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Faypocalypse Sven

9 (6.9%)

Claireten Snuggles

12 (9.2%)

Clintonhand Naughtyness

3 (2.3%)

Dora fires Faye - Drama and drunkenness ensues

50 (38.2%)

Clairemom and Martenmom accidentally meet

4 (3.1%)

Emily gets weirder (is that even possible?)

4 (3.1%)

Sven rescues Faye - Dora gets wrong end of stick

12 (9.2%)

The surprise return on Angus - Blood and mayhem ensue

5 (3.8%)

Purple Monkey Dishwasher

7 (5.3%)

Whatever it is, it'll be completely unexpected

22 (16.8%)

ALIENS!

3 (2.3%)

Total Members Voted: 123

[valkygrrl]

Who was it that said this could be Claire's chance to leave the nest while Faye couch surfs? Because as much as I would privately be heartwarmed, it's not likely they've been dating for what? Two/three days? A week tops?

Not only that, if there's anyone who needs their boundaries and privacy respected, it would be Claire. On top of all the reasons it would be a worse idea than Marigold moving in with Dale would have been, she can't live with Pintsize. An ideal for Claire would be a place of complete privacy and refuge like Hannelore has and which she could in no way afford.

[jheartney]

I do think Jeph is setting this up to phase Dora out of the comic,

Half the cast works at COD. Really doubt it's possible to delete Dora from the comic. Faye, OTOH...

[Smallest]

Some predictions

* Dora may have fired Faye but Dora's going to have to find a way to make herself do the paperwork, she will probably find that harder to do than she feels at the present

* Sven will show up when he can do the most good, not when he can do the most bad

* Unfortunately that means Faye's got farther to fall (yes it's possible)

* Hopefully it doesn't happen while she's babysitting Sam (or if it does then Sam shows herself to be as capable of handling herself as she usually does)

* Marten's going to get hit with some serious choices

* The next time we see Angus he'll be eating cereal

Sam usually gets sent to CoD, so I think it wouldn't happen, but I'd like to think either Faye or Jim would realize that her babysitting was a bad idea (if she smells like booze, like she did when she got to CoD today, I don't think it would really matter to Jim if she claimed she was just hungover). Otherwise I feel bad for everyone, but especially Sam. And maybe Jim, after his ex found out, if Faye had been convincing when Sam was left with her.

[plusorminus]

Half the cast works at COD. Really doubt it's possible to delete Dora from the comic. Faye, OTOH...

I hope you're right, but it seems to me that the characters Jeph has gotten bored with have worked at shop, from the girl who was there at the start of the comic, to Raven, to Penny and Cosette being unseen for months, etc. Hanners doesn't need the job and I agree with those who say that she will shit on Dora for this move and possibly quit in protest/solidarity. Dale and Marigold's arc don't necessitate his being in the coffeeshop just as Amir and Natalie's arc didn't necessitate their being in Nat's apartment that she shared with Steve's redheaded ex after she was put on a bus.

If, as others predicted, Dora and Tai fight over this, it's likely they'll break up, severing another coffeeshop tie, and I could see Marten also coming down hard on Dora for this and deciding to cool his heels at Secret Bakery, especially now that he's over Padma and probably won't have any lingering sadness about this.

So while you make a good point, there are lots of ways to write around CoD being a focal point, and it could be that Jeph wants to take the QCverse and storyline in a different direction and center it back on Faye and Marten.

[cesariojpn]

* Hopefully it doesn't happen while she's babysitting Sam (or if it does then Sam shows herself to be as capable of handling herself as she usually does)

Sam usually gets sent to CoD, so I think it wouldn't happen, but I'd like to think either Faye or Jim would realize that her babysitting was a bad idea (if she smells like booze, like she did when she got to CoD today, I don't think it would really matter to Jim if she claimed she was just hungover). Otherwise I feel bad for everyone, but especially Sam. And maybe Jim, after his ex found out, if Faye had been convincing when Sam was left with her.

Faye did teach Sam how to make an "old fashioned" if thats any concern.....

[BenRG]

It was always likely with Faye's personality, that her response would be defensive denial. Irrespective of whether she personally thinks that she needs help, she'd never admit to it under these circumstances. The big shock for Faye (and a major decline driver) will be that her friends have only tolerated her quirks. The continual drunkenness is a step too far and I think that it will shock her how little leeway they will give her.

