Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 23, 2020

Um, I think you’re missing the big picture here, Tom!

Tom is getting more and more confused by the minute. His daughter dusting and his fiancée having a surprise ultrasound? How suspicious.

Tom, not the big point here!

Wait. …….. You were dusting? Yes, Dad I am the new housekeeper!!

Oh oh, GnK’s inserted a sharp turn in the road here.

I can’t tell where this is going. Will Tom react to Tiffany’s dusting in such a way that he will tell off Ann for making Tiffany work like a domestic? Or will Tom react to Tiffany’s dusting as another surprise that his daughter is maturing and is no longer acting like the spoiled brat she has been for all her life? Or will Tom react to Tiffany’s dusting as a way to divert the conversation away from talking about the ultra-sound?

Tiffany, let the Dam break!!

The clothes… the clothes!

I think Tom’s shirt is Brooks Brothers. It’s not Lacoste unless crocodiles have mutated.

If you think that’s bad just wait until you find all your clothes in the back yard Annie. : )

Please let Tom have had a vasectomy.

For some reason Ann looks really caught off-guard, like the jig is up on her intricate plan for trapping Tom.

Yes Dad, I was cleaning out all the grime and trash. That’s why Anne’s stuff is out in the yard.

I’m waiting for the “Ding-Dong!” of the door bell as Les, Mr. Gray, Irma and Gunther all arrive to greet their new family.

The possibilities are endless!

Good answer from Tiff. Now she should follow up with: “Yes, dad, Ann gave me this whole list of chores I was expected to do while you two were away….” then show him the list (which hopefully she kept) to back up her statement.

Tom shifted gears from the Ultrasound to Tiffany doing household chores? Maybe he doesn’t want to discuss it in front of Tiffany.Also, is he going to tell Tiffany the good news?

Huh. He sure seems excited about having another child…to ignore. This is such weird writing. Is Tom from another planet, and he still hasn’t figured out how humans behave? Perhaps he’s an android?

Tom might look like Howard Stark, but he definitely can’t think like him.

Oh please let this be the start of Tom clueing in

I think some of us are missing the point here, not old Tom Starting from the punch line, “Wait, you were dusting” it’s hilarious given that he has learned about the ultrasound, and Ann has told him there is a surprise (she sure don’t look as pregnant as that ultrasound would indicate) but he is apparently surprised more that Tiffany was dusting. Makes no sense, although it is a classic GnK misdirection. He might be wondering why she had to dust given he has housekeepers; oh wait, Ann fired all of them, other than the cook basically. That may be a surprise too. Are they married or engaged? The most pregnant thing here, for sure, is the plot.

OK – The fan is floor level – and rotating about 100 MPH. On a conveyer belt – heading toward the fan – a large mass from the pasture….

Ah. Tom is catching on…Why was Tiffany dusting? He didn’t know Ann gave her a list of chores the house staff was supposed to do. I am thinking Tom is fuzzy on what an ultrasound is. He probably was not that involved with Tiffany’s mother’s pregnancy and probably never saw one, less the name of it. For the moment, he is more interested in Tiffany and dusting. Let’s see if he steps in and demands an explanation why she was dusting…

“YOU were dusting baby girl?” As Gomer Pyle used to say “SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!”

I think Tom has not yet connected “ultrasound” to a pregnancy yet. He might not be much involved with his wife’s pregnancy with Tiffany. He might be those wealthy business who lived in their offices more than at home. He might not be familiar with pregnancy terminology and showed up in the maternity ward after the birth for a “visit” or had his chauffeur drive his wife and baby home where he glanced a bundle in his wife’s arms or in a bassinet. It was not until his wife left or died that he stepped in and raised Tiffany.

Deus ex machina

So there IS a surprise after all.

From Ann’s reaction in panel two, it looks like those of us who thought the ultrasound was of TIffany in utero were off the mark. And while I’m admitting to going out on unsound limbs, I’ve noticed that my prediction about Nancy mentioning the vacant room this week is also looking pretty shaky. I never expected that G & K would stay on the same arc but jump this far ahead in time. Oh, well.

I wonder if she’s going to say it’s Tiffany’s ultrasound and she was going to have it framed for Tom as a surprise

If the Ultrasound belongs to Ann, she probably using a surrogate to carry the baby for her.

I know the ultrasound is a sham, but while Tiff was dusting the house, Tom was dusting Evil Annie. Looks like he’s been dusting her for some time…

It is still by no means clear that the mysterious ultrasound is of Ann Eiffel and her pregnancy. Further information is required to settle that issue—and it should be forthcoming if Tom Farrell follows through, which he should do now that the storyline has him doing a face-turn.

