Square-Footed Monster
Encyclopedia
"Square-Footed Monster" is the third episode in the 13th season of the Fox
animated series King of the Hill
, and the 238th episode overall. It originally aired on October 19, 2008.
's next-door neighbor Dottie Dwyer, Hank
and the guys are recruited by Dottie's nephew to help fix up her house and make it market-ready. Within a day of completing the necessary repairs the house is sold, to the satisfaction of the guys. Their short-lived satisfaction turns to shock, however, when demolition crews move in on the house first thing the following morning, and they discover that Ted Wassonasong, having been informed of the property through flyers posted around the Nine Rivers Country Club by Kahn, is behind the demolition. To their further dismay, Ted reveals his plans to erect a 'dream home' on the lot, in the form of an oversized, excessively fancy residence (and to Kahn's consternation, he has no intent to live there himself, but is instead building to sell.)
The balance of the neighborhood is greatly upset by the building of the new home, as construction crews disrupt the peace with their 6AM activity, dust and fumes, and crude manners. Seeking to end the disruption, Hank and the guys head to Arlen's town hall to appeal to the zoning board, but to no avail. When they resort to starting a petition, the town clerk drops the name of Edgar Hornsby as an expert in legal loopholes. Though Hornsby himself wishes to help, he is unable to find anything of use in halting the construction. The completion of the home does not improve things, either: the building is horribly incongruous in both size and style with the rest of the neighborhood, and the shadows from the massive house block out the sun in adjacent yards, including the Hills'.
One night a severe storm rolls in, and the house's shoddy workmanship and flimsy materials are no match for the strong winds. The building sways back and forth as pieces of it break off and slam into neighboring houses. Eventually it sways far enough to begin crushing part of Bill's house. Realizing what must be done, the residents of Rainey Street use every tool they have at hand, including Lucky's truck, to manually tear the house down before it does any more damage to their own homes. The next morning Ted comes by to inspect the damage, and, finding evidence of damage from tools, takes the neighborhood to court. Thanks to film footage of the initial storm damage from Nancy and expert testimony from Edgar Hornsby, the judge rules that Hank and the others acted justifiably. However, Ted subsequently uses an eminent domain
clause to sell the lot to the city, and coldly informs Hank and the guys that the neighborhood will soon have a new (and equally incongruous) electrical substation
. Using another Hornsby loophole, though, the guys build a façade around the substation to make it look from the street like another normal house once again stands in the lot.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
animated series King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, and the 238th episode overall. It originally aired on October 19, 2008.
Plot
After the violent murder of BillBill Dauterive
Bill Dauterive, born Gillaume Fontaine de la Tour D'Haute Rive is a fictional character on the Fox animated series King of the Hill...
's next-door neighbor Dottie Dwyer, Hank
Hank Hill
Henry Rutherford "Hank" Hill Age 50 animated series King of the Hill. Hank lives in Arlen, Texas and works at the fictional Strickland Propane selling propane and propane accessories. Hank's voice is provided by series creator Mike Judge. The Economist named Hank Hill as one of the wisest people...
and the guys are recruited by Dottie's nephew to help fix up her house and make it market-ready. Within a day of completing the necessary repairs the house is sold, to the satisfaction of the guys. Their short-lived satisfaction turns to shock, however, when demolition crews move in on the house first thing the following morning, and they discover that Ted Wassonasong, having been informed of the property through flyers posted around the Nine Rivers Country Club by Kahn, is behind the demolition. To their further dismay, Ted reveals his plans to erect a 'dream home' on the lot, in the form of an oversized, excessively fancy residence (and to Kahn's consternation, he has no intent to live there himself, but is instead building to sell.)
The balance of the neighborhood is greatly upset by the building of the new home, as construction crews disrupt the peace with their 6AM activity, dust and fumes, and crude manners. Seeking to end the disruption, Hank and the guys head to Arlen's town hall to appeal to the zoning board, but to no avail. When they resort to starting a petition, the town clerk drops the name of Edgar Hornsby as an expert in legal loopholes. Though Hornsby himself wishes to help, he is unable to find anything of use in halting the construction. The completion of the home does not improve things, either: the building is horribly incongruous in both size and style with the rest of the neighborhood, and the shadows from the massive house block out the sun in adjacent yards, including the Hills'.
One night a severe storm rolls in, and the house's shoddy workmanship and flimsy materials are no match for the strong winds. The building sways back and forth as pieces of it break off and slam into neighboring houses. Eventually it sways far enough to begin crushing part of Bill's house. Realizing what must be done, the residents of Rainey Street use every tool they have at hand, including Lucky's truck, to manually tear the house down before it does any more damage to their own homes. The next morning Ted comes by to inspect the damage, and, finding evidence of damage from tools, takes the neighborhood to court. Thanks to film footage of the initial storm damage from Nancy and expert testimony from Edgar Hornsby, the judge rules that Hank and the others acted justifiably. However, Ted subsequently uses an eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
clause to sell the lot to the city, and coldly informs Hank and the guys that the neighborhood will soon have a new (and equally incongruous) electrical substation
Electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions...
. Using another Hornsby loophole, though, the guys build a façade around the substation to make it look from the street like another normal house once again stands in the lot.