The next step? She's going to want revenge on Dora. She could tell Marten lies but it would be too easy for him to find out what really happened. No, I think that she is going to try to start a relationship with Sven. She might even try to move in with him if Marten insists on her getting this 'help' that she does not believe that she needs. Of course, Sven may not be interested in a constantly drunk Faye and that will be another bridge burnt.

Regarding Marten, thanks to life events, he hasn't been spending as much time at the apartment as he usually does. He may have only seen Faye early and late. Combined with his knowledge of how badly breaking up with Angus has hit her, he's probably has been giving her the benefit of the doubt. He's going to be out until late today with Claire so he likely won't find out about this until tomorrow morning unless Dora thinks to ask Tai to warn him.

Sam will be hit hard; she loves Faye! But Jim won't want her around a woman in this state. I also think that she will probably scare Sam off in short order if the girl tries to see her secretly. Alternately, drunken hijinx in charge of a teenager may see her end up in court-mandated rehab. I just hope Sam isn't too badly traumatised if that happens!

[tragic_pizza]

But like many people who have developed problems, Faye cant see it.  I foresee that she has yet to hit rock bottom....

You can run on for a long time, but sooner or later Gods gonna cut you down.

I looked for Josh White's version, but this is Cash. It'll do.

[Meilu]

I'm baffled as to how anyone can not be giving Dora the benefit of the doubt here. In my view, it's reasonable, even desirable, to be friends with your employees, but you still have to be a hardass when shit hits the fan like this. Now, admittedly, I'm an aspie so this is something that'll probably come across as being very weird to some people, but you gotta do what's best for the situation, right?

I'm an Aspie as well. I'm confused by people thinking Dora is wrong in any way at all here too. I've never really liked Dora, but this is making me respect her. She set very obvious ground rules which Faye decided to ignore. CoD is Dora's baby, it's her life and livelihood. I'm starting to like Dora and dislike Faye, never even saw it coming.

[Mr. Skawronska]

After reading today's comic, I am filled with a new hope that Faye is not even close to the end of her emotional curb-stomp.

How low can she go?  How low WILL she go?  Where will she end up?

...and WILL I HAVE ENOUGH POPCORN??

[Natswash]

Bless you Tragic Pizza, if you hadn't posted it I would've.

Ben RG stop being right, it's painful.

Going to throw some Wild Mass Guessing out there but if Jeph was setting up to put Faye on a bus, I would expect it to be with Angus to NYC

[Mr. Skawronska]

I approve of "time to shit all over Faye". As a selfish thoughtless bitch, she's had it a long time coming. Treated Marten like garbage for years while harboring a secret crush. Used to physically assault Marten and others. Used Marten and others as emotional crutches. Fucked a well-known douchebag in a friends with benefits situation for months and was too thick to foresee that she'd eventually suffer collateral damage from his douchebaggery. Treated a dude like shit for years, warmed up to him, loved him, then effectively told him to go fuck himself when he wanted to follow his dreams. Dad dying is an explanation that only works for so long. Eventually one has to take responsibility for their shitty actions.

I see I am not the only one who despises Faye for her ongoing human cockroach behavior.

Dora firing Faye is completely in line with Dora's hasty shithead behavior that she's showed for years in the comic. If she gets pissed off, she literally burns everything down. Dumped Marten for standing up for himself. Disowned her own brother. Now she's fired Faye. Dora has no concept of loyalty or empathy. I'm actually more interested to see where Dora's character arc goes, if it goes anywhere at all. I think Jeph uses Dora as a one-dimensional stereotype of erratic bitch behavior that we've all had experience with. I'd like to see Dora completely alone and possibly a meth-head after seeing the way she alienates everyone.

Oh, I don't know about seeing Dora alone and a meth-head.  But it would be nice to see the world backhand the everloving sunshine out of her a couple of times for her overall contribution to the character misery index.

But Faye...oh, Faye...I'm watching that girl's deconstruction with rapture and popcorn.  Dora's probably got a couple of serious spankings coming, too, but that won't distract me from The Main Event.

