I don’t think he’s aware of it, he’s just been living life like he’s a TV character for a long time now. And honestly, it has seemed to work out for him for the most part.
Sad and awkward and, because most of the teens would be too shell-shocked dealing with the reality that someone their age could die (violently and traumatically,) probably most of the remembrances and such if any were from family members and friend’s parents and the like who’d give a very different set of memories than the actual parents would. General sense that someone that young shouldn’t die, it just shouldn’t be possible, across the board.
I’ve been to a lot of funerals. They’re never enjoyable affairs, but the one for a kid two years younger than me when I was eighteen was one of the worst. (It was cancer, not an accident or the like, but very much a He Was So Young situation.) Sudden tragedies likewise suck, because of the shock. Mike hitting both, and in such a traumatic way, pretty much guarantees it was just very sad in ways that weren’t necessarily ABOUT Mike, as he was, but more the idea of that cute little kid they knew.
If Walky made everyone weird and uncomfortable, then he did exactly what Mkike would’ve wanted him to. I mean, if you’re going to use a funeral to actually honour the dead, he did the right thing.
I mean, one of the big themes to Walky, post time-skip, is that he is NOT handling Mike’s death well. It’s going under the radar a lot of the time, because he’s good at covering it up, but it’s pretty obvious from an outside view that he really does need help managing that, and that everyone else is just taking his largely unperturbed outside attitude to be what’s really going on under the hood.
He’s an American who watches a lot of TV and movies. Whether or not he’s been to visit, he is definitely familiar with Times Square
Kazuma Taichi
I’m across the border on the other side of the continent. It’s gotta be common enough in media. Prob first noticed it because my parents would watch the new years countdown events there, but in more recent history, Ninomae Ina’nis’s simps rented out some space there to show off fanart on her birthday
davidbreslin101
Oh yeah, I know Times Square! [has never been west of Barcelona.]
davidbreslin101
…it’s where people’s balls drop, isn’t it? I may have got that wrong.
I think I’ve figured it out. At the funeral someone (possibly Walky himself) farted loudly, and then Walky dropped the “it’s almost like I can hear his voice” line.
IIRC Walky and Amber broke up on Halloween, so either Halloween was before the funeral or Halloween was the funeral, because if they were still dating then I’m pretty sure Amber would have dumped him then and there.
Halloween seems like a time when a lot of shit went down, and Mike dying is a fairly likely inciting incident for it.
King Daniel
Don’t see how Mike dying would’ve led to Ruth and Jennifer’s breakup, but it’s not like their breakup happening on the same day would’ve been the biggest coincidence ever.
Thag Simmons
Indirectly, probably. Spat between Walky and Amber kicking off a fight between Ruth and Jennifer seems plenty plausible, and there’s probably a lot of other ways that I’m not thinking of.
Mike came out of his coma just long enough to hear the doctor explain that there was no way he was going to make it. He then waited until it was Halloween, when he pulled the plug on himself just to be sure he ruined the day for everyone.
Actually, it hadn’t occurred to me before, but if it was a pull-the-plug situation, that would probably have made it even worse for everyone.
Regalli
Halloween would be about 7-10 days after Mike went into a coma, if I’m remembering the timing right. Theoretically by that point, there could still be hope of recovery, but given the circumstances of said coma (particularly that he seems to have lapsed into it before AG could get him to a hospital, and she’s not an EMT and so probably wasn’t handling him ideally) and the fact that he apparently hadn’t shown very promising signs by Is A Song Forever two days later (‘the doctors say it might be a long time’ says to me in hindsight ‘oh yeah they were probably concerned then about him waking up at all’,) it wouldn’t be super surprising if Halloween was around the point of a very frank, very sad conversation about Mike’s prognosis between his doctors and parents.
Yeah, I get why, because humor’s Walky’s go-to coping mechanism and this would be super traumatic even WITHOUT the Weird Complicated Feelings Because Mike, but also WALKY NO.
Just, oof. I suspect he’d get a bit of leeway from being an eighteen-year-old who’s probably in shock because *broad gestures* everything related to that, but I’m certain they still weren’t amused. Just maybe pitying while walking away.
Yeah, that strip was on my mind, too. Unfortunately, it’s hard to explain to your roommate’s grandma that he psychologically abused you so much in two months that you struggle to believe he didn’t fake his death as an elaborate prank, because it wouldn’t be that far out of line with what he DID do as elaborate pranks.
thejeff
Depends on how well they knew Mike. 🙂 (I can just imagine everyone giving shocked looks and one grandma going “What? You were all thinking it)
But yeah, certainly not likely to go over well with most of the family.
