KOTH: Luanne's Saga #4

All Jesus did that day was tell stories--a long storytelling afternoon.

Luanne's Saga - #4 (rank #43) 2/16/1997



When Luanne is dumped by her boyfriend Buckley, she drives Hank crazy by crying all day and all night. Peggy tells Hank not to interfere, but Hank decides to find a new boyfriend for Luanne. Unfortunately, the all-American guy he picks out for her turns out to be no good, and to Hank's horror, Luanne goes home with Boomhauer.

Quotes:

(Mega Lo Mart Theme Song): At Mega Lo Mart, you're shopping for the rest of your life!

Analysis:

Like most episodes of KOTH, there are themes a many to choose from here. This column is not intended to be all inclusive one, but rather serve as a loose briefing of the show to provide some ideas for dialogue. This episode can be summed up in 1 word...relationship.

Hank is so desperate for Luanne to be "fixed" after her break up with Buckley the he'll stop at nothing to solve her problem. Problem is that Hank attempts to fix Luanne in the same manner he would a carburetor. His approach to teaching about relationships begins with showing Luanne how to swallow her emotions and to keep them inside.

if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Hank's heart is in the right place, it's just that he struggles with what it really means to bear another's burden and what it takes to truly do that. Peggy on the other hand, gives us a glimpse of how to make this happen.

Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law.

Peggy is committed to helping Luanne work through her grieving process. However long it takes, Peggy is right there with her, even spending time daily with her in crying sessions. This is what it is to share the burden. Hank is quick to judge this system Peggy has in helping Luanne as nonsense and a waste of time. Hank is in a bit of a hurry to get Luanne through her woe, and therefore, is unwilling to take the time to invest in the process of healing as it should be done.

In watching this episode, I could not help but wonder how often we do the exact same thing as Hank. To bear one another's burdens is something most of us are unwilling to invest in. We too are wanting the quick fix for those who are in a place of hurting. We want them to get past it and get over it and get back to normal as quick as they can, never mind if they have truly healed or not, just as long as they seem like it on the outside. We always like to think everything is okay and we are fine not knowing the real truth behind the mask of pain.

Ignorance = Bliss

Peggy had it right all along and Hank finally figured that out. This episode made me wonder if we ever will. God help us.