King of the Hillshowrunner Saladin K. Patterson responds to a popular fan theory about Dale Gribble.King of the Hillseason 14reintroduces audiences to the world of Arlen, TX, years after the original run ended. The revival features a time jump with aged-up versions of the characters. In that time, Dale had temporarily become mayor of Arlen, but an old storyline also emerged.
ThroughoutKing of the Hill, Dale’s wife, Nancy, was having an affair with John Redcorn. Almost every character, except Dale, Peggy, and Joseph, are all aware of Nancy’s indiscretions. Hank eventually tells Peggy the truth, much to her dismay. Nancy eventually breaks things off with John Redcorn, but starts the affair again before season 14.
In an interview withPopverse, Patterson responds to a fan theory that Dale is unaware of the affair as a result of being a conspiracy theorist. Even when presented with evidence, Dale’s mind goes to “other crazy things.” Patterson says the theory was discussed, but it is not necessarily true. While the series ended with Nancy and John Redcorn not being involved, it was revisited as the storyline is still remembered by many viewers.
We had talked about some of those theories. I’m not saying it’s the theory we adopted, but one of the more interesting theories is that Dale is such a conspiracy theorist that in his own mind when he sees the evidence of the affair, his conspiracy theory mind makes him attribute the evidence to other crazy things. That seems true to the character. We certainly operated under the more realistic premise that for Dale it’s a blind spot he has. And it makes the character a little more endearing to the audience because you feel for him. But you feel for him in a good way because you’re rooting for Dale.
Some things that we revisited, it was more in the mindset of looking at the series as a whole, versus where it ended. The Nancy and John Redcorn relationship was a part of that. Obviously when anyone thinks of the series as a whole, they think of Nancy and John Redcorn having the affair that Dale is unaware of. It did end in a way where they had gone their separate ways, but that’s one where we felt the fans who were going to see the revival, let’s give them what they remember as a whole from the past. And so, let’s kind of take Nancy and John Redcorn back to kind of where they were for most of the last series.
What This Means For King Of The Hill
The triangle between Dale, Nancy, and John is an interesting one throughout the series. Dale comes close to catching them in the act multiple times, including finding John Redcorn sneaking into Nancy’s room at night through a window and demanding that John help his wife with her “migraines,” which he was supposedly assisting with.
The entire affair has levels to it, as John and Dale develop something of a friendship. Nancy first breaks things off with John after she tries to rekindle the spark in her marriage. In the years leading up to that, it was established that Nancy only had sex with Dale on his birthday and at Christmas.
It is unknown where the story will go, as John Redcorn actor Jonathan Joss was shot and killed prior to the premiere of season 14.King of the Hillrecast Dale, who was originally voiced by Johnny Hardwick and replaced by Toby Huss after Hardwick passed.
However, Luanne and Lucky, voiced by Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty, were not recast after their deaths. So the future of John’s story remains in question. There has been no official announcement as to what the status of John Redcorn will be in future installments.
Our Take On The Fan Theory
Dale has consistently been portrayed as a conspiracy theorist, so the fan theory makes sense. Despite the information being right in front of him, Dale never catches on to the affair. Aside from Dale being somewhat detached from reality, it also reflects that he loves and trusts his wife.
AsKing of the Hillfully ignored Luanne and Luckyin the revival, it remains to be seen what will happen with John Redcorn. The real-life tragedy will loom over the series, so hopefullyKing of the Hillwill address both the character and the affair in the future.
King of the Hill
Cast
King of the Hill is an animated series centered around Hank Hill, a propane salesman in Texas. The show explores Hank’s life with his confident wife Peggy, son Bobby, and niece Luanne, as they navigate challenges to Hank’s conservative values involving family and his beer-drinking neighbors.
