10 ‘King of the Hill’ Moments That Prove Peggy Hill Is the Best TV Mom
Even among fans of King of the Hill, Peggy Hill gets a lot of hate. Many find the character to be conceited and obnoxious, and Hank often bails her out of trouble — but that’s also exactly what makes her great. Unlike more generic “voice of reason” TV moms you’ll find on plenty of other shows, Peggy has real flaws that make her far more interesting as a character and way funnier than many of her contemporaries.
While she can let her selfishness get the better of her, she’s also a pretty good mom to Bobby and her niece Luanne. Her overconfidence imbues her with a fearlessness and protectiveness for her family that anyone can admire. And, especially in conservative 1990s Texas, her defiance of gender norms in her relationship with Hank taught Luanne to stand up for herself and Bobby to be the unique boy that he is.
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For Mother’s Day, here are 10 moments from King of the Hill that will make you shout, “Ho yeah!” for Peggy Hill…
Being Proud of Her Son
In Season Four’s “Won't You Pimai Neighbor?”, a bunch of Buddhist monks come to believe that Bobby is a reincarnated lama. When Bobby embraces the role, Hank fears his son is losing touch with the family’s Christian beliefs, but Peggy couldn’t be more supportive — sometimes to an extreme. At one point, she’s stopped at a light behind a car with an “honor student” bumper sticker. Seeing this, Peggy quickly pulls up beside the bewildered driver and shouts, “Yeah? Well my child is God to billions of Asians!”
When She Encouraged Bobby to Be a Plus-Sized Model
In Season Two’s “Husky Bobby,” Bobby is referred to a plus-sized children’s clothing store after failing to fit into standard clothes. Bobby quickly falls in love with the clothing there, and his enthusiasm is so apparent that the store owner offers him a job as a plus-sized model. Bobby loves the idea, but of course, Hank objects, fearing Bobby will be picked on. Peggy, however, encourages Bobby to be the spotlight-loving ham that he is and does everything she can to support him. In the end, Bobby comes around to Hank’s way of thinking, but Peggy’s consistent support has undoubtedly helped Bobby with his positive self-image.
Letting Luanne Move In
In addition to being an accepting, encouraging mom to Bobby, Peggy is also a very excellent mother figure for her niece Luanne, the daughter of her ne’er-do-well brother. While Hank was never too keen on the idea of Luanne moving into the Hill house, Peggy always welcomed Luanne with open arms (including in the pilot episode), giving her exactly the structure and support she needed.
That Time She Fought Luanne’s Mom
In Season Two’s “Leanne’s Saga,” Luanne’s alcoholic mother Leanne is released from prison and tries to re-insert herself into Luanne’s life. Things take a downward turn when Leanne shows up to a party drunk and begins hitting on Luanne’s boyfriend Buckley before trying to stab him with a fork after he refuses her advances. Everyone else at the party tries to hide away from the uncomfortable situation, but Peggy boldly stands up for Luanne.
First, she stops Leanne from trying to stab Buckley, then she ends up in an all-out brawl with Leanne on the lawn (a fight Peggy wins thanks to her size 16½ feet). While Leanne and Luanne’s relationship isn’t repaired at the end of the episode, it’s clear to Luanne that her Aunt Peggy will always have her back.
That Time She Pinned Bobby to the Ground
Sometimes it's good to teach your kids a little humility. In “Bobby Goes Nuts,” Bobby begins kicking lots of people in the balls. It starts as a way to defend himself, but then he goes mad with power and begins doing it just to get his way. Bobby even kicks Hank in the balls when he gets frustrated during a boxing lesson. Peggy, however, has no balls for Bobby to kick, which becomes clear to Bobby when, during an argument, he kicks his mom in the groin and finds her impervious to this method of attack. Peggy then gets into a wrestling match with Bobby, pinning him to the ground and teaching him a valuable lesson in both ego and anatomy.
When She Gave Bobby a Trophy
In Season Six’s “Torch Song Hillogy,” Bobby is depressed because he’s never won a trophy. So, Peggy reappropriates one of Hank’s old trophies and gives it to Bobby for being a “sweet, sweet, sweet boy.” It might be a corny participation trophy, but Bobby is clearly touched by the undeniably sweet gesture.
Winning Bobby Free Ice Cream
A big part of being a good parent is just being there and making memories with your kid — something Peggy excels at. A great example is in “Tankin’ It to the Streets,” in which Peggy tries over and over again to win free ice cream for her and Bobby. This is exactly the kind of low-key memory building that really matters.
Comforting a Grieving Luanne
When the Mega Lo Mart explodes in Arlen, Luanne’s boyfriend Buckley dies and she loses her hair in the blaze. Afterwards, Luanne goes through a difficult grieving process; she decides to quit beauty school and refuses to cry for Buckley. Hank has little patience for it, but Peggy understands that everyone grieves differently and stands by Luanne throughout, gently offering her ways to cope. She even brings Luanne some of her beloved puppets, the Manger Babies, who Luanne eventually talks to in the end, which helps her to get to the next stage of her grief.
When Her Parachute Didn’t Open
In the Season Three cliffhanger, Peggy is thought to be dead after her parachute fails to open while skydiving. In the next episode, she is found alive, but is told by her doctor that she’ll likely never walk again. Never one to tolerate being underestimated, Peggy defies the odds and makes a full recovery. Obviously nothing about this is a direct parenting lesson to Bobby or Luanne, but it was a tremendous example of strength and resilience and set an inspiring example for both of them.
Her Birthday Rap for Bobby
Peggy may not be as good at teaching Spanish as she thinks she is, but she has enough command of the English language to compose a killer rap for Bobby’s 13th Birthday — even if the loving gesture embarrasses him in front of his friends.
To paraphrase the jam: She’s Peggy, pull your leggy. Say what? All right. She’s all that. Get funky.
