I’m not ready to give up on the “all a dream” trope scenario. The trick is figuring out which strips are/were reality and which are dream. I have to believe that Luis as the cab driver is a clue to the current shenanigans in some way. The Evans’ have created an ancillary character with fixed facial features that has proven to be both versatile and popular among their fans. Mrs. Horner is one. ED is amore recent example. ED is basically unchanged in appearance but has played many roles, from junk collector to wrecker driver. I contend that Luis is yet another.
If you compare the Jan. 13, 2015, “Luis” to that of Aug. 18, 2023, the similarities are striking. For the dream trope to be true there will have to be a series of strips where Gun, Al and Irma will act out of character with the recent past. So far they have displayed a displeasure with Bets as a girlfriend for Gunnie. If they act differently now it should be a clue.
I’m pretty sure that Gunther is lying his a$$ off!
Les isn’t buying it for a second. I wonder how long we’ll have to wait to hear the real story of what happened between them.
After seeing Luis in the strip and reading the Gunther & Rosa Peru trip story, they newly posted on their LuannFan site, I’m feeling confident that Rosa will be making a return appearance soon.
Bets decided to go on? So, are they in a long distance relationship now? Oh! Now I know why the Lyft driver was shown! That’s Ross’s dad, and Rosa is back! Gunther is going to have to choose between Rosa and Bets! Greg did hint that the story was going to take a U-turn, and that the Lyft driver was a throwback.
On the other hand, Rosa may have returned to he States looking for Gunther. The WHY is the interesting part. Her appearance might be the reason for the recent flare up in the Gun-Bets relationship! Luis being the linking clue in having accompanied her to Pitts, CA!
Yeah i’m more willing to believe Bets broke up with gun because she’s tired of playing 2nd fiddle to irma. She’s tired of the convert operations to spend time with gun.
If Gunther isn’t lying, then I called it yesterday: 2. The van kept running, Bets figured out how to drive it, and she left Gun in the dust to find his own way home. However, I think Gunther is lying except for the school part. So is Bets written out of the strip, or is she going to show up at the dorm? If she doesn’t go back to the dorm, will Bernice take her place? Or will Luann decide she is finally ready to go to the University and become one of the roomies? I doubt it will be Luann, but it would make the story more interesting.
I like the evolution of Gunther from a dweeb in junior high school to a college guy having young atractive ladies showing him attention. Sorry Luann, you’re in the rear view mirror.
Nothing they couldn’t work out. Code for: They broke up when Bets wanted to keep traveling and Gunther wanted to go home. It’s like his old girlfriend all over again. It was good while it lasted, dude.
Okay, here’s a no lies told, explains Luis, full on U-turn version, break up free including the return that’s not a return of Rosa and for good measure the van is just fine.
The only sliver of the road tripwe’ve seen is Gunther and Bets at Comic-Con, putting them in San Diego.
Where Luis and Rosa have flown in from Peru, to then head to Pittsville to find Gunther.
And introduce him to his child.
Rosa discovered she was expecting not long after Gunther left, but eventually, since she felt certain she and Gunther were not meant to be together, she decided not to tell Gunther to avoid a (very predictably) emotional Gunther from rushing back to ‘do the right thing’ regardless of how she felt about their future as a couple.
Two years on, her single motherhood established and stable, Rosa has now decided it’s time father and child to meet.
In a pretty standard storytelling shortcut, Luis, doing gig work driving for Lyft to earn money while they track down Gunther, runs into Gunther and Bets in San Diego during one of his runs to the Con.
Gunther is of course floored just seeing Luis, and of course is knocked on his backside when he hears the whole story.
Bets is… a rock.
She’s an amazing support. She helps Gunther snap to and get his bearings, helps him start sorting out his feelings and deal with Rosa’s decision to be a single parent.
Soon, Gunther meets with Rosa and the little one. Luis and Bets leave them to talk, while the two of them trade stories of Gunther then and Gunther now.
Finally, it’s decided all will head back to Pitts to meet grandma Irma and assorted others. Luis drives Gunther ahead first, so he can prepare Irma without a very unexpected entourage descending on her out of the sky. Rosa, the little one and Bets follow in the van, only a little behind.
BIG U-turn. No problems that weren’t worked out. Gunther and Bets together. Van is just fine.
This is the interrogation he was dreading. Except for Les’s reaction, it seems like another too good to be true resolution.If Bets learned how to drive, then the van is functioning well.If Bets is dropping out of school, then that is her decision. Unlike when he left with Rosa, Gunther is staying school.Does anyone remember that Irma encountered Gunther to go with Rosa? I prefer to be charitable about Irma’s motives.Also does anyone remember that Valentines Day took at least two weeks to unfold?
How about posting-addict Bets got a job offer from a YouTuber in LA? That seems like her passion more than wet-blanket Gunther "To DesiLu … and Beyond!
More stalling? Gee. Thanks for that, Gunther… I’d like to get answers that aren’t a lie. Al and Irma can’t be that gullible can they? If Les is aching for drama he could just pull out his little phone and check Bets instagram to see if she’s posting about her break-up.
But, for a second, could you imagine if that was all the answers we got about the whereabouts of Bets? It’d actually seem ominous and suspicious given his downright moody face from yesterday. Like, so Bets just “dropped out of college” to be a travelling vlogger in a van that yesterday Gunther’s attitude implied broke down just like his relationship with Bets?
This is sorta odd. The earlier scripts showed the Gunt/Bets duo being very much together. They were a bit dirtied from work on the van, but happy together. Les clearly wants something else to have happened to spoil the good time Gunt is having at home. But, Gunt’s remark about Bet’s “chose to go on and that’s it” is troubling.
