Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 16, 2023

Categorical chaos

Out Tiff! You’ve had more than your fair share of the limelight, this is Luann’s arc ATM. (P.S. I’m just glad to see an arc with Luann last longer than two weeks for a change).

Yay! I hope Gunther and Luann finally get together :)

What a load of bovine droppings!

Bachelorette, Yes it is. The winner is no one unless Bets shows up?

Is that Gunther in the background of panel 1? I can’t wait… but I’ll have to, I guess.

Well Gee, Bern.

Luann has only known Gunther most of her life. So naturally she’s going to be a lot more comfortable with him as opposed to four guys she’s only known for the last six years (OUR time).

Plus, I suspect Gunther is inadvertently providing Lu with a juicy piece of gossip concerning M.I.A. Bets.

The only question now is: Long Before Tiffany “invites” herself over to the table to get in on the conversation? ;-)

The Silhouette is Gunther wearing his goofy looking shoes.

Luann’s Silhouette is doing the talking?

Interesting summary of the last week. though for someone who has known Luann as long Bernice has it’s hard to understand what new she has learned from this. Which is to say this this is a stupid gimmick to get Gunther to talk about his time with Narcissus.

Experimenting on your best friend, Bernice? Very cold and extremely unprofessional, not that you are actually trained and certified yet.

Probably chatting about how much he still misses Bets

Interesting that she would share all that with Tiff. She couldn’t share it with Luann as she was part of the project and this way G&K told all of us what it was about. And, right away Tiff gives it a twist that was never expected.

Bern’ll prolly figure out some way to use th results for her own benefit

Wilted roses.

I wonder whether Gunther has been telling about the situation with Bets, willingly and despite his annoyance with Luann on a previous occasion when she took it on herself to snoop and inadvertently helped start a rumor. If he has, I’ll go out on a limb and guess that Lu’s being a better sounding board for him on her own than when she was accompanied by a psych major at Weenie World after the Tiff’s Table for Two fiasco and the L-word scare.

I also wonder whether Tiff will now go over to Luann and Gunther’s table and say something that could skew Bern’s study—as if it weren’t skewed, or skewered, enough as it is.

Nil sussed it right away. He’s a sharp cookie.

And tonight on The Bachelorette … Gunther has his rose and he’s making a connection! ;)

Looks like most people were right, and Bernice’s study was about body language.

I hope we get to hear some of their conversation, so we can see where this is heading.

.

So does anyone think something may start up between Gunther and Luann ??

So now we know the purpose of this. And it’s super rude, poorly designed, arbitrary and unquantifiable, with no control, hopefully a guarantee of a failing grade, and justifying a termination of friendship.

Of course Luann would be finding it the easiest to talk to Gunther. She has known them since they were kids. They went miniature golfing together when they were just 13. They worked together. They played together. So now while Bernice writes her paper, what are Gunther and Luann talking about? I hope we find out. I think it is about his relationship with Bets, but it could be something more positive. If Bets does suddenly show up, Bernice will have more to write about, how Luann reacts when she is caught with someone’s guy, as innocent as it is.

Tiff calling a spade a spade.

So, although Luann was supposed to be the control/constant and the guys the subjects of the study, it is actually Luann Bernice is studying. Of course, Bernice. Luann did not grow up with Nil, Jack or Ox. She is comfortable with Gunther – they grew up together and all. They know each other well and are being themselves. Gunther is not an ideal subject for Luann if you really want to study how Luann interact with guys – Gunther is almost like a brother to Luann. He could as well be Brad. Tiff barely blinked an eye. Definitely not jealous and clearly not interested in him. Anyway, methinks we will finally get snippets of the Bets and the road trip fiasco tomorrow.

I haven’t written anything about the novella for some time now, so I’ll give a final run-down of it:

A real mess with Ruby’s engine. Gunther insists on calling a mechanic, but Bets comes up with an idea: Let’s call our (Snapgram) fans! Not really a good idea and it causes Gunther to ask her if this is the reason she wanted to drive. Bets’s reply: Not “supposed to be a big deal!”