137 thoughts on “Times Square”
Ana Chronistic
is TVTropes basically a spellbook then
Uly
I did, in fact, think you would link there.
Decidedly Orthogonal
Like this?
newlland(Henryvolt)
Man I wish.
Jamie
Yes.
Sev
Thank you for your restraint 🙂
Schpoonman
…Walky, you didn’t.
Kyrik Michalowski
I really hope he did.
King Daniel
But did he?
Bobcat
Sure did
Wizard
I think Mike would have wanted it that way.
Clif
It’s almost as if I could hear Mike’s voice.
Oh, hi mom.
Decidedly Orthogonal
Why are you rolling nickels?
PASchaefer
I’m guessing it didn’t go over at Mike’s, then?
King Daniel
On the contrary, Mike saw enough television to get it. But he was too contrary to do it, for spite’s sake.
Thag Simmons
I mean he was also a little bit dead.
King Daniel
What is death, if not spite persevering?
Thag Simmons
Death is all about not persevering. Spite persevering is more a trauma thing
Opus the Poet
As the semi-resident dead guy, it is possible to not stay dead because of contrariness. I think it’s how I wasn’t put in the bodybag.
TheStranger
I lol’ed
misanthropope
“There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn”
Slartibeast Button, BIA
We did see a glimpse of Mike’s funeral or some sort of memorial over in Something Positive: https://somethingpositive.net/comic/hardly-appropriate/
Kyrik Michalowski
Is Walky becoming aware of his status as a comic character? Next thing you know he’ll be throwing toys at us.
Thag Simmons
I don’t think we’ve crossed over to Abed levels of medium awareness yet, this is within reason for someone who watches far too much TV
Proto
I don’t think he’s aware of it, he’s just been living life like he’s a TV character for a long time now. And honestly, it has seemed to work out for him for the most part.
Thag Simmons
I kinda wonder what that funeral looked like.
King Daniel
Yeah, this is the first we’re hearing of Mike’s funeral and not just his death. Plus confirmation that Walky was in attendance.
Doctor_Who
I choose to believe that Mike’s nice parents are the family weirdos, and the rest are all scowling grouches with geometrically impossible hair.
Regalli
Sad and awkward and, because most of the teens would be too shell-shocked dealing with the reality that someone their age could die (violently and traumatically,) probably most of the remembrances and such if any were from family members and friend’s parents and the like who’d give a very different set of memories than the actual parents would. General sense that someone that young shouldn’t die, it just shouldn’t be possible, across the board.
I’ve been to a lot of funerals. They’re never enjoyable affairs, but the one for a kid two years younger than me when I was eighteen was one of the worst. (It was cancer, not an accident or the like, but very much a He Was So Young situation.) Sudden tragedies likewise suck, because of the shock. Mike hitting both, and in such a traumatic way, pretty much guarantees it was just very sad in ways that weren’t necessarily ABOUT Mike, as he was, but more the idea of that cute little kid they knew.
Regalli
* Actual FRIENDS would. I should go the fuck to sleep.
Rainhat
Lotta sad moms, pockets jingling from the nickels.
khn0
And Mike got a Nickelback CD to play during the descent.
alongcameaspider
Humor is a valid coping mechanism, just maybe be sure everyone around understands that’s what you’re doing
The Wellerman
Please tell me I’m not the only one here who’s reminded of that scene from Grown Ups?
ADLegend21
It’s good that she’s gone. Good for all parties.
Buli-Buli
Da fuck Walky?
That’s not even funny. It’s just weird and uncomfortable even for people who “get it”.
JBento
If Walky made everyone weird and uncomfortable, then he did exactly what Mkike would’ve wanted him to. I mean, if you’re going to use a funeral to actually honour the dead, he did the right thing.
Sunny
“Good riddance to him, the free-loading bastard”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek
Keulen
Mike probably would’ve preferred his funeral to be weird and uncomfortable.
Wraithy2773
I mean, one of the big themes to Walky, post time-skip, is that he is NOT handling Mike’s death well. It’s going under the radar a lot of the time, because he’s good at covering it up, but it’s pretty obvious from an outside view that he really does need help managing that, and that everyone else is just taking his largely unperturbed outside attitude to be what’s really going on under the hood.
thejeff
Remember, be sure to handle your grief and trauma in only socially acceptable ways.
