I’m shocked – SHOCKED! – that this story is ending!

As another rando Mudlark continues to double fist pump for heaven knows what reason, exit stage right Quadruple AAAA and Big Ken Brown in best Rick Blaine and Captain Renault fashion. (This twin figures walking away into the shadows to end an arc thing is becoming a Whigham hallmark.)  All that’s missing is Tina Aagard boarding a plane with letters of transit to… a rehab clinic?

Here’s where I profess total ignorance. Is it typical for single parent addicts to be sent directly into residential rehab programs and give up custody of their children during that time, do not pass go, do not collect $200?  Is it typical for single parent addicts being sent directly into rehab under such circumstances to not even say goodbye to said children?  I’ll give Rubin a smidgen of credit for attempting to address some troubling phenomena facing the US today: the interplay between the spread of opioid addiction and the decline of the white working and middle class.

I will also profess total ignorance of this plot twist when I made my Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner reference a couple of weeks ago. I chose that reference thinking that Gil would use his animal charm to coerce Aaron’s teammates’ families to invite Aaron over for a series of meals. I did not factor race into the equation and, until reading yesterday’s post, didn’t really factor it into this arc at all.  Given that Hiatt-Brown household has been portrayed as one of the more successful ones in the Thorpiverse over the past few arcs, I did wonder whether Ken’s snoopiness about Aaron’s home life was going to lead into a subplot that gave him feet of clay.  Any thoughts of that have been erased now that Aaron will be getting a taste of Ken’s dad’s home cooking while giving the Hiatt-Browns an intro to the joys of EDM.

Baseball on Monday, then?  I wonder what usual suspects Rubin will round up for the team this season.

I’m Here for the 3-Banger

OMG at the exposition we have to swallow to get to today’s strip. In hindsight we get to conclude that split-level we saw a week ago is the residence of Ken Brown and Judge Lisa “Hang ’em” Hiatt. At least I got the part about living in someone’s basement right.

BTW Ken, Aaron was talking to you yesterday when he said “Dude! That was awesome!” (Do we really need this much overlap, even in a serial comic?) Did Ken ever stop to recognize the subtle irony in his going from the giver of the silent treatment to the recipient?  Too busy making things happen, I suppose.

FWIW, what’s up with all the post-game double fist pumps?  (edit: Note Mudlarks ##1 and 35’s fist pumps are so energetic they separate their hands from their arms at the wrists!) Relief at not making the playdowns and finally being freed from basketball season? Is male figure at far right Gil getting his drink on, Marty talking into Mr. Microphone, or just some rando? Speaking of randos, what’s up with dude in the puffy vest and tiny sombrero? Maybe we’ll get answers — or at least some more connect-the-dots fun and games – in the next two days before baseball starts.

Bingo!

P1: Pantheon of Hair profile shot

P2: Lots going on here. Regardless of whether Ken’s shot went in, pretty clear foul by Jefferson under the hoop.

P3: Welp, I guess everything’s resolved between Ken and Aaron. That wasn’t so hard now was it?

Mid-week Cliffhanger

Nice strip today although the inking seems a bit rushed. Nevertheless, it is hard to see a strip like today’s and not think of how much potential could be unleashed if the pacing of these stories was more even.

Hey, who got the (potential) assist on the dish to AaAa?

I Needed That

Thanks for the pep talk, Gil. It’s Monday morning and this plot is shuffling along to some tepid conclusion. Even “actual action” isn’t so cheerful. The Florida Gators laid a giant egg in the East region final yesterday in a game that they could have won despite the fact that they seemed to have no idea what to do with the ball inside the 3-point arc. (They don’t have 3-pointers in high school ball, do they? Shows how much I know!)  Don’t get me started on officiating, Charles Barkley, TV commercials for insurance, etc.

I’m just glad to be here. I’m gonna have a cup of coffee and relax

 

An Insult to Poodles

“Does your mom know anything about basketball? She got any eligibility left? Maybe I should sit you and suit her up instead. She’s hopped up on goofballs, so I bet she’s got a better chance at finding the net than you.”

Today’s strip is chock full o’ insults. First Aaron insults his mom, then one of the most intelligent of dog breeds. Gil then insults Tina’s ability to understand whether Aaron is playing well or not and, backhandedly, Aaron himself for suddenly being worried about what she thinks. Neither of them seemed so worried when they were diming Tina out last week.

Finally, the attention to detail in this strip – in the entire winter arc, for that matter – is a little insulting. I rejoined the TWIM rotation mid-arc so maybe I shouldn’t be one to throw stones, so I’m gonna ask the Milford SID to check me on this season recap:

Binghamton – W

@ Downsville – ?

@ Tilden – W

Oakwood – ?

Central – W

@ Tilden – W

Goshen – W

Madison – L

@ Jefferson – L

Valley Tech – W

“marginally adequate” game – ?

@ Oakwood – L

Central – W

Jefferson – today’s game

Am I off, or has Milford played Tilden on the road twice and Central at home twice? If I’m off, I’ll come back and update this post. In addition, Aaron started the season wearing uniform number 24 but since the second Central game has switched to number 11. Today he’s conceded #24 to the kid standing to his left. I just get the sense that, in his efforts to turn the past three months into A Very Special Gil Thorp, Rubin’s lost sight of the actual action that supposedly drives this strip.

This could be the last time

And we inch along to the next game, which happens to be one Aarons mom attends – has she seen a game yet? We hadnt explored this angle – that maybe his performances are tied to her being there. Of course we only had 3 months to get this far – Aaron was introduced on December 15, a mere 100 days ago. Looks like a recycled panel in P3 but not quite

https://gilthorp.wordpress.com/2016/12/15/aarival/

By the way, I was thinking about the pace of this strip when I was in 2 traffic jams on my recent trip to Arizona for Cubs spring training – on 10 West in Phoenix, a 6-lane interstate that apparently still isnt enough room for everyone; my 21-mile trip to Goodyear Stadium took over an hour. Then driving home from the airport took 2 hours to go 115 blocks. Yeesh. Thats what I get for scheduling a later flight so I dont have to get up at 5 to go to the airport to take my shoes off. :) Good ol rush hour traffic plus a closed road.

Gil looks resigned to the fact of Aaron shacking up with him and Mimi; he had second thoughts 5 seconds after his proposal.

 

 

 

 

 

Gil once begat Keri and, uh, some other kid

“Seriously? With us? Haven’t we spent the last eight years or so removing any evidence that children once lived in this house?”

Maybe Mimi’s not as keen on having a live-in boy toy pool boy as we previously speculated. Fact is, I’m not even sure that’s the Thorps’ house, as a quick ‘n dirty search of the archives doesn’t conclusively show that they live in a split-level. Nonetheless I get the feeling that we’re going to be denied that long-awaited retcon of Gil and Mimi’s kids.

Dodging that bullet Gil, now pissy-faced for ever having taken that bait from Aaron, shows him the door. Maybe Aaron can walk through it and shout out what was just discussed to his teammates same as he did yesterday. Tune in tomorrow when Marty Moon finds a new boarder in his mom’s basement!

metapost: Completely unrelated but it’s nice to see Mr. Bakst giving back to his adopted community.