This capsule is also available on the WWW through the URL http://www.cyberverse.com/~piero/olombard/4E06.html (for now)
Westie Side Story Writers: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Director: Brian Sheesley
===============================================================================Production Code: 4E06 U.S. Airdate: 3/2/97 Capsule Revision: A - 3/11/97
===============================================================================
- TV Guide Synopsis
The Hills' new Laotian neighbors cause Peggy and Hank confusion and consternation after a culture clash leads to suspicion over a missing dog. Voices: Mike Judge, Toby Hess.
[editors' note: Toby Huss' name is mispelled in the TV Guide credits]
- Did You Notice...
Jason Hancock:
... "Kahn" is an anagram of "Hank?"
... Bobby and Kahn Jr. leaving the Hills' house after dinner without their
parents noticing?
... Hank and Bill both wearing analog watches?
... Doggie licking Ladybird's face toward the end?Ondre Lombard:
... the Hills continue to wear no shoes despite the Souphanousinphones
leaving their shoes on?
... Kahn accuses Ladybird of seducing Doggie, even thought Ladybird was
asleep before Doggie got frisky?
... when the Hills invite the Souphanousinphones to dinner, Kahn refuses to
go, and is coerced by Min, and when the Souphanousinphones invite the
Hills to their barbecue, Hank refuses and is coerced by Peggy?- Movie, TV and Other References
+ "West Side Story"
- The episode title is a takeoff of the musical
+ Domino's Pizza {jh}
- Luanne's comment about the pizza being free in 30 minutes probably refers
to their old slogan- Previous Episode Similarities
[4E03] Peggy's shoe size is explored
- Animation and Continuity Goofs
If Dale's sunglasses are indeed clip-ons, why is he seen wearing his sunglasses inside (4E01) and at night (4E04)? {jh}
The Souphanousinphones' driveway widens after the moving truck pulls in. {jh}
In a couple of scenes, the Mack truck logo on Dale's cap disappears. {jh}
- Comments and Other Observations
So, are you Chinese or Japanese?
Jason Hancock notes, "Kahn's geographic description of Laos is a relatively accurate one -- it is a landlocked country in southeast Asia bordered by Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, Thailand to the west, and China and Myanmar (Burma) on the north. The 1997 World Almanac estimates that it has close to 5 million people now. It is a Communist country, which is probably the reason why the Souphanousinphones defected."
- Quotes and Scene Summary
% Hank and the guys are having a typical leisurely day, sitting in their riding % mowers when Dale notices a moving truck pulling in. "I guess we're finally % getting some new neighbors," observes Bill. An agile teenager and a man move % boxes out of the truck.
Hank: I tell ya, if that boy handles a football half as good as he handles
a cardboard box, Arlen High's got herself a new tied-in.
Bill: Eh, you think the Dad's a good bowler? He looks like a good bowler.
[the man's pants start slipping down, revealing his rear cleavage]
[he pulls them back up and buckles his belt]
Maybe he needs someone to bowl with.
-- At least he doesn't sit around all day drinking beer,
"Westie Side Story"% Dale points out that the man lifts with his legs. Hank goes to greet his new % neighbors, and soon finds out that the man and the teenager are just helping % the real new neighbors move in. Out of a Caravan comes a small white dog, % and a darker-skinned foreign family. Everyone stares in shock. Dale's jaw % falls open.
Hank: Well, I'll be damned.
Bill: They look Japanese.
Dale: Nope. I think they're Chinese.
Bill: How can you tell?
Dale: Japanese guys usually have glasses and a suit and a tie, and stuff
like that.
-- Dale and his endless river of stereotypical wisdom, "Westie Side Story"% Hank decides to welcome the neighbors, but Dale questions whether they even % speak english.
Yeah, man, 'dem Chinese, man, you can't understand a dang-ol' word they
say, man, just try, [gibberish] whole upside-down and whatnot.
-- Boomhauer, calling the kettle black, "Westie Side Story"% Hank introduces himself to the Asian father, and he introduces himself as % Kahn Souphanousinphone. "That's pronounced -- Kahn, right?" asks Hank. He % shakes Kahn's hand--a little too tightly, and Kahn lashes, "What the hell are % you trying to do?!"
% Hank and the guys chat with Kahn.
Hank: So, are you Chinese or Japanese?
Kahn: I live in California last twenty years, but, uh, first couple, Laos.
Hank: Huh?
