Recap: A trip to the music store for the latest Michael Buble album (make that cassette; she's bewildered when the clerk confronts her with a CD) causes Peggy to come to the conclusion that she’s painfully unhip.   When Bobby convinces Hank to let him attend cotillion classes in an effort to meet girls, Peggy goes along and tries to buddy up to Kat Savage, the most trend-conscious and seemingly hip parent in the class.

Bobby, meanwhile, flourishes in the classes and develops an interest in Kat’s daughter, Michael.  Both Hills do everything they can to get into the Savage’s good graces, which ultimately results in an invitation to Michael’s birthday party.  Desperate to seem as cool as Kat, Peggy goes into overdrive studying trends, making herself over into a different and seemingly more hip person.  A worried Bobby, trying to impress Michael, follows suit.

Needless to say, when mother and son show up at the Savage’s, Bobby and Peggy embarrass themselves, making such a garish picture in their trendy clothes that they startle Michael during her big entrance, knocking her off of her pony and causing her to knock over a punch bowl.

Searching for an exit, Bobby and Peggy accidentally stumble on Kat’s dirty secret; she manically studies trends so that she can stay on top of the cultural wave, and actually hates the effort required to maintain the cutting-edge. It took Peggy’s example to snap Kat (AKA: Barb Davis) out of her mania; she and Peggy connect on a more realistic level and Kat dumps her trendy ways.

Bobby never manages to make amends to Michael, though he does get a date with a girl from his Cotillion class.

In the b-plot, Hank develops an addiction to a new sandwich shop (housed in what was once a polygamist's compound), even though he finds the restaurant’s family seating policy invasive. The sandwiches are so good that he does everything he can think of to avoid dealing with the restaurant’s seating policy, including bringing Bill along with him to act as a buffer. Ultimately he pays Dale’s right-hand man, Octavio, to go to the restaurant and buy sandwiches for him to eat out in the alley.

Review: Do you love episodes where Peggy humiliates herself in a desperate attempt at making herself well-liked? A lot of one's enjoyment of “Uncool Customer” depends on how much you enjoy watching the arrogant Peggy get taken down a couple of notches. If you don’t like Peggy at all, you’ll find this episode a chore to bear, and the Hank-based subplot little relief.

The shining grace of the episode is Bobby, who’s endearingly and surprisingly suave as he tries to squire Michael. In fact, minus following his mother’s advice, he’s more likable here than he’s been in a long time.

What can I say about Hank’s subplot, other than most of the laughs stem from Bill’s short appearance within it? Perhaps if Hank would like to eat alone he should arrive early, or near closing time? Maybe he should arrive with a larger crowd of Arlenians in tow?  It’s nonsensical of the take-charge Hank to meekly accept a baby eating French fries off of his plate as he looks on in misery.

A dull affair; if you hate Peggy, you’ll hate seeing so much of her in this episode; if you like her, you’ll hate watching her humiliate herself with increasing desperation. But if you’re a fan of Bobby’s you’ll find this one a worthy gem; just tune out most of the Peggy stuff (you’ll like her little questionnaire for the boys in the alley) and enjoy some of the bright moments the Hank plot offers (and tune out the mental picture inspired by his eating lunch on a table that reeks of dirty diapers).

Ratings: "Uncool Customer" drew a 2.4, drawing the fewest viewers in Fox's "Animation Domination" block, but coming in third for its time period.

Next Episode: "Nancy Does Dallas" airs March twenty-second.  Be sure to check back on the twenty-third for a full recap!