Come on Nancy; for free rent, Bernice can make breakfast EVERY morning, and I think Frank’s okay with that. On a side note, did you or Frank ever expect Luann to do anything like chores around the house? Or even keep her room clean? I think we know the answer to those questions.
I see Frank is easily seduced by the Dark Side — of Crepes. But what! Don’t you need a specialized griddle to cook those properly? Would the DeGroots have such a griddle in their house? Is this arc going to be how princess Bernice becomes “cinderbern”? And Luann has been so depreciated already that she doesn’t even appear today. Poor Luann. Alone and forgotten in her own house…
After a few weeks of creating extravagant breakfast dishes, Bernice will begin a frantic search for another place to stay in order to escape the prison of people-pleasing and performance pressure she has placed upon herself.
I really do have to chuckle at this whole arc. This IS Bernice. She’s a people-pleaser. And it looks like Nancy and Frank are okay with that. Luann, on the other hand… I’m so happy to have a light arc. I’m sick of heavy.
So the DeGroots are now turning into the Dursleys, with Frank as Vernon, Nancy as Petunia, and Luann as Dudley? When does Bernice have to move from Brads’ room to the coat closet under the stairs?
Wow, this is week 2 of one of the most boring arcs ever. 300 to 400 less posts everyday. Get a clue Evans. If this is the best you can come up with retire and pass the strip on to someone that’s not burnt out.
Frank has had one good morning and thinks there are more to come if only he can convince his wife and his daughter not to wreck it. Will Frank be successful? We know he won’t, but it will be fun to see just how low he will go to try.
Frank! You are taking advantage of the situation here. AND manipulating your wife. Step back and apologize right now! It is enough that Bernice is already neurotic about pleasing you guys. You don’t need to add to it. Focus on your daughter. You MAY manipulate and take advantage of her – she needs it.
Although I agree that the deGroots should discuss this with Bernice instead of sitting back and taking advantage, I have no basic problem with the premise of a house rule: First up is responsible for brewing coffee. (I’d include Puddles in that if he had opposable thumbs.)
But, her routine at home is letting her family get her kicked out of her home. I appreciate that Frank still enjoys taking advantage of people to get a free meal (cough Les cough).
Maybe she is a people pleaser but she may genuinely enjoy cooking for them. Perhaps she wasn’t allowed to do this in her own home or was put down by her family for it. She may not have been complimented. The parents may have doted on the brother to the point where every little thing he did was awesome and Bernice was pushed aside and belittled. She gets a chance to shine at Luann’s house.
Can not blame Frank’s logic. Never turn down pancakes and crepes. Of course Nancy is using the most common sense but Frank is thinking with his stomach rather than his mind, call it a gut feeling……………
Well well well! Now we know who’s example Luann sometimes follows. Frank is being lazy and self-centered. Luann needs to move the heck out of her parents house in order to break free of the family program. If Brad can do it, so can Lu!
They both have very great points… I’m afraid Bernice will slowly start taking over all the chores at Degroots’ house pretending it’s okay, thus ending up in a huge breakdown.
Frank is such an a**hole. Of course he wants to be catered to. I have been meditating on how to center myself after reading such awful comic strip material.
I find myself in agreement with several others here today. Nancy should take a good hard look at Bernice’s cooking and cleaning abilities, ignore Frank’s desire for his very own “Rosie the Robot,” and offer Bern a part time job at the Fuse. While it is a possibility that Tiffany may quit now that “funding” has been restored after Ms Eiffel has been “deep-sixed,” it would be more fun if Tiffany stayed on the and had to “endure” Bernice as a co-worker. Or WORSE, as an assistant manager. In other words, “Boss.”
Bernice, going all “R.A.” on the Fuse employees as a “boss.” Yep. THAT has comedic possibilities. So, in effect, Bern would be “troubling the waters” at TWO locations. I like it. And I can’t WAIT seeing Bernice unleashed on Les! ;)
I can relate to Bernice. She has never been allowed to sit idle at home. Everything she does must be completed. Otherwise she feels she is being viewed as being lazy. Example: If she mashes potatoes, she will mash them until every lump is out and keep mashing them just to be sure.
