Not like Sarah, or Joyce for that matter, necessarily know that only one of them was culpable in Ross’s release on bail, but yeah, right now, I don’t know if Joyce wants to hear or see either one of them.
Hank called to warn them (and Sarah picked up first and got the ‘It’s safe now, THIS is why I have to speak to Joyce urgently’ message firsthand,) and only THOUGHT they were bailing him out, not knew. Carol called like, ten minutes later (and while Sarah wasn’t present right at the call, she showed up very soon after so she probably got the update offscreen) with the Incredibly Ominous Message that Joyce took as ‘He may already be out and she probably helped and definitely approves of this.’ Pretty sure Sarah has enough context clues from that to figure out Hank either didn’t know or is one INCREDIBLY elaborate liar to pose as the Good Parent.
But there is no good way to have this conversation by phone, four hours away from being in person. Just ain’t gonna happen.
HMH
Shit, I think it’d be much better for Joyce to have this conversation not-in-person, though. She can hang up any time she feels overwhelmed, and also, it will be substantially easier to not snap and kill her mother!
Mollyscribbles
Good recall. So while Sarah knows Hank would deserve a “Please fuck off”, I also think Hank — were he the one to get that response — would think “Okay, fair. Hope that means Joyce is safe.”
“Frightfully sorry but, ah, how shall I put this? I hate to ask, but if you would be so kind could you perhaps see your way to fucking right the fuck off, you fucking fuck-faced fuckitty fuck-fuck-fuck? Much obliged.”
Actually, by this point, that was an entirely justifiable response on Sarah’s part. She couldn’t know for sure that Joyce’s father was complicit in or aware of the church releasing Toedad from jail, but the natural assumption is that he would be. Seeing as he did not rush to watch over and protect Becky and Joyce, he was thoroughly neglectful as a parent.
While there’s still room for “Oh, oh shit, I somehow missed all of that- I would have been there, had I known!” it’s still an outlier assumption at this point, and- considering what they’ve been through- there’s no reason to be generous to those involved.
That is to say, we’re at a “guilty until proven innocent” stage, and given their present emotional and physical wear, they’ve no need to endure dealing with other humans more than they absolutely have to.
[Honestly, keep that in mind with any relationships- people don’t necessarily want to talk when things are going south, and especially not if you’ve some association with the negative circumstances the person is dealing with, even if you’re not directly responsible. Don’t take it personally, it’s entirely normal and reasonable.]
So, in short, right now Hank is part of “THEM” and needs to really decide how he’s going to be moving forward. Sarah is emphasizing that fact to him. Ergo, while it doesn’t seem as such initially, her actions are in fact entirely constructive. Even if Hank didn’t have direct culpability or awareness of the matter, he still has preexisting associations with both the church and the toxicity-fueled mother, and he doesn’t deserve a pass on associative culpability until he cuts all ties with those.
To recontextualize that, it’s like being brutalized because a gang sent a hitman after you, and having your father be part of that gang. Until he leaves that gang, why SHOULDN’T he take credit for their actions? It’s not like he was even forced or trapped in the gang, he’s continuing to willingly associate with them.
So, no. The whole “she should be polite to Hank” thing is utter nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m entirely behind proper contextualization of responses. The problem is, he’s actually within the context in question, if only by association.
Besides, it’s Sarah. It’s good enough if she’s polite to strangers on a good day. When she has legitimate cause to be pissed at them? Look, sometimes people need a wake up call. I’ve known plenty of brusque but well-intentioned people, and they’re plenty better to be around than shallow, self-serving, emotionally unstable, socially-oriented people. I’d rather take hostile and well-meaning honesty over toxicity hidden behind superficial masks, any day.
So, under ideal circumstances, sure, Sarah coulda been nicer. But at the moment, her actions can be justified, and Hank has no reasonable basis for complaint.
Oops, I didn’t recall that part, and missed seeing it on my first glance at the nesting. Okay, maybe a bit less one-directional on fault association, then, since my comment above was based fully on Hank not having commited anything. As-is, yeah, Sarah probably shoulda been nicer. There was a pause though, so there’s still room for her to have had time to learn who was on the phone (and thereby, have her outcry NOT be directed to Hank).
I hope not. Kid really needs a parent who actually gives a shit.
Khyrin
Absolutely awful idea: Amber gets ‘custody’ while the emancipation paperwork goes through (Because we need some wacky hijinks) as the rest of Faz’s immediate family gets swept away in a RICO investigation.
