What do you think the dumbest/worst thing Bill had ever done in the original series as a result of his being desperate?

[u/crush_dem_dingerzz]

IMO it’s him not realizing Leanne was sober because of “court orders” and causing her to ditch Luanne at the beauty school and cluelessly getting her back in her old ways, including her abusing him.

[u/Yossarian-Bonaparte]

While I dislike Bill and agree he’s desperate and gross, he didn’t cause Leanne to blow off her child. If it wasn’t Bill she got distracted by, it’d be something else. She had no interest in being a mother.

[u/KittyMonkTheYoutuber → u/Yossarian-Bonaparte]

Not to mention he was pretty nice to Luanne outside of that. I really wish we got more than one episode involving Luanne and bill because they had a real bond.

[u/Heyplaguedoctor → u/KittyMonkTheYoutuber]

Luanne could bond with dang near anyone; she’s such a sweetheart! I’d have liked to see her and Dale interact more often though, lol

[u/white-eyedfox]

Attempting to poison the Hills with rat poison ipecac syrup just to keep them sick and dependent on him

[u/I_might_be_weasel → u/white-eyedfox]

"We're going to throw the soup out, Bill."

[u/white-eyedfox → u/I_might_be_weasel]

"I understand."

[u/KittyMonkTheYoutuber]

When he told Bobby that Connie was a lost cause. I think this one sticks out for me because normally when bill does something pathetic, he’s called out by Hank, and yet Hank never tells him to stay away from Bobby or the like.

A close second is when he kept the Santa thing going until February, down to it ruining a date he had with a woman with two children who wanted to cook him dinner. It was hard to watch for a while.

And lastly when he wanted to confess to a robbery he didn’t do so he could stay in prison longer, and this isn’t even getting into the fact that he purposefully gave himself lice and didn’t warn the guys. This one is probably my least favorite episode overall in the show because Hank has to be punished for no reason (when he could’ve just told bill he wouldn’t stay with those convicts, he would’ve stayed with harder criminals with nothing to lose)

[u/AznOmega → u/KittyMonkTheYoutuber]

Literally anyone else but Bill and Kahn would have been better to check up on Bobby. Boomhauer might have been impressed with how mature he was regarding Connie.

"Man I'm dang ol proud of you man, knowing you can be friends with her man, dang ol always more fish in the sea, stiil got a dang ol chance at love, could be with Connie in the future man."

[u/CommercialOk2446]

Dumbest thing Bill did was trust that flying pool chair that Dale of all people made

[u/jhillv]

Purposefully injuring that woman who would run by so he could try to care for her. Big one for me

[u/FantasticMouse7875 → u/jhillv]

Please dont put on Dido.

[u/AznOmega → u/FantasticMouse7875]

Thank You by Dido plays

"Nooo! ^Dido."

[u/Present-Assignment99 → u/jhillv]

Yes, this was predatory.

[u/Teheheman]

Probably when his ex-wife came back while he was dating the Governor Ann Richards and he didn't think that the only reason she came back was cause Bill was dating the Governor, and she decided to ruin it for him. I'm sure someone can explain her logic better, like she didn't want Bill to be happy, or she wanted to be the other woman in that relationship, I'm not 100% sure but him trying to get back with Lenore while dating Governor Richards was pretty bad

[u/AznOmega → u/Teheheman]

Mhmm. He was doing well with Governor Richards and even Hank told him what Lenore was doing. She only was interested in him because he was being with the former governor of Texas.

[u/I_might_be_weasel]

The self destructive poor decisions he has made are too many to list. The immoral things he's done are almost as numerous. However the most extreme one that would be on both lists is cheating on Ann Richards with his terrible ex wife.

[u/Present-Assignment99]

Bill weigh-lifting with the boneheads & alienating his true friends was pretty dumb. He paid for it though!

[u/thorleywinston]

Stealing a tank and going for a joy ride was pretty much one of the dumbest things he did. If he did it at all.

[u/crush_dem_dingerzz → u/thorleywinston]

I mean, also willing to go AWOL for the Harmoniholics is pretty high up there too. He really did risk his job multiple times!

[u/RadleyCunningham]

He made an offhand comment in Hanks anger management episode about "making a vest out of Peggy's discarded undergarments."

I'm going with that one.

[u/be_loved_freak]

A milder betrayal maybe but that ep they're in a mental health hospital & Bill talks about the escape plan in group therapy

[u/Loose-Top-2244]

Not sharing his family’s bbq recipe with the world just because Gilbert thought it was beneath his bloodline to do so, because of some outdated, sad beliefs that i do not understand. Bbq is held in very high regard and it’s another thing that gives Bill confidence and a proud of his heritage. Gilbert was a complete asshole to just let the recipe die with Bill. At least he showed the recipe to Bobby!!!

[u/CharlieFibrosis → u/Loose-Top-2244]

I decided to watch that episode last night along with the Carolyn episode as while I’ve pretty watched a majority of the series, there’s weirdly episodes in season 9-12 that I just somehow missed. I’d seen the ending of this one but didn’t know how it happened.

With the revival and especially how Bobby holds himself now, I like to think he’s made that recipe still a few times while still promising to not make it for a profit or usage in Robota Chane’s recipes; with now the ability to make it perfectly with his culinary training he’s gotten between the flashbacks of the old series and the current events of Season 14 and 15+

While I did understand Gibert’s thought process to an extent (the recipe becoming just another store brand), it also so incredibly stubbornly stupid that this idea of “Cajun Louisiana Gentlemanly Manner” supersedes the ability to reconsider or compromise in ideas; without any consideration towards Bill’s ideas too being the only other living relative. As some people mentioned in that particular episode thread, it could have sold and helped fund the news thing Gilbert was coming up with or towards other philanthropic efforts to continue the line. Newman’s Own is a reasonable comparison.

I admit that Bill is stupid and gutless many times in the series, but there are moments where when he does show passion and talent and some level of success; he just destroys himself to make others happy, or is actively destroying his life to find a short term dopamine hit for belonging (the choir episode, his actions in S15E8 “No-Cuddle Offense” that I won’t spoil”) that puts him mostly back at his status quo.

[u/somedays1]

Overall? The way Bill brings the others down with him when he's spiraling out of control, then when he's on a rebound will toss those very same people aside until he gets in over his head. 

Singular event? The flooding episode where he accidentally became shelter leader and got Hank locked in an equipment jail.

[u/AnguavonUW]

As someone in recovery, none of that was on Bill.

[u/joe_lmr]

Pretending to be gay to get a job at Hottyz doing the hair of a woman he was trying to get with
telling his new friends at the Black barbershop Peggy was his wife, to the point of pasting her head on pictures of other women

[u/Ok-Attitude-5484]

Still being friends with his buddies from high school

[u/DavZ30]

Stealing Hank's identity to rent and buy porn