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The hospital waiting room?

50 (33.3%)

Faye on a trip down Deriver Denial?

26 (17.3%)

Emergency Cast Meeting?

45 (30%)

The police station, charged with the assault (or even murder) of Pintsize?

9 (6%)

Weird archetype-filled dream sequence for Faye in which she sees her life as a strange Pyroland-like fantasy and is Elightened?

20 (13.3%)

Total Members Voted: 139

[Jays]

That ... is not what I expected. But in a good way.

First time a comic has ever made me tear up.    Well done.

[sluthy]

...although it's a long way from sitting in a hospital realizing you're not all right to taking the next step and admitting you need help, and then actually getting it.

Yes, we've heard her acknowledge her problems before, but those instances were a far cry from a teary breakdown in a hospital bed after losing her job and having a near-fatal drug overdose.

Plus I'm predicting we're going to see an apologetic Dora (regardless whether she thinks she was right or wrong for firing Faye) make an appearance by Faye's bedside soon.

Doubt it. She'll be sympathetic and understanding, but I think the overdose will strengthen her resolve that she did the right thing by separating Faye from CoD. Remember the last thing she said to her: "Go home, sober up, and get some goddamned help, Faye." Well, she went home, she sobered up (eventually, with the help of a saline IV and a team of paramedics), and now she's in the right place and crucially the right mindset to get help.

[Coffee_Kaioken]

I personally feel like Dora was more supportive and available for Faye over her troubles with Angus up until the actual breakup; then Dora just kinda concluded things on "Faye, I'm your friend but I'm not a therapist. I don't know what else to tell you." Then Faye asked about sneaking a drink into a coffee - Dora had begun withdrawing from her sensitivity toward's Faye's state even before that red flag, I think.

I'm wondering how her friendship with Marten is going to continue over the next month or so. A lingering issue with them during their relationship was the friendship between Marten + Faye. Sometimes Dora was easily set off by her jealousy over it; Granted they're no longer in a relationship but I can see a bit of awkwardness in her mind, with Marten walking into CoD and wondering if he's harboring any resentment towards her for the firing.

[Omega Entity]

It's been mentioned before that FAYE has certain speech mannerisms which are intended to disguise her Southern accent. I always get the impression she sounds like Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling (Dr Lecter specifically mentions that she does this).

Yep, I remember that. It's just that it's still not a common thing, to actually be able to see her slip into it. Even when she was recently drunk (barring the earlier strips - she lapsed into the drawl more often then), there really wasn't that much emphasis on the accent.

[Is it cold in here?]

I'd hope the hospital has lots of resources and referrals for people in Faye's situation.

Now here's a weird idea. AnthroPCs have their own party drugs. It's possible that they are so similar to humans that some develop dependency problems.

Could Faye wind up with an AnthroPC companion who is also an AA sponsor?

[Isyrion]

Welp.......I think Faye just bounced off the bottom...

[Oilman]

Dora was definitely wrong, in the sense of bad management practice, to have the "emergency bourbon" bottle BUT insist that drinking on shift was a zero-tolerance issue.

I'm just going to put that down to "continuity development". It's really a symptom of trying to be serious AND jokey, in the same comic.

[Omega Entity]

When was the last time the Emergency Boubon was mentioned, anyway? It could have been an old gag that simply was forgotten in the course of time, much how Tai went from originally having only been in monogamous relationships when she was first introduced, to her suddenly -never- having had a monogamous relationship before when she became involved with Dora.

[SubaruStephen]

Welp.......I think Faye just bounced off the bottom...

*inserts inappropriate and ill timed joke about Faye's bottom*



At least she bounced, some people hit rock bottom and go splat, never to get up again.

[Method of Madness]

@Omega - The latter's not a contradiction, if it was just said she'd never done poly before. Maybe she'd never been in any relationship before Dora.

[aliensporebomb]

Oh dear.  I think she's going to start weeping.  Poor thing.

[Omega Entity]

@Omega - The latter's not a contradiction, if it was just said she'd never done poly before. Maybe she'd never been in any relationship before Dora.

I'll see if I can find the strip. My archive-fu is pretty decent, when I'm not to lazy 

[Carl-E]

So, anyone else read the title as "Gimme That Beer!"? 



