character beats, some people suffered from flanderization, Lucky, etc. However, at the end of the day I'll say this: Bojack Horseman is a great show about Depression, and while its certainly a great show that handles Depression really well, I'd actually say its partially treading over ground that King of the Hill explored in the late 90s. King of the Hill was vastly ahead of its time and I think that as a result it probably doesn't get enough credit.
And I think at the end of the day, Hank Hill realizes that boy's alright.
I'm going to talk about King of the Hill.
Please don't take that mouse up the upper corner of the screen or close that tab or like, swipe left. See I didn't appreciate this show as much as I should have growing up or in fact recently. It was a funny show I really enjoyed but I often found it "boring" as a kid and it was overshadowed by the two shows that surrounded it: The Simpsons and Family Guy. Until I saw this comic, that is; Because it made me stop, think and re-evaluate the show with who I am now. Rewatching it, I found it to be an amazingly heartfelt show that managed to be incredibly progressive yet centrist, with generally excellent characterization and often dark themes.
"He's not crazy Peggy, he's just suicidal"
This is Hank's response to Peggy saying that Bill is in dire need of therapy after he's just tried to kill himself. I've actually heard the same thing several years ago, after I had attempted to commit suicide. The doctor said I should go in for therapy and when I told my parents they protested that I wasn't some kind of crazy person. When I was a kid, I thought Bill was a loser because I was growing up in the same kind of environment that the show is set in. Now I realize that I've lived parts of B ills life and he's just a dude in serious need of help, but isn't getting it.
King of the Hill is a show where a lot of people need therapy. Hank Hill was raised by an abusive dad and a mom that checked out as a defense mechanism, and he has trouble as an adult with handling emotion. Peggy Hill is the avatar of the Dunning-Kruger effect, because she feels a compulsive need to be the best at everything to prove her overbearing mother wrong. Bill Dauterive is an absolute wreck of a human being who just wants to be loved but gets abused by people and kicked down by life, never able to fully recover because dear lord get this man some help. People suffer from a wide variety of issues that the community they live in is not prepared to deal with with properly and they suffer as a result.
"You're not turning into some kind of feminist are you Peggy?"
The show manages to broach some pretty serious topics such as rape, depression, abuse, suicide, homophobia, disability, and more while still remaining respectful yet funny. It does this in several ways, the first of which is by making the protagonist Hank Hill. Hank is as straight as an arrow, a man who will pull a cop over to tell him that he's got a taillight out and wouldn't even dream of doing a dishonest thing in his life. Hank Hill is the kind of conservative you miss these days. While he's ever increasingly trapped in a world he doesn't understand, he remains honorable and polite to everyone around him, always trying to do the right thing.
This keeps the show progressive while also being fair because its about how Hank deals with these issues. Hank, Bill and Boomhauer find out they're at a gay rodeo and Hank's friends start laughing and making jokes. Hank jumps on them and tells them first that the Gay Rodeo is a legitimate sporting event that he's seen on ESPN 3, and when they start making fun of gay people themselves, he silences them and tells them they're being jackasses. Hack isn't particularly comfortable with homosexuality because of his upbringing but he believes in a basic level of being a person. He's the kind of conservative a liberal will lament not seeing more of these days. He and other characters are presented well and their characterization makes them and the situations come off as real.
"My hairdresser says I would be a lipstick lesbian, which is apparently the best kind there is."
The show's willingness to actually directly or indirectly deal with subjects is a breath of fresh air. Hank accidentally gets marked as a woman by the state and has to prove to a doctor that he's a man, but the doctor will only confirm it after chromosome tests because of the existence of trans people "makes things not as simple as they used to be." A frustrating part of a Trans persons life is directly addressed in the show and while Hank comes off as ignorant about FTM people, he's portrayed pretty clearly as being ignorant. This isn't a subject that comes up at all in shows that much and self declared progressive shows actually have a pretty terrible track record, because they assume that because they think they're progressive, whatever they think is right when dealing with people that aren't them.
