And just like that, Bernice broke under the cross. Good thing this isn’t a court room – just the slightest provocation from the prosecution, and she’d be spilling her guts all over the floor.
Someone needs to tell that girl to chill out. Like seriously. Bern’s getting all worked up over nothing, and sooner or later she’s gonna bust a blood vessel. Just take a couple deep breaths and count to a million. Perhaps even a million and one. Yeah, Nil came over. No biggie. Nancy and Frank ain’t stressing over it. And neither should Bernice…
Frank and Nancy are standing so oddly, they’re like a Greek chorus of robots. Frank looks like he has no eyes, that doesn’t help. “Because. You. Are. A. Human. Beep.” Buncha weirdos. Nil’s lucky he left when he did!
They say “The higher the pedestal, the more precarious the perch”. This can be even truer when we put our selves on that pedestal.
Bernice has always seen herself as better than everyone else. Yet, was always getting involved in strange, if not sketchy situations. And she knows they’re sketchy, because she prioritizes her public image in her decision making. Not not doing these things. But don’t let anybody know she’s doing them.
Even her self-flagellation is evidence of this. “Why would I say this?”, “Why would I do this!?”, “I’m BETTER than this!”. Plus, ya gotta love Frank and Nancy’s non-reaction. Like “News flash kid. No one else thinks you’re perfect”.
I think every seems to have forgotten that Bernice has been in and out of that house since forever. Bernice is almost like a second daughter to them. They aren’t going to kick her out for being human or a teenager. If they walked in on her making out on the sofa or had to listen to a headboard banging on a wall it might lead to a talk about what is appropriate in some else’s house.
College student has a boyfriend and wants to get giggity with him. Frank and Nancy don’t melt down. They remember doing that and so much more when they were undergrads. Hell, if she didn’t get horny they’d probably tellner to see a doctor
This strip is well drawn, but is also like one of those European soccer games……very little, if any, scoring. ( I just can’t count Steff and Kip, they have hair trigger sex tools).
“…and one who has been repressed her whole life, both by those who raised her and later on her own behalf, so when the dam breaks it’s a triple whammy at the very least.”
Knew Bern would spill, in kind of a torture of unnecessary guilt and desire, what is interesting how sensitive the DeGroots appear to be. Let’s ride this train.
I love the fact that Frank and Nancy are very worried about how much Bernice is in a crisis with herself, torn apart by her fears and mental blocks, but seem to absolutely no care that she was alone with Nil in their house. They are much more open minded and understanding than some readers think and they really care about Bernice ♡. They are right, she’s just a human and a teen♡♡.
She’s gotten herself so worked up will she think somehow that she might be pregnant because she was kissing and got caught? And I do believe she wanted to ‘go there’. Well, likely she would have said NO at the last minute out of fear and being clueless. Likely be a long time before she is mature enough to ‘be ready’.
Imagine if Luann had a boyfriend and her parents were out and she invited him over and they were caught necking….. That would be an interesting story. But with Bernice? Not so much
Yes, I confess—I’ve actually kissed people of the opposite sex. And I’M STILL ALIVE TO TALK ABOUT IT! Yes, Bernice. Kissing and being hot for somebody is NORMAL!
Bernice is majorly repressed and needs professional psychiatric help. She seems to see normal human behavior as something horrifically sinful and shameful and doesn’t appear to have any understanding of it. And she’s supposed to be a psychology major??
Isn’t her major psychology? If it is, she needs to change it. She’s too uptight and to deal with patients with issues.I can’t believe she and Luann haven’t talked about sex. Are Kip and Steph the only normal teenagers here? And by normal, I mean overrun with hormones.
Bernice; never say never. Maybe right now your conscious mind is saying that. But, presuming you get married, (and, possibly even before that,) what your subconscious mind is imaging will happen. Just maybe not with Nil.
So, this is Bernice out of control. She was always one of Luann’s friends that had it all together. Now, with love in her life, she’s gone wild. Here’s to you, kid.
Perhaps Nancy should lend her Magic Wand to Bernice.She clearly needs some old fashioned treatment for hysteria.Nuttier than squirrel turds that one.The drama factor is off the charts here.
