Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for June 05, 2017

As long as Les is distracted by Tiff, these dinners should be more tolerable.

Oh, poor Gunther.

At least everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves.

Les is smiling because he knows Gunther hates these get togethers!!! LOL

I thought the story line was played out last week. This stuff is just beating a dead horse.

Things I noticed:

1.Les’ uncle knows a guy in Hollywood. That makes sense. There are probably still mob connections in Hollywood.

2.Tiffany? Help me with dessert? It’s a seemingly innocent and yet a little sexist request for Mrs. Berger to assume Tiffany can help her with the kitchen duties. If the payoff is Mrs. Berger giving Tiffany a little lecture about anything, even something incredibly stupid, it will be worth it.

3.The time theme. “time to go”. “yup. Time.” And of course, “twice a month.” Greg Evans is really starting to work symbolic language into his dialogue. It is time. It is time for Gunther to wake up and smell the Tiffany-flavored coffee. Instead, Gunther grimaces as he, once again, fails to realize just how good he has it. Tiffany is a beautiful girl, has won over his family including the members of his future family via Mr. Gray who don’t like him that much. She clearly has social skills well in advance of his own. If she is willing to come with him to these dinners twice a month, he should definitely take advantage of it. However, I suspect Gunther is too dense to figure this out, even though it is time he should.

Gunther just can’t catch a break can he? It was his idea to invite Tiffany to the dinner, and she ended up being a real star of the party. Not only that but his mortal enemy Les made a great impression on her (Mr. Gray would have connections, right)? And who ends up smiling? Plus his mom, in her usual over-control of her son (classic parental passive-aggression I think) now wants him to be even more uncomfortable and unhappy than before by having Tiffany come twice a month! Rosa please come and provide the opportunity for Sad Sack to grow a you know and be with who he really should be with. He needs to be the matador and take the bull by the horns, but since his matador is shy, confused, and scared he will continue to be Sad Sack.

It’s easy to see why Gunther is crushed, because he’s being upstaged and because he despises Les.

But there’s a real question as to whether this will cause Gunther to become extremely jealous over Tiffany, and then stumble all over himself trying to win back her affections.

Sorry for the multiple replies. I could not tell if my reply to BEB01 had attached to the blog thread. I am glad I went back and deleted all but the one I wanted to leave. Sorry!!

Are we finally to the point Gunther wishes he had stayed in Peru?

The price of not having a life is that you get dragged into everybody else’s. Gunther doesn’t know what to do on a date if it isn’t a study date. I kinda remember that Gunther & Knute were buddies, and also Crystal and Tiffany. Maybe Crystal & Knute could help Gunther put together a foursome with something to do that might be entertaining for Tiffany.

Les is having a good time. I’m just not able to wish him any luck…

@LUANN1212: I don’t see Mrs. Berger’s conversation with Tiffany as having anything to do with trying to ‘over control’ her son. Almost no one is paying attention to Gunther saying it’s time to leave, not Tiffany and not Mrs. Berger, who was probably in the kitchen (see the dish towel in her hands?), and just now is coming back into the dining room. The only person who notices Gunther trying to get Tiffany away is Les, who is smirking at Gunther. In this particular case, the problem Gunther is having is of his own making. His mother didn’t invite Tiffany to the dinner, he did.

@WIZARDGOAT: But how can you be upstaged when you mostly sit at a table and say nothing at all during a meal? Most of the people there probably have gotten used to this sullen behavior of Gunther’s, so they don’t expect him to get involved in conversation. And all he’s doing is saying that it’s time to leave, anyway…

@DAJELLYBELLY: Les is smiling because Gunther keeps telling Tiffany that it’s time to leave, and no one else is going along with what Gunther is saying. It’s like no one hears him except Les…

Of course Tiffany is having a good time. Les has figured out how to play the strings on her violin and she is loving the music.

I noticed that Gunther’s stubble has returned. That gives us an idea of how long they have all been sitting there.

My prediction is almost on the spot. Les and Tiffany are drawn to each other and yes, using each other at the same time.

“Wrapped Around Your Linger”

“Operation: Dessert Storm”

“You Can’t Have Your Cake, And Eat It In The Desert, Too!”

“Aye! There’s The Rub-It-In-Your-Face!”

“Here’s Mud In Your Pie!”

“Let’s Make Like A Banana Tree, And Take Our Leaves”

“Desperate Pudding: The A La Carte, Before The Hors d’oeuvres”

“Was It Baked? I’ll Ask Her!”

“Rushing, Spoken Here”

“That’s Stall, Folks!”

“Oh, Won’t You Stay, Just A Little Bit Longer?” (♪)

“You’re Out Of Touch, If We’re Out Of Time!” (♪)

“Lovin’ Every Minute Of It” (♫)

“A Good Time Was Had, By The Mall Queen”

“Stay, In My Corner” (♫)

“Company Takeover”

or

“Let Them Eat Cake!”

