A smoldering dump, an overflowing toilet, and a cretinous idiot walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll it be, Mr. Dinkle?”
It’s hard to convey how much I loathe Dinkle, but today’s episode provides some evidence as to why I do. Normally, this strip would end at the second panel, with Becky’s pun (admittedly far superior to anything offered by the students). But no, Dinkle has to have a panel to explain how he, in essence, “allowed” Becky to have her joke, but she shouldn’t get any ideas about how she “got” him.
I find it surprising that Dinkle wasn’t the one to deliver the pun. Maybe Tom Batiuk realized that Becky was, in the main, a pretty worthless character and he ought to have her do something, even if it’s not much of a something. Bonus points to Rick Burchett for not showing the pinned-up sleeve at all–a first, I think–and for giving Dinkle a really bad profile in panel three. I mean, look at that! He looks like a someone drew a face on a pinto bean. Maybe Burchett is learning to hate these characters as much as normal people do.
If Batiuk had Dinkle die horribly in a fire, I would lobby the Pulitzer Committee so hard…I mean, that would actually deserve the award.
Son of Stuck Funky 