All this screeching from Bernice about “Why am I like this” wouldn’t be so bad if it ever led to any growth on her part. But since her self-awareness always vanishes after the end of the arc and she goes right back to her previous smug superiority, it only serves to make her more insufferable. What’s the point of it when she never gets any better? Even Shannon has gotten more character development than Bernice, for crying out loud.
Unbelievable how understanding Nancy and Frank are! Sure, their kids went through this in their early teens, but Bern was raised differently and the “old folks” see this
Very understanding of the Degroot’s. I do, however, agree with some of the other commenters, I wonder if they would have been so understanding if it had been Luann?
Thirteen maybe, but not college teen, eighteen or nineteen. Good gravy, I was nineteen when I got married….Guess we just mature faster here in the heat…
Since we’ve never (?) met Bernice’s parents, we can’t tell where she picked up this mental baggage. Nevertheless, I think Luann’s parents want to help.
Obviously one of the Evans’ character personality changes. Everyone should just forget the educated, resourceful, logical, college student Bernice. She is now the sex crazed, delusional, guilt ridden, confused exhibitionist nympho we see now. Get used to it..
Bernice had kept herself repressed for so long, and now that the flood gates have opened, she’s having trouble coping. It only LOOKS insane to the outside observer…..
The Shameless Hussy! The least thing that her landlord and landlady can do is put a big Scarlet Letter “A” on her. Like Doggie Daddy used to say, “Oh, the shame of it!”
I don’t want to seem indelicate, but is there really anyone who is amused, interested, or at least satisfied with what they saw?I just keep seeing this overly emotional Bernice but i keep seeing nobody like this wave…Bernice keeps being extremely irrational for someone so much apparently clever, and this is not part of her past character, her love story with Zane was really beautiful and she wasn’t the no-sense character we see this days, now she is even scared to kiss a boy, what the hell happened to her?!Bernice’s character is truly going down a slide of fall of inpopularity day after day, and it seems the story doesn’t seem to show sign of changing or improving about this situation, yet we keep to continue stubbornly to carry this kind of plot which the majority seems to dislike, like Einstein said: “the insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” i don’t want Bernice’s character to be cancelled, but maybe it’s time to see Bernice’ character in a better and renowed light, after all we are talking about Luann’s best friend (even if her snarkyness suggests differently, she was snark even in the past, but these days it is taken to its extreme)I remember beautiful plots involving Bernice character: like when she was under Ann Eiffel at library, or with Zane, or when she cutted her hair with the help of Tiffany.And if we want to dig in most recent plot even the story with her and his brother! Her trying to know his brother family, this were all beautiful story about Bernice, but this sort of love insecurity story seems to be boring and doesn’t leads to nowwhere apparently, i think there are interesting stories that can include Bernice in future but this one would seem not.I followed Luann from the first strip, i started reading since 2020 after the quarantine start, so i’m not an hater or things like that, i just want to try to see some improvement, not because i enjoy to speak badly about the story for no reason…
Sure, you thought you had enough antibodies for natural immunity against emulating Luann. It’s been enough for 30 years, after all, hasn’t it? But – THAT was occasional visiting and sitting in her room. Now you live with her! 24 hour exposure- you’re picking up behavioral traits! “Natural immunity” isn’t enough, Bernice! Follow the science!
lvlax over 2 years ago
Bernice is completely mental. Time to give her the 30 day notice, Frank and Nancy.
Templo S.U.D. over 2 years ago
Nobody’s perfect, Bernice.
Rhetorical_Question over 2 years ago
YIKES! mother nature is calling?
AnyFace over 2 years ago
Almost poetic, in a crumbling psyche sort of way. ✨
linus82 over 2 years ago
Bernice Rottenborn?
J. Scarbrough over 2 years ago
And just like that, Bernice broke under the cross. Good thing this isn’t a court room – just the slightest provocation from the prosecution, and she’d be spilling her guts all over the floor.
alasko over 2 years ago
Hormones, the answer is hormones.
fathergod over 2 years ago
So is Bernice going to get the “sex” talk from people not her parents?
BJShipley1 over 2 years ago
“But we weren’t going… there. I’d never go there.”