Kahn: Laos. We Laotian.
Bill: The ocean? What ocean?
Kahn: We are Laotian. From Laos, stupid! It's a landlocked country in
Southeast Asian. It's between Vietnam and Thailand, okay??
Population: four point seven million.
[pause]
Hank: So... are you Chinese or Japanese?
-- Showing off their academic failings, "Westie Side Story"% Peggy, Bobby and Luanne watch the Souphanousinphones move in.
This is so very exciting. It's like we get to travel to the Orient without
having to worry about diarrhea or being jailed for our pro-democracy
beliefs.
-- Peggy, watching the Souphanousinphones move in, "Westie Side Story" You know, at beauty academy, they teach us that people aren't black, or
white, or yellow, or red -- But their hair can be.
-- Luanne, "Westie Side Story"% Peggy decides to reach out to the Souphanousinphones and invite them to % dinner. Peggy says, "These people are by nature shy and reserve. I read % somewhere that the Chinese language has seventy words for `rice', but no word % for `Friend'."
% "Howdy, you all. Howdy, howdy, howdy? Wuh! Can you believe this crap? You % want to live in this country, learn to speak English," laments Kahn to his % wife, reading the Hills' invitation to dinner. Kahn won't go.
Kahn, please, for once, try not to piss of neighbor. We kick out of Laos.
We kick out of Anaheim. I'm tired of running.
-- Min urges Kahn to go to dinner with the Hills, "Westie Side Story"% The Souphanousinphones have arrived for dinner with the Hills.
Hank: Hello, Kahn.
[extends his hand to Kahn. Kahn hesitates to shake it]
[Hank shakes Kahn's hand, again, too tightly]
Kahn: Hank. Ooh, damn! Damn!! Oh, uh, you have damn fine house!
Hank: Lead-free since 1988.
-- "Westie Side Story"% Kahn introduces his wife, Min, and daughter Kahn, Jr. Peggy introduces % herself and overwelcomes the Souphanousinphones to the country. She invites % them to come in and take off their shoes, mistaking cultures. Kahn says, % "Why? You just shampoo carpet?"
% Kahn, Jr. really puts away the beef chop suey Peggy prepared. Peggy takes % pity on her after she says she's never had chop suey before.
% More of Peggy's little fun facts: in certain parts of China, meat is as % scarcse as toilet paper. Kahn inquires Peggy's source, and she can't % remember, considering all the work she has as a substitute teacher. Kahn % thinks as a teacher, Peggy could tell him why Arlen test scores are so low. % Min says, "I know why. It's because Kahn, Jr. not there to bring up % average." Hank tries to boast Bobby's "near-perfect" attendance.
% Time for dessert: Peggy's famous Apple Brown Betty, a closely guarded secret % recipe passed down from Peg's mother's mother, to her mother to her. "And % someday, I will give it to my Bobby." Bobby slaps his hands on his face and % groans.
% "At least the Brown Betty was good," comments Kahn, getting ready to leave. % Min begs Peggy for the recipe. All she can give her is leftovers. When she % tells Min to reheat for ten minutes, she stops herself, musing, "I've already % said way too much."
% Min finds Peggy's large shoes and points out their size. Embarrassed, Peggy % pulls her toes in. Min steps into Peggy's shoes and starts walking around, % mockingly. "Hey! Look at me! I'm like little girl in Mama's shoes!" jokes % Min. Peggy slams the door behind Min and Kahn and starts clenching her fists % angrily.
Peggy: You do not come into a woman's home -- and insult her feet. You
just don't!
Hank: Aw, come on, Peg. Remember when you first moved here from Montana?
Heh. You called "Pop" "Sodie Pop." And you thought ninety in the
shade was hot. Our new neighbors are just like you. All they need
is a little bit of time and Hank Hill to watch out for 'em.
Peggy: Well, do you think my feet are too big?
Hank: Naw. There's just more of you to love.
[her feet are so big that when Hank tries to move close to her, he
steps on her foot]
Peggy: Ow.
Hank: Sorry.
-- "Westie Side Story"% In the Souphanousinphone backyard are Bobby, Ladybird and Kahn, Jr., who is % playing with her dog. The dog runs over the dividing bush and into the % Hills' backyard. Hank comes out. He goes to take the ball from the dog and % he starts growling at Hank.
Hank: Be careful, Bobby. That's one of them Chinese fighting dogs.
