I've been fascinated by that picture behind the couch. Its abstract shapes and starbursts have finally coalesced into an ocean seascape. Tomorrow a little flappy fish will climb onto the shore. I feel like I'm watching the entire creation of the world occur over eons of time. Eons.
That picture bothered me, too, until I realized that it's really Mary's flat screen TV. That's the only wall big enough to mount it on--a little inconvenient, behind the couch and all, but she mutes the sound when a guest comes over. She's been waiting days for Santaroycable to come and adjust the color. They keep giving her a window of between two and eight.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not careful, this could go on forever!
ReplyDeleteWilbur has been drowning his sorrows at Jerry's Sandwich Shop. He's now up to a meatball sub, pastrami and lox, super-size corned beef (with extra fat), and a 2-liter soda every day. If Iris really does lose him, it'll be to a heart attack. I picture a tearful scene in the ER of Mountview Hospital, with a weeping Iris and Mary running in with the paddles.
ReplyDeleteWait. Iris wants Wilbur?! Are we really supposed to see Wilbur as a 'catch'??!
ReplyDeleteI thought Mary and Iris were trying to figure out a proper meddle for TOMMY. Everyone in Santa Royale seems to have a job either a. going to school b. volunteering at the hospital c.writing romance novels/advice columns or d. some professional occupation, preferably carried out in a third world country. Does nobody in this town MAKE anything?? Tommy could start a nice business crocheting hemp beanies and selling them on Santa Royale's pier. . .
ReplyDeleteIs that a painting or a portal back to the universe from which Mary arrived?
ReplyDeleteAnd no Iris, don't call Wilbur if you're trying to lose him. Methinks Wilbur has dropped a tracking device (a.k.a ham sandwich) into your pocket.
@KitKat: at least if Wilbur is rushed to the hospital with a heart attack, he'll probably get hooked up to one of my favorite MW characters: hi-fi.
Maybe Wilbur and Tommy could bond by smoking crack together in the alleys of DownTown Santa Royale.
ReplyDeleteOh, Iris, get a grip! You're too good for my Dad! You've finally escaped his mayonnaise-stained clutches. Enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThat painting, at first I thought it was the ocean, too. But when I saw it enlarged here, I about fell off my chair. That picture is hanging on the wall right in front of me. It is Yosemite and I can't see the artist's name without removing the frame, but it's the same picture. One similar here: http://www.hagginmuseum.org/collections/bierstadt_yosemite_valley.shtml
ReplyDeleteSo Iris is worried she "lost" Wilblob? From her previous interactions with him, who could tell she didn't think of him as anything more than an occasionally useful extra appendage? Just how Mary views Jeff.
ReplyDeleteThe more of Iris we see, the more I realize that she deserves what she gets in Tommy and Wilblob.
Thursday
ReplyDeleteI'll try to word this in a family-friendly way: In the first panel, Mary is looking quite Jane Russell-like. Mr. Giella, you've got some splainin' to do.
Why has this conversation changed from "tough love for Tommy" to "Can this relationship be saved"?
KitKat, thank you for your succinct reference to the abrupt plot shift. Mary seems to be on this "must matchmake" tack between Wilbur and Iris. Somehow I don't recall Iris ever saying she wanted to be romantically involved with Wilbur, just get help with her troubled child. . .
ReplyDeleteJust noticed an actual news item that Bed Bath And Beyond had reversed their hiring policies on ex-convicts. Tommy should go right down and apply. Since he spends so much time on the couch, he's a natural for the slipcover and throw pillow department.
ReplyDeleteFrom 4/23:
ReplyDeleteDo you think I should call him? OMG, Mary, I like him so much...I want him to ask me to Prom. Can you ask him if he likes me?
FRIDAY
ReplyDeleteMary and Iris have switched outfits today, with Iris now in pink, and Mary reclaiming her signature purple. Remember when the daily comics were all in black and white, and we didn't have things like this to snark on?
@fauxprof at 9:28 a.m., I was flummoxed by the color swap also. Remember mood rings? Maybe Mary and Iris are wearing mood clothes.
ReplyDeleteArgh, Wilbur and Iris had crummy job suggestions for Tommy previously, so what genius plan can the two of them concoct now? What Tommy really needs is a haircut, job training, and distance from his helicopter mother.
I think those blueberry muffins are a big old clue. "Tommy's Homebaked Muffins". You've got to go with your skills, and he can cook and he can sell.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to Karen Moy's blog spot you can get a t-shirt of Mary....gardening? doing squats? Well, it's not clear what she's doing, but it is Mary!
ReplyDelete