Azhrei Vep
Weird and uncomfortable? How do you figure?
DarkoNeko
Walky. What the hell have you done
DarkoNeko
Also, Walky apparently visited Times Square before
Thag Simmons
You can reference places without having personally been there, and Times Square is a pretty well known place
DarkoNeko
is it really ?
Thag Simmons
So I’ve been told.
RacingTurtle
He’s an American who watches a lot of TV and movies. Whether or not he’s been to visit, he is definitely familiar with Times Square
Kazuma Taichi
I’m across the border on the other side of the continent. It’s gotta be common enough in media. Prob first noticed it because my parents would watch the new years countdown events there, but in more recent history, Ninomae Ina’nis’s simps rented out some space there to show off fanart on her birthday
davidbreslin101
Oh yeah, I know Times Square! [has never been west of Barcelona.]
davidbreslin101
…it’s where people’s balls drop, isn’t it? I may have got that wrong.
Chris
That is accurate, from a certain point of view.
Sunny
I think I’ve figured it out. At the funeral someone (possibly Walky himself) farted loudly, and then Walky dropped the “it’s almost like I can hear his voice” line.
RassilonTDavros
IIRC Walky and Amber broke up on Halloween, so either Halloween was before the funeral or Halloween was the funeral, because if they were still dating then I’m pretty sure Amber would have dumped him then and there.
Thag Simmons
Halloween would be pretty soon for a funeral, given that Mike wasn’t dead yet only a few days earlier.
I think it’s more likely Mike died on Halloween.
Bryy
…… well SHIT.
Thag Simmons
Halloween seems like a time when a lot of shit went down, and Mike dying is a fairly likely inciting incident for it.
King Daniel
Don’t see how Mike dying would’ve led to Ruth and Jennifer’s breakup, but it’s not like their breakup happening on the same day would’ve been the biggest coincidence ever.
Thag Simmons
Indirectly, probably. Spat between Walky and Amber kicking off a fight between Ruth and Jennifer seems plenty plausible, and there’s probably a lot of other ways that I’m not thinking of.
Rabid Rabbit
Mike came out of his coma just long enough to hear the doctor explain that there was no way he was going to make it. He then waited until it was Halloween, when he pulled the plug on himself just to be sure he ruined the day for everyone.
Actually, it hadn’t occurred to me before, but if it was a pull-the-plug situation, that would probably have made it even worse for everyone.
Regalli
Halloween would be about 7-10 days after Mike went into a coma, if I’m remembering the timing right. Theoretically by that point, there could still be hope of recovery, but given the circumstances of said coma (particularly that he seems to have lapsed into it before AG could get him to a hospital, and she’s not an EMT and so probably wasn’t handling him ideally) and the fact that he apparently hadn’t shown very promising signs by Is A Song Forever two days later (‘the doctors say it might be a long time’ says to me in hindsight ‘oh yeah they were probably concerned then about him waking up at all’,) it wouldn’t be super surprising if Halloween was around the point of a very frank, very sad conversation about Mike’s prognosis between his doctors and parents.
drs
I’m not so sure, Amber seems to me like she might appreciate that humor even without Mike as a headmate.
Ethan would probably have been livid.
BBCC
I was about to be like ‘yeah, pretty much the law of fiction” until I got to the last panel.
WALKY NO.
Regalli
Yeah, I get why, because humor’s Walky’s go-to coping mechanism and this would be super traumatic even WITHOUT the Weird Complicated Feelings Because Mike, but also WALKY NO.
Just, oof. I suspect he’d get a bit of leeway from being an eighteen-year-old who’s probably in shock because *broad gestures* everything related to that, but I’m certain they still weren’t amused. Just maybe pitying while walking away.
thejeff
Also, it might not have been entirely humor.
Regalli
Yeah, that strip was on my mind, too. Unfortunately, it’s hard to explain to your roommate’s grandma that he psychologically abused you so much in two months that you struggle to believe he didn’t fake his death as an elaborate prank, because it wouldn’t be that far out of line with what he DID do as elaborate pranks.
thejeff
Depends on how well they knew Mike. 🙂 (I can just imagine everyone giving shocked looks and one grandma going “What? You were all thinking it)
But yeah, certainly not likely to go over well with most of the family.
Thag Simmons
I feel like a solid 80% of these comics could be responded to with “[insert character] NO”
milu
As, in fact, they are
Edwin I Callahan
Sort of the concept of the comic from the get go.
Stephen Bierce