Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for May 29, 2021

well, the lady talk went rather smoothly

I’d rather see Jack and Nil’s conversation

I have to wonder if Ben went this loco when he got married.

You go, Nancy!

Drat. I wanted Nil on the phone or at the door.

No resolution. No hint of resolution. No conflict because there is no resolution. No prospect of continuation towards a resolution.

How revolting.

Hmm.

Sooo, by that same token, an exclamation point is just a question mark that has been “aroused.”

Got it.

Now that’s settled, let’s go organize a search party to find Crystal. ;)

She has to get a life, that’s what. Nil likes her. Jack doesn’t have a clue about her infatuation.

Bernice apparently never heard that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. But here’s the kicker – sometimes kissing those frogs can be fun.

Frank is the lucky one because he left the kitchen.

Nancy, I really appreciate your kindness…

Nancy the voice of reason.

Well that DE-escalated quickly! Too pat.

Nancy, you tried your best. Now it’s up to B to try to get back to reality…

Wise words indeed, Nancy.

Nancy, YOU should be the counselor not Bernice. Bernice is a neurotic mess, she’s WAY over-thinking and over-reacting to a simple kiss. She’s spent too much time around Luann.

Considering she never cared much about Nil before the date….why does she care so much about his feelings now? Her delusional comments to Nancy prove she now cares about Nil more than she thought she would. Surprised herself, I guess.

Twisted?

Geez, even abstinence-touting Nancy thinks it’s not sinful to kiss that dork. Now could Bernice maybe not bring it up again next week? Because I don’t trust this strip to tackle the issue of mental illness properly.

Bernice. You got to give a little, if you want to “get a little.”

In the last panel, if you look closely, Bernice’s head looks like her wig is slipping back.

Nice, Nancy! A twisted way to define the question mark to justify the exclamation mark. In other words, Bernice, you need to live a little more. Get your nose out of the books and look around sometimes.

And a small “j” is just an exclamation point that has been twisted around to judge you.

It has struck me that Bernice is freaking out over this kiss because she has very little experience in doing so.

Twisted and tortured… just like this comic…

We will probably have Shannon all next week. It’s still too early to resolve the Gnuther-Bets crisis, Tiffany? Another go at her Table For Two? Seems unlikely. Who else is going to throw out that kind of money she needs to a stage an event. Leslie never does anything. GmK hate Luann, Knute and Crystal. The only place to pivot to his the over-used Shannon.

Nancy, it may have been more helpful to say, “A question mark becomes an exclamation point as soon as you straighten it out.”

…and a colon is just the lower third of an exclamation point. But let’s not go there.

Nancy is so wise and sweet. She was able to calm Bernice by talking to her a bit. Let’s hope Bernice can now face Nil and talk to him. They really need to chat.

She’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t start missing some periods.

‽

Is the Riddler going to show up? That could make this more interesting.

drama queen

I feel like her real problem is that she didn’t want to like Nil and that she’s not sure she wants to have led him on with no interest. Especially when it might ruin her chances with Jack, bro code and all. Secretly she’s also worried that her feelings for nil have changed.

A question mark is just an exclamation point with a curve in the road. Just because you don’t know what’s around the corner doesn’t mean it can’t be exciting.

“Puffed Grass. Eat Puffed Grass. Chock full of vitamins and chlorophyll, too….”

Cue the dumb live action dinosaur for Sunday…

“Looks like we’re gonna need another Shannon.”

That’s a nice way to think of it haha

“Listen to me, Bernice, you’re a tedious, stupid person.”

While Nancy has performed admirably i would say ‘twisted’ is probably not the best choice of words. she could have said that a question mark is just more ‘curvy’. ‘Twisted’ has connotations (e.g. being deranged) that Bern understands all too well but which Nancy probbly didn’t mean to imply (or did she?) .

Why hasn’t Nil called, even a very shy guy would react to Bernices kiss. I hope Nil doesn’t need Jack to ask for a second date.

Stop beating yourself up. It’s okay.

Bernice needs to spend a couple of weeks over on 9 chickweed lane.

Annnd -here’s where this storyline fizzles out.

I’d say it was time for ol’ St. Pillsbury to take charge but Bern would no doubt melt in the good saint’s arms, being reduced to a mere puddle on the floor.

Luann was so rude to set this whole thing up. It seems like she delights in making her “friend” miserable. Anyone who would set a friend up on a date with a knuckle dragging oddball, knowing full well they were in love with someone else, is just mean and hard hearted. It’s like “Hey friend, I know you really like Jack, but be serious, you need to settle for Nil”. A nice dose of Insult and Disaster…with Luann in the middle of it – as usual.

What is really twisted….is Bernice!

So many questions: Did she enjoy it? Did Nil enjoy it? Do either of them want to do it again? Do they want to see where this experience takes them? Etc., Etc., etc.