[Dust]

Regarding Marten, thanks to life events, he hasn't been spending as much time at the apartment as he usually does. He may have only seen Faye early and late. Combined with his knowledge of how badly breaking up with Angus has hit her, he's probably has been giving her the benefit of the doubt. He's going to be out until late today with Claire so he likely won't find out about this until tomorrow morning unless Dora thinks to ask Tai to warn him.

Dora's gonna have to call in one of the others to cover the empty shift now, so there's a 2/3 chance of Hanners or Cosette. The phone tree will get to him pretty quick, with either of those.

[Arancaytar]

So. That just happened.

Whatever I think of Dora and Faye in general (they both tend to be pretty abrasive, honestly), Dora is completely in the right here. This didn't come out of nowhere - Faye being an ass to customers has been a staple gag as long as she's worked there, and while that used to be business as usual, Dora's disapproved of Faye's antics for quite a while. This not really a "final straw", because drinking on the job has been worse than anything she normally does, but it does explain why Dora isn't giving her another warning here.

If Faye manages to get her shit together after this, I think she'd likely get rehired. But so far she hasn't taken any of Dora's warnings seriously, and that is why Dora isn't sticking to a warning this time.

Edit: By the way, speaking of Dora's "get some help", it's been quite a while since Faye's talked to her therapist, hasn't it?

[Emperor Norton]

Wow, can people tone down the "Lol, glad she gets what she deserves/Dora is a complete bitch" crap.

Not only is it pretty shitty, I'd rather this thread not turn into the Marten/Dora breakup thread.

[Scarblac]

I'm baffled as to how anyone can not be giving Dora the benefit of the doubt here. In my view, it's reasonable, even desirable, to be friends with your employees, but you still have to be a hardass when shit hits the fan like this. Now, admittedly, I'm an aspie so this is something that'll probably come across as being very weird to some people, but you gotta do what's best for the situation, right?

I'm an Aspie as well. I'm confused by people thinking Dora is wrong in any way at all here too. I've never really liked Dora, but this is making me respect her. She set very obvious ground rules which Faye decided to ignore. CoD is Dora's baby, it's her life and livelihood. I'm starting to like Dora and dislike Faye, never even saw it coming.

I'm not an aspie (and not American) and I also think Dora is doing the completely right thing, anger included. She is also doing the right thing for Faye: tolerating her doing this sort of thing is the last thing she needs. The only thing she can do as a friend is to support Faye once she's started on the road to recovery, now there's nothing to do but be tough.

I can't really imagine Faye getting rehired. She needs to sober up, and then take the next step in her life. Dora has been trying to push her to do that before (the art projects). And, in general, I think going back to places you once worked never works out anyway, and definitely not after this.

[ReindeerFlotilla]

I do think Jeph is setting this up to phase Dora out of the comic,

Half the cast works at COD. Really doubt it's possible to delete Dora from the comic. Faye, OTOH...

The only cast members we see regularly these days--who are also employees--are Dora, Dale, and Hanners. Dora is dating Marten's boss, Dale has all of the jobs (and is dating Marigold, AND is rooming with the newest regular), and Hanners is the Woobie. Dora could totally drop out of the comic with little loss of options for the remaining cast.

She won't. There will be drama over Sven.

[gopher]

Pretty much from her introduction Faye has been an entitled leeching thug. Her interactions with others are rarely pleasant, nearly always to her benefit and usually joyless. At leaast Pintsize has the excuse he was programmed that way, Faye is just an extremely self-centred jerk and frankly "wah wah, I saw my dad kill myself" doesn't hack it.

[anahata]

This is worst-case stuff, Faye pulling lines from the self-destruction playbook.

I have real problems with Faye's entitlement here. You "can't" fire me? Uh? Special snowflake much? You come into work plastered and you expect that to be cool?

If she's downed a bottle of whisky, she's VERY drunk.
Plus she's Faye - always taking the aggressive line of defence.
Don't expect her to be rational.

[BenRG]

So, we have one more day this week. What is likely to happen? I'm thinking that we have basically two options:

• Someone tells Marten what's happening and he takes the afternoon off to find out what the hell is actually going on - I think this is unlikely because that's basically the start of the 'next chapter' and I don't think Jeph would want to put that in Friday's strip;
• Faye arrives back at the apartment with a bag full of bottles. She locks Pintsize into Marten's room (maybe a chair under the door handle?) and starts to drink - I think that this is likely because it serves as a nice cliffhanger leading into the start of Marten's involvement in Faye's breakdown.