I had underestimated Gunther. In situations of need, he’s perfectly capable of lying to his family. I’m so proud of him! Lee knows something bad happened, but he wouldn’t be a slimy and betray him with them. I hope Gunter decides to tell him something. Or that, at some point during lunch, he break down and confess that everything went wrong. There’s also the possibility that Tiffany finds out (maybe though a worried Les) and runs to his house or calls him. I’m proud of him for saying nothing to his parents, but I want to know!!!
Wow, Gunther is not being truthful with Irma and at least on the surface she is buying his malarkey. A few things that come to mind: 1) If Bets is staying on the road then she is taking time off from school if we buy Gunther’s story. If Bets was returning to school and the “duo” did not have a fight then Bets would have simply dropped Gunther off at home and would have come in for dinner. 2) I wonder if we see an arc where Bern and Luann are viewing Bets’ vlog and come across a “confessional” where Bets lets all of her followers know why Gunnie is no longer participating in the platform. The girls will let everyone who is connected to them and Gunther about this pronto. Heck maybe Les tells Gunther to take a view of her vlog later this week when she does this….. 2A) If the cat is out of the bag about Gunnie perhaps becoming a free agent, does someone else take notice like Tiff, does she come to check up on her old friend or do Bern and Luann try to help him like they did at Wienie World after Tiff’s romantic dinner for 2 for the “duo” went sideways when Bets could not deal with G-Man dropping the L-word on her? 2B) When the dorms open again we might see a Tiff arc and she will find out if there are any changes to the quad living arrangement as in Bets not coming back or if she does then she could elaborate on what happened and give her side of the story about why Gunther returned home solo. Maybe Gunther is telling the truth but I doubt it.
My guess Bets is taking a gap year and asked Gunther to do the same, he refused as he wanted to go back home and to his classes (debatable over which he told Bets and if she bought the school part) and then Bets gave him an ultimatum, having been fed up with Irma and Al meddling in their affairs and after Gunther chose home with Irma she cut bait and run, just like Rosa did.
OK, Gunther is obviously lying here. So far Greg and Karen have depicted Gunther as spineless, Bets as narcissistic, and now – at best – their commitment to each other is blown at the first rough spot and now Gunther is cast as dishonest to his mom and step-Al.
Sorry Greg and Karen, but I resent how you keep demeaning Gunther and Bets, spoiling what you could have made for them. I really wish you had let those two have some joy together, instead of trying – and failing – to be clever.
Now for the rest of the story: Gunther had school, and was probably tired of having every waking moment broadcast to the world.When he confronts Bets about it he realizes this is not what he wanted after all. Sure, there are some good things between the two of them, but Gunther is introverted while Bets is extroverted. Not a good thing.Sooner or later there is friction.
So for some reason I thought Bets was in school. If so, is she taking a gap semester? How much do we really know about Bets, other than that she’s a social network presence?
“Bets learned to drive the van” — really? Did y’all write this in 1935 or something? Jeez, that was really lame. And I’m one of the people who usually LIKES this strip.
Gunter home for school, but Betts “decided to go on”? That does make it sound like there’s trouble in the relationship. DOesn’t Betts need to return for the fall semester at Moony U?
I’m not so sure Gunther’s mom was/is set on splitting them up. Didn’t she tell Bets “my son loves you, so I love you, too”? Dunno, she just doesn’t seem the scheming, conniving type.
Based off his fantasy it looks like he would rather be with Bets, she understands him and helps him become more confident in himself, Rosa, although I really liked her, she was trying to turn Gunther into the person she assumed he was and wanted him to be.
Oh, no. This is going to be one of those nested dreams, isn’t it? Gunther, and maybe other characters, will just keep waking up. Wonder how long it will last.
Once again, Yr Hero and Yrs Trly, The Modest Count, Hates to Say “The Count Told You So”…. but… The Count Told You So!! Betts the Bae stuck Shoog Daddy Weird Al with the repair bills for the van and left town to… go to the airport and jump on Tuff❤️Tiff’s Shoog Daddy’s former Windstar II and jet off to join Our Heroine, Ann❤️Eiffel and the other hawt ❤️Eiffelettes wherever they may be stalking! Woo Hoo! Happy Hunting, Grrls!! Told ya’ so! Told ya’ so! Told ya’s so! As for Mommy’s Boi, Dumpster… Maybe he can borrow Mommy’s car and he and the Weasley looking… “friend” ;)… and trundle over to Skinny Dip with Kip and Speedoless Pedro. Well played by Betts the Bae to cheat, The Count means, obtain the car from Weird Al. Straight outta Ann❤️Eiffel’s International Best Seller “Seduction for Fun and Profit”. Sorry, lowly unworthies, gotta run. More tomorrow, you Lucky lowly unworthies. Be Good to One Another and esp to Your Friend, The Count, and Darling Ann❤️Eiffel. Be Safe, Stay Indoors During the Heat (one month until Equinox… Woo Hoo!) and Always Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Expressway at Rush Hour. Toodles, Noodles… Count…OUT!
I can’t believe Gunther would come home alone and let Bets drive that unreliable van by herself if everything was okay. That is not safe for her. Why wouldn’t she want to continue school?
Why do I have a funny feeling that Bets and Gun, now left alone, moved past snuggling and Gun couldn’t respond as much as Bets would like. Fight. Separation. Now sorting out the pieces. We’ll see Bets and the van show up at the dorm soon.
Gunther and Bets found a place to live, work and go to school that is near where Gunther was awarded an internship after he completes a certain amount of course work, probably in the spring. He can establish a satellite site on line and start working with the company in the meantime, thus earning a paycheck. Now all they need to do is keep it secret until it’s time to flip the switch.