A back-and-forth between the two. Gunther says it’s time to grow up. But Bets’s own definition of growing up means being out on the road making their own rules. And being about more than following rules and schedules. (And she does have a point there.)

Bets says their future is out there, on the road, but Gunther disagrees. It was just a trip—at least for him. She still needs him and he still loves her. But he wants to go home.

Texting each other. From the content, it appears they still love and care about each other. While Gunther waits for a ride home, he gets an update from Bets to her fans about the adventure: Gunther can’t make it. He has responsibilities at home. But come along. Adventure awaits! And with that, Gunther gets a ride home.

So thus endeth the adventure. While Bets does get frustrated with Gunther’s need for order and structure, she doesn’t yell at him. Nor is there any fighting. They still love and care about each other; they’re just different. My final opinion: Gunther has a point about tending to your obligations. But Bets is right, too: we don’t have to follow rules all the time. As I’ve learned, the unexpected can and does happen. You can’t plan for every little thing. There is a time for order and structure. . .and a time for the unexpected surprises. And that’s just the way life should be.

THE END.

Bernice’s concept of psychological tests is equivalent to those old Cosmo magazine tests that girls put so much faith in. That was so long ago, I don’t even know if the tests or magazine even exist anymore.

That “study” just may be the thing to end the friendship of Bernice and Luann. And just may compel Luann to finally move out of her parents’ home!!

Gunther? The bossy kid with the buttoned up collar who thinks that he is the new Stud of the west coast? Well, I say, “Posh” simply “Posh.” Keep him on the back burner.

Gosh, which I had gone to Mooney U! Instead of people, all we got to study were rats and pigeons.

And here we have “Luann/Gunther Ship Tease That Will Be Forgotten By This Time Next Week” part eleventy billion.

So after all this years it Luann is going to end with Gunther?

Bring back Aaron Hill.

Gunth is the brother she wished she had.

Wow, imagine that, showing connection with your childhood friends… ground-breaking stuff! Prepare the Nobel prize! (Yet sadly, this is what a lot of “serious” studies do, re-state the obvious, again, and again and again…)

Is this foreshadowing for Luann’s future?

I think Bernice’s little psychological project turned into speed dating for dummies.

Tiffany peering over Bernice’s shoulder, then Bern actually revealing incomplete results, or any results, for that matter indicates no confidentiality to this “study”. Bernice just could have said, “yes it’s a school project”. Could lead to gossip, argumants and insults.

Well, I was hoping they’d get to the bottom of the Gunther-and-Betts thing.

Poor Gunther. He deserves much better.

This is a dumb study. It is too subjective. And the only conclusion Bernice will end up with will be that “People behave in different ways with different people”. Duh!

Perhaps you should turn your psychology microscope onto yourself.

Yeah,I kinda saw this coming.

I am so happy for Luann and Gunther.

makes sense, they are both boring!

Ugh. Luann and Gunther is one step below Lisa and Milhouse.

a light, appropriate quip from Tiff, countered by pompous return from Bernice….

Bernice has no problem showing what she’s doing to someone outside of the project. I’m glad to hear that Luann took her talk with Gunther seriously. She might be the first to understand that her friend is going through a difficult time and take it seriously. Unfortunately Bernice is unable to care for anyone and Tiffany doesn’t seem to understand what Gunther is going through. Luann is the only one who sits down to talk to others, not just now and because of the project, but in general. I hope Tiffany will join the conversion between Gunther and Luann. Or continue to ask questions to Bernice making her feel uncomfortable.

Wasn’t Gunther Luann’s first (surprise) romance?

I think Luann is just very relaxed and content to enjoy some time with an old friend. No pressure at all.

L and gunn have been friends for years

Luann and Gunther are long time friends. While friendship can blossom into romance, having a romance with a friend can ruin the friendship. If you back away, the friendship is never quite the same as it was before. I’ve had friends who were fun dates but I’d never consider marrying them. There needs to be some chemistry. I don’t see that kind of chemistry between Luann and Gunther.

