"Hystery" Lesson

This trip just gets weirder. Today we seem to be in yet another part of town, which looks kinda less seedy than the neighborhood we were in yesterday. So is this their old place, or did they live in that house with the garbage piling up outside? Anyway, what’s the point of all this? Aside from giving Ann the chance to deliver the lame “pun”-chline.

Naus-talgia

It’s over? The wedding is over?? You’ve got to be kidding.

Les and Cayla set up dozens of chairs; for whom? We saw, but never got to meet, a couple of Cayla’s presumptive relatives; and didn’t see any relatives of Les’ except Summer. Instead of a heartfelt, moving toast to the happy couple, we got Bull’s backhanded “overpunted his coverage” compliment. Nothing whatsoever to show us what is so special about these two becoming one, aside from the fact they did so on their front lawn. Trust Tom Batiuk: on those rare occasions when you want him to spend more time on a story arc, he drops it like a Scapegoat dropping an end zone pass.

Married for ten years already, Jess and Darin have just moved into their “first real place” (the apartment over Montoni’s). At this rate, who knows, they might even have their own car before the decade’s out. Meanwhile they must depend on Fred and Ann for a ride home, which mean they must endure a “newstalgic” tour of the Fairgoods’ old neighborhood.

Fake Punt

Who else had to look up what it means to “outpunt your coverage“? Obviously it’s a football analogy (so of course it comes out of Bull’s mouth), but in football, when you outpunt your coverage, you’re giving your opponent a chance to return the punt and gain good field position. However, according to urbandictionary.com defines this as “when a guy with no looks and no money lands a hot chick.” What a nice compliment to pay a girl about her father.

Lois Lame

If yesterday’s strip made you gag, you better be sure to have a barf bag close at hand before you check out today’s strip.

Batiuk takes Sunday off again, filling the space with another comic book “tribute”. Last month we had Les and Cayla as Superman and Superwoman; today they’re Supe and Lois Lane, on an Action Comics cover from 1955 (spoiler alert: the story ends with Lois awakening to find that her marriage to Superman was only a dream).

But what’s really pukeworthy here is that two minutes into his marriage to Cayla, Les has to bring up his “first wedding” to Lisa. A noted author once said “Endings have to be earned.” You know what else has to be earned? The respect and the good will of your audience, if you expect them to let you get away with “writing” sappy, facile garbage like this.