King of the Hill
Aesop Amnesia in this series.- Unless you're an actual calculator, you've probably lost count of the number of times Hank has learned to accept Bobby's athletic limitations and appreciate his other skills. Maybe it's genetic, as Hank has earned the grudging respect of his father, Cotton, on several occasions, and that never sticks, either.
- Not to mention that no matter how many times Hank learns to loosen up, this still happens a lot:
Bobby: Hey Dad, guess what! I joined the (insert incredibly effeminate and/or non-traditional activity here)!Hank: BWAAAHHH!!! - Hank also constantly forgets that Bobby is good at some sports, like shooting, football, and wrestling.
- Can we get a count of how many times Bill's gotten over his depression and found something meaningful in his life, including another woman, only to have it completely forgotten by the next episode?
- Kahn and Minh quite frequently learn to respect their redneck neighbors and then forget.
- More quintessential to the trope is perhaps Buck Strickland, who consistently fails to learn that his illegal schemes will always put his business at risk. Strangely, however, Hank for some reason doesn't even get an Aesop that his boss is an amoral bastard and that he'll always get in trouble for trying to clean up after Buck's mess.
- In Hank's case, a number of episodes imply that Hank is fully aware of how bad Buck is, but sticks around out of a misplaced sense of gratitude and loyalty and/or an equally misplaced hope that Buck might at some point revert back to the hard-working man he was when Hank first met him (which he nearly did in one episode); both are played as Hank's having found a better father in Buck than he had in Cotton.
- The numerous examples where Peggy should have learned that her perceived abilities and appearance don't match up to reality. At times, she learns to accept her limitations, but goes right back to her old self in the next episode.
- In Season 4, the Running Gag of Nancy and John Redcorn's affair ends when they finally begin feeling bad about betraying Dale's trust (which is an incredibly rare commodity) and part ways amicably. Then in Season 11, Redcorn attempts to restart the affair, and though Nancy is temptednote , she ultimately stands by her man.
