Crayzito Finito

Since today’s strip does nothing to move the story along, let us attempt to get at the genesis of “finito binito [sic]”:

Finito Benito
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Finito Benito comes from the North American Aviation B-25J Mitchell Medium Bomber airplane named “Finito Benito Next Hirohito.”  This B-25J bomber was attached to the 12th Air Force, based in Naples late in World War II.

The name Benito refers to the Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. Hirohito refers to the name of the Japanese emperor during World War II. Italy and Mussolini fell in 1943 while Japan and Hirohito fell in August 1945…[t]he name…was painted in red on the upper surfaces of the wings, as opposed to the usual placement on the nose of the airplane.

Ill Postino

Today’s strip wastes no time setting up the drama. Crazy Harry just spent the weekend cataloging his comics collection, exchanging cheery banter with his dumpy wife. Today, however, as he lurches onto his customary perch at Montoni’s counter, even “the Funkman’s” too-cheerful greeting is not enough to elicit a smile. Looks like the USPS’s financial woes have at long last trickled down to Westview.

Old 'n' Sad

So whose second-fiddle status is more pitiable: Cayla, who recently committed to spend the rest of her life never quite filling the shoes of the late Lisa, or Donna the Hutt?

At least Cayla’s rival is (was) another woman. Also, Mrs. Moore is finally showing some backbone, and hey: if worse came to worse, she’s relatively young and occasionally attractive, and wouldn’t have too much trouble finding another man. Mrs. Crazy, on the other hand, not only meekly concedes her husband to his beloved old comics, but even offers Crazy Harry an apology, which he magnanimously accepts. Donna relinquishes her husband’s affections and instead must settle for “love on paper”.

Harry the Hoarder

Argh, just argh. The joke here hinges on the premise that Crazy’s comics collection is so huge that is occupies all the space in their home. We know that Crazy collects comics (especially those Tarzan ones), but it’s never been established that said collection threatens to “eat” the house that Crazy shares with dumpy Donna, Maddie, and the missing-in-action Tyler and little Abbey.

Defense-Les Receiver

This is one of those times that TB offers up what’s meant to be wacky hijinks, while we hidebound literalists go right to the darker, imagined subtext. Ergo, a lighthearted, post-Thanksgiving on the storied front lawn of the Taj Moore Hell turns violent as Cayla (weirdly looking in panel 1 like Black Linda; talk about darker subtexts) forcefully tackles Les in what’s supposed to be a game of touch, before walking away sneering. This is the second strip in less than a week that ends with Les stunned and in pain at the hands of his new bride.