Uh… why not, exactly? Has Bernice sworn a vow of eternal celibacy or something?
sallymargret over 2 years ago
They are SO understanding of Bernice. Why don’t they treat Luann with equal reverence?
SJhapamama over 2 years ago
This would be a good time for a cameo from Dr Ruth!
ronaldspence over 2 years ago
is Bernice still a teen? She is using guilt for an anchor instead of an alarm bell. Relax Bern, no one expects perfect!
Cheapskate0 over 2 years ago
At last! G&K admit that their characters aren‘t progressing past teens!
Brdshtt Premium Member over 2 years ago
By the end of the week, Bernice will decide to become a spinster and make her first cat acquisition.
rklynch over 2 years ago
Someone needs to tell that girl to chill out. Like seriously. Bern’s getting all worked up over nothing, and sooner or later she’s gonna bust a blood vessel. Just take a couple deep breaths and count to a million. Perhaps even a million and one. Yeah, Nil came over. No biggie. Nancy and Frank ain’t stressing over it. And neither should Bernice…
live2read over 2 years ago
1. Because you’re crazy.
2. Because you’re crazy.
3. Because you’re crazy.
The final answer, Bernice? Because you’re CRAZY!
Caldonia over 2 years ago
Frank and Nancy are standing so oddly, they’re like a Greek chorus of robots. Frank looks like he has no eyes, that doesn’t help. “Because. You. Are. A. Human. Beep.” Buncha weirdos. Nil’s lucky he left when he did!
ericbrower over 2 years ago
They say “The higher the pedestal, the more precarious the perch”. This can be even truer when we put our selves on that pedestal.
Bernice has always seen herself as better than everyone else. Yet, was always getting involved in strange, if not sketchy situations. And she knows they’re sketchy, because she prioritizes her public image in her decision making. Not not doing these things. But don’t let anybody know she’s doing them.
Even her self-flagellation is evidence of this. “Why would I say this?”, “Why would I do this!?”, “I’m BETTER than this!”. Plus, ya gotta love Frank and Nancy’s non-reaction. Like “News flash kid. No one else thinks you’re perfect”.
butterfly_qvrs over 2 years ago
I think every seems to have forgotten that Bernice has been in and out of that house since forever. Bernice is almost like a second daughter to them. They aren’t going to kick her out for being human or a teenager. If they walked in on her making out on the sofa or had to listen to a headboard banging on a wall it might lead to a talk about what is appropriate in some else’s house.
Joe1962 Premium Member over 2 years ago
Bernice is crumbling and saying the wrong thing in front Nancy and Frank.
basilisk Premium Member over 2 years ago
College student has a boyfriend and wants to get giggity with him. Frank and Nancy don’t melt down. They remember doing that and so much more when they were undergrads. Hell, if she didn’t get horny they’d probably tellner to see a doctor
pbaiey over 2 years ago
So what might happen if we, all us ,loyal fans asked G&K to hire a new writer,new ideas? This strip is really getting stagnant.
Uncle Kenny over 2 years ago
Three years at Uni and she’s still a teen? Maybe she graduated early.
notbornyesterday over 2 years ago
That’s one disturbed little control freak
Airman over 2 years ago
This strip is well drawn, but is also like one of those European soccer games……very little, if any, scoring. ( I just can’t count Steff and Kip, they have hair trigger sex tools).
STEPUP over 2 years ago
And remove all sharp objects from the kitchen, too!!!
Don Draper over 2 years ago
Teen?
I would presume Luann, Bernice, and most of their respective peer group should be at least 20 or 21 years of age right about now.
Parto_the_P over 2 years ago
Aren’t they due to turn the corner to 20 not too long from now? Say in another five or six years? ;)
kenhense over 2 years ago
A “Teen?” So we still have to wait three more years until they’re 20?
capricorn9th over 2 years ago
Yep. A late bloomer. Going that hormonal at 19?
Busrayne over 2 years ago
Wasn’t Bernice all over a guy named Zane once?
dadoctah over 2 years ago
“…and one who has been repressed her whole life, both by those who raised her and later on her own behalf, so when the dam breaks it’s a triple whammy at the very least.”
luann1212 over 2 years ago
Knew Bern would spill, in kind of a torture of unnecessary guilt and desire, what is interesting how sensitive the DeGroots appear to be. Let’s ride this train.