So, what next week then? Perhaps Marten is either warned by Pintsize of what is going on (does Pintsize have a wireless modem? I think so and that means he should be able to send Marten an emergency text about what Faye is doing) or he comes home from his second date with Claire. What happens then very much depends on when Marten gets home. If he comes home whilst Faye is getting into her second bottle or something, then there will be an argument that could easily end with Faye making a rash decision (to move out because she's got 'hundreds of friends' with whom she can live).

I think it is quite possible that he won't find out until he comes home from his date with Claire. Maybe he's turned off his 'phone so they won't be disturbed. Maybe no-one thinks to tell him because it's remarkable how stupid people are and how hard it is for them to realise that a friend is in a potentially life-threatening emotional crisis. It is quite possible that the next couple of weeks will be the Second Date before Jeph returns to this story thread. In this latter scenario, Marten may come home to find Faye in a really, really bad state - worst case, she's unconscious (not passed out - unconscious) in a pool of her own vomit and bodily wastes after succumbing to alcohol poisoning.

After that, we go into the 'Friends of Faye Crisis Meeting' whilst Faye is in hospital. I could see Hanners paying for Faye's rehab on the grounds that she has more money than any one human could spend in several lifetimes. This will be good for Faye because Hannelore is the sort of hardass who would enforce any necessary behavioural changes with a fist of iron and a small legion of willing robotic watchdogs.

[NilsO]

OK, screw Dora. But Faye has now lost her income. Marten cannot afford to pay her part of the rent, even if he is willing to accept her behavior for a while. Now, let us look at some of the options:

• Faye sobers up, and finds a new job (alternatively, becomes a successful sculptor). Not very likely to happen.
• She moves to Angus in NYC. Even if Angus is willing to take her back (doubtful, he was already concerned about her drinking), this is not going to happen. She is too central in the QC cast to be written out of the story.
• Faye moves in with Sven. Unfortunately, this is a possible and probable scenario. Faye will get sweet revenge on Dora, but Sven will probably kick her out again if she does not sober up. Besides, with Sven's notorious man-whore ways, this will not last (even if Sven proclaims to have changed, he will probably change again when he finally gets what he wants).
• Marten and Hanners cooperate in helping Faye overcoming her problems. Hanners pays Faye's rent for a while.
• Veronica steps in. She has ways to make Faye listen.
• Faye visits her mother and sister in Georgia again. Not likely to happen, as it will be just a repeat of the previous trip.
• Will Sam play a role? She adores Faye, and may have a positive influence. Hunting snakes and frogs in the woods may be just what Faye needs.
• Tai will not be happy. She is very attracted to Faye (even if Faye appears to be exclusively heterosexual). It may cause a breakup between Tai and Dora, and Tai may try to help Faye. She probably cannot offer Faye a job at the library, but she may have other plans.
• Faye gets a job at the Horrible Revelation. This will be a very bad idea.
• Hannermom hires Faye as a bodyguard. Actually, I like this idea

[BenRG]

OK, screw Dora. But Faye has now lost her income. Marten cannot afford to pay her part of the rent, even if he is willing to accept her behavior for a while. Now, let us look at some of the options:

• Faye moves in with Sven. Unfortunately, this is a possible and probable scenario. Faye will get sweet revenge on Dora, but Sven will probably kick her out again if she does not sober up. Besides, with Sven's notorious man-whore ways, this will not last (even if Sven proclaims to have changed, he will probably change again when he finally gets what he wants).

(snip...)

• Will Sam play a role? She adores Faye, and may have a positive influence. Hunting snakes and frogs in the woods may be just what Faye needs.

I agree that both of these are very possible. Sven throwing Faye out because he isn't interested in a relationship with a drunk will be another major milestone along the bad road. I also think that Sam is the one person whose perspective of Faye is important enough for her that she would try to be sober for her.

[Doc]

'Go home and get some Help.'

Help. I don't know that brand. Is Help a single malt?

[Lubricus]

Sounds more like bourbon, really.