Faz is on his best behaviour with Amber slowly disintegrating as she waits for the bang. The bang never comes.
“Faz has- I have taken a long look at how I behaved, and decided to do better for you, my beloved older sister. *hand up to stave off Amber’s comment* Not a sister of blood, but a sister of the heart. Though frankly Faz wouldn’t be surprised if we are in fact half siblings. Our dad is TRAsh with a capital Tee Arr Ayy.”
temperaryobsessor
Unfortunately Amber sees Yuri the same way Joe sees Amber’s mom if not more so. This impression is not unjustified but unfortunately it means that she thinks Blain is the only one hurting Faz. And frankly Amber is the person most invested in his well being.
I don’t think she waited to hear which one it was.
Nono
Caller ID should have presumably said ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’.
Screwball
Like Julian just said/wrote, didn’t Joyce’s Mum use her Dad’s phone to call Joyce? If so, wouldn’t matter who was on the caller ID, if JoyceMum rang from JoyceDad’s mobile it would come up as Dad, but her Mum would be on the phone…
Considering everything they’ve just been through, even I can agree this is the right thing to say…
Prior Semblance
Yeah but she did that because the phone was lying around and she thought it would trick Joyce into answering. Her Dad has no reason to trick Joyce into thinking he is her mom so if the caller ID says Mom it can be assumed it is her. I would also assume her dad isn’t leaving his phone lying around anymore after being clued in that she was using it.
Matthew Evan Davis
And I think we can assume that Hank has realized that, so if it is him he’ll take Sarah’s actions with the appropriate grain of salt.
Axel
It might be their home phone
Wraithy2773
…right, landlines still technically exist…
Makkabee
My mom still has one.
With a rotary phone connected to it.
Axel
my parents live in the boonies and the power goes out prolongedly, so they need at least one landline (with corded phone) for calls. They also have a second for my dad’s business, which helps screen calls after business hours are over and stuff. Plus they’ve at the same phone numbers and address for just shy of 27 years, so I think they kind of want to keep them.
on the other hand eveyone I know who is under 30 never bothered getting one when after moving out (I mean why would we, there’s no housing security and we keep having to move, amongst other reasons.). 30somethings vary.
Needfuldoer
I’m in my early thirties and I have a landline, mostly because I’m a friggin’ nerd and I like playing with old phones and modems and stuff.
It’s cheap through the cable company, and easier than trying to set up a SIP connection or jump through hoops to connect Asterisk to Google Voice, so why not. How else am I supposed to get an authentic BBS experience on my Apple IIgs? (There are many ways, but the old fashioned way is fun. Just don’t try to browse the modern web at 9600 baud. Just today’s comic, never mind everything else, would take 5 minutes to download!)
thejeff
Ah, the good old days, when the internet was mostly text and I could still read faster than it downloaded.
I kinda hope it was Hank and Carol both on speakerphone, and after the call ended, Carol got huffy and indignant, and Hank just looked at her for a moment then walked out to pack without saying a word.
I ~will~ feel bad for Hank–once he kicks Carol to the curb, and starts rebuilding his life without her in it. Until then, he’s still enabling her behavior by letting her believe it’s acceptable. He’s been unwilling to tell his wife that she’s crossed several lines in the last few months, and so she’s gone from bad to worse without restraint.
I’m stingy–I reserve my empathy for folks who are actually attempting to change their ways.
Home? Land line?
It’s 2020, parents of college age kids are usually around my age, and I haven’t had a land line in at least a decade. I had it turned off when I switched from DSL to cable and realized that I never used it, the only time it rang was telemarketers calling.
For what it’s worth, Joyce is their youngest. So her parents are likely closer to her grandparents’ generation (probably similar to my parents; both my siblings are 0-4 years out of high school). Likely they have their own cells, but keep a landline “for emergencies” and for calling a household (rather than an individual).
Matthew Evan Davis
It can be useful to have a landline. They run on different networks than the power grid, for example, so they’re less likely to get taken down if the cell tower does.
Something (and I’m probably of Joyce’s parents generation myself) that I tend to remind Zoomers and younger Millennials when we get into these generational tiffs is that just because something is pre-Internet doesn’t mean it’s always bad. We all got to pick and choose, you know?
Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox and go pick up my metamucil.
Axel
something I said above was that for young people the housing market (including renting) is super insecure, and having a home phone, and having to have it set up and actually change the number sometimes, etc, feels like an extra chore on top of having to move every couple years (or more). the only time we almost got one was for our apartment’s pager.