Just me? 


Okay, then! 

[Omega Entity]

@Omega - The latter's not a contradiction, if it was just said she'd never done poly before. Maybe she'd never been in any relationship before Dora.

Paydirt.

So, it seems, to me anyway, that at that point she did (monogamous) relationships, but not polyamory (which she does later dive into). If taken as it seems to be implied, then, it's an entire about-face in regards to what's stated recently.

[Isyrion]

Welp.......I think Faye just bounced off the bottom...

*inserts inappropriate and ill timed joke about Faye's bottom*



At least she bounced, some people hit rock bottom and go splat, never to get up again.

Well admittedly it has a bit of cushioning........Damn it you got me to make a joke about it....

[Zalder]

Plus I'm predicting we're going to see an apologetic Dora (regardless whether she thinks she was right or wrong for firing Faye) make an appearance by Faye's bedside soon.

Doubt it. She'll be sympathetic and understanding, but I think the overdose will strengthen her resolve that she did the right thing by separating Faye from CoD. Remember the last thing she said to her: "Go home, sober up, and get some goddamned help, Faye." Well, she went home, she sobered up (eventually, with the help of a saline IV and a team of paramedics), and now she's in the right place and crucially the right mindset to get help.

Although I think her rational, logical self would be in line with what you're saying, I still think the punch-in-the-gut guilt feeling she'll feel after seeing
Faye in the hospital will lead her to being apologetic.  Either way, she will definitely be there to reconcile with Faye, and although she will most likely still be pissed at her, she nevertheless loves her. 

[Method of Madness]

@Omega - The latter's not a contradiction, if it was just said she'd never done poly before. Maybe she'd never been in any relationship before Dora.

Paydirt.

So, it seems, to me anyway, that at that point she did (monogamous) relationships, but not polyamory (which she does later dive into). If taken as it seems to be implied, then, it's an entire about-face in regards to what's stated recently.

She wants monogamy there, there's no indication she's ever had it.

[grez]

FAYE STAY STRONG YOU CAN DO IT gonna be some real work tho 

[Is it cold in here?]

Dora was definitely wrong, in the sense of bad management practice, to have the "emergency bourbon" bottle BUT insist that drinking on shift was a zero-tolerance issue.

I'm just going to put that down to "continuity development". It's really a symptom of trying to be serious AND jokey, in the same comic.

Insightful. Is it established that Dora knew about the emergency bourbon? She was off panel and, uh, distracted when it came out in 1249. On the other hand there's only so much room behind a counter and she should know absolutely everything there.

[Omega Entity]

@Omega - The latter's not a contradiction, if it was just said she'd never done poly before. Maybe she'd never been in any relationship before Dora.

Paydirt.

So, it seems, to me anyway, that at that point she did (monogamous) relationships, but not polyamory (which she does later dive into). If taken as it seems to be implied, then, it's an entire about-face in regards to what's stated recently.

She wants monogamy there, there's no indication she's ever had it.

But it's inferred that she does monogamy, as opposed to not doing polyamory. If she'd not had relationships before, wouldn't she be more inclined to say that she wants to have monogamous relationships, which would indicate that she's not had any relationships?

Though thinking about it, it's possible that she's had nothing but one night stands up until that point. But I still disagree that the language infers that she's never had any relationship. Not that it really matters, anyway - if it's a goof, it's a goof. There's a lot to keep track of, and Jeph's only human. 

[Kugai]

There, she said it.

The first step to curing your problem is recognising you have a problem.



Hopefully this is her on the bumpy road to recovery.

[Lubricus]

Well, I'm glad I'm not going to be Faye's AA sponsor...

[Stoon]

Dora was definitely wrong, in the sense of bad management practice, to have the "emergency bourbon" bottle BUT insist that drinking on shift was a zero-tolerance issue.

I'm just going to put that down to "continuity development". It's really a symptom of trying to be serious AND jokey, in the same comic.

Insightful. Is it established that Dora knew about the emergency bourbon? She was off panel and, uh, distracted when it came out in 1249. On the other hand there's only so much room behind a counter and she should know absolutely everything there.

