Hank's father Cotton (and his new wife, a Dumb Blonde named Didi who was in Hank's kindergarten class) comes to stay with the Hills, which doesn't sit well with Peggy, especially with Cotton belittling Luanne because of her gender and teaching Bobby how to sexually harass and demean women.
This episode contains examples of:
- An Aesop: Women need to be treated like people and not as servants.
- Played With as a scantily-clad waitress skates over to take Hank and Bobby's drive-thru orders right after Hank shares this message.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- When Didi suggests Cotton it's time to head back home, Cotton goes "What did you say? What did you say?!" (with the rest of the family scared that Cotton will yell at or maybe even hit Didi for not taking his side). Turns out that Cotton's hearing aid wasn't on and he couldn't hear what Didi said, so he turns it back on and asks her again nicely.
- After Hank tells Cotton off at the Hotel Arlen, he walks away sadly, saying he thinks Hank has stopped loving him. Then he joyously yells "It's about time! Love's for sissies! Ain't that right, ya house full of hookers?!"
- Birthday Episode: At least for act one, with Bobby celebrating his 12th birthday.
- Brick Joke: Cotton rides in on a white horse that he lets the kids play with for four hours because it's a rental. When Joseph tells Bobby that Cotton is great, you can see the horse running across the yard. Later, when Cotton and Didi first try to go home, Peggy tells Cotton that if the horse turns up, she'll call the rental place to pick it up.
- Calling the Old Man Out: After Cotton goes too far and tries to get Bobby a hooker, Hank rips into him good:Hank: Look, dad, I'm sorry about Fatty and your shins, but I'm not a kid anymore. Bobby is my boy and I won't let him grow up to be a woman-hating old fool. No wonder Mom left you. She was a strong lady, classy and smart like Peg. Maybe you couldn't handle that, but I can. My marriage is a partnership of equals. Peggy might do all the housework, but there are a lot of other things I'm supposed to do, but I'm not going to say what they are, because I'm a gentleman.
Cotton: Oh, I get it. She's making you say this. You're just her puppet.
Hank: No, dad, I'm saying all of this because I mean it. Now Didi's out in the car, I had her pack up, it's time for you to head home. - Characterization Marches On:
- Cotton's relationship with Hank and Bobby. In Hank's case, he's more friendly with Hank while Hank's more comfortable with his father, in contrast to later episodes with Cotton being really critical towards his son. This could be due to Hank finally telling his father off due to his corrupting Bobby and overall Jerkass behavior. Downplayed in Bobby's case, as at the beginning of the episode he couldn't stand his grandfather and didn't want him at his birthday party. But Bobby swiftly warms up to him, especially after Cotton saves his party and gives Bobby a gun as a present.
- Luanne dealing with sexual harassment. In this episode, she immediately threatens to throw cornpone at Cotton if he smacks her on the ass again. Later episodes like "Jon Vitti Presents: Return to La Grunta" and "Boxing Luanne" have her be more submissive and fearful of fighting back against sexual harassment (at least until the end of the respective episodes).
- Bobby calls Hank's friends by their given names instead of Mr. Dauterive and Mr. Gribble (he just calls Boomhauer that instead of Mr. Boomhauer) at the end when Hank says that Peggy's smarter than anyone in Arlen.
- Chekhov's Gag: A Flashback is shown where after winning the big football game, Cotton takes the guys to Hotel Arlen to get them hookers. One introduces herself to Hank, who of course runs away. Then at the end, Cotton takes Bobby over there and tries to get him one (not aware it's no longer a brothel).
- Comically Missing the Point:
- The opening, where Bobby thinks Cotton is The Devil because he got confused when Peggy called him evil (and Peggy doesn't realize that you can't spell "devil" without "evil"). As a result, he sends his grandfather a birthday invitation addressed to Hell, U.S.A.
- Cotton thinks Hank works at a gas station instead of a propane dealership.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: This episode implies Hank is 39 years old, though he's usually depicted as several years older.
- Epic Fail: Bobby trying to hit the pinata (even when it's on the ground and pre-cut by Dale) and failing. It takes Cotton shooting it to actually get it open.
- Everyone Has Standards: Hank defends Cotton's remarks throughout the episode as just the way he is. But once he attempts to take Bobby to get a hooker after starting a riot in school, Hank finally realizes Peggy was right and both set off to bring back Bobby.
- Flashback: This is the episode where we hear the story of how Cotton lost his shins.
- Flirtatious Smack on the Ass: Cotton does it to Luanne (who threatens to throw cornpone at him if he does it again), a waitress at the bar and Didi, the latter two to serve him. Bobby does this to Peggy, who then promptly gets sent to his room by Hank.
- Inappropriate Role Model: Cotton, who just pawns off his sexist views to Bobby.
- In-Character Commentaries: The DVD has a commentary by Bobby and Peggy.
- Inherently Funny Words: In the In-Character Commentary, Bobby finds Hank using the word "Solenoid" hilarious and keeps repeating it.
- Insane Troll Logic: How Hank wins the debate with Peggy over letting Cotton stay, with him arguing he and Bobby want him to stay, while Peggy argues she and Luanne don't want him here. Hank then says "Jesus loves him" to win the argument.
- Ironic Echo: From Bobby's misunderstanding over Cotton being the devil earlier on, Peggy actually does refer to him as the devil when she calls Hank telling him Cotton took Bobby to Hotel Arlen.
- Mistaken for Prostitute: Cotton thinks the women lawyers at the new Hotel Arlen are all hookers, not aware the times have changed.
- Mistaken for Servant: While Cotton correctly guesses Kahn's Asian nationality (Laotian), he thinks he's Hank's servant by asking him to make a mai-tai and take in his bags.
- Mistaken Nationality: While Bill and Dale still give Kahn grief over thinking he's Japanese, this is averted by Cotton, who correctly guesses he's Laotian, much to his surprise.
- Mood Whiplash: Invoked by Dooley when Bill comments he's having fun at the party when he says that his wife divorced him. He then gets sullen.
- Phoney Call: Hank makes Bobby call Cotton to invite him to his birthday party, and tries this. But it doesn't fool Hank as he points out you have to hit more than three numbers.
- Reckless Gun Usage: Cotton gets Bobby a shotgun (a Winchester 20-gauge) as a birthday gift. A loaded shotgun, which he uses to break the pinata after Bobby was unable to smash it open.
- Replacement Scrappy: In-universe, how Cotton feels about watching Shelley Hack on Charlie's Angels, saying it's like getting a Shemp.
- Skipping School: Instead of taking Bobby to school, Cotton takes him to a bar, because according to him, it's a holiday: Angie Dickinson's birthday (which is September 30th, for those wondering).
- Straw Misogynist: Cotton, big time. He treats women like servants and tries to pawn off his views onto Bobby.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: Cotton sabotages his own Cadillac car (twice) so that he can stay over at Hank's house, much to Peggy's consternation.
- Tough Room: At his birthday party, Bobby told jokes and burped the alphabet, which bombs with the kids. The party is saved (at least to the kids) when Cotton arrives.
