Forget the Mom; she at least knows that the Leslie’s probably the one taking it. Mr. Bean, on the other hand, is supposed to be blissfully unaware of these goings-on.
What were the odds of her mom being awake at (assumes it’s really late time)?
It’d be interesting to think that her mom usually waits up in case Leslie shows up.
This actually makes a lot more sense than Leslie bringing Malaya to meet her Mom for some kind of moral support. Taking the helicopter would definitely wake up Mrs. Bean, but she’d probably leave a note so she wouldn’t call the police whilst avoiding her.
And so we have a third Shortpacked! character with daddy issues specifically. This seemed a tad sexist to me at first (though I know Willis certainly isn’t aiming for some sort of anti-dad propaganda, partailly because he’s better than that and partially because should he ever have kids he’d have to be self-loathing), but then I realized that I wasn’t looking at the big picture. So I decided to try and see if there’s any sort of balance here. So, in no particular order:
SCREWED-UP DADS: Amber (mafia dealings, emotional abuse, etc.), Robin (lots of affairs), Leslie (ostracizes her for being gay), Jason (universe-dooming megalomaniac), Ruth&Howard (at least one affair), Becky (myopic and intolerant)
SCREWED-UP MOMS: Walky&Sal (made a deal with evil aliens to genetically augment her kids, believed herself to be a homicidal maniac for years, spent most of J&W! in an asylum), Joyce (not as bad as most, but her obsession with grandkids is a bit scary), Billie (nympho)
TWO DECENT PARENTS: Danny, Joe, Mike, DJ
I think the difference here is that unlike the other fathers listed he seems oblivious to the damage he’s caused. He doesn’t see anything wrong with how he’s raised Connie, whereas most of the things the other dads have done come off as spiteful and mean-spirited. I mean, you don’t sleep around or make Mafia deals or…um…doom universes to heat death (seriously, Jason wins the bad parent contest) without some nagging part of you going “this is a bit morally questionable.”
Nevertheless, though, as likable as he is he would definitely go in the “screwed-up father” category. Intent doesn’t mean much.
Faz has the same dad as Amber… granted, he never met him, but low self-esteem from the absence of his father may have contributed to the way he is now.
Fair enough. I was sleep-deprived when I wrote that.
Doesn’t matter anyway. We’re going relative numbers of fucked-up parents, not relative numbers of characters with fucked-up parents. The only reason I used the names of the kids rather than the parents was because I don’t know the names of most of the parents. Jason’s is Dargon, that’s about it.
Joe should go on the “screwed up dad” list, now that I’m thinking about it. I mean, he was revealed to have a mistress during the prologue comic, which probably factored into Joe growing up to be a nympho and misogynist.
Joe’s a pretty shitty parent, no doubt, but he does seem to genuinely regret that he doesn’t know how to communicate with him, which puts him in higher regard than anyone else on the bad dad list.
Although mass-manufacturing siblings for profit and brainwashing them against their instincts is kinda dickish. Chalk it up to the AI double standard.
I, too, am going to enjoy that week. You put a big smile on my face with how easily (and yet not unkindly) Mrs. Bean is seeing through a bit of her daughter’s smokescreen.
I have no idea what’s going on here. This should feel no more random to me than anything else this series has thrown at me, but it does. Never mind, then. On we go!
We’ve had terrorist organizations devoted to bringing down a singular toy store. We’ve had two unexplained resurrections. We have a talking car whose weight can be supported by the ceiling. We’ve had a character go into a diabetic blackout and wake up a US Representative, and then create world peace trying it the second time. We’ve had hostile takeover of a toy store by locking it’s owner in a video game cage, and we’ve had the subsequent moral backlash break the universe.
To be entirely fair, that ceiling was in a store owned by Galasso. God only knows what he designed it to do and withstand – I mean, look at the store’s current floor.
To be fair the kind of whacky scenarios that you listed occur on such a regular basis that its not too hard to see why such an ordinary scenario like being caught by a parent whilst sneaking into the house late at night might surprise some readers who have come to expect the unexpected and ridiculous to occur.
I think you’re reading a completely different comic here. This is one of the first time that Malaya hasn’t been rude – almost all of her dialogue is repeating Leslie, stunned at the situation. I think this indicates that she certainly has a sense of appropriateness, and she actually wants to see what’s gonna happen next far more than she wants to be a jerk.