Kahn, Jr.: Uh, it's a West Highland Terrier.
Hank: Yeah, that's it.
-- Doberman, chihuahua, same difference, "Westie Side Story" Hank: So, what's his name?
Kahn, Jr.: Doggie.
Hank: Yes, Kahn, Jr. He's a doggie. Now, can you tell me his name?
Kahn, Jr.: He's called Doggie.
Hank: [pointing to an asleep Ladybird] And that's called a doggie too,
but her name is Ladybird.
-- Now, who's on first? "Westie Side Story"% Ladybird is a Georgia bloodhound. Her mother tracked down James Earl Ray, at % least according to Hank. The kids frolic with the dog and Hank goes to chat % with Kahn, who's watering his lawn.
Ah, aren't kids great? They're too young to know about fear or prejudice.
They won't have to learn that till High School.
-- "Westie Side Story"% Hank's preaching is interrupted by Kahn, who asks Hank to move because he's % standing on his hose.
% Meanwhile, Ladybird and Doggie get friendly. Bobby shows Hank how they're % getting along. Hank offers Kahn to have Doggie breed with Ladybird so he can % have an American dog. Then, Hank flips when he sees Ladybird and Doggie % mating. He grabs Kahn's hose and turns it on the dogs.
Kahn: Ha ha ha! Your Ladybird; she real slut!
Hank: My Ladybird is not a slut! She is in heat! Her hormones have
overwhelmed her natural modesty.
-- Interrupting Ladybird and Doggie's ``relations,'' "Westie Side Story"% Doggie still wants Ladybird, and Hank tells Kahn to tie up his dog. He % refuses and says, "You tie your dog! She seduced my Doggie!" Kahn calls % Hank a narrow-minded redneck. Hank feels prejudiced against, and Kahn shouts % at him to get off his property. % % [End of Act One. Time: 6:37]
% Hank reluctantly ties up Ladybird, and apologizes to her, saying it's only to % to preserve her virtue and good name. As soon as Hank drives off in his % lawnmower, four male dogs (including Doggie) all run after her.
% Hank and his friends watch Kahn ride around in his mower on his lawn. Bill % thinks maybe Kahn would let Hank borrow his "sexy little import."
I'd cut my entire quarter-acre with the Lady Bic before I borrow that man's
[Kahn's] mower.
-- Hank, "Westie Side Story" Hank: I just don't like him.
Dale: Why? 'Cause he's Chinese?
Hank: No.
Bill: So he's Korean...
Hank: What the hell's the difference? I don't like [the man], it has
nothing to do with where he's from. I'm no redneck. He could be
from Mars for all I care.
Dale: Believe me, Hank. If Kahn were from Mars, you'd care. Especially
after he's stolen every last drop of Earth's drinkable water and back
to his home planet --
[Hank looks at Dale with disbelief]
Mars.
-- Dale's vivid imagination running away with him again,
"Westie Side Story"% Peggy and Luanne go to pick up a pizza. Min runs out in front of Peggy's % car and flags her. Min apologizes for her behavior at dinner. Peggy % forgives her, sympathizing that she was once the new one in town, as well. % Min invites Peggy to the Souphanousinphones' barbecue, and Peggy accepts. % "If you need any help with the barbecue, or if you just wanna know what a % barbecue is, you give me a call," says Peggy, who then drives off.
% Over pizza, Hank and Peggy discuss the barbecue. Hank refuses to go, still % sore over Kahn's comments against Ladybird. Peggy thinks if he doesn't go % people will think he doesn't like Kahn because he's oriental.
Hank: I hate [the man] because he's rude and nasty. Not because of what
his people did to us in WW two.
Peggy: Well, Hank, I know that. But everyone else, they'll say "Hank Hill
is a racist."
Hank: What the hell kind of country is this where I can only hate a man if
he's white?
Peggy: Hank Hill, you will go to that party, you will pretend to like Kahn,
and you will drink until you actually do.
-- "Westie Side Story"% The Hills go to the Souphanousinphones' barbecue. Peggy nudges Hank to be % hospitable to a cooking Kahn.
Hank: Howdy, Kahn.
Kahn: Howdy, howdy, howdy.
Hank: Here you go. I thought you might enjoy seven point five gallons of
pure premium propane.
Kahn: You kidding? Naw, I cook with mesquite. Give me nice taste of
wood.
Hank: And I cook with propane. Gives me nice taste of meat.