No drama without conflict. I believe this horse is quite lively. Enjoyed the comments: perceptive, funny and wise about details. Warm hearted entertainment. Aloha. Nui loa Aloha!

Gunther has long since proven himself as a loser. But now, he’s getting flushed summarily down the toilet.

By Les’s smug grin, I deduct that he is gratified that he succeeded in antagonizing Gunther upon his mother’s remark.

It seems to me that dinner went very well and everyone had a good time. Gunther is behaving like a child… he wants everyone to have a lousy time to validate how HE feels, rather than observe how well it all went and enjoy himself. Maybe Les and Mr. Gray are actually interesting people… ???? Tiffany really knows how to bring out the best in people….not only is she a good actress, she has wonderful people skills.

Going by Les’ smug expression, it seems clear that he has no real interest in Tiffany and is just doing this to torment Gunther. Unfortunately, Tiffany is stupid enough to believe his flattery.

The plot sickens

Why does Gunther feel the need to wear a jacket and tie to have dinner at his mom’s?

Bet the “Hollywood guy” has a casting couch too,Tiff.’Ware.

I’m enjoying your pain Gunther

Ah, the Ladies are going to the Kitchen! How I would Dearly Love to be a Court Ordered Listening Device on the Wall, to Hear what Their Talking about!

Ask Tiffany to join the Marines, show her how to fire a weapon, but don’t have some lady wearing an apron and holding a dish towel ask her to help with dessert…..in today’s world that is sexist. We continue to walk on egg shells.

“Don’t you hate it when a plan falls apart?” — Hannibal Smith, on a bad day.

It dawned on me that Les – who having been ‘dumped’ but being now helped by the good Prudence – is back on the prowl again. Then here comes Tiffany … so of course Les will make another play for it. No wonder the smug look on his face in P3. Gunther – if he is interested – had better change his tactics, and soon.

It’s time for Gunther to leave town for San Francisco because he’s as queer as a three-dollar bill, and he’ll be comfortable there for the first time in his life.

Sexism isn’t expecting males or females to follow traditional roles, it’s requiring them to.

Is Gunther growing a mullet?

For what it’s worth. Many of you are “enjoying Gunther’s pain”; several have said exactly that. Yesterday, some of you had guessed that this arc was over; in the name of mercy, I had hoped so, too. But what I really wanted to talk about is how many of you were disappointed with yesterday’s (the Sunday) strip, and Luann’s Sunday strips in general. I, for one, enjoy them. In part, it’s a throw back to when Luann was a gag-a-day strip. To me, it’s also refreshing, a lift I need after a week of reading all these soap opera strips that remind me of how miserable my high school days were. (And maybe that’s why I often fail to appreciate this strip – my younger dating days were pretty miserable) // As for why Sunday Luann strips are out-of-sync with the dailies, in other strips (Prickly City and Dick Tracy, to name a couple), it has been discussed that the lead times for Sunday strips are far greater than those for the dailies. It would take some pretty good planning to make sure that a given Sunday strip would be printed in sequence with the appropriate daily strips. Prickly City is like Luann, not even trying to tie Sunday in with its dailies. Dick Tracy, a couple years ago, had a laughable sequence in which the Sunday strip was clearly out-of-sync with the daily strips. At any rate, have a happy Monday, and hope you enjoy!

Once again, I am going to buck the trend. I think that Tiffany is doing exactly what Gunther needs her to do and he’s too thick to know it. He said he invited her because he needed a friend at the table, someone who is on his side and who can run interference with Les. That’s what she’s doing. Shes being charming and flirting with Les in an effort to make the dinner less stressful and unpleasant. As far as we know, Gunther and Les have not had to talk at all. The only reason why Les looks smug in the last panel is because Gunther is sabotaging his own strategy by letting himself worry about what Tiffany is doing.

I think she is not as vapid and gullible as she used to be. She still has issues with Luann, sure, but I think she really considers Gunther a friend and was listening to what he was saying on the way over and is currently using her skills to do what her friend needs. It would have been nice if she had let him in on the plan, but then where would the drama come from?

6

Interesting dinner for sure! Not sure yet what is real or acting, but here are my predictions:

1) I think Les is being REAL in his attempt at trying to “schmooz” with and “impress” Tiffany. I think he is on to his next attempt at finding a girlfriend since Prudence did not work out.

2) I am really thinking that Tiffany may be ACTING here. Sure, she is also socially astute, and a good person to have in this sort of situation, but I also think that Tiffany knows and remembers Les well from high school and is not falling for his come-on lines (other than maybe that Mr. Grey knows “someone” in Hollywood). I tend to think that Tiffany is trying to work her social graces to help out Gunther here.

