Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 20, 2017

Mommy’s got you there, Gunther. (Oh, this will be quite a storyline Gunter and Leslie getting along like they did in high school.)

“Testing, 1-2-3 …”

Gunther’s mom might have taken him more seriously if he had responded less dramatically. Alternate way for Gunther to handle this situation:

“So I invited Mr. Gray’s nephew, Leslie. Won’t that be nice?”“I don’t know about that, Mother. When we were in high school, we didn’t get along. He was kind of a bully.”“Oh. Well, hopefully he’s changed since then. And I doubt he would start any trouble with his uncle here.”

@GROMIT82: I don’t think Mrs. Berger would have responded that differently if Gunther had spoken differently. Mrs. B seems unable to ever see negative traits in anyone; even when Gunther was yelling at her from Peru (about Mr. Grey), all she said was she didn’t like his tone. Another issue: since Gunther is now more likely to act out on his anger, a confrontation between G and L might end in a way that it didn’t back in high school.

Right now, Leslie’s mostly irate and frustrated.

Well, this has taken an ugly turn. Better lock up your valuables.

I’m wondering what kind of mood Leslie will be in after his little ‘Romance Prudence ’ scheme went sour. Don’t expect him to be all smiles and sunshine.

Oh, Gunther- won’t that be nice company for you! I wonder what topics you will find to talk about? Maybe you can show him your sewing room?

Gunther is not crazy about Mr. Gray along with his feelings about Leslie, although with Mr. Gray it might just be jealousy in that someone is coming between him and his mom, whom he does not necessarily approve of, while Leslie bullied Gunther in high school, and has not proven himself to be much improved since then. I don’t think Mr. Gray looks at it that way, he is sweet on Gunther’s mom, for good reason, and he knows that Leslie has a troubled background, but apparently not some of the things that Leslie has done since becoming a character in this strip, and maybe it’s partly a way to kind of humanize Leslie with people Mr. Gray has a high opinion of. That is my theory anyway, but how this turns out, and how it fits in with other arcs ought to be, to use a trite observation, very interesting.

Why do parents do stuff like this? Mommy Dearest, Gunther is a grown man and is perfectly capable of making his own friends and deciding who he wants to associate with. If he doesn’t want to associate with a guy who made his high school years a living hell, he has that right.

Maybe this is a set-up for getting Gunther to approve of Mr. Gray, after the man yanks Les’s leash a few times.

Gunther, go out to eat.

Gunther better get out and dust off his old backpack.

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Actually, now would be a good time for Gunther to exercise his freedom of association. Since his mother is in control of her home, and he is not, like Pointspread said above, it is a good time for him to go out and eat. Or, drop in on Tiffany or Bernice and pester them for a while. Or both of them. Maybe Piro will will show up to make a foursome and they can play Bridge. Or nude Twister®.

Mrs. Burger is way too cheerful. She’d bring cookies to General Custer.

Lady, you better hide your valuables!

Wow… Just think…. He left Rosa to be there to “stop” Mr.  Gray… Now,  he left Rosa,  just to have Les in his mother’s house. 

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But….What’s the worst part of this night going to be?  On top of everything else, Ms. B. set the cooker for two degrees above the ideal Roast temperature. That thing will be unevenly cooked,  and he knows it.

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Yep…Gunther knows he’s in for a long night…

I can see Gunther echoing the words of the sportswear commercial:  “We must pro-tect this houuuse!”

“Pressure Cooker”

“Roasts Are Red, Violence Taboo”

“Bergers And A Shakeup”

“Forecast: Dry…. And Partly Crowdy”

“Guess Who Else Is Coming To Dinner?”

“Gentlemen! Take Off Your Coats… And Your Evil Ways”

“Meat And Greet”

“I Never Would Have Guest!”

or

“House Of The Uprising Son” (♬)

Leslie is the one who stole the TV from the dorm. That’s my prediction. How else would he have the money for that expensive meal for five after shedding so much money on Pru’s gift?

Gunth could have been a little more articulate about his objections to Les.

This story got awful convoluted quick. Gonna be interesting to see how it turns out.

“So, Leslie, (more salad, dear?), you seem like such a nice young man. If you have a lady-friend that we are leaving out of this little get-together, please feel free to include her next time.”

I suspect Les is about to learn the truth about Pru’s sexual orientation!

I hope Gunther tells Leslie that Pru is a lesbian so the fool will realize he is wasting his time and stolen money on a lost cause. As it is, I can’t believe Pru doesn’t realize Leslie don’t know she’s lesbian and has designs on her. He can’t be the first guy to put the moves on her, not knowing her true orientation.

Questions!! Questions!! Is this the great epiphanal transformation of the Leslie Knox character? Can momma Berger’s love turn Leslie into a Gunther? Why doesn’t momma Berger see much of Quill anymore? Will Leslie ever find love in this tooniverse? Will Mr. Gray slap some sense into Leslie? Where is the TV? Will Bernice Halper and Tiffany Farrell reconcile? Why is Greg Evans juggling so many story threads? Toon in tomorrow and (apparently) forever!!!