So I have to wonder why her own family kicked her out knowing that she has a neurotic need to cook and clean. Nancy should just let her have at it and enjoy the help…right up to the point where Bernice starts overstepping. Tomorrow she will have rearranged the entire kitchen and nobody can find anything.
Crepes are much harder to make than pancakes. You can only cook one crepe at a time. They have to be watched closely, and then you have to make some filling for them. I’ve made crepes twice and they are a lot of work.
Today we see Nancy and Frank’s view; tomorrow (hopefully) we get Luann’s perspective. Frank, ever the opportunist, likes having another good cook in the house. As I recall, he stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) and made a dynamite vegan lasagna.
I feel like I preach/teach so often, and now I get some whippersnapper above making fun of baby boomers spending so much time commenting on a strip that has nothing to do with reality, totally missing the point. As a matter of fact this troll attack is so similar to those on issue FB sites, I have noticed it particularly on a site favoring AOC for President in 2024, and while I am not pushing anything, it has become so prevalent that the administrators have had to post general announcements on the website policies. Weird we are getting that here, but I always attribute it to human nature. Anyway, on the day’s panel: this is just a continuation of the foundational theme on the discomfiture of both Bernice and Luann with a change in their relationship, and what that might mean. I personally think it will morph into other arcs, hoping, for example, there is at least a dalliance with Ben and Luann, which would bring further strain in the BFF’s. That’s me, but that is the fun in this strip, and this is not gag a day, nor does Greg draw it to satisfy the daily wishes of some people who don’t and won’t understand the strip. Actually all this trollish attacking is just a proof of how popular the strip is not just with us old codgers, but in print as well.
Oh yeah, Frank is loving Bernice, the new live in cook, maid, and general all around dogsbody. Nancy doesn’t seem to be having too much of a problem with Bernice’s actions either, although she’s making a show of a token protest. :D
Hey, if Bernice wants to do all the work, let her. She’ll get tired of it soon enough, or at least I think she will. A normal person would.
Hmm. This feels to me like the set-up is that neither Mrs. DeGroot nor Bernice may talk for a while…. neither wants to “hurt anyone’s feelings” to some degree, so status quo may reign for a bit. But, it would then grow more difficult over time in this temporary “wonderful” situation (at least according to Frank :) ).
Eventually I hope that Bernice and Mrs. DeGroot have a conversation…..
1. Where Mrs. DeGroot is thankful to Bernice for the kindness she has showed in these latest series of panels…. but to also let her know that a) it is not required, b) Bernice needs to be sure to put in the needed focus for the upcoming semester of classes, and c) she needs to be also being sure to keep abreast of her family’s situation.
2. Where Bernice is thankful to Frank, Nancy, and Luann for the kindness they have shown her… and a simple discussion where Bernice simply states that she wants to help out during her time of staying in the DeGroot household, but that she would like guidance from the family on the best ways to be helpful.
But, I guess…. if the above were to occur…. it would result in calmness and “kum-by-ya” moments…. and would not leave much in the way for humor. So, what the hell do I know? :)
In thinking about things a bit….. I have come to realize I am quite like Frank…… good food WILL most assuredly shape my perspectives on a whole helluva lot of things. :)
if people really like having breakfast cooked then they could rotate the task. There are 4 persons in the house now. This way no one has to feel guilty and everyone would pitch in a little.
I think Bernice is just trying to show her appreciation for Helen and Frank’s kindness in letting her have free room and board. Nothing wrong with that.
@Luann1212: Where is the political board you are referring to? You aren’t suggesting that posters on ‘Luann’ are being political, are you? I haven’t (thank heavens) seen much of that, myself. Just a lot of sad Luann attacks…
Very interesting interactions among the people here… Come on everyone relax is a comic strip… yet all of these interactions have better drama than the comic strip itself.