Peggy: [chiding] Hank Hill...
Hank: Hey, whatever. Some cultures like mesquite, some prefer propane.
Doesn't mean we can't all get along. Just because I happen to sell
propane and propane accessories...
Kahn: Okay, all right. Go stick tank on the table. Keep napkins from
blowing away.
Min: [chiding] Kahn Souphanousinphone...
Kahn: Aw, okay. You honor me by giving me gas.
-- You say ``mesquite,'' I say ``propane,'' let's call the whole thing
dumb, "Westie Side Story"% Bobby and Kahn, Jr. hang out with Doggie (while Ladybird looks at them from % back in the Hills' backyard).
Kahn, Jr.: Doggie's just like me. He's new in town, and he's only got one
friend.
Bobby: Yeah. But at least you're not tied up.
Kahn, Jr.: If I were, I'd just dislocate my shoulders and slip out of the
night.
Bobby: I'd chew through the leash. I bet it tastes just like a bible
cover.
Kahn, Jr.: Hey ... let's untie 'em. They belong together.
Bobby: And it's fun to watch them play piggy-back.
-- Peggy needs to teach better sexual education, "Westie Side Story"% When Bobby unties Doggie, he runs after Ladybird, but gets distracted by a % passing car and chases it into the street. Kahn, Jr. chases after Doggie, % while Bobby chews on the leash.
% Min and Peggy trade pleasantries at the barbecue, and Min scoffs at how % stupid Hank and Kahn are for not making up like they have. Then, Min offers % Peggy her own Brown Betty. Peggy doesn't believe she made it until Min gives % her a taste. Peggy interrogates Min as to how she got the recipe. Min says % she figured it out herself, and added "flavor" -- nutmeg. Peggy is furious % when Min offers a guest the altered Brown Betty and she prefers Min's Brown % Betty to Peggy's.
% Meanwhile, Hank and his buddies watch Kahn cook the burgers. Hank and Bill % try to coerce Kahn into turning them, thinking they're just about done. Kahn % says not yet. When the burgers start looking overdone, Bill tells Kahn to % turn them now. Kahn tells him to go away and gives Hank a taste of his well- % done burgers. Hank praises the burger as the best burger he's ever had. % Soon, everyone wants Kahn's burgers.
% Bobby and Kahn, Jr. are looking for Doggie.
Bobby: Kahn, Jr.?
Kahn, Jr.: Yeah?
Bobby: Why are you named Kahn, Jr.?
Kahn, Jr.: My father wanted a boy.
Bobby: So did mine.
Kahn, Jr.: My dad is so lame. He makes me practice violin five hours a
day.
Bobby: My dad won't let me watch TV more than five hours a day.
Kahn, Jr.: Well, my dad's making me memorize two thousand words for the
S.A.T.s. He's such an autocrat.
Bobby: What's a S.A.T.?
-- Something you won't be scoring much on, "Westie Side Story" Hank: [eating a burger] I tell you, Peggy, there's nothing these people
can't make better. First the automobile, then the color TV, now the
hamburger. How do they do it?
Peggy: [bitterly] With a dash of nutmeg, Hank. A dash of nutmeg.
-- "Westie Side Story" Oh Peggy Hill, your husband like burger so much, we give you recipe. Now
you can please him.
-- Min Souphanousinphone, taking unwitting shots at Peggy's cooking,
"Westie Side Story"% After the barbecue, Hank, in light of Kahn's great burgers, rekindles his % liking for Kahn. But, Dale didn't eat any of the burgers. Hank asks him % why. Picking up the leash that once tied down Ladybird, Dale says, "Don't % eat dog." % % [End of Act Two. Time: 13:37]
% Dale thinks Kahn served them dog. Hank disagrees, chalking it up to a % Chinese stereotype. Peggy wouldn't be surprised if they did, still bitter % about Min's changes to her Brown Betty.
% To settle it, Hank looks at the recipe, which says "chopped meat." Dale % argues that dog is meat. Bill starts licking his fingers and everyone % stares at him. He justifies, "Oh, I was trying to get that awful taste off % my fingers."
% Pretending to be weed whacking, Hank goes to investigate. Outside the % Souphanousinphones' kitchen window, Hank sees Min on the phone, inquiring % about Doggie's disappearance. Seeing all the sharp kitchen utensils and % processors in the kitchen, Hank assumes Min is ordering a dog to cook. Min % sees Hank and gets off the phone. Min calls in Kahn. When Kahn asks what % Hank is doing there, Hank turns on his weedwhacker so he will be unable to % hear anything they say. In his haste to escape, Hank accidentally whacks off % Min's chrysanthemums and as he departs, Min and Kahn yell at him.
