Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 15, 2018

what a scatter brain Tara is

Welcome to the real world, Tara… where a pizza will not buy respect or forgiveness.

I’m glad they’re not letting her off the hook—and I hope they don’t cave in later.

She’s like the anti-Steven Universe today. ✨

She’s going to cheat on the next exam with them. Apology pizza won’t be enough after that happens, and when they see his name on the notes, jack may be looking for another college to go to. Along with Ms. Pizza.

I wonder if Tara’s seeing the same therapist as Pirot? I wonder if she keeps missing appointments?

One pizza in exchange for forgiveness. It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. They’ve already studied and really, what is Tara going to bring to it?

She’s trouble in blue jeans. Jack doesn’t seem to keen on her.

Like I said, who did she bribe to get the pizza, or did she trade the notes?

With her attitude, she should try bringing a pizza to the prof in exchange for a passing grade.

Not good. If you both haven’t learned no to count on her anymore, then you deserve what you get.

Okay, now what? Will this arc continue Monday? Meanwhile hilarity ensues. What does it all mean?

Mamas’ don’t let your babies grow up to be like Tara – Don’t let ‘em pick guitars or drive them old trucks – Let ’em be doctors and lawyers and such – Mamas’ don’t let your babies grow up to be Tara – ‘Cause they’ll never stay home and they’re always alone – Even with someone who tries to care

Leave the pizza and go away, Tara. But first go home and bring back the notes…then you can leave for good. Do not drag down two good people. You don’t deserve them. Luann was gullible enough to think you were the cool, confident, adventurous girl, but really, you are a fake and a flake.

Hope you’re ready for the story to move on without a satisfying conclusion, because next week likely won’t continue this thread. We’ll skip over the reaction to the Apology Pizza and instead get to watch more of Les and Gunther playing Odd Couple.

Jack is not having any of Tara attitude!!

Can we lose Tara please?

I’m beginning to dislike Tara

Poor Tara. I don’t think she’s being deliberately exhausting. it’s just the way she is….

Well, Tara, as you are, I’m hesitant to think just what your mind thought would be normal to put as toppings on that pizza. Perhaps the box is as empty as your promises…

How good is your apology Tara? Is it Combo or Pepperoni? ANSWER THE QUESTION TARA!!

I remember “Apology Girl” in "Breaking Bad.: (Kristin Ritter).

Maybe Tara is doing lots of nekked posing for the art class at the college, …. she seemed to be really into it when she first told Luann about it ….

She’d better not have lost his notes.

…covers her eyes and shakes her head….

A girl without freckles is like a night without stars in the sky.

Pizza covers a multitude of sins in my book! ;-)

She’s drawn a bit differently than she originally was. The lipstick is thicker. giving her a more clownish aspect. and I wonder if that’s intentional. Looking at the older strips, you get the feeling she’s a good influence on Luann, encouraging Luann to have a little fun. She also (9/9/2017) sets alerts for all her classes on her phone, and Luann remarks that she’s taking school seriously.

The notes, like the dorm TV, are at “the place where lost things go.”

Are Luann and Jack annoyed with Tara because she missed the study session, or, are they mad at ther because she interrupted what was going to be a “study session” between them.

Why be down on Tara? Luann and Jack finished studying. Sit down and enjoy the pizza. Tara is the only loser in this.

I wonder if she just realized she needs to start being accountable and that “Apology Pizza” just doesn’t cut it in most situations.

In the real world, this is strike #2…or is it #3? Time to dump this girl as a so-called “friend”.

First Jack doesn’t make a digital copy of his class notes to send to Tara, and then Tara doesn’t make a digital copy of them either to send back to him. Life is tough for college students in the mid-20th century, isn’t it?

They care about her. And they are disappointed in her. And what if Luann hadn’t had her backup notes? They’d all be up a creek because Tara took Jack’s notes and then just blew them off.

Methinks they are not impressed with the apology pizza..

♪♪ “We’ll KNOW that Tara’s On Her Waaaaaaay!” ♪♪

♪♪ “She’s bringing LOTS of Stolen Pizzas on Her Sleigh!” ♪♪

♪♪ “Though She’s Her Mother’s Child, We’re Gonna Spy!” ♪♪

♪♪ “To see at Test Time, She really Knows, How to Lie!” ♪♪

♪♪ “And So, I’m offering this simple phrase,” ♪♪

♪♪ “To Fans from 1 to 92,” ♪♪

♪♪ “Although, I’ve been WRONG, Many Times, Many Ways,” ♪♪

♪♪ “MERRY CHRISTMAS, to Yooooooooooou!!!!” ♪♪ (Cute little "Jingle Bell guitar riff at the end) – Nat King Cole

Since Tara didn’t attend any of the lectures, the only thing she could have contributed to the study session was bringing Jack his notes. Luann and Jack probably did a better job of studying without her, since they didn’t have to stop and explain everything to her that she missed in class.

Yes Tara probably hitched a ride w/ a pizza delivery guy, swiped a pizza out of his car. OR sold or lost Jack’s notes. And Mordock999 apologize to “King” and Mel Torme.

Not possible to judge Tara, yet. So far she has just been an airhead who blows in and out, has questionable friends, and no real impact on anything. Her most interesting quality is her willingness to pose nude, and she’s cute. She also muddles the relationship between Luann and Jack.

Looks like it might be safe to come back for a while. No Tiffany/gaslighting storyline. Whew.

bet she aces the test

The study session seems to have gone just fine with only Luann’s notes, which she had copied for Jack too (and bound each set in a folder labeled “study questions”), so Jack’s notes weren’t really needed. Of course, it’s still inexplicable why those weren’t copied the way that Luann’s were.

Tara, go get my notes. Now. Please and thank you. Just do it.