You would think Al might get suspicious, but Les is the only one among the family members who might actually think of checking out Bets’ blog to get at the truth. Punk can help.
I must say that the Evans have finally gotten a storyline that has grabbed everyone’s attention without stirring up a lot of grousing. I’ve got to admit that the swimming pool party was about as lame as they could get.
What is happening?? I loved reading the archived Rosa/Peru story, but this isn’t fitting!! But I am glad Bets is out of the picture. I hope it stays that way!
Since today’s strip’s giving us nothing, I’ll do a dumb just for giggles fake theory.
Bets met Elwood Druit at the Comic-Con where she expressed her fondness for the Eyez of Zeye as her favorite “so bad it’s good” cult classic. She was so enamored with Elwood that she dumped Gunther for him and is going to be his muse. (Up yours, Bernice! You aren’t the only fake muse in the strip anymore!) And Elwood’s going to manage Bets’ e-girl career.
Bets realized that, while Gunther is good at making her cosplay outfits, he’s a complete wet-drip in the eyes of her subscribers (I mean, they’d be right. Look how lame the content that Bets and Gunther produced was when they were hiding from Big Momma in Gunther’s room). Plus Elwood and Bets? Both are nerdy, stardom seekers looking to profit on geek-culture, and they both kind of wore out their welcomes with a lot of commenters.
Les doesn’t believe that story any more than I do. It doesn’t fit his demeanor arriving home. Maybe he’s angry because Bets decided to dump school and go on or got a job at Comic-Con. Will Les get to the truth? =:-o
I personally think the idea of both Rosa and Luis are far fetched. I think Luis (or a generic cab driver who resembled him) served only to foreshadow yet another breakup for Gunther. Gunther is not happy with the breakup or he wouldn’t have been dreaming of a happier ending to the trip. He’s hesitant to admit to his family that he and Bets broke up so he’s soft selling it and likely will later confess the “real story” to someone—-Les or Tiffany. I’ll be curious to know the facts but I don’t see Rosa in his future. Their story has already been told and I don’t see him being turned into an unexpected daddy because there’s nowhere for his character to continue in the strip if that happens. However if it’s simply a breakup with Bets he’s free to continue on his college career and maybe even reestablish his friendship with Luann. Or meet someone new. We don’t need to revisit Rosa.
Here’s a what if ….. on the trip Gunther runs into his Dad, who abandoned him and Irma when he was a little boy. A subject that tormented him when he was young. A subject he understandably doesn’t want to go over at the dinner table. Remember when Irma suggested the van and a camping trip to Bets, she mentioned how she and Gunther’s Dad were going to take such a trip but never did.
Bets hooked up in another Van then ended up taking this van for a new ‘Vanlife’ following the Greatfull dead, err I mean Phish, err what’s the latest hippie band peeps follow around now?
I hate to admit this, but I’m getting a bad bad feeling. Gunther is clearly hiding something and I think it’s more than just a breakup. The comparisons to the recent case where a couple took a van trip into the desert and only one of them came back are beginning to weigh heavily. I don’t think Gunther is capable of that sort of deadly behavior but clearly SOMETHING happened and it is a mystery. Then there’s the matter of that large backpack he was wearing and how a backpack wound up containing the evidence to solve that case and….. I think The Evanses are leading us in this misdirection of course but the clues are being sprinkled liberally about in this arc.
I’m thinking that whatever happened, Al already knows. He didn’t get where he is by being a sucker. If anyone has been looking at Bets’s social media posts, it’s Al.
Backpacks are pretty commonly used to tote camping gear, textbooks, go-bags, all kinds of stuff by young and old. I’m a senior and still use several of different sizes.
I don’t think G&K would mimic that tragedy. I sincerely hope they have more class than that. A shame so many comments “go there”.
I suspect we’re being fed a meal of red herring (Rosa. Luis. Real-life crime stories.) That doesn’t mean I have any idea what’s going on, though. This is very intriguing, but I hope the payoff is worth it. I like the strip, but have to agree there’s been a fair amount of letdown after build-up lately.
Haaannng on. They left for a road trip together. He came back without her, and his answers are all very vague. This sounds startlingly close to reality. And we know how that ended.
Delta? Written out long ago and apparently couldn’t stay in touch with her friends back in Pitts when she moved to DC for college.
TJ? Apparently now only a minor character who can’t even be called “recurring” anymore given his very infrequent appearances.
Dez? One-dimensional character who only appears when that helps the plot for a few days.
Rosa? Written out in a previous convoluted Gunther-involved relationship arc.
Is Bets now being “cleverly” written out as well?
I will not use the “r” word, but it seems to me that G&K have difficulty with writing for characters of color. Maybe it is time for me to leave after all.
If memory serves correctly, she paid even less attention to Gunther than Bets has.
Her father was some kind of diplomat, so Pitts was just one more stop in her cosmopolitan life. She always had her own plans – Yale, Peru, that village – and poor Gunther just tagged along while Rosa barely noticed.
And when he decided to leave, she was completely nonchalant about it.
Wow, if I had a nickel for every time Gunther left an adventurous girlfriend to go running home to his mommy, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
Maybe -Just Maybe – my guess from saturday is right??
(Bets may have been offered a business/job offer and is staying in California. That gives us a little break from the Gunter & Bets relationship. Her dorm room at Mooney is now available for Bernice to move in and leave the Degroot house. Luann may hang with the Quad group now that Bernice Des Tiff & Stef/Kip are all there.)
I was going to say he should just settle down with Bernice and start planning their dual income, 2.3 child lifestyle, but even Bernice has grown beyond settling.