"You think you can touch anyone when you want, where you want? You think it's okay because no one says it's not?"
Indeed, the show managed to sneak in an episode about rape culture and sexual harassment early in its run, when Hank is sexually assaulted by a bottlenose dolphin. By using a more outrageous setup, you get in under peoples radar while handling the subject. People will stop listening or reject messages if the wells has been tainted but this episode directly satirizes how rape victims are treated. Hank is told he led the dolphin on, that he got it excited, that the dolphin only did it out of love. He tries to take the attitude of "I can just ignore this" but only gets closure by talking to people about it, where he finds out that Bill was also sexually assaulted by a dolphin on two occasions, and he also felt that not telling anyone would make it better but he's been suffering the entire time. I didn't get it when I was 14 in the same way I didn't notice the problems with Revenge of the Nerds and Pretty in Pink, but watching it as a 30 year old woman, its pretty undeniable what the episode is about.
Now if your eyes glazed over when I talked about rape culture, don't click that x just yet, because I bring a peace offering:
"Leanne's first husband is working on an offshore oil rig in the gulf, and he swears he's not coming ashore until I fax him her death certificate. Now what makes you think you can do any better?"
"Because she loves me. "
"Then why did she hit you? "
"It's a new love game she made up. It's not my favorite, but she seems to like it."
Boom, year of our lord 1999. Leanne Platter is physically and emotionally abusive to her partners. This is presented as a real and serious issue. People are terrified of her and they're worried about Bill when she starts quite clearly abusing him. Bill isn't mocked for being attacked by a woman, people are concerned for him but can't talk him out of the relationship. Hank drills Bobby on a hand signal that means "Run to a neighbors house and don't come out" in case Leanne becomes violent. The show is able to generate humor even in the unfunniest of circumstances without punching down on them. Compare this to Family Guy where Peter is outright raped by his wife and we're supposed to laugh because "last night I was the woman." That's not funny, that's horrifying and its not healthy for anyone.
"Why do you have to hate what you don't understand?"
"I don't hate you Bobby"
One of the core relationships in the show is the relationship between Hank and Bobby. To Hank, "That boy ain't right". Bobby is not even remotely gender conforming; dreaming of having highly specific gendered occupations such as "Golf Course Dream Girl", "Rockette" and "Hostess", and is intrigued when he learns that guys can shave their legs too. He's not athletic, he's easy going and free with his emotions, and he's just plain not Hank. Hank has difficulty with handling emotions and a son that doesn't conform at the best of times. Hank and Bobby struggle with each other a lot, and they both make plenty of mistakes in their dealings with each other, but Hank loves his son deeply. He never in my opinion, does he go too far and when approaches that line, the show deals with it. They end the series with Hank and Bobby bonding over a shared interest, with them saying they've only just begun.
I could go on talking about all the characters and their story beats for the longest time, but I'll leave it simply: King of the Hill is a show about characters that are absolutely human. The characters you're supposed to care about have plenty of failings but they also have strengths. Peggy may be Dunning-Kruger, but she's assertive and confident for example, and she won't allow herself to be mistreated by anyone. The show has its problems; it arguably went on for too long, it had consistency issues with some character beats, some people suffered from flanderization, Lucky, etc. However, at the end of the day I'll say this: Bojack Horseman is a great show about Depression, and while its certainly a great show that handles Depression really well, I'd actually say its partially treading over ground that King of the Hill explored in the late 90s. King of the Hill was vastly ahead of its time and I think that as a result it probably doesn't get enough credit.
And I think at the end of the day, Hank Hill realizes that boy's alright.
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CompassJimbo
Where’s Your North?
- Location
- The former Rubber Capital of the World
I swear, it must be insight week over here, because I read someone else's insight on how a character was broken in the first place. I liked King of the Hill, and now that I've read this, I can't help but feel a newfound appreciation for it. It approaches progressivism in a way that makes sense and doesn't come off as ham-fisted, something that's rare these days.