But it was right out in the open in comic 1639

[Dark Matter]

It kind of seems like Faye either remembers more of what happened than she initially let on, or has just had the memory hit her all of a sudden. Either way, I agree that while it will be painful for her, this is pretty much the best reaction she could have had.

Also, I'm still wondering who else from the group is here at the hospital. I guess that kind of depends on how long Faye was unconscious.

[Lubricus]

She probably remembers being fired, as she wasn't completely hammered then.

[ybtlamw]

Insightful. Is it established that Dora knew about the emergency bourbon? She was off panel and, uh, distracted when it came out in 1249. On the other hand there's only so much room behind a counter and she should know absolutely everything there.

Is there ever any indication that employees consumed the Emergency Bourbon while they were on the clock? I can't remember.

[BenRG]

This is a guess on my part but I think that Jeph has skipped over the doctor telling Faye just how bad things were and how close she came to not coming back from that bender. Facing her mortality, everything that has happened to Faye over the past week or so has come rushing back in full detail. Without the cushion of alcohol, there is nothing to stop her from feeling the full impact of it all. I know guys often aren't comfortable with this sort of thing but Faye really needs to be held by a friend right now. It isn't often that you realise that you are close to losing everything!

Is this the start of the road back to health for her? Faye has had a previous false start I the comic. A lot depends on what happens after the horror of this incident wears off. This time, her friends need to help her stick with it. Faye has realised that she wants to live; now her friends need to help her to do so.

I agree with other posters that, in context, panel 3 today is one of the most emotional that I've recently seen in the comic.

[Loki]

Insightful. Is it established that Dora knew about the emergency bourbon? She was off panel and, uh, distracted when it came out in 1249. On the other hand there's only so much room behind a counter and she should know absolutely everything there.

Is there ever any indication that employees consumed the Emergency Bourbon while they were on the clock? I can't remember.

Yes, but Dora was busy with something else.
http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=1798

[Oilman]

I'd regarded the "emergency bourbon" as being on the same level as the Malayan Battle Spatula and Tai's mono/poly status/history - a throw-away gag involving somethung thst wasn't importsnt at the time.

All long-running series contain this sort of thing. Look at the changes to Sam Vimes in Discworld; the original Death is completely unrecognisable as the later character. Terry Pratchett has often remarked that there's no point letting continuity get in the way of a good joke.

On one level, this is Pintsize's problem; he is a one-note character who has somehow survived through all the changes. Look at the repeated cameos by Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon, characters who Pratchett has long since ceased to have a role fir, but fans like them.

[bartman]

Dora just didn't care about her as a friend as much as she thought.

That's a two-way street though. I would remind a friend who tried to pull a 'you obviously didn't care about me as a friend because you fired me' that they put me in the horrible position of having to fire a friend for drinking on the job, and point out  that if they truly cared about the friendship then they wouldn't have put me in that awkward position in the first place.

Is this the start of the road back to health for her? Faye has had a previous false start I the comic. A lot depends on what happens after the horror of this incident wears off. This time, her friends need to help her stick with it. Faye has realised that she wants to live; now her friends need to help her to do so.

I agree with other posters that, in context, panel 3 today is one of the most emotional that I've recently seen in the comic.

We can hope it's the start of a successful journey back to being well but recovering from something like this isn't a straight line. There can be a lot of dead-ends and a lot of rough patches but as long as Faye and her friends all realise that, and she truly wants to succeed, then hopefully she will.

And yes, a very powerful strip today in a very powerful storyline.

[NilsO]

Dora and Faye were close friends early in the series, but I think Dora Friend has distanced herself from Faye for quite some time, for several reasons:

• When dating Marten, Dora had issues with the Marten-Faye friendship, constantly worrying if they still had romantic feelings for each other.
• Dora did not approve of Faye's affair with Sven.
• When moving to Amherst, Dora naturally became more distant both geographically and socially.
• Dora's relationship with Tai meant she had less time for the others (the classical twosomeness syndrome).
• Besides, her business requires most of her waking hours.
• Dora Boss has on several occasions lately been dissatisfied with Faye's performance. As Dora Friend is not a separate physical entity, it is bound to influence their friendship. Moral: Never be friend with your boss. Jeph has touched upon this in strip #1707.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Dora just didn't care about her as a friend as much as she thought.