Can we just appreciate how wise and sensible Nancy has been this week? (Of course with Brad and Luann she’s had plenty of practice.)

Questions seek answers.

Exclamation marks shout out answers.

I just want to see Nil’s next painting.

I think Nancy is doing it all wrong – she needs to tell Bern about her crazy hippie days and that should reset Bern’s current freak out.

Also where was Bern raised? Gilead?

Enough of this. I’m welcoming the Sunday toon for a change.

Since the Tara episode, this whole strip has been pretty twisted.

Surely they can’t leave this hanging come Monday! Can they???

And stop calling the Shirley!

And a colon is just two dots, like your eyes, Bernice. This story arc is causing severe distress in my own colon, however. Thank God it’s Sunday tomorrow and this’ll be over.

Okay, this one is just confusing to me. I feel a lot like Bernice at the end.

I have some sage advice for her: You have to let the stew simmer. Give it some time to take effect.

This is just dribble! A poor attempt at best. The whole week has just been a downer.Where are the strong independent women that I love from this strip? Pru was awesome! I love Tara! Toni, Rosa! Those women were smart, interesting!An alluring sense adventure and excitement with those gals!They seem to be in touch with their sexually. And I far prefer that to this lame sophomore candy crap!

Was it the act or was it because it was with the wrong guy? Tells us more about you Bernice….

Or maybe an exclamation point is just a horny question mark.

I wonder what Nil’ is thinknig about the kiss … or will it be the next inspiration for his art, Into the Unknown, with localized drawings of a whisp of hair, one closed eye, a detailed large lower ear and a few single teeth?

I like Nancy’s explanation, but it’s not helping Bernice understand what she does or doesn’t feel for Nil, why she kissed him or what to do next. Somehow I think either Frank or Luann would cut through all this. ;-)

As someone noted above, the Riddler should show up. He would be properly dressed for the occasion. This arc has been a string of unanswered questions. Nancy’s words are a fitting end to it (if this is indeed the end).

Bernice doesn’t care about Nil. She cares about herself and how she is perceived by others.

Again, I have to wonder why it’s okay for some posters to bring up politics, but if I talk about history repeating itself, I get stomped into the pavement by the cloven hooves of posters with screen names that start with the first letter in the nasty word ‘t@&ll’. Oh, well, just another example of double standards of button pushers, I guess…

I french kissed him! I never thought I was that kind of girl! Meanwhile Nil tells Jack…

OK Nancy! Where’s the practical advice AND modeled behavior you’re talking about?

7

Well, a nice but still rather ambiguous ending to the week…. but truth-be-told, that would be expected.

I do like Nancy’s metaphor to Bernice today. “A question mark is just a twisted exclamation point.” suggests to me the idea that with the question mark being a mark of “uncertainty” and the exclamation point being a mark of “excitement” that what Nancy is trying to impress upon Bernice here is that Bernice’s uncertainty over the situation with Nil is in effect, just an aspect of the excitement she is feeling about this potential relationship.

To me, this is an excellent remark by Mrs. DeGroot…. and I suspect that even though Bernice may not be quite seeing the metaphor at the moment…. with a bit of time to process the idea and to also further process her own emotions…. Bernice will see the wisdom in the words from Mrs. DeGroot.

Today feels to me that it is likely the temporary stopping point for this arc and I predict we will see a different mix of the crew come Monday. I do hope that Greg does not wait TOO long however, before revisiting and further expanding upon Bernice and Nil’s budding friendship/relationship.

This confirms what I’ve always heard about psychologists: They’re crazier than their patients.

Bet there’s a story behind that remark!

Sorry, Zane was the name of the guy she was involved with when she was 16. But REGARDLESS OF THE NAME, she had a relationship with Zane for quite a while, which included kissing, wanted to marry him, but now reacts completely differently, like she’s never kissed anyone before!

Late comment: I will let these panels speak for themselves. I await hopefully for Bernice, who really needs to catch a break. I think Nil and Bernice might amount to something.

Doesn’t Bernice want to be a therapist and help people? I believe it will be an epic fail. She has the emotional range of a cake pan.

R.I.P. Gavin MacLeod, Capt. Steubing from “The Love Boat” and Murray from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

I suppose we’ll never get Bernice’s explanation as to why she’s dressed like a villain from Star Trek.

This storyline is kind of silly. It might have been cute in the 1950s, but today’s college-age kids aren’t like this.

I just can’t believe any guy is interested in Bernice. Who needs her drama and insecurities? That she wants to become a therapist really shows she is not in tune with herself. How will she help anyone when she creates a crisis in everything?

another R.I.P. : B.J. Thomas, singer of “Raindrops keep fallin on my head” fame. ( Tho I think “This time the girl is gonna stay” was a better tune.)

Right-o, Nancy: Twisted Freakazoid Bernice!

Learn to deal with it, Bernie!

Cue the music:

She’s an uptight girl,..

Bernice has never said she doesn’t like Nil….