King Of The Hill Season 5 Episode 6 When Cotton Comes Marching Home Again

When Cotton Comes Marching Home Again is a popular episode from season 5 of King of the Hill. In this episode, Cotton Hill, Hank's father, returns home after his confinement at a Japanese hospital since he lost his shins during World War II. He carries around boxy titanium prosthetics that make him significantly taller, and they click merrily whenever he walks.

As Cotton returns home, many Woodrows and Hills gather to welcome him home among whom his wife, Didi is also present. However, Didi has recently become far more aggressive and confronts Cotton about the sacrifice he made to his shins. As Cotton adjusts to life with his new prosthetics, Didi's demand to have more respect from him grows more and more intense, leading to some of the most memorable moments of the episode.

The episode features plenty of emotional moments, including a scene where Cotton breaks down and admits that he has been living in fear of being killed or arrested while in Japan. Hank, Bobby, Peggy and the whole neighborhood are there to support him, but Cotton struggles to adjust to the brand new life awaiting him back home.

There are a few subplots, one of which focuses on Dale, a conspiracy theorist, who becomes increasingly paranoid that one of his old college buddies, a Magician, is out to get him. Meanwhile, Hank tries to reconnect with his father, leading him to try to draw Cotton into his favorite pastimes and hobbies.

Overall, the episode is a heartwarming look at how people deal with physical and emotional trauma, facing their insecurities head-on and refusing to let them define who they are or their relationships. Throughout "When Cotton Comes Marching Home Again", fans of the series will find themselves tearing up, laughing, and cheering along with Cotton and the rest of the characters.