I predict Bernice, in her anxiety about trying to be perfect in this house, will become increasingly isolated from everyone. Frank and Nancy won’t notice anything’s amiss, they’ll just enjoy having a new maid. Luann won’t notice because she and Bernice haven’t been close for years. Finally, Bernice will become as unhinged as Blanche Dubois, drifting around the house uttering nonsense. Nancy will call Bernice’s parents about it, but they’ll just say, “We are finally grandparents! It’s wonderful! Who are you, anyway? Who’s Bernice? I think you have the wrong number.” So Frank and Nancy have to call the men in white coats to take Bernice away. Luann says “I’ve saved up enough money working at Kidz First (which no one has seen me do in years, but whatever) to finally move out and pay for my own college tuition. Goodbye! I’m so happy, because when I have my own personal messy bedroom that I’m paying for, you no longer get to whine about it because it’s none of your business. Good luck with the Fuze. Don’t let TJ start too many fires. And I’m taking Puddles with me.” As she walks out the door, Frank and Nancy exchange dead-eyed, soulless glances. Frank breaks the silence: “Oh no! The refrigator’s empty! Now who will feed me?”
People with a high IQ are messy and disorganized.Mom always told you to clean your room, but if your space looks like a Category 4 hurricane just swept through, it may be indicative of high IQ. According to a study from the University of Minnesota, a messy space spurs creative thought.
In the study, participants who were placed in a tidy space made traditionally “good” choices, like choosing an apple over chocolate.
But when asked to come up with new uses for ping pong balls, the messy-room participants overwhelming came up with creative and novel ideas.
The study suggests that tidy people make safer choices, but notoriously messy people (like Albert Einstein, for instance) tend to have creative thoughts that lead to innovation.
Namrepus over 4 years ago
No, but I think I’m married to one. Wait, did you say “crepes?”
AnyFace over 4 years ago
Crepes … ✨
Templo S.U.D. over 4 years ago
Crêpes… oh, boy
Tyge over 4 years ago
Told ya Frank would enjoy a second “daughter” in the house!
notbornyesterday over 4 years ago
Come on Nancy; for free rent, Bernice can make breakfast EVERY morning, and I think Frank’s okay with that. On a side note, did you or Frank ever expect Luann to do anything like chores around the house? Or even keep her room clean? I think we know the answer to those questions.
beb01 over 4 years ago
I see Frank is easily seduced by the Dark Side — of Crepes. But what! Don’t you need a specialized griddle to cook those properly? Would the DeGroots have such a griddle in their house? Is this arc going to be how princess Bernice becomes “cinderbern”? And Luann has been so depreciated already that she doesn’t even appear today. Poor Luann. Alone and forgotten in her own house…
Homeboy1865 over 4 years ago
SactoSylvia over 4 years ago
Trust Frank to find the silver lining!
Rhetorical_Question over 4 years ago
Evil Frank – sweet Bernice!
BJShipley1 over 4 years ago
This reminds me: I don’t think I’ve ever had crepes. I should try them just to see what Ricky Bobby was talking about.
PhoenixHocking over 4 years ago
I really do have to chuckle at this whole arc. This IS Bernice. She’s a people-pleaser. And it looks like Nancy and Frank are okay with that. Luann, on the other hand… I’m so happy to have a light arc. I’m sick of heavy.
bytebot-gocomics over 4 years ago
So the DeGroots are now turning into the Dursleys, with Frank as Vernon, Nancy as Petunia, and Luann as Dudley? When does Bernice have to move from Brads’ room to the coat closet under the stairs?
MrGoobinski over 4 years ago
Wow, this is week 2 of one of the most boring arcs ever. 300 to 400 less posts everyday. Get a clue Evans. If this is the best you can come up with retire and pass the strip on to someone that’s not burnt out.
howtheduck over 4 years ago
Frank has had one good morning and thinks there are more to come if only he can convince his wife and his daughter not to wreck it. Will Frank be successful? We know he won’t, but it will be fun to see just how low he will go to try.
jmworacle over 4 years ago
Maybe she can work at the restaurant?
capricorn9th over 4 years ago
Frank! You are taking advantage of the situation here. AND manipulating your wife. Step back and apologize right now! It is enough that Bernice is already neurotic about pleasing you guys. You don’t need to add to it. Focus on your daughter. You MAY manipulate and take advantage of her – she needs it.
Brdshtt Premium Member over 4 years ago
Did not take long for that worm to turn.