That's a two-way street though. I would remind a friend who tried to pull a 'you obviously didn't care about me as a friend because you fired me' that they put me in the horrible position of having to fire a friend for drinking on the job, and point out  that if they truly cared about the friendship then they wouldn't have put me in that awkward position in the first place.

Ah, yes. The infinite finger pointing. It's like a flame war, but less typing.

Friendship is not transactional. People tend to think it is, but only when they need something or have been hurt. Friendship is just a group of people bumbling along in company, trying to make room for one another. Because it feels good.

At some point we invest a part of ourselves in the others. The same way your brain can be tricked into thinking that a fake arm is attached to the body. When they hurt, we hurt.

We expect it to go both ways. In a real friendship it does. But the fact is, the part of our friends that they invest in us will not be the exact same as the part we invest in them. Overlap? Likely. Perfect match? Never. At some point something they do will hurt us or vice versa, We tend to think, because mutualism, that they should have known. In the case of Faye, the argument stands that she should have known. Common sense, after all. But Faye's world had been reduced to looming hurt.

Faye could argue the, "hey! looming hurt!" Dora "should have known." But ultimately, as friendship goes, neither argument is valid. (which introduces the employee employer angle, and Dora is super valid there.) Either they can see past the friendship error, or they can't. That doesn't make a bad friend of either. It doesn't erase the validity of what they used to have.

Of course, they will patch things up. Unless Dora's at the bus station. But I don't see that happening. Not like this. Angus, Gabby, Sara? Sure. they had roles to play and the role is done. Dora is core cast. She might get bussed out--a writer can get sick of any character--but it will be a storyline of it's own. Otherwise, someone might start a movement about ethics in webcomics.

[McH]

There's more than just the emergency bourbon, there's also the beer & pizza with Claire while on the clock. I took it to mean that Dora isn't really that strict about it when it's all in good fun and responsible.

That really does differ from sneaking in cheap scotch and secretly drinking it/coming in drunk, though.

[BenRG]

There's more than just the emergency bourbon, there's also the beer & pizza with Claire while on the clock. I took it to mean that Dora isn't really that strict about it when it's all in good fun and responsible.

There seems to be a genuine possibility that Dora didn't know about the 'Emergency Bourbon'. If that's the case, then Faye has been sneaking hard liquor into work for some time and then using it when confronting emotions that she doesn't want to confront. Previously, this has never been anything than 'anaesthetic' to create a buzz strong enough that she doesn't have to feel/confront her emotions.

However, the break-up with Angus was so painful that Faye started drinking to excess in a failing attempt to avoid confronting those emotions. Instead, as strip 2872 demonstrates, the questions and emotions were so strong that it was difficult to cloud them. So, she tried upping the dosage. When that didn't work, she tried again and again until, as we see in strip 2876, she was practically stupefying herself and trying to keep herself in such a state. This is what came very close to being a death spiral.

I suspect that Faye will be a very sad, very reflective person for a while now as she now has to confront all those demons that she's been trying to drown, possibly for years.

[tragic_pizza]

I noticed it in yesterday's comic, and today's comic reinforces it: Faye is being very un-Faye-like: not sassy or combative, no snark...

Imagine waking up in a hospital, not really comprehending how you got there... now, imagine yourself with the addition of Faye's PTSD and general anger issues.

That would have been a very easy direction to go, I think - maybe fill out the week with some one-off "Faye in the hospital" punchlines, before digging into the meat, if at all. I think Jeph is doing this the hard way, and the best way.

I might just get to being able to like Faye again.

[Truec]

There seems to be a genuine possibility that Dora didn't know about the 'Emergency Bourbon'.

I was about to say that Faye's brought it out while Dora was present before, but the best checking I can find without an all-night archive binge shows that Dora was always gone, either not in the shop or in the back.  Still, I'd expect Dora to be at least somewhat aware of what's being stored under the counters in her shop.

[swapna]

But it was right out in the open in comic 1639

Stoon linked it already - Dora doesn't directly acknowledge seeing it, but I doubt there's any way to fail hearing Faye's: 'SHUT UP AND START DRINKING'

I think Dora knows about the Emergency Bourbon, which also explains why Faye had to smuggle a bottle into  work and not just sneak some of the booze that's already there.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

Faye has woken up in hospital with limited memory of how she got there before. I would expect her vulnerable side to show in that situation. Her tough sassy side is neither an act or a means of distancing, alone. She was like this before her father died. But she does have a less fighty side to herself.