And we all were led to believe that Howard Hughes had died as a strange old recluse, when in fact his secret medical research lab had discovered a “fountain of youth” drug, which he naturally tested on himself. Then he changed his name and hid in the nowhere town of Pitts, California….

Does this mean that Tom thinks Tiff was snooping?

SUCCESS!! It was indeed a surprise.

SO many things to clear up. So little time before we all burst a blood vessel in the temple!

The house had better be dust-free, then.

That’s the takeaway? “You were dusting?”

As a guy I can say that I have lost site of big picture from time to time.

I’m actually happy with Tom’s reaction. Maybe now Tiffany will be able to tell him everything. It could be that he doesn’t know how hard Tiffany struggled to stay in school and how she had to sell all her furniture and move to a two person dorm room. And maybe Tom will be proud of how much Tiffany has grown as a person. And hopefully Tom will turn on Ann and ask how she could possibly be pregnant since he had the snip snip operation years ago. Stay tuned, Same Bat channel, Same Bat time!

Tom’s not totally stupid, he knows a lie when he hears it….Tiffany “dusting” that is.

me thinks his eyes are being opened…to MANY things!

Then it turns out he’s not the father.

Hahaha, it’s amply clear Ann simply hates to have the spotlight moved away from her! Keep at it, Tiff!

Ann did tell her to clean

The whole thing is weird. EVEN if Ann IS pregnant and this was to be a surprise for Tom, she just had a golden opportunity to tell him….during this romantic (?) vacation. And this begs the question….why would the ultrasound image be taped to the back of a framed photo? That looks more like “storage” than “hidden”. Just not the way a woman would play this out. She might tuck the photo in her underwear drawer, but not tape it on the back of a photograph displayed in the bedroom. Nah, something mighty fishy is afoot. Someone above said this, and I love the idea….waiting for Tom to tell Ann he’s had a vasectomy!

The power of deflection cannot be denied. Turn the tables to reverse the attention and retain privacy. He is an attorney after all…but…."It was suppose to be a surprise? Yikes, like that’s for real then…(oh man, shiver me timbers, tell me it ain’t so….)

Oh for the love of God, this has to be the dumbest comic ever written. For that idiot to take away his daughter was "dusting " after hearing about a sonogram is bs on every level and again shows how little regard her father has for her and the possibility of another kid.

Careful, a thunderbolt is about to strike.

So I believe that we’ve lost the option of Ann being Tiffany’s secret mother, am I right?

That was probably the most housework Tiffany has done in 35 years!

‘Dusting’ got you ‘busted’!

Tom doesn’t seem to have good reflexes with understanding what is going on around him. I was sure it was an essential requirement for being a billionaire. The pregnancy was supposed to be a surprise… so, if it’s true as i hope, kudos to Ann for not using it as an excuse to force Tom to marry her. It’s true love ♡.

Do not change the subject, Tom! We are discussing your impending second fatherhood.

Tom is will find out that Ann made Tiffany clean while they were gone and may wonder why Ann left the help go while they were gone

Is he that stupid?

The next line from tiffany should be “I told les, he’s thrilled.”

“Who’s les?”

“Ann’s grown son, didn’t she tell you?”

Is the penny about to drop?

of course you must open envelopes when dusting!

It has come to me that Tif is at a ‘fork in the road’. If she goes one way she will end up being another Anne Eiffel. Her past behavior is on track with Anne’s. Or she can ‘grow up’ as exampled in her conversation with Les. Show your Dad that you have grown and are ready to become an adult, Tiffany.

Wait til we get to the part about throwing all of Ann’s clothes out the window.

dad is Howard Stark?!

‘… supposed to be a surprise…’ well that it is, amongst other things. But we know this. When Ann gets boxed in (in Tom’s presence) she will burst into tears and make herself look sad and vulnerable. There’s nothing like a sad weeping pregnant woman to elicit Tom’s sympathies. No doubt she initially presented herself to him as the poor and beautiful waif. Remember when she was cornered over the lingerie sales and she went to Tom crying about how Tiffany was being so mean to her.

oh oh, I think Daddy’o is finally catching up on Ann’s antics.

What an exhausting storyline. I try not to complain about where strips go, but this one lost its fun factor a long time ago.

Tom “the attorney” ….asking 4 questions in 3 panels. Sounds about right. Think he did a background check on Ann before dating her?

After the shock of Tiffany dusting wears off Tom informs them both that he knows he can’t father any more children after Tiffany was born. He had a serious case of measles when she was young.

Busted!

This can go either way—(1) “Why Annie, this is just WONDERFUL news! And I love it that you’ve convinced Tiffany to become a more responsible person!!” -or-(2) “Annie, we spent time together & you somehow didn’t mention anything about a pregnancy? We agreed you were taking steps so that that couldn’t happen!! And why would you set it up (without MY approval!) to have my beautiful Princess doing household chores when there is a staff for that!”