Logically, it would be very likely that Rosa WOULD return about this time…. It being about two years out (in Luanniverse time)…. she was given the opportunity to explore her passion to help others…. but in the two years she may have likely come to the realization that she could potentially help even more with a degree (I seem to recall she had interest in medicine.) so that she would have MORE ability to help.
With Luis working in some capacity for her Dad, his return here is also explained fairly well also. I hope that Luis remains an on-going presence for Gunther whether he is with Bets or Rosa or neither.
Sad. Gunny is lying through his teeth to Mom Irma and Stepdad Mr. Grey, to preserve the semblance of normality, as if all were well between him and seemingly long-gone Bets. Leslie, who knows better about the broken romance, can barely contain himself.
The whole “twist” in the plot is pathetic—for Gunther, for Irma, for Leslie, for Bets, and also for us….
C 10 months ago
Quite the something all right
Tyge Premium Member 10 months ago
I’m not ready to give up on the “all a dream” trope scenario. The trick is figuring out which strips are/were reality and which are dream. I have to believe that Luis as the cab driver is a clue to the current shenanigans in some way. The Evans’ have created an ancillary character with fixed facial features that has proven to be both versatile and popular among their fans. Mrs. Horner is one. ED is amore recent example. ED is basically unchanged in appearance but has played many roles, from junk collector to wrecker driver. I contend that Luis is yet another.
If you compare the Jan. 13, 2015, “Luis” to that of Aug. 18, 2023, the similarities are striking. For the dream trope to be true there will have to be a series of strips where Gun, Al and Irma will act out of character with the recent past. So far they have displayed a displeasure with Bets as a girlfriend for Gunnie. If they act differently now it should be a clue.
Just sayin’!
Doneaver 10 months ago
I agree with Les. “Yeah, tell me another one.”
Tyge Premium Member 10 months ago
Les is not buyin’ it!
lvlax 10 months ago
I’m pretty sure that Gunther is lying his a$$ off!
Les isn’t buying it for a second. I wonder how long we’ll have to wait to hear the real story of what happened between them.
After seeing Luis in the strip and reading the Gunther & Rosa Peru trip story, they newly posted on their LuannFan site, I’m feeling confident that Rosa will be making a return appearance soon.
Anyone else think she will too?
Yuban333 10 months ago
Bets decided to go on? So, are they in a long distance relationship now? Oh! Now I know why the Lyft driver was shown! That’s Ross’s dad, and Rosa is back! Gunther is going to have to choose between Rosa and Bets! Greg did hint that the story was going to take a U-turn, and that the Lyft driver was a throwback.
Kymberleigh 10 months ago
This is the interesting story G&K promised in that e-mail?
Maybe I should leave after all.
ronaldspence 10 months ago
Les and his uncle know there is much more to the story….
Chrisdiaz801 10 months ago
Poor Gunther!
Tyge Premium Member 10 months ago
On the other hand, Rosa may have returned to he States looking for Gunther. The WHY is the interesting part. Her appearance might be the reason for the recent flare up in the Gun-Bets relationship! Luis being the linking clue in having accompanied her to Pitts, CA!
gnmnrbl 10 months ago
Yeah i’m more willing to believe Bets broke up with gun because she’s tired of playing 2nd fiddle to irma. She’s tired of the convert operations to spend time with gun.
Busrayne 10 months ago
Yeah – and pull the other one.
alasko 10 months ago
Liar!
ACTIVIST1234 10 months ago
So Bets did ditch him.
As long as he can fudge that fact, making it look like it was a mutual decision, Mom’s happy, Al’s happy, Gun’s happy.
luann1212 10 months ago
Curiouser and Curiouser. I don’t have any idea yet but tut the enjoy the ride.
B UTTONS 10 months ago
Nothing that could not be fixed with a couple thousand dollars and a case of duct tape.
Wilkins068 10 months ago
Les knows somethin stinks here
Willow Mt Lyon 10 months ago
If Gunther isn’t lying, then I called it yesterday: 2. The van kept running, Bets figured out how to drive it, and she left Gun in the dust to find his own way home. However, I think Gunther is lying except for the school part. So is Bets written out of the strip, or is she going to show up at the dorm? If she doesn’t go back to the dorm, will Bernice take her place? Or will Luann decide she is finally ready to go to the University and become one of the roomies? I doubt it will be Luann, but it would make the story more interesting.
AN 10 months ago
That “YEP”. Gunthster is faking it.
Joe1962 Premium Member 10 months ago
I don’t believe Les is buying it.
rusty gate 10 months ago
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
Irma knows that something happened!! Going on a trip is stress test for couples. I
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
The old van was a setup by Al Gray.
Last Rose Of Summer Premium Member 10 months ago
No. More. Bets. I didn’t like how she turned Gun into somebody …not him.
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
Maybe Bets is related to Gunther?
TwilightFaze 10 months ago
Nothing they couldn’t work out. Code for: They broke up when Bets wanted to keep traveling and Gunther wanted to go home. It’s like his old girlfriend all over again. It was good while it lasted, dude.
French Persons Premium Member 10 months ago
Right now, we’re all Les.
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
Why is Irma smiling? another dream?
NellyTheHorse 10 months ago
Okay, here’s a no lies told, explains Luis, full on U-turn version, break up free including the return that’s not a return of Rosa and for good measure the van is just fine.
The only sliver of the road tripwe’ve seen is Gunther and Bets at Comic-Con, putting them in San Diego.
Where Luis and Rosa have flown in from Peru, to then head to Pittsville to find Gunther.
And introduce him to his child.