Geneseepaws
When the blizzards snap the power lines and all the toilets freeze, in January in the Colorado Rockies…
Then the Land line works. FiOS also works … for about 8 hours, then nada. Cell tower works for two, mebbe three hours, then nothing, if the power goes out.
Needfuldoer
You need to jury-rig a bigger 12v battery to the FiOS ONT. If its little 7 amp SLA runs that long, you’d probably get days out of a deep cycle marine battery! (Assuming the grid infrastructure stays up, that is.)
250 thoughts on “Bzzzbzzz”
Ana Chronistic
This would’ve been amazing to run on Father’s Day tho
or better, Mother’s Day
King Daniel
And that’s this storyline over at last
Olivia Cheatham
Finally.
NinjaNick
That’s the correct response, Sarah. Let Joyce sleep.
Felix
Yeah it’s the right joyce, for sure.
Giguioto
I’d have at least waited for a reply to see if it was the Father or the Mother. If it was the father, I’d have added a “please” after Sarah’s reply
Bagge
I mean, there is no reason to be rude
Mr. Random
It is more fun though.
FacelessDeviant
“Please” is often used if its a suggestion or a request. I get the impression that it was meant as an order this time 😛
CJ
Please is also often used in orders.
Felix
“I’d like to have a Big Mac, please”
Sounds about right.
hash
“Soldiers! Ten-Hut!”
“You didn’t say the magic word! Sir!”
“Please!”
Needfuldoer
“Would you kindly”
UnfeignedShip
No Gods, No Kings, Only Man.
DailyBrad
Not like Sarah, or Joyce for that matter, necessarily know that only one of them was culpable in Ross’s release on bail, but yeah, right now, I don’t know if Joyce wants to hear or see either one of them.
Regalli
Hank called to warn them (and Sarah picked up first and got the ‘It’s safe now, THIS is why I have to speak to Joyce urgently’ message firsthand,) and only THOUGHT they were bailing him out, not knew. Carol called like, ten minutes later (and while Sarah wasn’t present right at the call, she showed up very soon after so she probably got the update offscreen) with the Incredibly Ominous Message that Joyce took as ‘He may already be out and she probably helped and definitely approves of this.’ Pretty sure Sarah has enough context clues from that to figure out Hank either didn’t know or is one INCREDIBLY elaborate liar to pose as the Good Parent.
But there is no good way to have this conversation by phone, four hours away from being in person. Just ain’t gonna happen.
HMH
Shit, I think it’d be much better for Joyce to have this conversation not-in-person, though. She can hang up any time she feels overwhelmed, and also, it will be substantially easier to not snap and kill her mother!
Mollyscribbles
Good recall. So while Sarah knows Hank would deserve a “Please fuck off”, I also think Hank — were he the one to get that response — would think “Okay, fair. Hope that means Joyce is safe.”
davidbreslin101
“Frightfully sorry but, ah, how shall I put this? I hate to ask, but if you would be so kind could you perhaps see your way to fucking right the fuck off, you fucking fuck-faced fuckitty fuck-fuck-fuck? Much obliged.”
HeySo
Actually, by this point, that was an entirely justifiable response on Sarah’s part. She couldn’t know for sure that Joyce’s father was complicit in or aware of the church releasing Toedad from jail, but the natural assumption is that he would be. Seeing as he did not rush to watch over and protect Becky and Joyce, he was thoroughly neglectful as a parent.
While there’s still room for “Oh, oh shit, I somehow missed all of that- I would have been there, had I known!” it’s still an outlier assumption at this point, and- considering what they’ve been through- there’s no reason to be generous to those involved.
That is to say, we’re at a “guilty until proven innocent” stage, and given their present emotional and physical wear, they’ve no need to endure dealing with other humans more than they absolutely have to.
[Honestly, keep that in mind with any relationships- people don’t necessarily want to talk when things are going south, and especially not if you’ve some association with the negative circumstances the person is dealing with, even if you’re not directly responsible. Don’t take it personally, it’s entirely normal and reasonable.]
So, in short, right now Hank is part of “THEM” and needs to really decide how he’s going to be moving forward. Sarah is emphasizing that fact to him. Ergo, while it doesn’t seem as such initially, her actions are in fact entirely constructive. Even if Hank didn’t have direct culpability or awareness of the matter, he still has preexisting associations with both the church and the toxicity-fueled mother, and he doesn’t deserve a pass on associative culpability until he cuts all ties with those.
