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- This article is about the episode "King of the Hill". For other uses, see King of the Hill (disambiguation).
| "King of the Hill"
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"King of the Hill" is the twenty-third episode of season 9 of The Simpsons and the two-hundred and first episode overall. It originally aired on May 3, 1998. The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by Steven Dean Moore. It guest stars Brendan Fraser as Brad and Steven Weber as Neil.
Synopsis
- "Crestfallen by Bart's shame of his poor physical condition, Homer sets out to work out. But when a pair of publicity scouts offer him the job of climbing The Murderhorn to promote their product, Homer is too blindsided by lust for physical perfection to turn down the expedition."
Plot
The family goes out to a church picnic. When the kids start a game of
capture the flag, Bart chooses Homer to be on his team. Soon, Bart realizes Homer is not physically fit. Moments later, Homer collapses, causing Bart to become disappointed in his father. That night, Homer thinks about how ashamed Bart was in him and, at midnight, he sneaks out to exercise. A later night, Homer is running and decides to stop at the
Kwik-E-Mart, where he discovers an energy bar called "Power Sauce", which he starts to eat regularly.
During another one of his late-night runs, he finds a 24-hour gym. There, he meets Rainier Wolfcastle who becomes his fitness coach. Wolfcastle is successful in training Homer and, in two months, Homer is slimmer and has defined muscles. Homer then reveals to the family that he has been secretly working out. The family is impressed at Homer's improved shape, including Bart. He goes with Homer to the gym one day, where Rainier is being asked by two "Powersauce" representatives to climb the tallest mountain in Springfield as a publicity stunt. When Rainier refuses, Bart informs them that Homer will climb it, and when he is asked, Homer agrees to do the climb.
Homer showing off his muscles
When he finds out that Homer is climbing the mountain, Abraham Simpson urges Homer not to do it, as he attempted to when he was younger, and was betrayed by his friend C. W. McAllister. Homer ignores him and publicly begins his climbing. He is aided by two Sherpas as guides, who were instructed to drag Homer up the mountain as he slept. During one of these nights, Homer wakes up to discover that he was being secretly dragged, and fires the two Sherpas. After a loss of communication with Homer, many, including the "Powersauce" representatives, predict Homer's death. Homer continues to climb, and when he believes he has reached the top, only sees that he has made it to a plateau of the mountain. Homer enters a small cave on the side of the mountain and discovers the frozen body of McAllister and his diary. Homer reads that it was actually his father that betrayed McAllister, and he even attempted to eat him. Ashamed of himself and his father, Homer climbs out and sticks his flag on the plateau causing mountain's peak to break off, therefore making the plateau Homer was standing on the peak. Proud of his work, Homer uses McAllister's body as a sled to go down the mountain, where he is greeted by a crowd, and once again, causes Bart to be proud of him.