Rosa discovered she was expecting not long after Gunther left, but eventually, since she felt certain she and Gunther were not meant to be together, she decided not to tell Gunther to avoid a (very predictably) emotional Gunther from rushing back to ‘do the right thing’ regardless of how she felt about their future as a couple.
Two years on, her single motherhood established and stable, Rosa has now decided it’s time father and child to meet.
In a pretty standard storytelling shortcut, Luis, doing gig work driving for Lyft to earn money while they track down Gunther, runs into Gunther and Bets in San Diego during one of his runs to the Con.
Gunther is of course floored just seeing Luis, and of course is knocked on his backside when he hears the whole story.
Bets is… a rock.
She’s an amazing support. She helps Gunther snap to and get his bearings, helps him start sorting out his feelings and deal with Rosa’s decision to be a single parent.
Soon, Gunther meets with Rosa and the little one. Luis and Bets leave them to talk, while the two of them trade stories of Gunther then and Gunther now.
Finally, it’s decided all will head back to Pitts to meet grandma Irma and assorted others. Luis drives Gunther ahead first, so he can prepare Irma without a very unexpected entourage descending on her out of the sky. Rosa, the little one and Bets follow in the van, only a little behind.
BIG U-turn. No problems that weren’t worked out. Gunther and Bets together. Van is just fine.
Ruth Brown 10 months ago
This is the interrogation he was dreading. Except for Les’s reaction, it seems like another too good to be true resolution.If Bets learned how to drive, then the van is functioning well.If Bets is dropping out of school, then that is her decision. Unlike when he left with Rosa, Gunther is staying school.Does anyone remember that Irma encountered Gunther to go with Rosa? I prefer to be charitable about Irma’s motives.Also does anyone remember that Valentines Day took at least two weeks to unfold?
Mordock999 Premium Member 10 months ago
Take a bow, Irma.
Your little scheme worked, you old witch.
cmxx 10 months ago
Oh, look at that face: poor Les, no schadenfreude for you today!
blunebottle 10 months ago
This is dumb. Not enjoying it.
Wilkins068 10 months ago
In th last picture Gunters face and the little bitty ‘yup’ says alot
stevegayle 10 months ago
How about posting-addict Bets got a job offer from a YouTuber in LA? That seems like her passion more than wet-blanket Gunther "To DesiLu … and Beyond!
Rockabore 10 months ago
More stalling? Gee. Thanks for that, Gunther… I’d like to get answers that aren’t a lie. Al and Irma can’t be that gullible can they? If Les is aching for drama he could just pull out his little phone and check Bets instagram to see if she’s posting about her break-up.
But, for a second, could you imagine if that was all the answers we got about the whereabouts of Bets? It’d actually seem ominous and suspicious given his downright moody face from yesterday. Like, so Bets just “dropped out of college” to be a travelling vlogger in a van that yesterday Gunther’s attitude implied broke down just like his relationship with Bets?
preacherman Premium Member 10 months ago
This is sorta odd. The earlier scripts showed the Gunt/Bets duo being very much together. They were a bit dirtied from work on the van, but happy together. Les clearly wants something else to have happened to spoil the good time Gunt is having at home. But, Gunt’s remark about Bet’s “chose to go on and that’s it” is troubling.
Aladar30 Premium Member 10 months ago
I had underestimated Gunther. In situations of need, he’s perfectly capable of lying to his family. I’m so proud of him! Lee knows something bad happened, but he wouldn’t be a slimy and betray him with them. I hope Gunter decides to tell him something. Or that, at some point during lunch, he break down and confess that everything went wrong. There’s also the possibility that Tiffany finds out (maybe though a worried Les) and runs to his house or calls him. I’m proud of him for saying nothing to his parents, but I want to know!!!
daveoverpar 10 months ago
This same scenario was on the news last year. Boy and girl go on a van trip, boy returns to Florida with van but no girl.
Rockabore 10 months ago
Just curious what other readers think: What do you think it’ll show if/when Les pulls up Bets Instagram to see what her side of the story is?
Robert Nowall Premium Member 10 months ago
Nothing but a little more than that to tell?
mgl179 10 months ago
I can believe that Bets learned to drive the van. It’s very likely (assuming this weeks arc isn’t the “dream”) that Bets dumped Gunther.
I can’t believe either of them fixed problems with the van (other than, maybe, changing a tire).
It’s totally unbelievable that Irma is now saying that Bets and Gunther are “Quite the Duo”
TampaFanatic1 10 months ago
Wow, Gunther is not being truthful with Irma and at least on the surface she is buying his malarkey. A few things that come to mind: 1) If Bets is staying on the road then she is taking time off from school if we buy Gunther’s story. If Bets was returning to school and the “duo” did not have a fight then Bets would have simply dropped Gunther off at home and would have come in for dinner. 2) I wonder if we see an arc where Bern and Luann are viewing Bets’ vlog and come across a “confessional” where Bets lets all of her followers know why Gunnie is no longer participating in the platform. The girls will let everyone who is connected to them and Gunther about this pronto. Heck maybe Les tells Gunther to take a view of her vlog later this week when she does this….. 2A) If the cat is out of the bag about Gunnie perhaps becoming a free agent, does someone else take notice like Tiff, does she come to check up on her old friend or do Bern and Luann try to help him like they did at Wienie World after Tiff’s romantic dinner for 2 for the “duo” went sideways when Bets could not deal with G-Man dropping the L-word on her? 2B) When the dorms open again we might see a Tiff arc and she will find out if there are any changes to the quad living arrangement as in Bets not coming back or if she does then she could elaborate on what happened and give her side of the story about why Gunther returned home solo. Maybe Gunther is telling the truth but I doubt it.
