Smoking and the Bandit

Infobox Television episode
Title = Smoking and the Bandit
Series = King of the Hill


Caption =
Season = 9
Episode = 12
Airdate = May 1, 2005
Production = 9ABE08
Writer = Dan McGrath
Director = Cyndi Tang-Loveland
Guests =
Episode list = List of King of the Hill episodes
Prev = Redcorn Gambles with His Future
Next = Gone with the Windstorm

"Smoking and the Bandit" is the 183rd episode of the FOX animated television series "King of the Hill". Johnny Hardwick was nominated for an Annie Award for voice acting for this episode. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0362548/awards IMDB] ] The episode's title is a reference to the movie Smokey and the Bandit.

Plot

Hank and Dale, along with Bobby and Joseph, visit a restaurant, where the kids misbehave. Bobby responds to his father's scolding, but Joseph only listens to Hank. When they enter, Dale lights a cigarette, only to be told by the waitress that smoking in public areas has been outlawed. At the Arlen Bystander, Peggy is upset that she is again passed over for a front page story, and relegated to covering "the Waffle House Beat". Joseph ignores Dale again at home while listening to Nancy, prompting Dale to ask Hank for help gaining Joseph's respect, to which Hank replies "be a man". Peggy decides to skip her beat, since nothing ever happens at Waffle House.

Later, Dale returns alone to Waffle House (shown as "Waffle Cafe" on the sign), where they try to make him put out his cigarette, but he continues anyway and gives an angry, impassioned speech in protest. Peggy's rival at the Bystander gets word of this and publishes an article (much to Peggy's dismay) nicknaming him the "Smoking Bandit". Afraid of prosecution, Dale tries to hide his identity by giving up smoking, but as he throws his cigarettes and related merchandise out, he overhears Joseph talking about how he looks up to the Bandit. Dale then continues his protests as the Bandit, and articles continue to be published, which Joseph cuts out to paste on his wall. Dale tries to prove that he is the Bandit so Joseph will look up to him, but in person he doesn't act as "cool" as the papers said. Dale even tries sending in a videotape to the news, but his identity is hidden (he is in silhouette and has a high-pitched, incomprehensible voice) and he still fails to gain respect.

Bobby and Joseph try to copy the Bandit by breaking rules at school and at home, ending up suspended, and this sends Hank to hunt for the Bandit. Dale is reluctant to go, as he really is the Bandit, but he comes along anyway. Soon, during the hunt, he begins to act "cool" to Bobby and Joseph and he gets his son's respect. Meanwhile, Peggy has tailed the four and stops at a nightclub they tried to enter. She walks over to the bouncer and drops various names to try to enter since she is not "on the list", acting as a sort of "Nightclub Bandit".

Eventually, Dale tries to get out of the hunt, but Hank refuses to let him. Dale finds a deserted bar and goes there to try to "catch" the Bandit, and the other three follow. Dale claims to have caught the Bandit, and Hank finally realizes that Dale is the Bandit. He decides to "let him escape", with the promise that he will not try anything like this again.

Quotes

*Dale: "I wish I had the Smoking Bandit's courage... he's the Rosa Parks of nicotine!":Bill: "He's a hero, just like the guy who rides his bicycle faster than French people."

*Bobby: "I can't believe I thought the Bandit was cool. You know who's cool? That rapper with the bullet in his nose... Bulletnose!":Joseph: "Yeah, one wrong sneeze and the whole joint goes up!"

Web sources