Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 17, 2018

touché, Bernice

No one makes Tara do anything.

Why do I get the feeling Tara is going to Ace this exam?

Tara might have cheated. Tara might be a genius playing dumb. Tara may be dumb. This story-line could head in several directions.

For once I actually agree with what Bernice is saying.

Yes, Bernie – you certainly cannot tell people what to do. Unless they work for you.

It’s funny that tons of people are all over Tara in the comments for being a mild maverick but largely give Bernice a pass as a supposed better influence.

Bernice likes to flex the power that comes with a psychiatric degree despite only currently having part of the knowledge. Not saying there’s no value to leadership around your age group or that seniority trumps it, but she forgets that she’s Luann’s friend and peer when she gets like this.

A student has a lot of delusion and nerve to cloak their pushy, partially-informed advice as “counseling.”

IMO, Bernice asserting herself as a beacon of guidance could pose WAY more of an issue to Luann than Tara being a slack. Luann understands Tara’s shortcomings and can be around her and watch out for them. But it’s harder to pinpoint when Bernice is being insightful, and when she’s playing therapist. There’s more potential damage there than simply flunking a test.

Correction, Bernice. There’s nothing wrong with telling people what they should do. It’s telling them what they must do that’s a no-no.

Hmm. “Typical Bernice.” But Is Bernice saying all that because she’s right? Or is Bernice saying that because Tara has taken “HER” place in Luann’s life as the new “BFF,” And she’s just a weeeeeee bit jealous?

Remember:

1) Bernice has never trusted Tara since her expulsion from Mooney for theft.

2) Bernice refused to accompany Luann and Dez to Ann’s Lingerie Rip-off. And maybe it wasn’t because of where they were going. Maybe it was because Tara went with them.

And yeah, I still think Tara passed that test. The And that Lu, Jack and perhaps Bern are spend the foreseeable future, wondering how the H3LL she DID it…..,

Bernice is right in what she saying plus she has a not so good history with Tara.

Well, you were all wrong. Greg did continue the story line after all.

Maybe Tara studied Jack’s notes and will do well in the test after all. Why she would choose to hide that from Lu and Jack is an entirely different matter, though.

She’ll blow it unless she stole the answers.

As for Bernice: You can tell someone what to do, but they don’t have to do it.If I told her to go to H***, do you think she’d pack for the trip? Nope. :)

And just how do you “make” someone study?

does she “know” the prof?

Running other people’s lives is best left to the pros!

Except that what Bernice said is factually correct. You can’t make someone. Bernice is saying what she thinks you should do. Luann said she was sorry she didn’t “make her study.”

Kafe Kablooey is still using plastic straws! What about the turtles, man? The turtles!

Five cents, please…

Good one Jrankin. “stupid looks are still free” I hope!sorry Lu, but this time I agree with Borenice. I only hope Tara didn’t try anything funny with Jack’s notes.

You CAN lead a horse to water,but you CAN’T make it drink.

I suppose I was half-right: the arc is still kind of continuing, but it didn’t pick up from the “apology pizza” thing.

You know, for a strip that’s supposedly focused on character interaction, they sure do hate to portray any actual confrontation. Like so many other things in this strip, it gets skipped over and then referenced later. Someone really needs to introduce Evans to the concept of “show, don’t tell.”

Telling people what to do is not counseling, Bernice. That is the flaw in your career plan. (Ironically, her advice is spot-on this time.)

Welcome back, Bernice. Haven’t seen you in a while.

5

I thought Bernice was especially wise today. Her advice about Tara was spot on, IMO. I also think that Bernice was using wry humor in the last panel with her “counseling” joke.

I also think Luann “feeling bad that she didn’t make Tara study” is really a bit foolish of Luann and is, IMO, a bit overstepping of boundaries. I cannot imagine Luann really meant she would have wanted to “make” Tara study, however. Luann probably should have instead said “… feeling bad that she could not convince Tara to study.” But, of course, that would have diminished the joke potential.