To recontextualize that, it’s like being brutalized because a gang sent a hitman after you, and having your father be part of that gang. Until he leaves that gang, why SHOULDN’T he take credit for their actions? It’s not like he was even forced or trapped in the gang, he’s continuing to willingly associate with them.
So, no. The whole “she should be polite to Hank” thing is utter nonsense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m entirely behind proper contextualization of responses. The problem is, he’s actually within the context in question, if only by association.
Besides, it’s Sarah. It’s good enough if she’s polite to strangers on a good day. When she has legitimate cause to be pissed at them? Look, sometimes people need a wake up call. I’ve known plenty of brusque but well-intentioned people, and they’re plenty better to be around than shallow, self-serving, emotionally unstable, socially-oriented people. I’d rather take hostile and well-meaning honesty over toxicity hidden behind superficial masks, any day.
So, under ideal circumstances, sure, Sarah coulda been nicer. But at the moment, her actions can be justified, and Hank has no reasonable basis for complaint.
HeySo
@Regalli “Hank called to warn them”
Oops, I didn’t recall that part, and missed seeing it on my first glance at the nesting. Okay, maybe a bit less one-directional on fault association, then, since my comment above was based fully on Hank not having commited anything. As-is, yeah, Sarah probably shoulda been nicer. There was a pause though, so there’s still room for her to have had time to learn who was on the phone (and thereby, have her outcry NOT be directed to Hank).
Some1
Meanwhile Faz is still sitting on the curb.
King Daniel
He’s with Aslan now, waiting for the bus.
TlalocW
(Captain America meme) I got that reference.
clif
Captain America went to Narnia???
Michael Steamweed
Something something Winter Soldier something something.
Owlmirror
Always Winter Soldier and never Christmas Soldier.
Makkabee
I prefer The Chocolate Cream Soldier.
thumb
“So you’ve ended up on a bus to Narnia . . .”
Lingo
I’m honestly concerned for the little twerp. Did he just go back home to his mother, who is just as hostile to Amber as Blaine is?
He Who Abides
I hope not. Kid really needs a parent who actually gives a shit.
Khyrin
Absolutely awful idea: Amber gets ‘custody’ while the emancipation paperwork goes through (Because we need some wacky hijinks) as the rest of Faz’s immediate family gets swept away in a RICO investigation.
Faz is on his best behaviour with Amber slowly disintegrating as she waits for the bang. The bang never comes.
“Faz has- I have taken a long look at how I behaved, and decided to do better for you, my beloved older sister. *hand up to stave off Amber’s comment* Not a sister of blood, but a sister of the heart. Though frankly Faz wouldn’t be surprised if we are in fact half siblings. Our dad is TRAsh with a capital Tee Arr Ayy.”
temperaryobsessor
Unfortunately Amber sees Yuri the same way Joe sees Amber’s mom if not more so. This impression is not unjustified but unfortunately it means that she thinks Blain is the only one hurting Faz. And frankly Amber is the person most invested in his well being.
Yumi
This is such a good end of storyline strip. Though I do feel bad for Hank, if that was him.
Nono
Hank warned Sarah and Joyce about Ross, so I think Sarah would have enough judgement to know that he’s okay.
Not sure why she wouldn’t just say ‘it’s your mum’ though since that would have definitely warranted the F-bomb.
Julian
Didn’t Joyce’s mom use her husband’s phone to get Joyce to answer? At this point there’s no way of knowing who is actually calling between them.
Chris
I don’t think she waited to hear which one it was.
Nono
Caller ID should have presumably said ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’.
Screwball
Like Julian just said/wrote, didn’t Joyce’s Mum use her Dad’s phone to call Joyce? If so, wouldn’t matter who was on the caller ID, if JoyceMum rang from JoyceDad’s mobile it would come up as Dad, but her Mum would be on the phone…
Considering everything they’ve just been through, even I can agree this is the right thing to say…
Prior Semblance
Yeah but she did that because the phone was lying around and she thought it would trick Joyce into answering. Her Dad has no reason to trick Joyce into thinking he is her mom so if the caller ID says Mom it can be assumed it is her. I would also assume her dad isn’t leaving his phone lying around anymore after being clued in that she was using it.
Matthew Evan Davis
And I think we can assume that Hank has realized that, so if it is him he’ll take Sarah’s actions with the appropriate grain of salt.
Axel
It might be their home phone
Wraithy2773
…right, landlines still technically exist…
Makkabee
My mom still has one.
With a rotary phone connected to it.
