A Rover Runs Through It

"A Rover Runs Through It" is the 172nd episode of the FOX animated television series King of the Hill.

Plot

Peggy's mother invites the Hill family up to Montana, which they agree to partly in an effort to pull Bobby away from his addiction to video games, where they find that the Platters are on the brink of losing their ranch thanks in part to Henry Winkler and other celebrities helping drive up property taxes. As Peggy tries unsuccessfully to earn her mother's respect, Hank tries to help Bobby appreciate farm life, which does not seem to reflect on him until he finds a horse named Tennessee and begins to ride it around. Hank later tries to approach Mr. Winkler about the farm but his complaints fall on deaf ears. While trying to find a solution to their dilemma one night, Peggy finds an old law that allows the ranch to use the main road as a cattle drive path if all other paths are unavailable. The next day, the Hills use this to their advantage, herding the cattle through town with the help of Peggy's brothers in protest, terrifying civilians. A police officer claims to Peggy that the cattle drive law has no meaning anymore because it was made a hundred years ago, but his attempts to stop the protest are unsuccessful as Winkler soon agrees to allow their cattle into his land. Peggy expects her mother to thank her, but she still continues to criticize her, causing Peggy to decide the trip to Montana solved nothing. As she is ready to leave Hank points off in the distance to show Bobby and Tennessee at the top of a hill watching the sunset, proving that they accomplished something after all. As the credits roll, Hank narrates a public service announcement with Winkler while fishing.

Cultural references

• This episode's title is a play on the Norman Maclean novella A River Runs Through It, and the fact that Hank winds up getting a Range Rover from a rental car agency when he wanted a pickup truck.

Continuity

This episode retcons many previous episodes of the series in which Peggy's mother has appeared, notably "I Remember Mono", in which her present-day appearance is completely different, and she lives in, around, or near Arlen (although the episode "Happy Hank's Giving" implies that she still lives in Montana or moved back, despite her still keeping her original appearance then), and is on speaking terms with her daughter (Peggy also keeps her mother on speed-dial in the episode "Pregnant Paws", despite her saying in this episode that she hasn't spoken with her in years). However, Peggy's father, Doc Platter, is seen for the very first time in the series.