% Kahn, Jr. and Bobby decide to use Ladybird to track down Doggie. When % Ladybird outruns Bobby, Bobby drops the leash and ends up losing Ladybird.
% Hank reports to the guys. "I caught Min on the phone with some kind of % doggie butcher. She was placing an order."
Dale: This is very dangerous. They know that you know, and now they gotta
come after you.
Hank: They do?
Dale: Yup. They'll probably get you with a blow-dart. That's their way.
But you'll just think it's a mosquito bite, until you die. Then
you'll know the truth.
-- More of Dale's unhealthy imagination at work, "Westie Side Story"% Hank and the boys discover that Ladybird is missing, and make the "logical" % assumption that Kahn and Min got Ladybird. They all go to rescue her when a % mosquito lands on the back of Dale's neck and bites him. "I've been hit! % Quick! Somebody suck out the poison!" Bill and Boomhauer run to rescue Dale % while Hank keeps searching for Ladybird.
% Hank returns to Kahn and Min's kitchen window and sees Min whacking at a % hunk of meat with a cleaver and Hank throws up.
Kahn: That psycho redneck is back. Why he so mad? You do something wrong?
Min: You're the one who insulted his propane.
Kahn: You're the one who made fun of Peggy's monster feet.
-- Attack of the 16-sized-foot woman, "Westie Side Story"% Hank knocks on their door. Kahn calls for his bat. A scene errupts and a % small crowd gathers to watch. Hank threatens to call the police if he % doesn't give him back his dog. "Haw haw! Tough guy! I'm so scared. You % want a piece of this??" Hank and Kahn start to fight when Bobby and Kahn, % Jr. arrive to tell them they lost the dogs. Hank's relieved that the dogs % are alive, and Kahn wonders what Hank thought happened to them. "Ah, % nothing."
% The two parents scold their kids and send them to their room. Kahn and Hank % are surprised to see each other giving their kids the same order. Kahn % doesn't believe in spanking, neither does Hank.
Hank: How 'bout bed without dessert?
Kahn: Never fail.
Hank: Huh. Wouldn't figure a child could be motivated by a fortune cookie
and an orange slice.
Kahn: Oh the cookie may be small, but it contain great wisdom. And orange
is sweet and juicy.
-- "Westie Side Story"% Hank and Kahn soon realize they're not so different after all and make up. % And, of course, the dogs return.
Hank: Welcome to the neighborhood, Kahn... Sou... pha-nousin-phone.
Kahn: Just call me Kahn. I don't got all damn day.
[Dale crawls around on Kahn's lawn]
Dale: I'm running out of time! Give me the antidote, man!
-- "Westie Side Story"[End of Act Three. Time: 19:50]
% Over the credits, Min helps Peggy improve her recipes. To improve her % chubilia (sp?), Min suggests "add nutmeg." To improve her Ant Laverne's % fried chicken, Min suggests "add nutmeg." When Peggy gives Min a taste of % her rabbit stew, Min spits it out and says, "You rednecks will eat anything."
- Voice Credits
Starring:
Mike Judge (Hank, Boomhauer) Kathy Najimy (Peggy, Neighborhood Woman) Pamela Segall (Bobby) Brittany Murphy (Luanne) Stephen Root (uncredited) (Bill) and Johnny Hardwick (Dale)
<H3> Also Starring:</H3>
Toby Huss (Kahn Souphanousinphone)
Lauren Tom (Min Souphanousinphone, Kahn Souphanousinphone,
Jr.)- Reviews
Jason Hancock: I didn't think this one was up to last week's levels of hilarity, but it was still a pretty good episode. The highlights for me included Kahn calling Ladybird (the dog) a "slut" and Hank a "psycho redneck." However, there weren't as many quotables as I expected; I also thought the scene where Dale was stung by the mosquito was unnecessary. Grade: B
Yours truly: OK episode with a lot of humor. Toby Huss' Laotian voice is extremely funny (``I so scared! You want a piece of this??'') and Hank and Peggy's off-and-on rocky relationship with their neighbors is quite funny. Grade: B +.
- Contributors
{jh} Jason Hancock
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