"And They Call It Bobby Love" is the second episode in the third season of the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

animated series '' King of the Hill'' and the 37th episode overall, which aired on Fox on September 22, 1998. The episode's plot follows protagonist Hank Hill's son Bobby's relationship with Marie, a girl whose vegetarian lifestyle clashes strongly with the Hill family's traditionally omnivorous diet, notably with Hank's infatuation with grilling meat. A subplot involves Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer acquiring an abandoned couch and subsequently adding it to their beer-drinking area of the neighborhood alley. The episode's title references a lyric from the chorus of the Paul Anka song "

Puppy Love Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. It is an infatuation usually developed by someone's looks and attractiveness at first sight. Such feelings f ...

". It is the only episode of the series to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour).

Plot

Bobby begins a relationship with Marie, a vegetarian, and Hank and the guys find an abandoned couch in their alleyway. Over the course of his relationship with his newfound girlfriend, Bobby experiences his first kiss, but their relationship quickly sours as Bobby's affection for Marie is revealed to be much greater than her affection for him. As a result, Bobby and Marie decide to end their relationship, and Bobby's reaction to it is strongly negative. To cheer up their son, Hank and Peggy take Bobby to the Panhandler Steakhouse where he sees Marie also having dinner with her parents. He takes on the restaurant's standing challenge to eat a 72-ounce steak in under an hour, simultaneously spiting Marie and finding catharsis by eating the entire steak in just 37 minutes as everyone in the restaurant watches. He later vomits from overeating, which Connie initially feared might be his still reacting to the break-up. Meanwhile, Hank, Dale, Bill, and Boomhauer discover an abandoned couch in the alley, which they are initially against using as a backdrop for their daily ritual of drinking beer and chatting. As the days progress, they grow to like drinking in their usual spot while sitting on the couch. The couch is also where Bobby and Marie kissed, somewhat to Bill's annoyance. The couch disappears near the end of the episode, but it is ultimately revealed that Bill has moved the couch into his living room.

Reception

The episode was nominated for the category of Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour) at the

51st Primetime Emmy Awards The 51st Primetime Emmy Awards were held on Sunday, September 12, 1999. The ceremony show was hosted by Jenna Elfman and David Hyde Pierce. It was broadcast on Fox. The comedy-drama '' Ally McBeal'' won Outstanding Comedy Series, which not onl ...

show on September 12, 1999. '' The A.V. Club'' had it on a list of "10 episodes that made ''King of the Hill'' one of the most human cartoons ever" with Genevieve Koski saying the steak eating scene "remains one of the best scenes in the show’s history."

References

{{EmmyAward AnimationLessThanHour 1979-2000 1998 American television episodes King of the Hill episodes Television episodes about vegetarianism Emmy Award-winning episodes