3) Gunther is being both obtuse and frustrating today. He is, of course, not pleased with Tiffany paying any attention to Les, but he is also just not pleased that the meal is going on as long as it has. His “Time to go” comment is also a bit odd, given that he LIVES THERE. I do realize he is going to have to take Tiffany home, but it is not really like he has to be stuck at the table when no one is talking to him, since he does live there.

4) Mrs. Berger now planning a twice a month dinner (with Tiffany included, of course) will offer us a lot more opportunities to learn about Mr. Grey and Mrs. Berger.

5) Gunther is about two or three panels away from blowing up again and getting surly.

An actress? Yeah, right now she’s acting like the cheap floozie that she is!

re: “acting” …. see “Taxi” by Harry Chapin.

Gunther is not used to anyone having a good time when he is present. It makes Gunther very uncomfortable and he wants it to stop.

I’m throwing in the towel. Gunther will never get over this by himself. He needs to find a good therapist, as Dirk did. He has such potential in so many areas, but he is going nowhere. Correction—he’s going backwards.

Gunther, there’s a reason that a lot of college age students go to school in places other than their home town, or at least move into the dorms. I think you need some distance from your mom (and her social group) for a while.

Lots of prediction congratulations today!

5/30: T interested in L: Sallymargaret, Brd, then many others

5/30: T and L try to take advantage of each other [not quite but close enough for me]: Wizgoat

5/30: T will get caught in the middle and hurt [first part today]:Pipe

5/31: T falls for L: Capri [and Capri gives more details in a post above]

6/2: T goes for L: BCR

6/2: T fakes interest in L to instead interest G: Pipe [maybe?]

I had a maybe, too, on 5/30 when i wondered if Les might try to insert a wedge btwn the friends due to holding a grudge against G from high school. At this point it is only a maybe, but L’s face makes me wonder.

What kind of dessert would Mrs. Berger serve? I’ll guess Apple Pandowdy and she wants Tiffany to help her scoop it into the dishes.

Of course Les can see why Tiffany is an actress. He recognizes her as another phony like him.

“My uncle knows a guy in Hollywood.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He’s a dishwasher at the NBC Commissary.”

Tiffany has done a very good job of helping poor Leslie escape the dumps.

WHATAGURL!

And maybe the guy the uncle knows lives next door from the guy who sells papers at a kiosk where Tom Cruise’s makeup guy’s brother buys his Mad Magazine. All of us are just a few connections from most people.

(My brother-in-law’s brother-in-law was manager under Steinbrenner at one time, GWB another time. George M. is dead but George W. is alive so he probably knows Melania. She probably made an impression on Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia. Not that I want to contact him, but I could if I did.)

So will Tiffany get her big break in Hollywood when Mr. Gray’s friend makes a movie producer an offer he can’t refuse? That seems like the sort of person Mr. Gray would know.

Sheridan St. Louis has arrived. “Please, no pictures or autographs until after tonight’s performance.”

Now it is time for Gunther to disengage his emotions and use his brain for analytical thinking now. See if you can research on this by asking he Grey Man.

Mr. Grey’s former position as a Las Vegas nightclub owner, his connections to construction and trucking and his now seen connections to Hollywood have me wondering if he isn’t worth a story arch. As for Tiffany, I pray she isn’t so gullible as to throw away everything she’s worked for because of a louse like Les. Maybe this arch will be how Gunther saves her and learns more about her.

Gunther and Tiff have a pretty good rapport with each other, but not a romance. Tiff sees that, but Gunther doesn’t. Tiffany is sexy and could send out the wrong signals to guys who would like to take advantage of her. Gunther is too weak to protect her from anyone but himself. Answer: Ox, where are you? Big enough to intimidate anyone, gentle enough to treat Tiff with care and respect.

Where is Ox when you need him?

I don’t think this is so much about Tiffany and Les as a potential item (as some have suggested) but about Tiffany enjoying being the center of attention, something she craves but doesn’t usually get. I think she’s more interested in the Hollywood thing than in Les.

Okay, it appears that today has ONE prediction which differs from the many earlier ones: Puzz has suggested that Uncle Al’s friend in films makes “skin flicks”

What else could possibly go wrong tomorrow?

I almost (but, never fear, not quite) feel sorry for Gunny….

Ma Berger sees some conflict and asks Tiffany to join her. Maybe Uncle Al is in the kitchen too. So many possibilities….

Many of you have commented about “going away to college” – an element that is missing from this story. The college in this story is rather nondescript: Having so many Luann characters from the past, one might think this is a community college. But community colleges don’t have dormitories, as we saw in the stolen TV and vandalized vending machine mystery. Furthermore, Gunther lives at home and has access to Tiffany and Luann. Where the sam hill are they? // It’s details like that which undermine this story. // This is so reminiscent of Lavern and Shirley – when they moved from Milwaukee to Hollywood, guess who their neighbors were – none other than Lenny and Squiggy! That’s when the story became a parody of itself – and this story is dangerously close to doing the same!