[pendrake]

For comic #2885...

Faye has not hit Rock Bottom, not even close.

What this is, is Faye having gotten very, very lucky in admitting she has a problem and needs help.  Faye was caught early on, by her friends and herself, before she could fall very far.

From a previous life as a Social Worker, I have seen and dealt with Rock Bottom; the memories of seeing people that low, and the thought of ever becoming that low myself, still gives me nightmares at times, even after many years of having left that line of work.

I would not wish Rock Bottom upon people who have literally tried to KILL me.

[ASB84]

As far as the Emergency Bourbon is concerned, in addition to being a throwaway gag (admittedly one that pops up a few times), it could also be that Dora is aware of it, but doesn't condone it being drunk while on the clock, unless she gives the green light. Same for beer and pizza; if she gives the OK, then she's relaxing the rule at her discretion and on her terms. Showing up to work drunk or drinking on the job at any other time though, when she hasn't given her explicit approval for the rule to be relaxed, is a different matter.

In my old job, drinking at work certainly wasn't condoned, and would've been grounds for dismissal. However, on a couple of Christmas Eves, my boss brought in a few beers and offered us one with about half an hour left in the day. And that was the difference: my boss relaxed the rule at his discretion, in the name of some seasonal goodwill and a thank you for working hard up until Christmas. It would've been a lot different had I just decided to bring a few beers (or even just one) into work whenever I felt like it.

Friendship is not transactional. People tend to think it is, but only when they need something or have been hurt. Friendship is just a group of people bumbling along in company, trying to make room for one another. Because it feels good.

I definitely agree, but when friends fall out and both sides have played a part in it, then both need to acknowledge that for them to truly make amends.

We're also having that discussion from behind the fourth wall; analysing whether or not Dora was being a bad friend, and unjustified in her approach. To that end, it's worth pointing out that Faye stretched the friendship and played a role in Dora acting the way she did. In-universe, accusations and finger pointing are not going to be productive, but as far as our reactions, it's worth noting...especially as we're talking about two of the most polarising characters in the comic.

[NilsO]

I wonder if the current situation, with Marten devoting all his time to Faye, might result in cooling down the Marten & Claire thing? Claire has her insecurities (somehow, mirroring Dora's issues?), resulting in Claire either freaking out, or reconsidering her options. She might conclude that she is not ready for a romantic relationship after all, but still wish to remain Marten's friend. It might also be a way to avoid the big elephant in the room (I guess you know what I mean).

[anahata]

I wonder if the current situation , with Marten devoting all his time to Faye, might result in cooling down the Marten & Claire thing? Claire has her insecurities (somehow, mirroring Dora's issues?), resulting in Claire either freaking out

There's an opportunity for a comical "this is not what it appears to be" moment about 1 panel past the end of current comic, where Claire suddenly walks in on a Marten/Faye cuddle, but since Jeff's done that gag with Dora already and the circumstances were very different I don't think it'll happen again.

But I am a little worried about how much she knows about what's happened so far, and whether current events will appear to bring Faye and Marten closer together and make her anxious.

I think Marten needs to get Claire involved in the joint effort to get and keep Faye on the straight and narrow, or she'll feel excluded.

She might conclude that she is not ready for a romantic relationship after all, but still wish to remain Marten's friend. It might also be a way to avoid the big elephant in the room (I guess you know what I mean).

Unlikely, and certainly not for that reason.

[Oilman]

Assuming the aforesaid elephant to be one of the "locked sticky" variety, I'd guess it will be discreetly ushered out into the long grass in due course. Frankly, I can't see how it can go in any other direction. Ship will be offloaded and allowed to drift off while all hands sign on eksewhere, so to speak.

[BenRG]

I wonder if the current situation, with Marten devoting all his time to Faye, might result in cooling down the Marten & Claire thing? Claire has her insecurities (somehow, mirroring Dora's issues?), resulting in Claire either freaking out, or reconsidering her options. She might conclude that she is not ready for a romantic relationship after all, but still wish to remain Marten's friend. It might also be a way to avoid the big elephant in the room (I guess you know what I mean).