Axel
my parents live in the boonies and the power goes out prolongedly, so they need at least one landline (with corded phone) for calls. They also have a second for my dad’s business, which helps screen calls after business hours are over and stuff. Plus they’ve at the same phone numbers and address for just shy of 27 years, so I think they kind of want to keep them.
on the other hand eveyone I know who is under 30 never bothered getting one when after moving out (I mean why would we, there’s no housing security and we keep having to move, amongst other reasons.). 30somethings vary.
Needfuldoer
I’m in my early thirties and I have a landline, mostly because I’m a friggin’ nerd and I like playing with old phones and modems and stuff.
It’s cheap through the cable company, and easier than trying to set up a SIP connection or jump through hoops to connect Asterisk to Google Voice, so why not. How else am I supposed to get an authentic BBS experience on my Apple IIgs? (There are many ways, but the old fashioned way is fun. Just don’t try to browse the modern web at 9600 baud. Just today’s comic, never mind everything else, would take 5 minutes to download!)
thejeff
Ah, the good old days, when the internet was mostly text and I could still read faster than it downloaded.
Needfuldoer
I assume Joyce’s phone showed “Home” for the landline instead of “Mom cell” or “Dad cell” on the caller ID, so Sarah played it safe.
Heavensrun
I kinda hope it was Hank and Carol both on speakerphone, and after the call ended, Carol got huffy and indignant, and Hank just looked at her for a moment then walked out to pack without saying a word.
Freemage
I ~will~ feel bad for Hank–once he kicks Carol to the curb, and starts rebuilding his life without her in it. Until then, he’s still enabling her behavior by letting her believe it’s acceptable. He’s been unwilling to tell his wife that she’s crossed several lines in the last few months, and so she’s gone from bad to worse without restraint.
I’m stingy–I reserve my empathy for folks who are actually attempting to change their ways.
Chris
Sarah is the friend Joyce needs right now.
Bunny
She’s the Big Sister.
Victor
Home? Land line?
It’s 2020, parents of college age kids are usually around my age, and I haven’t had a land line in at least a decade. I had it turned off when I switched from DSL to cable and realized that I never used it, the only time it rang was telemarketers calling.
Victor
And that’s weird, I clicked reply on a different comment.
Zee
I’m the same age as Ruth (I think) and we still have a landline that we regularly use
Sarah Lea
For what it’s worth, Joyce is their youngest. So her parents are likely closer to her grandparents’ generation (probably similar to my parents; both my siblings are 0-4 years out of high school). Likely they have their own cells, but keep a landline “for emergencies” and for calling a household (rather than an individual).
Matthew Evan Davis
It can be useful to have a landline. They run on different networks than the power grid, for example, so they’re less likely to get taken down if the cell tower does.
Something (and I’m probably of Joyce’s parents generation myself) that I tend to remind Zoomers and younger Millennials when we get into these generational tiffs is that just because something is pre-Internet doesn’t mean it’s always bad. We all got to pick and choose, you know?
Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox and go pick up my metamucil.
Axel
something I said above was that for young people the housing market (including renting) is super insecure, and having a home phone, and having to have it set up and actually change the number sometimes, etc, feels like an extra chore on top of having to move every couple years (or more). the only time we almost got one was for our apartment’s pager.
Geneseepaws
When the blizzards snap the power lines and all the toilets freeze, in January in the Colorado Rockies…
Then the Land line works. FiOS also works … for about 8 hours, then nada. Cell tower works for two, mebbe three hours, then nothing, if the power goes out.
Needfuldoer
You need to jury-rig a bigger 12v battery to the FiOS ONT. If its little 7 amp SLA runs that long, you’d probably get days out of a deep cycle marine battery! (Assuming the grid infrastructure stays up, that is.)
Axel
@Victor, I was reading some old pages and Hank is 60 (Joyce: “but to be fair, if he’s not your dad he’s just a 60-year-old dentist”)
StClair
Hail Satan
Alex Boston
Ironic, considering your name.
StClair
as it says under my name over on Jeph’s forum, “not actually a saint”.
clif
Mike’s spirit is alive and well.
((And watching over your Mom for a nickel.))
Alex Boston
There’s a forum?
StClair
Yep!
JepMZ
Probably meant the Questionalble Content forum
StClair
Yep!
inqntrol
I really hope it was Carol the one who called.
King Daniel
Plot twist, this was Snoop the family dog calling
RacingTurtle
Fortunately, Snoop is a flurfy doofus who probably just thinks “Yay, we’re making loud sounds!”
And now he’s barking his adorable head off a few feet from Carol’s ears ?
Bagge