An apology pizza won’t help you pass the test, Tara dear. She better not have the gall to ask them to go over everything with her. And if she does, they need to tell her they’re done studying for the night. If she really wanted to do well on that test she would have been in class AND on time to study. The girl needs to grow up. Her behavior doesn’t wash in the real world.

We appear to be in some sort of reversion or transition of Tara’s persona in the strip. Or maybe it’s just an expansion of her characters range of behaviors. We know she’s an adrenaline junky, good time gal. She seems to be a food junky too. Remember that she want for snacks at the monster truck show.

You don’t suppose Greg is going off on another of his social commentary jags, do you? Opioid addiction is hot these days. Naaaahh!

Greg does like drama though. And according to Stephen Karpman, drama occurs when a character changes position on the Drama Triangle. She started as a Rescuer to Luann’s Victim – pushing Luann out of her too conservative, experience avoidance shell. Now she appears to be a assuming a Victim position, inviting Luann to Rescuer her from her character flaw (as Luann has done for Fay and Jack) OR a Persecutor in Jack for losing his notes – or both. We all know what a Persecutor is. According to Karpman, a Rescuer is a person who does something for someone that they are capable of doing for themselves without being asked to do it.

Tara effed up. Make her go home and get the notes and bring them back. Meanwhile Jack and Luann scarf the whole darn pizza. Or at least package it up to take home and eat later. Tara is sorely lacking in any sort of personal responsibility. This is a learning opportunity for Tara and a teaching moment for Jack and Luann. Or will Evans weasel out of it?

I still don’t know how many molecules are in Pizza!!!

I betcha Tara lost the notes, but probably downloaded them first. She is using the excuse of a pizza not as an apology, but the detract the attention from her “conveniently” losing the notes.

Saying you are sorry doesn’t mean anything if you intend to continue the bad behavior. I’ll bet Tara says Sorry a lot.

She sold them and kept the money (except for the Pizza).

Wonder if she sold them. . . .

Tara seems so ashamed. I hope she give them an explanation.

The pregnant elephant pause in Panel 2, and the looks from Jack and Luann in Panel 3, says it all! Even with a full pizza box, ‘Apologies’ can only go so far.

I have KNOWN folks like this, and I do really like Tara as a character. HOWEVER, it is coming to a reminder toward ‘pattern-breaking’ time for her, which may be next week’s story line…, Maybe?

I love seeing Luann find out that just people are fun and nice, and just because you’re friends with them, doesn’t mean they’re reliable.

Hot pizza forgives a multitude of sins; hot lady you forget what the sin was…

This can’t go on much longer before they figure out what I figured out: Starr is a pleasant friend but an irresponsible idiot who shouldn’t be in college in the first place. She needs military boot camp, not college.

Tara is now a girl you know. One that party hardy until shewas expelled with a heavy load of student loans to pay with her part time job that will only last a few weeks like the others. Arm length friend, not close.

Tara never goes Anywhere without an Apology Pizza.

She may not know Why she needs it, but she knows that she Will need it.

“I don’t know where you’ve gone this time

But if you don’t come back

You’re going to have to leave.”

― Kate McGahan

“A Sorry Excuse”

“Give Pizza Chance”

“Easy Cheesy”

“Now You’ve Crust The Line”

“Any Way You Slice It”

“The Domino’s Effect”

“The Circumference Of Pie”

“Forget Me Notes”

Not just the notes – she forgot the belly-button, too.

Maybe we won’t get an explanation – Tara simply does what she feels like at the moment (AKA “flaky”). That usually comes crashing down on you – more sooner than later. I learned to work around people like that – by not making extensive plans – and just having a little fun here and there. I hope Luann doesn’t end the friendship – an arc which would be too much like Sunday school.

Ok, she’s a ding bat… so far.

Maybe G & K are setting Tara up to be an item with Les. For a while – it seemed like she deserved better. Les bringing Tara to the bungalow might spark Gunther to change his near term plans – get a job – and his own place.

For once I am glad to be wrong. Jack and Luann do not look thrilled in the last panel. They don’t need Tara (likely they made more progress in her absence), but they would like to have Jack’s notes. We may not get to see the final outcome of this rendezvous but I am glad for the stern looks directed at Tara. If she loses a friend or two tonight then she brought that upon herself.

She’ll give some big sob story about how she just can’t help herself because of……………you fill in the blank.

I think she is on drugs.

I can’t get over the surprised looks on all three faces in the second frame. To me, it looks like Tara just totally forgot that she even got the notes from Jack, and both Luann and Jack, meanwhile, are startled by Tara’s expression (because they are finally recognizing, I guess, that Tara is really more interested in just having a fun time than in getting an education.) Someone objected the other day when I described Tara as a kid who really just sees college as a place to hang out with friends, but I still think it’s a good description of her…

I’m afraid Tara won’t reveal anything more until her next art class appearance. In the meantime the holidays are upon us. And, as I have said before, Tiffany is just like new Christmas presents………colorful and stacked.

Tara is a very confusing character. She has seemed a Free Spirit. She has seemed clever and worldly. Today, she seems like a ding-a-ling.

Pizza is good, but Tara gives me heartburn….

tomorrow: Gunther and Les dress up as elves! ( Les thought he said “Elvis” )

But…but…the apology pizza was made by Chef Luigi himself, Jack. Luigi make-a you the apology pizza. Why you have to not forgive-a the young lady, huh?

Time for Plan “B”. Fortunately for Tara, she doesn’t wear underwear.

That madcap Piro, for whatever reason, had a star shaved , or carved into the side of his head. Now Tara shows up wearing a shirt with a big star on it. Maybe she’s been spending time with him … maybe they’re kindred spirits, or partners in crime, or, or ……

What did she do with the notes?