WHSTV

You’d think that producing Westview High’s closed-circuit morning newscast would be a job that a couple of geeks like Cody and Owen could not only do but might actually do pretty well. Naturally, everything goes terribly awry, as typified by the fact that the picture on the TV is upside down. Just more fuel for Les and Linda’s disdain of their idiot students.

Never mind that, though. Get a load of who’s sitting in the front row: it’s Alex, most recently seen dispensing totally worthless relationship advice to lovestruck Owen. Surely there is some retconning going on here: we met Alex at mopey Pete’s book signing in December 2007 (see below), and she appeared to be at least high school age five years ago (I was going point to the fact that she sported tattoos even back then, but apparently Ohio law allows minors to get tattoos with parental consent). She’s certainly old enough for Pete to attempt hitting on, though we know that that’s not the best indicator. Note that her model sheet on the Meet the Cast page is one of the few that does not give an age. How convenient.

Dec. 10, 2007 strip:

18 thoughts on “WHSTV”

  1. This would imply, in fact, that Alex is a teacher at Westview High. Adding her to the other idiots they keep on staff is, in fact, completely unsurprising.

  2. Since it takes effort to rotate the image 180 degrees like that, I’m guessing Cody and Owen know full well what they’re doing and this is just an April Fool’s gag. Granted it’s nearly a week early, but hey, Westview is still getting the hang of this “humor” thing.

  3. Does Linda just wander around the school sticking her nose into everyone else’s classrooms? I have an inexplicable hatred for her character, she is the face of the author’s contempt for teenagers.

  6. I hate to be that person: but I smiled. It takes conscience effort to rotate the image, and I guess the amount of incompetence required to do it accidentally reminded me of my own misadventures in film making.

    Oh, God, I related to a Batom brand Young Person™. I… I can’t really describe the shame I feel.

  7. This would really only be funny if we were peeking into the recording studio to find cameraman Cody standing on his head beside an upright camera — but I suppose Batiuk didn’t feel comfortable copying too closely from “Archie”.

  8. I guess the failure of the tax grab school levy means you can’t have both smart nerds and dumb jocks. These characters are forced to do double duty as dumb nerds.

    Remind me not to have breakfast while looking at pictures of fat, gross Freak Show Alex, who apparently is back in high school. Sure, she’d be about 40. So what? It’s called “writing.” You unemployed, beady eyed nitpicker, haters wouldn’t understand.

    Oh look! Goatee Boy has his yellow shirt on! Soooo varrrry saxxxxy! No wonder Linda, and probably every other female at the school, has come sniffing around his classroom.

  10. “In other news…

    Girl’s basketball season is over, and there are no other sports this year… because the school levy failed.

    Several classes will now be cancelled or self-taught, as a dozen teachers were laid off mid-semester… because the school levy failed.

    Coach Bushka will teach oragami stone tossing (bring money) since the gymnasium was flooded… because the school levy failed.

    The Buffalo Bills lost 4 consecutive Super Bowls from 1990-1993… because Marv Levy failed.

    Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead… because the school levy failed.

    This will be the final school newscast, the Betacam is being repossesed this afternoon… because the school levy failed.”

  11. At least Scott Adams admits that he can’t draw too many different characters, so that he privately calls one of the Dilbert characters “Ted the Generic Guy”

  12. Man that bald guy really got ripped off on his toupee. Either that
    or they really need to do something about the indoor pigeon infestation.

  13. Linda: “How are Cody and Owen doing on the morning newscast?”

    Les: “What’s the matter with you, Linda?!? Its playing RIGHT now on the monitor IN MY ROOM, not a FEW FEET AWAY! Yeesh.”

    Linda: “….*….”

    Les: “And stop hovering in the doorway like a damn moth! If you’re going to come in, come in!”

    Linda: “….I haven’t been invited.”

    Les: “What are you, a vampire?!?”

  14. But seriously, I think Alex’s mysterious presence (and return) have to do with the fact that Tom only belatedly realized that except for Cody and Owen, all of the named students were effectively written out of the strip. And since young people starting out new lives away from home in exciting new jobs or schools isn’t anywhere NEAR as fresh or interesting as rehashing that EVIL STUPID TEENAGERS ARE EVIL BECAUSE OF EVILNESS AND STUPIDITY, we have the return of Alex.

    Expect her to randomly wander into every Westview High arc from now on, but never actually connect in a meaningful way with the story. Until she gets cancer.

  15. she appeared to be at least high school age five years ago

    That’s nothing: the guy in the hoodie? Bull Buska.
    The guy on the right? Young Ed Crankshaft.

    Westview High has become unstuck in time.

  16. Hmmm, my comment from last night never made it. Suffice to say I was baffled and annoyed by today’s WHS grab-bag atrocity. And he never explained Tuesday’s bizarre “joke” either. Nicely done.

  17. You know considering that Cody’s identity has been established in Panel 1. Did Batiuk really need to have him keep wearing that Chullo while doing the news!!! Jughead’s hat it ain’t!!!

  18. Why do I have the feeling Alex is the result of an unfortunate decision one night at comic-con?

Comments are closed.