My guess Bets is taking a gap year and asked Gunther to do the same, he refused as he wanted to go back home and to his classes (debatable over which he told Bets and if she bought the school part) and then Bets gave him an ultimatum, having been fed up with Irma and Al meddling in their affairs and after Gunther chose home with Irma she cut bait and run, just like Rosa did.
DanielDrummond 10 months ago
OK, Gunther is obviously lying here. So far Greg and Karen have depicted Gunther as spineless, Bets as narcissistic, and now – at best – their commitment to each other is blown at the first rough spot and now Gunther is cast as dishonest to his mom and step-Al.
Sorry Greg and Karen, but I resent how you keep demeaning Gunther and Bets, spoiling what you could have made for them. I really wish you had let those two have some joy together, instead of trying – and failing – to be clever.
Bwahahaha! 10 months ago
Sounds like a great ending to this story, Gunther. Next!
leighabc123 10 months ago
Four days left this week. Les is going to get the truth out of Gunther!
Wizard of Ahz-no relation 10 months ago
the take away here is betts isn’t coming back to school.
Mongo 10 months ago
Now for the rest of the story: Gunther had school, and was probably tired of having every waking moment broadcast to the world.When he confronts Bets about it he realizes this is not what he wanted after all. Sure, there are some good things between the two of them, but Gunther is introverted while Bets is extroverted. Not a good thing.Sooner or later there is friction.
OneTime59 10 months ago
“…chose to go on?…” Interesting statement. I wanna find out which direction.
Huckleberry Hiroshima 10 months ago
Amazing followage of this comic. Good to see that.
dalemcginnis 10 months ago
maybe they ran into Rosa on their trip and that is why he and Bets are no longer together
DaBump Premium Member 10 months ago
Bets learned to drive the van? And got a driver’s license? Yeah, no.
miztrniceguy 10 months ago
He’s lying
Rand al'Thor 10 months ago
Bets is enrolled in Mooney. She should be back.
Ellis97 10 months ago
Gunther is hiding something. I can tell.
6foot6 10 months ago
Lies, All lies. They broke up. The van burned to the ground and bets left wanting to find her own adventure while guther wanted to go home.
Ron Dunn Premium Member 10 months ago
Les has that I’m calling BS look.
Don Bagert Premium Member 10 months ago
So for some reason I thought Bets was in school. If so, is she taking a gap semester? How much do we really know about Bets, other than that she’s a social network presence?
Chris 10 months ago
okay Gunther, what are you not telling them. :\
MitmanArt 10 months ago
“Bets learned to drive the van” — really? Did y’all write this in 1935 or something? Jeez, that was really lame. And I’m one of the people who usually LIKES this strip.
WilliamVollmer 10 months ago
Gunter home for school, but Betts “decided to go on”? That does make it sound like there’s trouble in the relationship. DOesn’t Betts need to return for the fall semester at Moony U?
BuckarooDave 10 months ago
The Guess Who : ♫ " No Sugar Tonite" ♫
Lescoe Brandon 10 months ago
I’m glad that it appears that Gunther has a degree from college. He has a doctorate in spin.
GaryCooper 10 months ago
Wait, Isn’t Betts returning to school?
Chelonaut 10 months ago
Gunther is 0/2 on traveling with girlfriends.
Boltsfan2029 10 months ago
I’m not so sure Gunther’s mom was/is set on splitting them up. Didn’t she tell Bets “my son loves you, so I love you, too”? Dunno, she just doesn’t seem the scheming, conniving type.
Ignatz Premium Member 10 months ago
Blatant Sophistry.
Betts Separates.
nubianaries81 10 months ago
Based off his fantasy it looks like he would rather be with Bets, she understands him and helps him become more confident in himself, Rosa, although I really liked her, she was trying to turn Gunther into the person she assumed he was and wanted him to be.
shlomosports Premium Member 10 months ago
Oh, no. This is going to be one of those nested dreams, isn’t it? Gunther, and maybe other characters, will just keep waking up. Wonder how long it will last.
Count Olaf Premium Member 10 months ago
Once again, Yr Hero and Yrs Trly, The Modest Count, Hates to Say “The Count Told You So”…. but… The Count Told You So!! Betts the Bae stuck Shoog Daddy Weird Al with the repair bills for the van and left town to… go to the airport and jump on Tuff❤️Tiff’s Shoog Daddy’s former Windstar II and jet off to join Our Heroine, Ann❤️Eiffel and the other hawt ❤️Eiffelettes wherever they may be stalking! Woo Hoo! Happy Hunting, Grrls!! Told ya’ so! Told ya’ so! Told ya’s so! As for Mommy’s Boi, Dumpster… Maybe he can borrow Mommy’s car and he and the Weasley looking… “friend” ;)… and trundle over to Skinny Dip with Kip and Speedoless Pedro. Well played by Betts the Bae to cheat, The Count means, obtain the car from Weird Al. Straight outta Ann❤️Eiffel’s International Best Seller “Seduction for Fun and Profit”. Sorry, lowly unworthies, gotta run. More tomorrow, you Lucky lowly unworthies. Be Good to One Another and esp to Your Friend, The Count, and Darling Ann❤️Eiffel. Be Safe, Stay Indoors During the Heat (one month until Equinox… Woo Hoo!) and Always Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Expressway at Rush Hour. Toodles, Noodles… Count…OUT!
locake 10 months ago
Irma believes everything Gunther says. Les knows he is not telling the truth and Al probably suspects there is a lot more to the story.
locake 10 months ago
I can’t believe Gunther would come home alone and let Bets drive that unreliable van by herself if everything was okay. That is not safe for her. Why wouldn’t she want to continue school?