Need coffee over 4 years ago
Although I agree that the deGroots should discuss this with Bernice instead of sitting back and taking advantage, I have no basic problem with the premise of a house rule: First up is responsible for brewing coffee. (I’d include Puddles in that if he had opposable thumbs.)
Joe1962 over 4 years ago
I knew Frank would love it. Nancy she has free rent and after a few weeks she get tired and move on.
Caldonia over 4 years ago
But, her routine at home is letting her family get her kicked out of her home. I appreciate that Frank still enjoys taking advantage of people to get a free meal (cough Les cough).
MrGoobinski over 4 years ago
I would encourage anyone that wanted to get up early and make me breakfast. I would lower the rent to keep that tenant.
SHIVA over 4 years ago
Time to re-group Greg!!
Baarorso over 4 years ago
Dad doesn’t want to lose his meal ticket, does he??? ;/
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace over 4 years ago
Justification
desperado10mm over 4 years ago
Meanwhile back at……..
Sisyphos over 4 years ago
Frank lives in hope. Nancy reeks of charity. But I have little faith in Bernie in the long run….
PeterPirate over 4 years ago
Sounds like The Fuse is going to be offering breakfast.
aKG1 over 4 years ago
Will TJ let her cook?
diannell over 4 years ago
Maybe she is a people pleaser but she may genuinely enjoy cooking for them. Perhaps she wasn’t allowed to do this in her own home or was put down by her family for it. She may not have been complimented. The parents may have doted on the brother to the point where every little thing he did was awesome and Bernice was pushed aside and belittled. She gets a chance to shine at Luann’s house.
TampaFanatic1 over 4 years ago
Can not blame Frank’s logic. Never turn down pancakes and crepes. Of course Nancy is using the most common sense but Frank is thinking with his stomach rather than his mind, call it a gut feeling……………
pekelopan Premium Member over 4 years ago
The crepes can be a long arc. There are strawberry, blueberry, cherry and cheese crepes. Probably more that I couldn’t think of.
reedkomicks Premium Member over 4 years ago
Well well well! Now we know who’s example Luann sometimes follows. Frank is being lazy and self-centered. Luann needs to move the heck out of her parents house in order to break free of the family program. If Brad can do it, so can Lu!
carlosrivers over 4 years ago
Who knew she learned to cook? Maybe she could get together with TJ and open their own restaurant
UmmeMoosa over 4 years ago
Y’all are crossing over to taking advantage district, and that is off-limits.
Aladar30 Premium Member over 4 years ago
They both have very great points… I’m afraid Bernice will slowly start taking over all the chores at Degroots’ house pretending it’s okay, thus ending up in a huge breakdown.
ForrestOverin over 4 years ago
Don’t be a gold-digger, Frank. Nobody likes a gold-digger.
CreativeChef over 4 years ago
Frank you do have a sense of humor, it’s obvious Bernice is so much more mature than Luann. I hope a little bit rubs off on her
Sheriff Mordecai Premium Member over 4 years ago
No more maple syrup discussion?
LeighBurton over 4 years ago
3 more days left this week. What will Luann say?
Ellis97 over 4 years ago
I just hope Luann isn’t overhearing this.
GovernmentCheese over 4 years ago
Frank is such an a**hole. Of course he wants to be catered to. I have been meditating on how to center myself after reading such awful comic strip material.
Mordock999 Premium Member over 4 years ago
I find myself in agreement with several others here today. Nancy should take a good hard look at Bernice’s cooking and cleaning abilities, ignore Frank’s desire for his very own “Rosie the Robot,” and offer Bern a part time job at the Fuse. While it is a possibility that Tiffany may quit now that “funding” has been restored after Ms Eiffel has been “deep-sixed,” it would be more fun if Tiffany stayed on the and had to “endure” Bernice as a co-worker. Or WORSE, as an assistant manager. In other words, “Boss.”
Bernice, going all “R.A.” on the Fuse employees as a “boss.” Yep. THAT has comedic possibilities. So, in effect, Bern would be “troubling the waters” at TWO locations. I like it. And I can’t WAIT seeing Bernice unleashed on Les! ;)
Schrodinger's Dog over 4 years ago
R.I.P. Trini Lopez. An early inspiration.
pennst8drr over 4 years ago
Does anyone else think this is Borenice being passive aggressive and trying to make Luann look bad?