…HOW, exactly, is Malaya being bitch when she said three whole words in this strip? The last strip had he asking two sentences. She’s confused and been asking questions, I don’t see how your getting that she’s egging Leslie on or ragging on her or anything bitchy. Let me summarize her sentences is this particular scenario.
I think some people are just going to keep calling Malaya a bitch despite what logic shows to be true. Reality: she is NOT a bitch, but she’s not a sweet, perky little girl either and she’s not going to tell you what you want to hear.
Leslie’s reveal of vulnerability and family issues will make Malaya like her even more. Before, she was “that cool lesbian who’s older than me and I’m having fun flirting with,” now she’s more human, and she screws up sometimes too, just like Malaya. I think this will prove to have been an excellent choice by Leslie.
Really, because I get the impression that she’s got no interest in Leslie beyond what she looks like (she certainly doesn’t care about Leslie’s interests or friends), and implictly seems to be using her to pass the time until her friend… Ken? Get’s his act together and asks her out finally.
Don’t really get the impression that, like Robin, she’s just nervous about having sex with Leslie (at least initally). I get the impression that she ONLY likes flirting with her and doesn’t want to go further, unlike Leslie who’s combination genuinely liking her and coming off of a relationship that imploded spectacularly will probably lead to this ending in tears.
I disagree with this, as much as I dislike Malaya. For one, she’s made it clear to Ken she’s not interested in him and she’s irritated at him for not getting it. There’s a reason Ethan picked up on that unrequited tension and suggested that Amber schedule Ken and Malaya apart.
Also, she was talking to someone (don’t recall whom) about how Leslie’s the one person who’s nice to her. I think part of that has to do with Malaya being a massive bitch to everyone else but that’s a separate issue.
My question is why Leslie’s mom was drinking…. tea?… in the middle of a pitch black kitchen for no reason. I assume people like to see what’s in front of them.
Malaya’s scared of mothers..or just Mrs. Bean? Never seen her looking vulnerable before. And that isn’t really Leslies house, it’s her parents. There is a difference once an adult kid has moved out. Like Leslie said when they first arrived.
I get a “oh shit disapproving parents, I don’t want to be involved in conflict” vibe. Which you can apply to Malaya whether she was wanting a serious relationship or not. Even if she did want something long term, the person you’re interested in dancing around telling their parents the truth is not usually a good sign.
I got a “oh my god we just got caught breaking in wait she doesn’t seem to mind who is this person and what’s that about a helicopter wait what?” vibe, myself.
So I can’t help but feel like Leslie’s parents aren’t just fundamentalists but like huge televangicals (hence the helicopter and more compound-like feel than house) to which Leslie would be a major embarrassment. Makes me wonder if “Bean” is her real last name.
Or maybe Republicans. I’m anxious to find out more about our Miss Bean.
Got “oh snap’d” by mom there.
Leslie’s logic worries me sometimes, it makes me wonder if her father is THAT Mr. Bean.
Maybe Robin’s skewed way of thinking is sexually communicable.
If Leslie ever says “For Rizzle” we’d better put in a call to the CDC.
“Maybe Robin’s skewed way of thinking is sexually communicable.”
That’s up there with ‘I intend this breast satirically!’ in Sentences That Probably Aren’t Uttered All That Often.
Though only slightly more common than “Please hold the Hope Diamond for me while I inflate my scrotum.”
Epic reference is epic.
This reference is the pride of my ear bucket.
Uh, HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH, HALLELUUUU…luuuuu…jaaaah.
…jaaaah.
…jaaah.
(So, possibly not.)
For some reason, the way you framed this has me imagining a new intro to Mr. Bean using Leonard Cohen.
If was assuming her mom was asleep, how did she think she’d manage to take off in a helicopter without waking her? Those things are freaking loud.
Either it’s one of those new fangled Stealth Choppers, or Mrs Bean is a REALLY heavy sleeper.
I favour the former…
Or she figured that by the time Mom could get out of bed and get to the helipad, they’d have already taken off.
Forget the Mom; she at least knows that the Leslie’s probably the one taking it. Mr. Bean, on the other hand, is supposed to be blissfully unaware of these goings-on.