MJ Weber Premium Member 10 months ago
Why do I have a funny feeling that Bets and Gun, now left alone, moved past snuggling and Gun couldn’t respond as much as Bets would like. Fight. Separation. Now sorting out the pieces. We’ll see Bets and the van show up at the dorm soon.
comic reader 22 10 months ago
Gunther and Bets found a place to live, work and go to school that is near where Gunther was awarded an internship after he completes a certain amount of course work, probably in the spring. He can establish a satellite site on line and start working with the company in the meantime, thus earning a paycheck. Now all they need to do is keep it secret until it’s time to flip the switch.
You would think Al might get suspicious, but Les is the only one among the family members who might actually think of checking out Bets’ blog to get at the truth. Punk can help.
MuddyUSA Premium Member 10 months ago
Let’s hear it for Rosa……..
JustPlainBob 10 months ago
I must say that the Evans have finally gotten a storyline that has grabbed everyone’s attention without stirring up a lot of grousing. I’ve got to admit that the swimming pool party was about as lame as they could get.
Camiyami Premium Member 10 months ago
What is happening?? I loved reading the archived Rosa/Peru story, but this isn’t fitting!! But I am glad Bets is out of the picture. I hope it stays that way!
French Persons Premium Member 10 months ago
Irma is quite the tarantula mommy, just like Livia in “I, Claudius”.
nightflight 10 months ago
Gunther has finally cracked. Therapy time, maybe in a private clinic. We can listen in.
windfinder 10 months ago
Bets is going to come back with the new friend is met while on the road… Rosa!
Webby_dog 10 months ago
Doesn’t anyone think that Bets is on her way out ….of the strip!
Rockabore 10 months ago
Since today’s strip’s giving us nothing, I’ll do a dumb just for giggles fake theory.
Bets met Elwood Druit at the Comic-Con where she expressed her fondness for the Eyez of Zeye as her favorite “so bad it’s good” cult classic. She was so enamored with Elwood that she dumped Gunther for him and is going to be his muse. (Up yours, Bernice! You aren’t the only fake muse in the strip anymore!) And Elwood’s going to manage Bets’ e-girl career.
Bets realized that, while Gunther is good at making her cosplay outfits, he’s a complete wet-drip in the eyes of her subscribers (I mean, they’d be right. Look how lame the content that Bets and Gunther produced was when they were hiding from Big Momma in Gunther’s room). Plus Elwood and Bets? Both are nerdy, stardom seekers looking to profit on geek-culture, and they both kind of wore out their welcomes with a lot of commenters.
Ordinary Average Guy 10 months ago
THE BROMANCE!
dlaemmerhirt999 10 months ago
Les isn’t buying Gunther’s bullhonky! I think Al is pretty sus too honestly.
YorkGirl Premium Member 10 months ago
Les doesn’t believe that story any more than I do. It doesn’t fit his demeanor arriving home. Maybe he’s angry because Bets decided to dump school and go on or got a job at Comic-Con. Will Les get to the truth? =:-o
eladee AKA Wally 10 months ago
I personally think the idea of both Rosa and Luis are far fetched. I think Luis (or a generic cab driver who resembled him) served only to foreshadow yet another breakup for Gunther. Gunther is not happy with the breakup or he wouldn’t have been dreaming of a happier ending to the trip. He’s hesitant to admit to his family that he and Bets broke up so he’s soft selling it and likely will later confess the “real story” to someone—-Les or Tiffany. I’ll be curious to know the facts but I don’t see Rosa in his future. Their story has already been told and I don’t see him being turned into an unexpected daddy because there’s nowhere for his character to continue in the strip if that happens. However if it’s simply a breakup with Bets he’s free to continue on his college career and maybe even reestablish his friendship with Luann. Or meet someone new. We don’t need to revisit Rosa.
StoicLion1973 10 months ago
It appears that Bets and Gunther are on the outs….
Tenax 10 months ago
Here’s a what if ….. on the trip Gunther runs into his Dad, who abandoned him and Irma when he was a little boy. A subject that tormented him when he was young. A subject he understandably doesn’t want to go over at the dinner table. Remember when Irma suggested the van and a camping trip to Bets, she mentioned how she and Gunther’s Dad were going to take such a trip but never did.
Darth Nefarius 10 months ago
Bets hooked up in another Van then ended up taking this van for a new ‘Vanlife’ following the Greatfull dead, err I mean Phish, err what’s the latest hippie band peeps follow around now?
Darth Nefarius 10 months ago
Didn’t this same Vanlife scenerio occurr last year but the boyfriend killed the girlfriend? Gus a serial killer now?
eladee AKA Wally 10 months ago
I hate to admit this, but I’m getting a bad bad feeling. Gunther is clearly hiding something and I think it’s more than just a breakup. The comparisons to the recent case where a couple took a van trip into the desert and only one of them came back are beginning to weigh heavily. I don’t think Gunther is capable of that sort of deadly behavior but clearly SOMETHING happened and it is a mystery. Then there’s the matter of that large backpack he was wearing and how a backpack wound up containing the evidence to solve that case and….. I think The Evanses are leading us in this misdirection of course but the clues are being sprinkled liberally about in this arc.
jrankin1959 10 months ago
“That’s the way things go with the Joker and me… unresolved.” (“Batman: A Death in the Family”, 1988)
imoty2004 10 months ago
I’m thinking that whatever happened, Al already knows. He didn’t get where he is by being a sucker. If anyone has been looking at Bets’s social media posts, it’s Al.
beachlvr Premium Member 10 months ago
Did they get a new writer for this strip? It’s way more complex then usual. If so, bravo!