Mordock999 Premium Member over 2 years ago
ENOUGH already.
Nancy? Politely ask Frank to leave so you and Bern can be alone.
Then Nancy, Maybe you can take on the near impossible task of talking some much needed common sense into this basket case.
Susan00100 over 2 years ago
And also a stupid neurotic!!
Still—it could be worse; it could be Stef rooming there and doing “it” with Kip!!
Asharah over 2 years ago
Gawd Woman! Take a pill!
Namrepus over 2 years ago
Is she human, or is she a dancer? She’s still looking for the answer.
Aladar30 Premium Member over 2 years ago
I love the fact that Frank and Nancy are very worried about how much Bernice is in a crisis with herself, torn apart by her fears and mental blocks, but seem to absolutely no care that she was alone with Nil in their house. They are much more open minded and understanding than some readers think and they really care about Bernice ♡. They are right, she’s just a human and a teen♡♡.
hersheyjgm over 2 years ago
She’s gotten herself so worked up will she think somehow that she might be pregnant because she was kissing and got caught? And I do believe she wanted to ‘go there’. Well, likely she would have said NO at the last minute out of fear and being clueless. Likely be a long time before she is mature enough to ‘be ready’.
beb01 over 2 years ago
Imagine if Luann had a boyfriend and her parents were out and she invited him over and they were caught necking….. That would be an interesting story. But with Bernice? Not so much
D.E.N. over 2 years ago
That girl is nutz!
theklaffer over 2 years ago
They are still teens?!?! Aren’t they in like their 2nd or 3rd year of college by now? That would make them at least 20.
Decepticomic over 2 years ago
Nobody cares about your life, Bernice.
jimchronister2016 over 2 years ago
Great Strip Greg, very true to life and very enjoyable. Keep it going, Jim
Johnnyrico over 2 years ago
And a complete basket case.
live2read over 2 years ago
I kissed a boy when I was younger—and I LIKED IT!
Yes, I confess—I’ve actually kissed people of the opposite sex. And I’M STILL ALIVE TO TALK ABOUT IT! Yes, Bernice. Kissing and being hot for somebody is NORMAL!
sueb1863 over 2 years ago
Bernice is majorly repressed and needs professional psychiatric help. She seems to see normal human behavior as something horrifically sinful and shameful and doesn’t appear to have any understanding of it. And she’s supposed to be a psychology major??
JoeSpencer over 2 years ago
I think Bernice has become the best part of the Comic!
bclark71 over 2 years ago
Nobody is ever getting laid in this comic.
OHSOFUN over 2 years ago
I really wish Greg would let Luann, Bernice, et al grow up. They’re in their 3rd year of college and still emotionally 13 year olds.
Purple People Eater over 2 years ago
And female. Triple whammy.
tremaine53 over 2 years ago
Bernice— Talk sense, please. And take note that I asked nicely.
djminor321 over 2 years ago
The trials of the neurotic late bloomer are both entertaining and never ending.
LawrenceS over 2 years ago
“… and repressed up the wazoo. Triple whammy."
rrsltx over 2 years ago
Meds and therapy Bern. Plenty of both.
Ignatz Premium Member over 2 years ago
Good crap, this girl is a mess.
AgingComicFan over 2 years ago
She’s in her second year of college, making her almost 20. She’s really not a “teen” any more.
Jeffin Premium Member over 2 years ago
She’s usually such a slow Bern.
Ellis97 over 2 years ago
Bernice, why do you gotta be so moral all the time?
chris_o42 over 2 years ago
Bernice, just sit down and shut up.
brick10 over 2 years ago
Bernice needs to get into some serious therapy right now !
tdl3366 over 2 years ago
I think a hysteria treatment would help relax her.
MrsCho2U over 2 years ago
A teen? They are not teens any more.