Presumably he’s deaf?
No, you’re thinking of Mr. Magoo. Mr. Bean is mute.
Wait, Mr. Magoo is blind, right? You’re thinking of Dr. Niles Caulder…
No, you’re thinking of Doctor Midnight, Dr Caulder is paraplegic.
No, you’re thinking of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Doctor Midnight is blind.
No, you are thinking of the criminologist, Dr. Frank-N-Furter was an alien transvestite.
No, you’re thinking of Dr Scott, the Criminologist was one of the guys who played Blofeld in the James Bond movies.
Mr. Bean is not mute. He just doesn’t talk very often. Hence his schtick.
What were the odds of her mom being awake at (assumes it’s really late time)?
It’d be interesting to think that her mom usually waits up in case Leslie shows up.
Leslie cops a feel in panel 5.
And her thumb disappears into the boob. . .
HOLOGRAM BREASTS!
That’s not your girlfriend! It’s a MAN, BABY!
So Leslie’s parents do well enough they can afford a home adjacent helicopter. How about that.
I like the idea that her mom bribers with helicopter access.
This is not the helicopter’s first appearance!
http://www.shortpacked.com/2008/comic/book-7/10-palin-comparison/wolves/
This actually makes a lot more sense than Leslie bringing Malaya to meet her Mom for some kind of moral support. Taking the helicopter would definitely wake up Mrs. Bean, but she’d probably leave a note so she wouldn’t call the police whilst avoiding her.
I don’t think I could think of much of a better date than going out in a helicopter.
Joining the Mile High Club in a helicopter sounds kinda dangerous to me.
Only if it involves the pilot.
Is Leslie’s Family rich?
And so we have a third Shortpacked! character with daddy issues specifically. This seemed a tad sexist to me at first (though I know Willis certainly isn’t aiming for some sort of anti-dad propaganda, partailly because he’s better than that and partially because should he ever have kids he’d have to be self-loathing), but then I realized that I wasn’t looking at the big picture. So I decided to try and see if there’s any sort of balance here. So, in no particular order:
SCREWED-UP DADS: Amber (mafia dealings, emotional abuse, etc.), Robin (lots of affairs), Leslie (ostracizes her for being gay), Jason (universe-dooming megalomaniac), Ruth&Howard (at least one affair), Becky (myopic and intolerant)
SCREWED-UP MOMS: Walky&Sal (made a deal with evil aliens to genetically augment her kids, believed herself to be a homicidal maniac for years, spent most of J&W! in an asylum), Joyce (not as bad as most, but her obsession with grandkids is a bit scary), Billie (nympho)
TWO DECENT PARENTS: Danny, Joe, Mike, DJ
Anyone I’m forgetting?
Ah. Add Tony to the “2 Decent Parents” list.
Reminds me of the time someone accused Willis of having major daddy issues because he kept making fun of God.
Good times.
I’m not accusing Willis of doing anything, really, at least I’m not intentionally. And I certainly hope I don’t come off as that nutty.
Oh sorry, no, didn’t mean to imply that you were
Just making an observation.
Ah, okay. Oh, and delayed reaction–MAJOR DADDY-ISSUES! *salutes*
Galasso is an AWESOME father figure.
Not necessarily a “good” father figure if you want to grow up well adjusted…
…But awesome!
How did I forget Galasso?
I think the difference here is that unlike the other fathers listed he seems oblivious to the damage he’s caused. He doesn’t see anything wrong with how he’s raised Connie, whereas most of the things the other dads have done come off as spiteful and mean-spirited. I mean, you don’t sleep around or make Mafia deals or…um…doom universes to heat death (seriously, Jason wins the bad parent contest) without some nagging part of you going “this is a bit morally questionable.”
Nevertheless, though, as likable as he is he would definitely go in the “screwed-up father” category. Intent doesn’t mean much.
I dunno. Obliviousness can only get him so far when he’s made his daughter have sex with horses because he was hoping to breed an army of centaurs.
Huh, so Connie could be Ms. Manyface in disguise… CROSSOVER POTENTIAL!
How did I forget that?
But again, I wasn’t arguing that Connie shouldn’t be on the “has a screwed-up dad” list, only suggesting a possible reason I forgot to put her there.