Where to this week? “Prognostications by Pipe” include:

1. The focus will continue on discussion of Tara. 7 out of 10. My personal preference would be for the arc to shift away from Tara now, however.

2. The focus will shift to Luann and Bernice talking about boys. 3 out of 10. This would be an interesting move if both Luann talks about Jack and if Bernice were to talk about someone she is interested in (I would be in favor of Piro or Nil, but that is not likely.).

3. The focus will shift to Luann and Bernice talking about Tiffany 5 out of 10. This seems to be a new favorite for the two of them to talk about together, so I think it could happen. But, I would prefer Tara or boy discussion more than the two of them discussing Tiffany.

4. The focus will completely steer to Bernice. 1 out of 10. While I would find it very interesting to have Bernice be more focused upon… and I think she has not had her story featured in quite a while… I am tending to think Greg has been reverting her to more of a “limited” “side-kick” style character who is being used more as a sounding board of late. I find this sad though… for I would enjoy more development of her character.

Like your deductive prognostications Pipe. I think that your two points about it being some aim toward Tara are more likely. I am trying to remember where Bernie even knew or met Tara. Of course, as I know you know well, in college most of us had the out there friends, along with old ones. The trick is to keep up with all of them as you spread out in your lives after college.

5 cents, please.

Love to see Bernie again, and she is both a very accurate observer and adviser to her best friend, but also very sure that she is a counselor. Not yet Bernie, but I think you will make a very good one, although the best counselors combine what discipline stuff they learn in school, with actual life experience. She needs to do more life experience, but she is a kid, growing into a great young adult. Greg give her a SERIOUS love affair please. Her heart needs to both soar and break. Plus a little eye-crossing pleasure is not that bad a thing either (oops family strip I know, but I am with friends so it’s cool). I am dying to see how Tara did on the exam, and even more how she does as a developing character in the strip. Personally I think that as a new friend of Luann, the name character, we will see her more often, than say a Piro, for example. But keep in mind I have been campaigning for Delta to come back and fall for Pru, so maybe you should not pay me too much mind (lol).

What if Tara is one of those people who doesn’t have to study hours on end for a test and still ends up making a decent/good grade?

To be picky, Bernice didn’t tell Luann what she should do. She was just offering her opinion on an issue that Luann brought up. She was making broad comments about people in general. I don’t think Bernice has ever specifically told Luann what to do. Usually Luann brings up a subject and Bernice comments.

I don’t study with friends and I don’t really study either. I just review my notes and passed my tests, exams, quizzes decently, with a few 100%. My beef with Tara is she agreed to a group study and then ditched. If she doesn’t study with others or doesn’t need to, she should have said so.

“I order you to ignore all orders.”

The test results are key. If they are good, Tara is either a genius or she got the answers by doing sexual “favors” for someone else. If the results are bad, then there’s no story and the arc goes ker-plunk.

Bernice is still crazy jealous of the friendship between Tara and Luann.

Is it just me or is Bernice getting a tad cold and callous?

She is recommending to you what to do. She can’t make you do it.

Do As I Counsel, Not As I Do.

tomorrow: Ox asks if they’re ready to order yet !

The older Bernie gets, the older Bernie’s schtick gets. She has become Obnoxious #2, behind only Annie Awful, in this strip….

@Aladar30: I don’t see Bernice’s satisfaction (your word) at the idea that Tara might fail a test as an indication of Bernice being jealous of Luann’s friendship with Tara. I just see it as part of the way Bernice is; kind of ‘if you don’t do things the right way, it’s your fault if they don’t work out’. Back in high school, Luann was friends with Delta, not just Bernice, and Bernice didn’t get all jealous of that friendship. Besides, I still think Bernice considers Luann to be an inferior, so why would Bernice care who Luann ‘friends’?

What an amazingly long list of speculations. We should be ashamed of ourselves for wasting so much time on something so trivial. Me included most of all! (Unless somebody adds to this thread after me.)