Queen of America over 2 years ago
Isn’t her major psychology? If it is, she needs to change it. She’s too uptight and to deal with patients with issues.I can’t believe she and Luann haven’t talked about sex. Are Kip and Steph the only normal teenagers here? And by normal, I mean overrun with hormones.
ctolson over 2 years ago
Frank and Nancy nailed that one. But would their response be the same if it was LuAnn?
comicboyz over 2 years ago
Pathetic, she needs to take some lessons from Luann in how to maneuver around the truth
Immortal_Knight over 2 years ago
Wait is Bernice a teen? I thought she was around luann’s age?
Call me Ishmael over 2 years ago
Ravaged by her libido, yet terrorized by a puritanical society, Bernice flirts with schizophrenia..
EMGULS79 over 2 years ago
She’d never go there? Especially there? (And if anyone really believes that, I’m offering a great deal on some oceanfront property in Arizona….)
PoodleGroomer over 2 years ago
Fertility hormones make you stupid. Fertility hormones made you, stupid.
WilliamVollmer over 2 years ago
Bernice; never say never. Maybe right now your conscious mind is saying that. But, presuming you get married, (and, possibly even before that,) what your subconscious mind is imaging will happen. Just maybe not with Nil.
Michael Helwig over 2 years ago
She’s been in college for ten years. Why is she still a teen?
GaryCooper over 2 years ago
Bernice’s compulsion to confess is a curiosity.
Bobbin Dobbins over 2 years ago
I think Frank and Nancy just insulted humans and teens everywhere.
locake over 2 years ago
I can’t believe Frank and Nancy understood what she said. It is gibberish.
locake over 2 years ago
Bernice is so screwed up. She is ashamed or her normal sexual feelings.
preacherman Premium Member over 2 years ago
So, this is Bernice out of control. She was always one of Luann’s friends that had it all together. Now, with love in her life, she’s gone wild. Here’s to you, kid.
Tetonbil Premium Member over 2 years ago
Perhaps Nancy should lend her Magic Wand to Bernice.She clearly needs some old fashioned treatment for hysteria.Nuttier than squirrel turds that one.The drama factor is off the charts here.
Wlly Blly over 2 years ago
She needs to get over herself. What a twit.
tcayer over 2 years ago
“And not our daughter, so we don’t care…”
Tyge over 2 years ago
Sometime in the future, Bernice has a date to the Diazepam Dance. She needs another Nancy intervention… BAD!
BJShipley1 over 2 years ago
All this screeching from Bernice about “Why am I like this” wouldn’t be so bad if it ever led to any growth on her part. But since her self-awareness always vanishes after the end of the arc and she goes right back to her previous smug superiority, it only serves to make her more insufferable. What’s the point of it when she never gets any better? Even Shannon has gotten more character development than Bernice, for crying out loud.
Tyge over 2 years ago
Bernice is driving herself crazy. Reminds me of the old 1962 classic by Patsy Cline.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4VJxWhLM6Y
MuddyUSA Premium Member over 2 years ago
She is just a blabber!
knottytippet over 2 years ago
It’s rough when puberty hits in college.
DG over 2 years ago
I wish Frank and Nancy would care this much about their actual daughter instead of laughing and making fun of her.
ACTIVIST1234 over 2 years ago
Unbelievable how understanding Nancy and Frank are! Sure, their kids went through this in their early teens, but Bern was raised differently and the “old folks” see this
KenDHoward1 over 2 years ago
Trust Luann’s mom & dad to handle it right …
dbradway1 over 2 years ago
Gah! I wouldn’t want to relive those teen years for all the tea in China!
wantcomicsnow2 over 2 years ago
Bernice: “Why am I like this?”
Frank and Nancy: “Because you’re a complete and total idiot.”
Mayor Snorkum over 2 years ago
“And you can’t shut up. Triple whammy.”
The Quiet One over 2 years ago
Very understanding of the Degroot’s. I do, however, agree with some of the other commenters, I wonder if they would have been so understanding if it had been Luann?
wantcomicsnow2 over 2 years ago
Bernice claims she’d “never go there…….especially here!”
Well then, Bernice, why did you invite Nil over when no one was home?
LFate over 2 years ago
Poor Bernice, she’s realizing she’s all the things she didn’t think she was. Now maybe she’ll be who she is, or she’ll have a break from reality.