Faz has the same dad as Amber… granted, he never met him, but low self-esteem from the absence of his father may have contributed to the way he is now.
Fair enough. I was sleep-deprived when I wrote that.
Doesn’t matter anyway. We’re going relative numbers of fucked-up parents, not relative numbers of characters with fucked-up parents. The only reason I used the names of the kids rather than the parents was because I don’t know the names of most of the parents. Jason’s is Dargon, that’s about it.
Joe should go on the “screwed up dad” list, now that I’m thinking about it. I mean, he was revealed to have a mistress during the prologue comic, which probably factored into Joe growing up to be a nympho and misogynist.
What about Ultra Car?
Oh, wow, wish I had seen this sooner.
Joe’s a pretty shitty parent, no doubt, but he does seem to genuinely regret that he doesn’t know how to communicate with him, which puts him in higher regard than anyone else on the bad dad list.
Although mass-manufacturing siblings for profit and brainwashing them against their instincts is kinda dickish. Chalk it up to the AI double standard.
Oh, and hey! Hey Leslie! I have an idea! Call your mom and ask about the copter in advance. That way shit doesn’t get awkward.
Oh come on, Les. Sneaking into your parents’ house and now lying to your mom’s face in panel five? You’re better than that.
Dating Malaya has made her start acting poorly.
Oh come off it. She was prone to doing strange and sometimes silly things with Robin around, too.
True, but I doubt talking to your mom while giving your girlfriend a reacharound wasn’t one of them.
“I was sneaking in, because I thought you were ASLEEP, mom. Why are you sitting in the kitchen with the lights off?”
That simple, she err ummm……Pop tarts?
It’s not pop tarts.
Ominous!
Simple. She heard Leslie open the door and decided to do something dramatic to freak her out.
So, about the don’t tell your father part, I take it that he’s not amused by his daughter’s homosexuality?
The implication in previous comics is that her parents, both, did not take her homosexuality well, due to their overbearing level of Christianity.
I think I could read an entire week of comic strips of Leslie’s mom questioning Leslie’s explanations for sneaking in to her own home.
That is fortunate!
I, too, am going to enjoy that week. You put a big smile on my face with how easily (and yet not unkindly) Mrs. Bean is seeing through a bit of her daughter’s smokescreen.
That response made me laugh aloud.
Curse you.
Pop tarts?
That would be Malaya: “pop tart”, singular.
You think Leslie eats pop tarts?
Not yet…
I do believe she was intending to have a midnight snack though.
I have no idea what’s going on here. This should feel no more random to me than anything else this series has thrown at me, but it does. Never mind, then. On we go!
We’ve had terrorist organizations devoted to bringing down a singular toy store. We’ve had two unexplained resurrections. We have a talking car whose weight can be supported by the ceiling. We’ve had a character go into a diabetic blackout and wake up a US Representative, and then create world peace trying it the second time. We’ve had hostile takeover of a toy store by locking it’s owner in a video game cage, and we’ve had the subsequent moral backlash break the universe.
THIS is what throws you for a loop?
Well, when you put it that way…
Yeah, pretty much.
To be entirely fair, that ceiling was in a store owned by Galasso. God only knows what he designed it to do and withstand – I mean, look at the store’s current floor.
And the No Prize goes to…
To be fair the kind of whacky scenarios that you listed occur on such a regular basis that its not too hard to see why such an ordinary scenario like being caught by a parent whilst sneaking into the house late at night might surprise some readers who have come to expect the unexpected and ridiculous to occur.
A.) Leslie can fly a helicopter. That is awesome.
B.) Mrs. Bean is hilarious.
C.) That is the most obvious boob grope in panel 5 there, Leslie, I don’t know how you expect your mom not to see that.
Who says she was gonna *fly* the helicopter?
Maybe she was just gonna take it out for a walk…
Your first sentence put… implications… in my head. Sexy ones.
Oh, and reading this again, not only is Malaya a huge bitch, but she’s also apparently incredibly slow.
I think you’re reading a completely different comic here. This is one of the first time that Malaya hasn’t been rude – almost all of her dialogue is repeating Leslie, stunned at the situation. I think this indicates that she certainly has a sense of appropriateness, and she actually wants to see what’s gonna happen next far more than she wants to be a jerk.