JudyHendrickson over 4 years ago
Wheres bernices parents??
Chuck374 over 4 years ago
Reminds me of the time when TJ was living there and took over the cooking. Nancy was only too happy to be free from that chore.
Call me Ishmael over 4 years ago
ZZZZZZZZZZZ….
Willow Mt Lyon over 4 years ago
I can relate to Bernice. She has never been allowed to sit idle at home. Everything she does must be completed. Otherwise she feels she is being viewed as being lazy. Example: If she mashes potatoes, she will mash them until every lump is out and keep mashing them just to be sure.
ctolson over 4 years ago
Bernice is the type of daughter they always hoped LuAnn would become.
jonesbeltone over 4 years ago
You know Frank, with Bern making breakfast, you and Nancy have a little extra morning time, get it guy?
BlitzMcD over 4 years ago
A subtle glimpse of Puddles at the end? Something tells me that Puddles had better hide for the next few days.
comic reader 22 over 4 years ago
So I have to wonder why her own family kicked her out knowing that she has a neurotic need to cook and clean. Nancy should just let her have at it and enjoy the help…right up to the point where Bernice starts overstepping. Tomorrow she will have rearranged the entire kitchen and nobody can find anything.
locake over 4 years ago
Crepes are much harder to make than pancakes. You can only cook one crepe at a time. They have to be watched closely, and then you have to make some filling for them. I’ve made crepes twice and they are a lot of work.
RSH over 4 years ago
Today we see Nancy and Frank’s view; tomorrow (hopefully) we get Luann’s perspective. Frank, ever the opportunist, likes having another good cook in the house. As I recall, he stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) and made a dynamite vegan lasagna.
luann1212 over 4 years ago
I feel like I preach/teach so often, and now I get some whippersnapper above making fun of baby boomers spending so much time commenting on a strip that has nothing to do with reality, totally missing the point. As a matter of fact this troll attack is so similar to those on issue FB sites, I have noticed it particularly on a site favoring AOC for President in 2024, and while I am not pushing anything, it has become so prevalent that the administrators have had to post general announcements on the website policies. Weird we are getting that here, but I always attribute it to human nature. Anyway, on the day’s panel: this is just a continuation of the foundational theme on the discomfiture of both Bernice and Luann with a change in their relationship, and what that might mean. I personally think it will morph into other arcs, hoping, for example, there is at least a dalliance with Ben and Luann, which would bring further strain in the BFF’s. That’s me, but that is the fun in this strip, and this is not gag a day, nor does Greg draw it to satisfy the daily wishes of some people who don’t and won’t understand the strip. Actually all this trollish attacking is just a proof of how popular the strip is not just with us old codgers, but in print as well.
tutibug5 over 4 years ago
So the Fuse will start opening early for the ‘breakfast crowd’….with Bernice as the early morning cook? Frank would say yes with $$’s for his eyes.
wantcomicsnow over 4 years ago
Oh yeah, Frank is loving Bernice, the new live in cook, maid, and general all around dogsbody. Nancy doesn’t seem to be having too much of a problem with Bernice’s actions either, although she’s making a show of a token protest. :D
Hey, if Bernice wants to do all the work, let her. She’ll get tired of it soon enough, or at least I think she will. A normal person would.
OK, so maybe Bernice won’t get tired of it. :D :D
Pipe Tobacco Premium Member over 4 years ago
5
Hmm. This feels to me like the set-up is that neither Mrs. DeGroot nor Bernice may talk for a while…. neither wants to “hurt anyone’s feelings” to some degree, so status quo may reign for a bit. But, it would then grow more difficult over time in this temporary “wonderful” situation (at least according to Frank :) ).
Eventually I hope that Bernice and Mrs. DeGroot have a conversation…..
1. Where Mrs. DeGroot is thankful to Bernice for the kindness she has showed in these latest series of panels…. but to also let her know that a) it is not required, b) Bernice needs to be sure to put in the needed focus for the upcoming semester of classes, and c) she needs to be also being sure to keep abreast of her family’s situation.
