(se13ep01) Dia-Bill-ic Shock)

“King of the Hill” kicked off its 13th season with a Bill centric episode.

Bill’s excessive eating leaves him with diabetes. After having two sugar spikes in one week, an arrogant ER doctor prescribes him a wheelchair and tells him to give up because he’ll never eat right and take care of himself.

Depressed beyond belief, the next time Hank and the gang see him, he’s wheeling around in his electric wheel chair. The gang thinks he’s actually lost the use of his legs, and begin to fix his house to accommodate his new handicapped status.

At a park Hank and Bill meet an athletic wheelchair bound man nicknamed “Thunder” who takes Bill under his wing and helps him enjoy life more than he has in a while. Bill begins to eat right, get exercise, and eventually gets his diabetes under control. After having a few too many drinks one night while out with his new handicapable friends, Bill stands up to go to the bathroom – which, of course, really makes them angry.

Hank, Boomhaur, and Dale find out as well, and Bill goes back into the depressive state he generally lives in. This time is particularly pathetic, however, when he tries to eat pure sugar until he can give himself diabetes again.

In an effort to help Bill Hank gets Thunder, and the two of them tell Bill that he’s been inspiring because he’s beaten diabetes. Thunder suggests that Bill kick his doctor’s ass.

One trip to the hospital later that’s exactly what Bill does.

King of the Hill is a show that unabashedly love. It is one of my favorite shows on television, and my DVR currently has 45 episodes recorded on it.

So, as you can imagine, I am probably a bit more forgiving of this show than some people might be. Having said that, this is far from the best episode of the series (if you want to see those watch “Bobby’s Nuts” or “Cotton’s Plot”).

Even still, it’s a good episode of the show, and it’s nice to see Bill getting a little ass kicking in for once. I’m looking forward to what this season has in store for us.