Friday, August 1, 2008

Mary Worth 271

I don't know what to say anymore. Many faithful readers speculated that yesterday's episode ("Paying the Check") would actually lead to some sort of plot about identity theft. But no, it turns out, it really was just about paying the check. Today's episode ("Looking for a DVD") is slightly more exciting, but only because of that guy's ZAP shirt. Tomorrow's episode ("Finding a Gift on Amazon.com") will no doubt blow my mind. If the story had actually followed Mary Worth as she attended to her paperwork I think it may have been more exciting.

Today's Full Strip

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wanders "ZAP" t-shirt? Surely it is a "ZAF" t-shirt or is this line of thinking why I have been unable to buy one "online"?

Fret not, for I am confident that we shall soon be on the edge of our seats as Mary engages in a race against time to finish "handling her paperwork" (never heard it called that before, what next "checking her nachos"?) so that she can help Toby find the treasured Sean Finnery lishpsh about Shcotshland dvd.

Anonymous said...

In fact, I see that I am correct about "ZAF" as it is the ISO country code for South Africa and there is a Zaf band with a myspace page. This worthy fellow is clearly either a patriot or a dedicated music fan.

Otismaximus said...

Hey what decade is this artist depicting? I haven’t seen that many visible belts with tucked tee shirts in one place since the first episode of Happy Days. Or is this some sort of matrix type depiction of the same dude passing through Toby's time and space continuum?

Anonymous said...

maconmemad Even as I type, my Tee is tucked and my belt is visible. In my defence, were I not at work I wouldn't even be wearing pants.

JLH said...

Oh my, the more outrageously boring the plot seems to get the more it also appears that the whole country is thrilling over Mary Worth. I just took a peek at the Comics Curmudgeon, a site too filling for a daily dose -- I have stuff to do! -- but if you want to have more fun reading comments on today's wonderful and richly promising strip, go over to the CC and brose through some 40 comments. When I first found Wanders' lovely blog (with JUST the right size morsel for every day, and filled with discriminating readers) I had just found a seeming dearth of interest in MW on the rec.comics list. Now, we are soaring with many others on wings of anticipation. Och aye, it's time to fly ton virtual wings to the Isle of Online (somewhere near Mull, but very tiny).

Anonymous said...

jlh Natives of Mull are "Mullochs"; what would natives of Online be known as?

Drogon Saurischian said...

The real excitement starts when Toby gets home, puts in the DVD and discovers that her "Scottish documentary" was accidentally over-recorded at the factory with 90 minutes of plushie porn. And for the next week, we'll be treated to strip after strip of hot Pooh-bear on Garfield plushie action as Toby realizes she really only married Chinbeard for his plushy-esque looks...

Anonymous said...

shandyowl: You're absolutely correct! It is indeed a ZAF (possibly even a ZAF!) t-shirt.

wanders: Paying the check, indeed! Harrumph! I still think we're headed towards an "identity theft" story line--Moy is just dragging out the set-up for us readers. Note that Toby is going "online" [and not to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.] in order to search for some "documentary" on Scotland for Ian. [Note to Toby: Next time, just go with a bottle of single-malt scotch or a tie, Honey. Your originality in choosing a gift for your spouse is downright beath-taking!] Toby will go to some brand new web site, put in her credit card information, never receive the documentary, and things will spiral out from there.

This story arc should drag out to March 2009.

Anonymous said...

spike Yes, when one takes into account the brightly-coloured lettering it is entirely possible that it is a ZAF! tee.

If I were the sort of person to spontaneously get tattooed, I know what I would be getting inked between my shoulder blades...or on my knuckles.

"ZAF! me up, dude!"

Of course, in reality I am considerably too dull and cautious to do such a thing.

Anonymous said...

shandyowl: Better get that tat between the shoulder blades--and might I suggest Frakturschrift as the script of choice for this endeavour--unless you've got a third hand for all those extra knuckles you'll be needing to have a one-to-one correspondence of letter-to-knuckle inking! :-)

Gotta go! ZAF!

Anonymous said...

My first thought also when I read the strip yesterday morning was that the close-up shot of the credit card is the set-up for the next storyline.

But unlike several bloggers yesterday who are guessing that this is a set-up for the next storyline of identity theft (which is entirely feasible!), my thought was that Toby is a shop-a-holic, that she is addicted to her use of credit (using it for EVERYTHING).
She insisted on paying for lunch and wanted Mary to go to the mall with her to buy a "special" present for Chinbeard's birthday. And now she is in debt up to her eyeballs -- can't stop and can't pay for it all -- and Ian doesn't have a clue how much she has rung up in credit card debt.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, nothing against Scotland, but if Ian's idea of entertainment is sitting through the two-hour tale of the origin of kilts, bagpipes and haggis then maybe I've misjudged who the evilest person in this strip is.

"Look, Toby! This is the part where they stuff the intestines they cut out of the sheep! Wake up, Toby! It's the good part!"

Otismaximus said...

We are being lulled into thinking just how dull it all is then...BAMM it'll hit. identity theft, chin beard-maybe really steamed someone has stolen his ID- if not my original thought of overextension of credit on boy love in Thialand. Or how about this...Toby's purse gets grabbed and some one goes on a spending spree buying all the ZAF items available for sale on the world wide web. What an adventure. All while dear Mary works through that pile of paper work she has looming over her head. I honestly don't know who's sicker...the fictional characters I'm talkin' about... or me... who for some reason thinks this is hilarious!