2. Where Bernice is thankful to Frank, Nancy, and Luann for the kindness they have shown her… and a simple discussion where Bernice simply states that she wants to help out during her time of staying in the DeGroot household, but that she would like guidance from the family on the best ways to be helpful.
But, I guess…. if the above were to occur…. it would result in calmness and “kum-by-ya” moments…. and would not leave much in the way for humor. So, what the hell do I know? :)
ACTIVIST1234 over 4 years ago
“Mom” will have a tete a tete with Daughter #2.
jamesamber29 over 4 years ago
Bad Frank. Bernice should feel welcomed regardless of crepes.
Pipe Tobacco Premium Member over 4 years ago
In thinking about things a bit….. I have come to realize I am quite like Frank…… good food WILL most assuredly shape my perspectives on a whole helluva lot of things. :)
RSH over 4 years ago
if people really like having breakfast cooked then they could rotate the task. There are 4 persons in the house now. This way no one has to feel guilty and everyone would pitch in a little.
reedkomicks Premium Member over 4 years ago
Thinking about Mrs. Horner and how kind and helpful she was to Luann, and how attentive Luann was to her.
reedkomicks Premium Member over 4 years ago
To finish the thought, someone knowing and above the fray would be most welcome in this strip!
catsarose over 4 years ago
Maybe Luann can learn from Bernice!!
asrialfeeple over 4 years ago
We’ll see how things … pan out. For now, I’d say Bernice is trying to find her place and get comfortable.
fix-n-fly over 4 years ago
I think Bernice is just trying to show her appreciation for Helen and Frank’s kindness in letting her have free room and board. Nothing wrong with that.
BlueKnight1966 over 4 years ago
No – that was Suzette.
Argythree over 4 years ago
@Luann1212: Where is the political board you are referring to? You aren’t suggesting that posters on ‘Luann’ are being political, are you? I haven’t (thank heavens) seen much of that, myself. Just a lot of sad Luann attacks…
Apokalis over 4 years ago
Very interesting interactions among the people here… Come on everyone relax is a comic strip… yet all of these interactions have better drama than the comic strip itself.
Schrodinger's Dog over 4 years ago
tomorrow: Everyone will be done with breakfast, even tho the clock only says “8:13” !
bakana over 4 years ago
Already sliding down that slippery slope into Roommate Abuse.
Caldonia over 4 years ago
I predict Bernice, in her anxiety about trying to be perfect in this house, will become increasingly isolated from everyone. Frank and Nancy won’t notice anything’s amiss, they’ll just enjoy having a new maid. Luann won’t notice because she and Bernice haven’t been close for years. Finally, Bernice will become as unhinged as Blanche Dubois, drifting around the house uttering nonsense. Nancy will call Bernice’s parents about it, but they’ll just say, “We are finally grandparents! It’s wonderful! Who are you, anyway? Who’s Bernice? I think you have the wrong number.” So Frank and Nancy have to call the men in white coats to take Bernice away. Luann says “I’ve saved up enough money working at Kidz First (which no one has seen me do in years, but whatever) to finally move out and pay for my own college tuition. Goodbye! I’m so happy, because when I have my own personal messy bedroom that I’m paying for, you no longer get to whine about it because it’s none of your business. Good luck with the Fuze. Don’t let TJ start too many fires. And I’m taking Puddles with me.” As she walks out the door, Frank and Nancy exchange dead-eyed, soulless glances. Frank breaks the silence: “Oh no! The refrigator’s empty! Now who will feed me?”
Terminal Frost Premium Member over 4 years ago
People with a high IQ are messy and disorganized.Mom always told you to clean your room, but if your space looks like a Category 4 hurricane just swept through, it may be indicative of high IQ. According to a study from the University of Minnesota, a messy space spurs creative thought.
In the study, participants who were placed in a tidy space made traditionally “good” choices, like choosing an apple over chocolate.
But when asked to come up with new uses for ping pong balls, the messy-room participants overwhelming came up with creative and novel ideas.
The study suggests that tidy people make safer choices, but notoriously messy people (like Albert Einstein, for instance) tend to have creative thoughts that lead to innovation.
https://www.lifehack.org/324803/12-reasons-why-people-with-disorganized-mind-are-actually-more-intelligent
for all the Luann haters.