PLEASE, Gaw! Please DON’T let this be the Storyline where a Clueless Ma Berger allows a Vengeful Les to Move into Gunther’s room, now that Pretty Boy is Gone!

I’m reminded of the line from Time Bandits: “it’s pure evil!”

Stay tuned for another episode of Leslie’s (less than) Enchanted Evenings!

And he’ll be in such a good mood after his romantic dinner plans with Pru went into the dumpster!

Why do so many posters here assume that Gunther knows that Prudence is a lesbian? I don’t remember anyone saying that to Gunther.

“Not in my house”? Hey, a maggot is a maggot no matter where you put it!

Maybe the mom will Knox some sense into Les?

re how Les pays for things: He has a steady paycheck AND steal on the side.

Gunther is an adult, he can leave before Les gets there. He can suddenly recall other plans he has that evening. He does not have to spend time around his Mom’s friends if he would rather not. He can choose his own friends to spend time with.

It is pretty childish of Gunther to still behave this way towards Mr. Gray. Gray has always been polite and thoughtful to most people, just not Les. And surely Mr. Gray would have told Gunther’s mom a little more about what kind of person Les really is. I hope nothing shows up missing at the Berger household this evening.

undoubtedly there will be rousing dinner conversation.

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not!

@LOCAKE: It’s true that Gunther could decide to go elsewhere for dinner, but considering his reaction to his mother’s cooking of a pot roast, I have the feeling that he will put up with unwelcome company just so he can eat a meal he obviously really likes. Priorities, you know…

@DAVIDHUIEGREEN: Nobody has that much stuff…

Maybe Gunter will cue him into the fact that Prudence is a lesbian. That would really make for an exciting story line in a strip that needs one.

I felt the same way every time the in-laws came over for dinner. Make a stand, Gunther, call up Tiffany and ask her out.

@AIRMAN: But he doesn’t want Tiffany. He thinks she’s too dumb for him. He wants Bernice, and each time he asks her out, it ends up being a discussion about Piro…

I thought Gunther was old enough to be in college?

Gunther lives with his mom and still has to do some of what his mom asks/tells him to do, like be cordial to her guests.

no the opposite of “evil” is “live” spelled backwards

Well Gunther… maybe you are busy tonight after all… like “OOPS, I have a big assignment due tomorrow, I need to go to the library… see you later…”. Then he can come home and munch on the leftovers. Leftovers can sometimes be better than the meal itself.

Mrs. Berger is such an optimist!

Maybe her “special pot roast” has special powers to soothe the savage breast?

7

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Hmm. This could be very interesting. I am wondering if Gunther is aware that Pru is homosexual? I cannot recall much interaction between Gunther and Pru, but it is a potential that he in some unseen interaction, learned of Pru’s orientation.

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If Uncle “Mr. Gray” happens to mention that his nephew Les is helping out with the children’s theater “gig”, then perhaps Les will somehow allude to his interest in Pru romantically. I could imagine Gunther (if he is aware of Pru’s orientation) informing (and perhaps with just a bit of relish due to the respective past history of Gunther and Les) Les that he is not going to succeed in winning Pru’s romantic heart.

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If Gunther were to do that, I could see a scenerio where Les may blow up in anger and the situation could turn rather bad for everyone. This would include perhaps Gunther getting angry and surly again as well, towards Les, Gray, and perhaps even his Mom again.

@PIPE TOBACCO: Several other posters today have suggested that Gunther will be the person who tells Les about Prudence, and I keep asking the same question: how would Gunther even know? Gunther is, to be honest, very involved in his own problems (some of them self-created). He seems to be single-mindedly pursuing Bernice because she fits an image he has in his head of the type of woman who he’s supposed to marry (intellectual) and ignoring his own attraction to Tiffany because he thinks she’s too dumb for him. With all that going on in his head, along with his badly concealed jealousy of Mr. Gray, I’m not sure he would have paid much attention to anything else. And we have not seen any instance of Gunther spending a lot of time talking to Prudence, talking to or listening to anyone else talking to Prudence or even asking Quill about her. So, while it may be the intention of our cartoonists to use this dinner as the ‘big reveal’ to Les, I am still puzzled about how Gunther would even know…

Les won’t dare to be evil in Gunther’s mom’s house, especially with Mr. Gray there. Maybe all this niceness will get to Les the Creep and he will change his ways (or run off and never be seen again.)

Just to be safe Gunth, hide your valuables.

Quill and Gunther have been roommates for some time. I believe that Quill is aware of Pru’s preferences. Perhaps he mentioned it to Gunther when he (Quill) and Luann broke up.

I still think Ox will be the one to break the news to Les.

This domestic thing comes in the shadow of the free spirits, Knute and Crystal. Can you ever imagine either one of them being backed into such a corner?

Just what Gunther needs… another reason not to be fond of Mr. Gray.