The Duke over 2 years ago
Just make sure they use protection. We don’t need any new characters in this strip.
sevenfeet0 over 2 years ago
“Another unmarried marriage counselor” – Charlie Brown, Peanuts 1972
smsrt over 2 years ago
Dad’s smarter than he looks. Hmm.
leighabc123 over 2 years ago
Wow! Bernice is only 19!
Treehggr87 Premium Member over 2 years ago
Thirteen maybe, but not college teen, eighteen or nineteen. Good gravy, I was nineteen when I got married….Guess we just mature faster here in the heat…
StoicLion1973 over 2 years ago
Bernice is so tightly wound perhaps she and Nils should go there. Going there might relax her.
Scoutmaster77 over 2 years ago
Since we’ve never (?) met Bernice’s parents, we can’t tell where she picked up this mental baggage. Nevertheless, I think Luann’s parents want to help.
comic reader 22 over 2 years ago
Obviously one of the Evans’ character personality changes. Everyone should just forget the educated, resourceful, logical, college student Bernice. She is now the sex crazed, delusional, guilt ridden, confused exhibitionist nympho we see now. Get used to it..
yoda1234 over 2 years ago
Bernice had kept herself repressed for so long, and now that the flood gates have opened, she’s having trouble coping. It only LOOKS insane to the outside observer…..
BlitzMcD over 2 years ago
The Shameless Hussy! The least thing that her landlord and landlady can do is put a big Scarlet Letter “A” on her. Like Doggie Daddy used to say, “Oh, the shame of it!”
Cornelius Robinson Premium Member over 2 years ago
I’m not going to read though all the comments. Has anyone said it sounds like a musical?
andrychianu over 2 years ago
I don’t want to seem indelicate, but is there really anyone who is amused, interested, or at least satisfied with what they saw?I just keep seeing this overly emotional Bernice but i keep seeing nobody like this wave…Bernice keeps being extremely irrational for someone so much apparently clever, and this is not part of her past character, her love story with Zane was really beautiful and she wasn’t the no-sense character we see this days, now she is even scared to kiss a boy, what the hell happened to her?!Bernice’s character is truly going down a slide of fall of inpopularity day after day, and it seems the story doesn’t seem to show sign of changing or improving about this situation, yet we keep to continue stubbornly to carry this kind of plot which the majority seems to dislike, like Einstein said: “the insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” i don’t want Bernice’s character to be cancelled, but maybe it’s time to see Bernice’ character in a better and renowed light, after all we are talking about Luann’s best friend (even if her snarkyness suggests differently, she was snark even in the past, but these days it is taken to its extreme)I remember beautiful plots involving Bernice character: like when she was under Ann Eiffel at library, or with Zane, or when she cutted her hair with the help of Tiffany.And if we want to dig in most recent plot even the story with her and his brother! Her trying to know his brother family, this were all beautiful story about Bernice, but this sort of love insecurity story seems to be boring and doesn’t leads to nowwhere apparently, i think there are interesting stories that can include Bernice in future but this one would seem not.I followed Luann from the first strip, i started reading since 2020 after the quarantine start, so i’m not an hater or things like that, i just want to try to see some improvement, not because i enjoy to speak badly about the story for no reason…
rmbdot over 2 years ago
Sure, you thought you had enough antibodies for natural immunity against emulating Luann. It’s been enough for 30 years, after all, hasn’t it? But – THAT was occasional visiting and sitting in her room. Now you live with her! 24 hour exposure- you’re picking up behavioral traits! “Natural immunity” isn’t enough, Bernice! Follow the science!
billdaviswords over 2 years ago
“TEEN”?!! They’ve been in college since 2014!! lol
Otis Rufus Driftwood over 2 years ago
Methinks the lady doth protest too much.
gnmnrbl over 2 years ago
Bernice, you’re sexually repressed, you’re trying to be a good girl but the bad girl in you wants to come out and play.
Sisyphos over 2 years ago
Why? Because you’re stark raving crazy, Bernie….
sallymargret over 2 years ago
I thought Bernice was no longer a teen. Most of Luann’s friends are in their 20s aren’t they?