Tenax 10 months ago
Backpacks are pretty commonly used to tote camping gear, textbooks, go-bags, all kinds of stuff by young and old. I’m a senior and still use several of different sizes.
I don’t think G&K would mimic that tragedy. I sincerely hope they have more class than that. A shame so many comments “go there”.
Doneaver 10 months ago
I see the Saturday comic with Les and Gunther back in the gulag and Les going. “Now give me the lowdown on what really happened.”
paldec 10 months ago
I suspect we’re being fed a meal of red herring (Rosa. Luis. Real-life crime stories.) That doesn’t mean I have any idea what’s going on, though. This is very intriguing, but I hope the payoff is worth it. I like the strip, but have to agree there’s been a fair amount of letdown after build-up lately.
gigagrouch 10 months ago
Say little & say it well, Gunther.
Rae Suzanne 10 months ago
I’m reading this and don’t buy it! I knew Bets would leave.
Caldonia 10 months ago
This is what it looks like…when twins hug.
The Quiet One 10 months ago
Gunther is trying to put on a brave face, but I’m not buying it.
Bobbin Dobbins 10 months ago
And they lived happily ever after. Separately.
Jaymi Cee Premium Member 10 months ago
Haaannng on. They left for a road trip together. He came back without her, and his answers are all very vague. This sounds startlingly close to reality. And we know how that ended.
Kymberleigh 10 months ago
I don’t like having to say this, but …
Delta? Written out long ago and apparently couldn’t stay in touch with her friends back in Pitts when she moved to DC for college.
TJ? Apparently now only a minor character who can’t even be called “recurring” anymore given his very infrequent appearances.
Dez? One-dimensional character who only appears when that helps the plot for a few days.
Rosa? Written out in a previous convoluted Gunther-involved relationship arc.
Is Bets now being “cleverly” written out as well?
I will not use the “r” word, but it seems to me that G&K have difficulty with writing for characters of color. Maybe it is time for me to leave after all.
rrsltx 10 months ago
Hmmm. Does Gunthie have an unexpected new miniature curly redhead clone he wasn’t aware of?
Moonkey Premium Member 10 months ago
Gunther prevaricates on every answer he gave today.
RolloTheGrouch 10 months ago
Rosa?
If memory serves correctly, she paid even less attention to Gunther than Bets has.
Her father was some kind of diplomat, so Pitts was just one more stop in her cosmopolitan life. She always had her own plans – Yale, Peru, that village – and poor Gunther just tagged along while Rosa barely noticed.
And when he decided to leave, she was completely nonchalant about it.
BJShipley1 10 months ago
Wow, if I had a nickel for every time Gunther left an adventurous girlfriend to go running home to his mommy, I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
tutibug5 10 months ago
Maybe -Just Maybe – my guess from saturday is right??
(Bets may have been offered a business/job offer and is staying in California. That gives us a little break from the Gunter & Bets relationship. Her dorm room at Mooney is now available for Bernice to move in and leave the Degroot house. Luann may hang with the Quad group now that Bernice Des Tiff & Stef/Kip are all there.)
tutibug5 10 months ago
Tomorrow – we are at the Kafe Kablooie and Les is telling Tiffany the whole story.
Decius Premium Member 10 months ago
I was going to say he should just settle down with Bernice and start planning their dual income, 2.3 child lifestyle, but even Bernice has grown beyond settling.
kaycstamper 10 months ago
Hmm, sounds fishy.
nightflight 10 months ago
Like the movie, “A Beautiful Mind”, all events are seen through a delusional mind.
Dragoncat 10 months ago
All that built-up suspense… FOR THIS?!
WaywardWind 10 months ago
I’m hopeing we’ve seen the last of Bets. She was a pain in the … and was more interested in her social media than her relationship with Guns.
blunebottle 10 months ago
This story line sucks big time.
my1friend 10 months ago
what is really going on here ?
BuckarooDave 10 months ago
Looks like meatloaf and peas ……
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
Dreaming!!
Pipe Tobacco Premium Member 10 months ago
Logically, it would be very likely that Rosa WOULD return about this time…. It being about two years out (in Luanniverse time)…. she was given the opportunity to explore her passion to help others…. but in the two years she may have likely come to the realization that she could potentially help even more with a degree (I seem to recall she had interest in medicine.) so that she would have MORE ability to help.
With Luis working in some capacity for her Dad, his return here is also explained fairly well also. I hope that Luis remains an on-going presence for Gunther whether he is with Bets or Rosa or neither.
David Huie Green ForceIsAUsefulFiction 10 months ago
It all depends on how you look at it and how you report it….
Rhetorical_Question 10 months ago
Mushrooms?
DanielDrummond 10 months ago
The more I look at this, the more it looks like only Les has a realistic expression
SJhapamama 10 months ago
Hmm, maybe Al secretly paid Bets to dump Gunth…. Or, maybe they ran into Rosa and Bets got jealous and left Gunth by the side of the road…
BuckarooDave 10 months ago
tomorrow: Les gags on dinner, and Gunther has to do “The Heimlich” on him! :-/
SakiKuro 10 months ago
So does this mean we won’t be seeing Bets anymore now?
Sisyphos 10 months ago
Sad. Gunny is lying through his teeth to Mom Irma and Stepdad Mr. Grey, to preserve the semblance of normality, as if all were well between him and seemingly long-gone Bets. Leslie, who knows better about the broken romance, can barely contain himself.
The whole “twist” in the plot is pathetic—for Gunther, for Irma, for Leslie, for Bets, and also for us….
Otis Rufus Driftwood 10 months ago
Don’t think you’re gonna fool Mr. Gray, Gunther.
Gabby 10 months ago
So did Bets pay for her share of the van when she “chose to go on”?