Revlid
blob of bugs
- Location
- England
Thank you for this.
I'm definitely going to give this show a proper watch – it never seemed to be on when I was watching.
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
King of the Hill is a show thats aged pretty damn well. Show in generals the bomb diggity, but it has a few stinkers, fer example the episode where peggy goes to mexico and kidnaps a kid by accident, or the canadian ep, but in general, its legit. Like Hank's this dude living in an ever stranger world, and doing his best to adapt to it, and its great because it doesn't strawman either side.
(Unlike the creators other show, the Goode Family.)
(Unlike the creators other show, the Goode Family.)
teslashark
One of the brother site’s janitors
- Location
- Somewhere
For especially bad war movies: There's one called Rules of Engagement. Dunno if you have watched it or even have watched it back when you are a tanker.
On the other hand, for a great war movie, try Beast of War.
The Bird
tEM IS GUD...RITER!
- Location
- In that den of villains and scum, OKLAHOMA
Or Fury. Only movie I liked Shia Lebouf in besides Disturbia.
Athene
Rise for the Shadow Queen
- Location
- Dream of The 90s
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I've owned it for the longest time
I've owned it for the longest time
Amazing movie, isn't it? I caught it one night on Cinemax years ago.
teslashark
One of the brother site’s janitors
- Location
- Somewhere
People say it's a Vietnam War movie under the (Soviet) Afghan premise... I think I can see that point.
Hey Athene, you ever seen Split Second?
Athene
Rise for the Shadow Queen
- Location
- Dream of The 90s
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Yeah, I saw it a while back. Very high concept but I like that kind of thing.
I love just about anything with Rutger Hauer in it.
- Location
- Luton Airport
"BIG! FUCKING! GUNS!!"
Cyrus 21
Kamen Rider/Spirit of Chaos
- Location
- Canterlot
Hey @Athene, have you ever considered watching anything related to Tokusatsu? Like say..."Masked Rider: The First" or something like that? Masked Rider: The First is available on DVD, but it's sequel is only available via a site like Henshin Fever.
Oh, and for a more darker, serious, and bloody Rider series, there's Kamen Rider Amazons.
Oh, and for a more darker, serious, and bloody Rider series, there's Kamen Rider Amazons.
- Location
- Luton Airport
I tend to think of him as the budget Christopher Walken - pay him his money, he'll turn up and add a bit of class to your movie, no matter how schlocky it is.
Chris Walken, Rutger Hauer, and Michael Ironside are always very watchable that way.
Captain Orsai
Davion Heavy Guards Captain
Brian Cox, Jeremy Irons and Frank Langella tend to do that also; hell, we've seen that latter in @Athene's review of Cutthroat Island (which I've seen also, and Langella is by a country mile the best actor in it, as well as clearly having a blast; the man just seems to love getting to really go for broke in a role).
- Location
- Luton Airport
You just have to watch the sheer joy he takes in hamming it up like an industrial bacon farm in Masters of the Universe.
You just have to watch the sheer joy he takes in hamming it up like an industrial bacon farm in Masters of the Universe.
Jeremy Irons arguably tops him in Dungeons and Dragons.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
He was chewing the scenery so much in that movie, I started to worry about his teeth.
Cyrus 21
Kamen Rider/Spirit of Chaos
- Location
- Canterlot
Something I forgot to mention about Kamen Rider Amazons is that in 2017 it will be coming to the American version of Amazon Prine, along with a second season, under the title Amazon Riders. Also, most episodes are around an hour or so in length.
From TV Tropes:
From TV Tropes:
Note that Nozima is Amazon Spelled backwards.
Last edited:
Sufficient Juice
A steady supply of vitamins
- Location
- The carbohydrates
I SAID WASTE THE MOTHERFUCKERS