| "Spin the Choice" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| King of the Hill episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 4 |
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| Directed by | Allan Jacobsen | ||
| Written by | Paul Lieberstein | ||
| Production code | 5ABE05 | ||
| Original air date | Sunday 19 November 2000 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of King of the Hill episodes | |||
"Spin the Choice" is the eighty-eighth episode in the Fox TV animated comedy King of the Hill. Although it was the 5th episode produced for the 5th season, it was broadcast as the 4th episode.
With Thanksgiving approaching, Hank grooms Bobby for the honor of carving the turkey. Meanwhile, Dale and John Redcorn continue preparing their legal case for Redcorn's attempt to reclaim his people's land. John Redcorn tries to connect to Joseph, only to be met with disinterest, a wound which deepens in the face of Joseph and Dale's established father-and-son dynamic. Redcorn expresses his paternal frustrations to Nancy, only to have her remind him that Joseph is to be considered Dale's son, and, to his further aggravation, she warns him away from his usual attendance at the family's Thanksgiving in the wake of their recent breakup. Later, John Redcorn speaks to Bobby and Joseph's class about Native Americans and Thanksgiving, hoping to reach out to Joseph at last. Joseph's indifference persists, but Redcorn's speech about how the land was stolen from the native tribes by white settlers strikes a chord with Bobby, leaving him feeling confused and guilty. Bobby in turn begins to rail against Thanksgiving, and plans a Native American feast to protest in place of his family's traditional observations.
The day of the neighborhood Thanksgiving feast, John Redcorn shows up at Bobby's request, much to Nancy's discomfort. As she confronts him for his continued attempts to usurp Dale's fatherhood, Dale himself happily interrupts with the news that Redcorn's lawsuit has been successful... but that the settlement has yielded only 12 acres of land in unincorporated Arlen, an insulting pittance compared to what he had been seeking on his people's behalf. When John Redcorn bitterly charges a toast to 'the white man' for stealing his people's land and sons, Hank tries to distract everyone by inviting Bobby to go ahead with his presentation about Native culture, only to have Bobby shock the neighborhood with claims that the Native Americans of the region were cannibals, proudly presenting John Redcorn with a fake human head made out of stuffing and vegetables. When Joseph in particular reacts with disgust, calling him a 'cannibal freak', John Redcorn flees.
Dale goes to John Redcorn's house to apologize for Joseph's behavior, but his use of the words "my son" inflame Redcorn's emotions anew. He attempts to reveal the truth about Joseph's parentage but finds himself unable and lashes out in frustration, causing Dale to retreat in fear to the bathroom, where he places a call to Hank pleading for rescue before he gets eaten. Meanwhile, Nancy scolds Joseph for his misplaced disgust at John Redcorn, and he and Bobby accompany Hank to Redcorn's house. On the way, Hank and Bobby reconcile and agree that cannibalism and stealing land are both wrong, and Bobby looks forward to carving the turkey after all. Upon their arrival, John Redcorn again prepares to reveal the truth, but before he can, Joseph apologizes and explains that Nancy taught him to have sympathy for the plight of Native Americans, and that since all people are 'children of the Earth', he and Redcorn are related (albeit 'in a weird way'). Moved by Joseph's new maturity and sensitivity, John Redcorn decides again to keep the truth a secret and instead tells Dale that he will accept the 12 acres after all, and that he shall will the property to Dale for his assistance in the settlement so that Joseph might someday live on the land of Redcorn's ancestors.
Meanwhile, after finding out that her annual Boggle tournaments are not as eagerly anticipated as she had believed, Peggy invents a new game she calls 'Spin the Choice', based on her notion that spinning and choosing are what people like about games.