[8.0/10] I like all three stories here, particularly at their inflection point. The main story is one of John Redcorn feeling alienated from his son Joseph and, particularly in light of the Thanksgiving season, frustrated at how Joseph won’t know about his heritage and his people’s proud traditions. There’s a nice parallel between how John Redcorn feels about what “the white man” has done to his people with what a white man (read: Dale) has done to his son. It makes the seasonally-heightened grievance more personal.
You feel bad for John Redcorn and you don’t. Given the extramarital affair that resulted in Joseph, he obviously carries some blame for how this has worked out. But at the same time, you can’t help but sympathize with a man who feels like he’s a stranger to his flesh and blood, with the added oomph of it being symbolic of the larger abuses indigenous peoples have suffered over the course of United States history.
The resolution here is nice, with Nancy not being quite willing to come clean with Joseph about who his real father is, but taking pains to make sure Joseph understands who John Redcorn is and that his traditions and pain have meaning and value. The workaround of John Redcorn accepting his land settlement from the government and leaving it to Dale that it will eventually go to Joseph is, itself, a nice symbolic resolution to the issue.
But I have to admit, my favorite element of the episode is the B-story, where Bobby gets accidentally radicalized over the treatment of the native tribes only to prove that a little bit of knowledge aimed in the wrong direction can be a dangerous thing. It’s funny how quickly Bobby goes from being oblivious to outraged, mostly at his dad. Their bond and friction over the honor of carving one of the Thanksgiving turkeys is delightful and funny. And Bobby’s offensive mistake in trying to honor John Redcorn’s people by preparing a “traditional” cannibal feast is a great illustration of well-intentioned yet ignorant activism gone terribly wrong.
Last but not least, Peggy’s titular “spin the choice” game has little to do with the rest of the story, but is a laugh every time. Her attempt to boil down what people love most about games into their basic elements is a hoot, and her commitment to it is inspiring in its absurdity.
Overall, this is an episode with tons of laughs that touches on something real in terms of both the treatment of indigneous people and a father’s sense of alienation from his son, with the usual loopiness and humor of King of the Hill mixed in nicely. A great one to watch on Turkey Day!
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-11-24T03:01:28Z
[8.0/10] I like all three stories here, particularly at their inflection point. The main story is one of John Redcorn feeling alienated from his son Joseph and, particularly in light of the Thanksgiving season, frustrated at how Joseph won’t know about his heritage and his people’s proud traditions. There’s a nice parallel between how John Redcorn feels about what “the white man” has done to his people with what a white man (read: Dale) has done to his son. It makes the seasonally-heightened grievance more personal.
You feel bad for John Redcorn and you don’t. Given the extramarital affair that resulted in Joseph, he obviously carries some blame for how this has worked out. But at the same time, you can’t help but sympathize with a man who feels like he’s a stranger to his flesh and blood, with the added oomph of it being symbolic of the larger abuses indigenous peoples have suffered over the course of United States history.
The resolution here is nice, with Nancy not being quite willing to come clean with Joseph about who his real father is, but taking pains to make sure Joseph understands who John Redcorn is and that his traditions and pain have meaning and value. The workaround of John Redcorn accepting his land settlement from the government and leaving it to Dale that it will eventually go to Joseph is, itself, a nice symbolic resolution to the issue.
But I have to admit, my favorite element of the episode is the B-story, where Bobby gets accidentally radicalized over the treatment of the native tribes only to prove that a little bit of knowledge aimed in the wrong direction can be a dangerous thing. It’s funny how quickly Bobby goes from being oblivious to outraged, mostly at his dad. Their bond and friction over the honor of carving one of the Thanksgiving turkeys is delightful and funny. And Bobby’s offensive mistake in trying to honor John Redcorn’s people by preparing a “traditional” cannibal feast is a great illustration of well-intentioned yet ignorant activism gone terribly wrong.
Last but not least, Peggy’s titular “spin the choice” game has little to do with the rest of the story, but is a laugh every time. Her attempt to boil down what people love most about games into their basic elements is a hoot, and her commitment to it is inspiring in its absurdity.
Overall, this is an episode with tons of laughs that touches on something real in terms of both the treatment of indigneous people and a father’s sense of alienation from his son, with the usual loopiness and humor of King of the Hill mixed in nicely. A great one to watch on Turkey Day!