Nil and Luann figured out the test and specifically messed around with her; won’t that upset her data?

Wait, so this isn’t a not-so-veiled attempt at matchmaking?

Are all those stereotypical reactions why the Bachelor (Bachelorette) so popular? Otherwise I could never see the point of those shows?

Gunther did use to chase after Luann in high school, so maybe they’ve grown on each other.

They did not show the Gunther Luann interaction.

YAY! DOUBLE YAY! And TRIPLE YAY! WAHOOOOOOOOO! HAPPY DANCE!!!!!

Sure about that Bernice. Tiffany can definitely see something.

I think Luann was playing Bernice for a fool or she was auditioning for a part in a movie, displaying her range of emotions.

Gunther is a chick magnet. What does this tell us? Women prefer nervous insecure men?

Wedding bells, or a leash? Luann might be seeing him as an interesting pet.

The same thing Bern. Tiff is right.

Luann and Nil were faking it and Luann was over-acting with Jack just to be cute. She was unnecessarily hostile towards Les, although his questions were logical, so her reaction, or body language with him, was based on previous bias. Her friendliness toward Gunther is based on a life-long affectionate friendship. This whole thing is an EPIC FAIL. G&K shouldn’t venture into trying to depict college studies when they have no idea whatsoever what it involves. The only good thing that can happen here is Gunther and Tiffany getting together.

I guess we can add “psychology studies” to the list of things G&K are clueless about. Unless they do what any competent instructor would do, and have this thing result in Bernice getting laughed out of the professor’s office with a failing grade. But for some reason Karen seems to love Bernice, so I doubt that’ll happen.

God, I hope not!

Luann has known Gunther a long time and has interacted with him more. So she is comfortable with him.

My guess is he’s trauma dumping about the break-up and she’s doing the “there, there. Let it all out, buddy” thing. I wonder if Bernice will come to a weird conclusion about swiftly needing to prescribe Luann mood stabilizers ASAP and hopefully the professor will give Bernice a talk about basic social interaction. All this proves is the basic fact that people act different with different people. My goodness, what a concept! Bernice needs to get out more to actually realize it.

I agree that Luann and Gunther get along well, after all they’ve known each other since toddlerhood. Actually, Gunther woul do that with all of the other characters, in that he’s known them long, and they are friends. Plus he is articulate and smart, and Luann is articulate, and smart, although, some trollish comments say otherwise. Where does this go? I doubt wedding bells. Now is the time for Bets to show up. I’m thinking of all the women Bets would be most suspicious of from a romantic sense. Remember he met Bets through an internet connection that Lu encouraged him to take. I think that Lu would be surprised if Bets shows u, but anyway Ill hold up for now.

Gotta admit she nailed the interactions.

I think it’s called feeling comfortable

So Bernice sees potential here? Perhaps she will tell Luann the result of her study, hoping it will turn her attentions toward Gunther and away from Piro? But I doubt it will have much of an effect. Luann seems pretty hopelessly over the moon for Piro.

So, what does that say?

I have always thought Gunther was the one and I never really liked the one Gunther was with, she just didn’t seem to fit.

I have always thought Luann and Gunther should get together.

The Bachelor/Bachelorette is like pro wrestling.IT’S FIXED1!!

Fixed,fixed,fixed!!!!

Butt out,Tiff.

We don’t need this project going on live TV

Gunther and his gf just broke up—and I predict he and Luann will be a thing. But will Bernice intervene?

Her Thesis will be titled The Friend Zone: Connection, Geniality, and Compatibility

The fantasy is greater than an actual connection

This is what little children think psychology labs are like!

Luann thought the scheduled interactions were over.

So Karen buries the lede and relegates this congenial conversation between old friends to the realm of shadow people. Coulda been a story here.

If only people did make decisions based on obvious compatibilities, it would be a different world. Possibly fewer divorces, just as possibly a lot less fun. :)

We are all different things around different people.

You know you’d want it to be more like the latter, Bernie. And the writers are setting it up, at least for a while….