…HOW, exactly, is Malaya being bitch when she said three whole words in this strip? The last strip had he asking two sentences. She’s confused and been asking questions, I don’t see how your getting that she’s egging Leslie on or ragging on her or anything bitchy. Let me summarize her sentences is this particular scenario.
“Why are we breaking into a house?”
“Then why are we sneaking around in the dark?”
“…Mom?”
“Helicopter?”
“Hi.”
I think some people are just going to keep calling Malaya a bitch despite what logic shows to be true. Reality: she is NOT a bitch, but she’s not a sweet, perky little girl either and she’s not going to tell you what you want to hear.
Leslie’s reveal of vulnerability and family issues will make Malaya like her even more. Before, she was “that cool lesbian who’s older than me and I’m having fun flirting with,” now she’s more human, and she screws up sometimes too, just like Malaya. I think this will prove to have been an excellent choice by Leslie.
Really, because I get the impression that she’s got no interest in Leslie beyond what she looks like (she certainly doesn’t care about Leslie’s interests or friends), and implictly seems to be using her to pass the time until her friend… Ken? Get’s his act together and asks her out finally.
Don’t really get the impression that, like Robin, she’s just nervous about having sex with Leslie (at least initally). I get the impression that she ONLY likes flirting with her and doesn’t want to go further, unlike Leslie who’s combination genuinely liking her and coming off of a relationship that imploded spectacularly will probably lead to this ending in tears.
She did claim to Ultracar that Leslie was her ‘fresh start’. That implies she’s looking for more than casual flirting.
I disagree with this, as much as I dislike Malaya. For one, she’s made it clear to Ken she’s not interested in him and she’s irritated at him for not getting it. There’s a reason Ethan picked up on that unrequited tension and suggested that Amber schedule Ken and Malaya apart.
Also, she was talking to someone (don’t recall whom) about how Leslie’s the one person who’s nice to her. I think part of that has to do with Malaya being a massive bitch to everyone else but that’s a separate issue.
jah! got the thing about the helicopter, well at least is good to see her mom cares about her.
jah! got the thing about the helicopter, well at least is good to see her mom cares about her.
Malaya looks really cute in this page. Peering over the shoulder and awkward smiles…Fun to see from her.
My question is why Leslie’s mom was drinking…. tea?… in the middle of a pitch black kitchen for no reason. I assume people like to see what’s in front of them.
Hooray for surprise meet the parent dates
Malaya’s scared of mothers..or just Mrs. Bean? Never seen her looking vulnerable before. And that isn’t really Leslies house, it’s her parents. There is a difference once an adult kid has moved out. Like Leslie said when they first arrived.
I got a “Crap, this looks like it’s turning into a real relationship, this was just meant to be harmless flirting!” vibe there.
I get a “oh shit disapproving parents, I don’t want to be involved in conflict” vibe. Which you can apply to Malaya whether she was wanting a serious relationship or not. Even if she did want something long term, the person you’re interested in dancing around telling their parents the truth is not usually a good sign.
I got a “oh my god we just got caught breaking in wait she doesn’t seem to mind who is this person and what’s that about a helicopter wait what?” vibe, myself.
I got the “not ready to meet the parents” vibe from both.
I got a “holy shit this is Leslie’s mom I better get my act together” vibe…
You’re out of your element Malaya! They peed on your valued rug!
Minor quip here: shouldn’t that read “every so often,” not “ever so often”?
Indeed, it should. I came here wondering if anyone else noticed.
Huh. :I Guess I was off by like, fifty miles.
So I can’t help but feel like Leslie’s parents aren’t just fundamentalists but like huge televangicals (hence the helicopter and more compound-like feel than house) to which Leslie would be a major embarrassment. Makes me wonder if “Bean” is her real last name.
Or maybe Republicans. I’m anxious to find out more about our Miss Bean.
A big Santorum.
Very good questions Leslie’s Mom.
I know it’s not likely to happen, but I am SOOO hoping that her father looks exactly like Rowan Atkinson.
Upon actually reading the dialogue a bit more carefully it seems that it’s just Leslie’s dad who likely has problems against gays.
Why do I never consider that possibility in similiar situations?
…for the same reazon you sneak your date through your parents to “borrow” their car.