TIFFY WORKING ? now that is a surprise .

She is not showing nearly enough to have a pregnancy as advanced as the ultrasound we saw would indicate.

Tom got two surprises today. Careful, don’t want him to have a heart attack.

How’d he get so rich being so dim?

Love Dad’s expressive eyebrows! This is like deciding if a crossword choice is a noun or verb. Is his emphasis on YOU or on DUSTING? Big difference! Surprised Tiff was doing housework or surprised there isn’t a housekeeper doing it? He’d be really dense if he wasn’t aware there was no staff. Ann is annoyed, so that is good, means she has some ‘splaining to do. Come on Tiff, don’t back down now! Keep the facts flowing! Great time for “almost” step-brother” Les’s to enter! Geez, I hope Tiff doesn’t back down or get trounced on again.

“You were dusting?!?” Okay, I’ve NEVER laughed THAT hard at a Luann strip before.

Who else thinks “Dad” is shooting blanks?

Well, Tiffany, just who is scamming whom now? 8^ )

Maybe continuing this storyline now isn’t so bad . . .

Focus, Tom—bigger issues here!

Based on Ann’s reaction in the second panel it seems the pregnancy is real and not a scam.

It came to me late yesterday that the fact that we are now seeing Daddy Tom’s face portends an arc wherein we will be seeing it much more often!

Apparently Tom’s been promoted in the pantheon of characters list.

It was supposed to be a surprise, so she put it in an envelope and taped it to the back of a photo on the dresser? Why didn’t she put it in her purse or a dresser drawer or somewhere more private and less weird?

If Tom Farrell were smart – and the jury is still out on that – he would have gotten a vasectomy years ago. As a man of means, he is a target for a schemer who thinks of him as a meal ticket. And what better way to get at his resources than to feign a romantic relationship then get pregnant? Better, add a child into the mix and at least 18-years of child support.

Actually, he’s not. I think he wasn’t aware of Ann’s demands on Tiff.

PLEASE let Tom be the one who finally exposes Ann Eiffel!

7

Although there are several interpretations possible, here are my original thoughts:

1. Hah! The “Wait…. YOU were dusting?!?” comment read to me like a very typical “Dad Joke” sort of statement. I think it is the (almost close to) most “endearing” comment I have ever seen Tom state.

2. Ann states that the ultrasound was to be a “surprise”….. so, that still suggests to me very strongly that the pregnancy is real.

3. Tiffany was really “thinking on her feet” today…. using “dusting” as the reason for her looking (snooping) around, when it was really her being angry about the boxing of her room.

4. Unlike many, I personally think that Tom is fully cognizant of ultrasound comment from Tiffany…. and his rather mild reaction overall suggests to me that he may NOT be so SHOCKED that there is a pregnancy…. and that this further suggests to me that he and Ann may have also talked about a potential pregnancy in the past. So… while it may be news to Tom that Ann is actually pregnant…. it may not be shocking, unsettling news to Tom….. it may be that he has been “on board” with having a pregnancy occur with the two of them.

….. Overall… I still really enjoy thinking of the “….YOU were dusting?!?” as a humorous “Dad Joke”.

Major news this week!!! Tom’s sterile and Tiff’s adopted. Ann lits out for parts unknown to avoid a police warrant. Reconciliation occurs. Father daughter mogul training begins! EUREKA!

I think the reformation of Tom Ferrell has been timed to occur On Father’s Day.

Retcon errors aside, of course…

Today’s evidence – it is clear:

One: Pregnancy is a real possibility; Tom is not surprised about that.

Two: Apparently, Tom is not aware of turning Tiffany into unpaid help.

As Mordy and others have pointed out, Tom unaware of Tiffany’s chores has to be either an error on Tiffany’s part for not speaking up before the trip or – in my eyes – having seen Tiffany dressed up as a maid, today’s episode is total retcon error.

Either way:

Three: Ann is pregnant and we need to get over it. And, more than likely, it is Tom’s baby; somehow, an arc about fake babies and snip-snip dads just doesn’t appear to be something that G&K would do. And how many of us would they lose if they did? I mean, if we wanted Chickweed Lane, then why the Sam Hill are we reading Luann?

Four: It is becoming apparent that Tom is not aware of what Ann has been doing to Tiffany. Again, this has to be a retcon error; I have no idea how someone could be that blind as to what is going on in his life. But, that is the story line G&K have given us, so I guess I have to get over it, too.

Most importantly: I remain convinced – and now I’m worried that G&K are going here – but:

Five: Tiffany getting back into daddy’s good graces is the worst possible outcome of this arc. Tom and his money have never been Tiffany’s friends.