I don't think that the two situations are particularly similar. Dora's problem was that Marten treated Faye as his best friend and she was sufficiently insecure that she didn't like the thought of him having another female close confident/intimate emotional tie. Clare came into her relationship with Marten already knowing that Faye, Hannelore and possibly Dora were Marten's sisters-in-all-but-blood and thus have a very close emotional bond with him.

Additionally, Faye's particular current circumstances would likely alter Claire's perception of Marten's reasons for prioritising her needs. She probably doesn't know all the details but she likely knows that Faye has been going through a difficult patch and has been hospitalised. If anything, I could see her being critical if Marten didn't spend time with his ailing friend.

[bhtooefr]

Two critical differences between Dora and Claire.

Claire is on medication for her anxiety.

Claire also doesn't have a string of abusive and manipulative ex-boyfriends to set up the expectation that Marten will hurt her.

Also, does Claire know Faye's backstory? Because if she doesn't, and she learns it, that could be interesting - both Claire and Faye's fathers aren't in their lives (for very different reasons, but...)

[swapna]

Two critical differences between Dora and Claire.

Claire is on medication for her anxiety.

Claire also doesn't have a string of abusive and manipulative ex-boyfriends to set up the expectation that Marten will hurt her.

Also, does Claire know Faye's backstory? Because if she doesn't, and she learns it, that could be interesting - both Claire and Faye's fathers aren't in their lives (for very different reasons, but...)

Good points - although Claire being on medication doesn't seem like a great help; we talked in length about Claire's various triggers and how bad she seems at communicating them. While Dora is still bad at communicating her feelings, she's miles ahead of Claire.

[BenRG]

Just a sudden thought: Faye says that this is "the stupidest fuckin' thing I ever done". We know that she was in a serious car accident once regarding which she said she doesn't think she consciously aimed at the tree. Is that a confession that her drinking herself into hospital was a conscious attempt at serious self-harm?

[Lurkomatic3000]

First post here. Long time reader and lurker. This dang arc...

I didn't have an account to contribute to the title discussion on "Close to Home", and while I agree there are many readings of the title, I interpreted as a reference to the phrase "hitting close to home". This would apply primarily to Faye and Jeph; Faye having been in the hospital and losing consciousness due to self-destruction before, and Jeph (as other commenters noted) for his wake-up call regarding alcohol.

I think this must be the case, as it looks like Faye has just had her revelation. Panel 3 killed me. I never hated Faye, but she was never my favourite character either - but in this strip, I just...forgave her.

Welp.......I think Faye just bounced off the bottom...

I love this so much I may have found my signature on day 1. What an oddly inspirational phrase.

(Also, I think Claire and Marten will be an extremely supportive unit.)

Just a sudden thought: Faye says that this is "the stupidest fuckin' thing I ever done". We know that she was in a serious car accident once regarding which she said she doesn't think she consciously aimed at the tree. Is that a confession that this was a conscious attempt at serious self-harm?

I would have thought the opposite. If both were conscious attempts they'd both be equally "stupid" - but this time it was almost definitely conscious, as she (seemingly) switched off Pintsize. I think the car crash will always be ambiguous, as it happened before the events of the comic, but this time Faye is *aware* of what she's done and that she needs to make a change, and is surrounded by friends to help her through it.

I have high hopes   

[osaka]

Just a sudden thought: Faye says that this is "the stupidest fuckin' thing I ever done". We know that she was in a serious car accident once regarding which she said she doesn't think she consciously aimed at the tree. Is that a confession that this was a conscious attempt at serious self-harm?

You might be on to something there as always you magnificent bastard. Although I read it more on the lines of "Oh god I threw everything I had out the window in like 5 minutes because I'm a dumbfuck". Or something like that. Not necessarily for self-destruction

[Delirious Lab]

Look like we're being set up for the typical "Friday comis relief" strip tomorrow...

Personally, I'd like to see the Pintsize equivalent of Faye's intermittent blackout sequence from earlier this week:

Black screen... Panicked Winslow... Black screen... examined by Marigold... black screen... trying to grab Momo's behind... black screen... being punched by May... black screen... hand plugged to some kind of device... black screen...