Last, and certainly least:

I really, really, really regret that G&K have chosen, now of all times, to reveal Tom’s face. The way his character has been developed all these years, Tom really doesn’t deserve to have a face.

The back of his head was just fine with me.

Okay, and one more: Ann’s tile, below, remains the most prominent of all the tiles on this page. I would guess that Ann Eiffel is the new star of this strip.

Maybe G&K could rename it:

LITTLE ORPHAN MAKER ANNIE

DUCKS!

Check out the June 4th 2019 Strip, if you’re so inclined. Tom tells Tiffany that “the money is tight” and he “cannot afford her private room anymore.”

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2019/06/04

So. Either Tom really DID have money “money troubles.” Or the big dope let Ann control 100% of his finances.

Anyway, at the rate they are spending, they seem to be out of the doghouse money-wise.

So WHY is Tiffany STILL being forced to pinch pennies???

Tiff will now produce the written (on paper!) itemized list of chores.

The twist here is that Ann is having the baby with TJ, and both of them are in on conning Tom out of his money.

“You were dusting?” as in, “You can actually do things like that?”, or, “You were dusting?” as in, “Where was the housekeeper?” (that Ann apparently fired on June 4)

how is Tom going to react to his girlfriend basically forcing her to work as a free maid while they were on vacation?

Look at Ann in panel 1. Look that the ultrasound here. https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2020/06/13 Do you really think that ultrasound is of Ann? Either there’s a plot fail, or Tiff is going to be busted for jumping to a wrong conclusion. As are many of you.

I was just over at ArcaMax. All the disqus comments are totally gone. There is just a FP plug in there now.

A Luann milestone: Somebody not married “did it.” Maybe some other characters might get more interesting.

Tom Selleck is Tiffany’s dad?

Obviously he knew nothing about the chore list.

If all the posters who used to use disqus at ArcaMax come here to comment, we’ll have double the number of comments here from now on…

Oh brother….I suppose this means this crap is going to go on forever. Just get it over with, would ya? Ditch Ann Awful into the dust bin where she belongs, and let’s get back to Luann. Or Brad and Toni. Or even Gunther and (shudder) Bets. I’m pretty sick of this whole thing.

Ann, you’re preg…squirrel!

I think Tom is starting to see the big picture.

PREDICTION: That big rock on Ann’s finger will be her consolation prize.

Why is Ann more concerned about Tiff dusting then the ultrasound?

Could be just me, but it appears to me Ann has BUSTED written all over her face. If she’s really pregnant, why wouldn’t she tell Tom on their romantic trip, especially considering they got engaged? Something’s not adding up here.

It’s a trap!

I would counter the comment that Ann Eiffel should be disposed of as a character because she is awful and evil, the implication being that characters are either all good or all bad. I am not bothered by her. People (in the real world) are more nuanced. I am thoroughly enjoying this arc, the fact that we are actually meeting Tom and that Tiff is at a constant cross-road in her growth and development.

Ann will never leave this comic strip. Look at all the comments when she appears. Even if Tom dumps her —-we still have her son Les and brother Mr Gray and sister-in-law Irma.

Surprises….. we got married!

Open your eyes, Tom. Your attractive daughter shouldn’t be Ann’s housekeeper, or waiting on tables hoping for good tips. She belongs in your law firm, working her way up to office manager.

Well, would you look at this…? For the first time ever, Tom is more focused on what Tiffany has to say instead of Ann.

Maybe now, Tom will want to make time to really get to know the daughter he’s been ignoring all this time, the daughter who’s been growing up without him.

And if Ann wants to keep that ring on her finger, she will not interrupt… But, chances are, she will.

Pre-nup man….

I comment so seldom, but I read Luann every day. This is the first time in almost forever that I really, really am hating the current storyline. I like getting to finally see Tom and that we can see he loves his daughter. But ANN needs a reckoning.

Panel #1. Tiffany has the youth and the body to intimidate the skinny Spider Lady. Get a deeper neckline, tighter top, and lose the hairspray. Come on folks, Audrey Hepburn has already done The Nun’s Story, it’s time for a touch of Lolita or Suzie Wong.

Tiffany is well beyond Lolita time…

Ann does it again (nearly 600 comments). But of course Tiffany shares the lead in this episode.

Tom knows that Tiffany has an aversion to housecleaning, it’s why he’s so shocked that she did any dusting. Why would Tom be so shocked that Ann could be pregnant? I’m sure they have a sexual relationship and i HIGHLY doubt Ann is on BC or making Tom wear a rubber.

But IF Tom had a vasectomy, it depends on how much time between the procedure and having sex with Ann. That’s a LOT like a handgun; you can take the magazine out the mag well but you still have a round in the chamber.