[anahata]

Or coping mechanism on the rocks

[Welu]

I think Faye has at least one more big blowout coming, possibly from Marten or Hanners, who has been the loud voice at the end of their tether before.

[NilsO]

• Faye gets a job at the Horrible Revelation. This will be a very bad idea.

Actually, the HR may be interested in offering her a part-time job, as a bouncer. But she must not gain access behind the counter.

[Conzy]

As it is... Faye isn't in the right here, but Dora still lost likeability.

... I guess, but anyone who is holding Dora to that standard, but not Marten.... is kinda holding a double standard.

My problem wasn't just that Dora didn't tell her to get help, but either way that's an unfair comparison.
Dora has known Faye for longer, for one. She also spends far more time with Faye than Marten does, and unlike Marten, Dora has been directly told by Faye that she wants to drink herself into oblivion. As far as we've seen, Marten has only observed Faye drinking earlier in the day than usual. Dora has far more information about the situation that Marten does. And, after catching Faye drinking on the job, (Which should come as no surprise after Faye said she wanted to be drunk on the job the day before, came in reeking of booze, happy, and had no hangover,) Dora didn't seem concerned or sympathetic in the slightest, just angry.

So yes, I hold Dora to a different standard then Marten, because Marten is far more ignorant of the situation and hasn't reacted with pure anger to his best friend hitting rock bottom.

YOU, are a small business owner.  You have recently promoted a long time friend to Assistant manager at her urging, because it will cut back on your workload.  Said friend had previously signed a contract with you stating that she would not drink at work, do drugs at work, or any other actions that might interfere with her ability to preform her assigned duties.

Said friend is now clearly in breach of contract.  You have a choice at this point.  Act like her friend, or act like her boss.  Previously, your other employees have expressed disapproval at the friend's promotion.  If you allow your friend to continue at work after a large breach of contract, what kind of message does it send?  What does it say to those employees who no doubt have their own problems, but continue to show up to work sober no matter the temptation to get shitfaced?

Also, we haven't seen Marten's reaction to this situation.  Remember when he had to deal with Dora's problems?  He reacted with anger and disgust at the end of his rope.  He's likely going to leave Faye by herself, or have to cancel his date with Claire to deal with Faye.  This is going to breed resentment.  Marten is zen yes, but human nature dictates that at some point he will snap and react in a similar manner to Dora if Faye doesn't straighten out.

Great post Magniras, I honestly find it astounding that people are still willing to go a bit easier on Faye in order to put some of the blame on Dora. People have been putting up with Faye for months, and I honestly can't quite figure out why. What does she bring to the other character's lives? At the start she gave Marten company when he was basically a desperate loser, and through her he made a load of other friends, which seems more a peripheral benefit than anything Faye actually did. What she did actually do was threaten him, beat him up and vomit on him. In terms of Dora no stepping up to try to get Faye some help, does no-one else think she saw Faye had a problem and just couldn't be bothered trying any more? She's repeatedly tried to help her in the past to no effect, there comes a time when everyone has had enough, and as someone has said previously 'having issues' really doesn't excuse being a (sexist insult removed by moderator) to your friends day in / day out. Also, aside from Marten, is there anyone left in the QC universe who actually likes Faye anymore? I think after today we have seen the end of Dora and Faye's friendship. (Rightly so IMO, what Faye did would have been a massive betrayal to someone who didn't have trust issues, to do it to Dora meant the result would be inevitable.) Does Hanners really like Faye, or does she just make an effort around her because of Marten? They certainly don't interact much on their own, even at work. The rest of the CoD staff certainly don't think much of her, we know Veronica was skeptical from the start, which pretty much just leaves Sam, who's a kid and doesn't know any better. I've got to say, if I knew someone like Faye in real life, I would have completely annexed them from my life very early on. Friendship is a two way street and if all you do is take you can't be surprised when your free run ends, which is exactly what Faye has done today.

Also think it's worth pointing out that I haven't exactly been Dora's biggest fan in the past, but after what's happened so far I really respect her as a businesswoman and a person in this arc. She's done the right thing for her own sanity and for her business. I agree with others in saying that she should definitely call Marten for his sake, so he knows what he's coming back to, but rage has a way of blinding us in the short term, so I wouldn't blame her if it skipped her mind. Also, first priority for her is to call her staff and get someone to cover for Faye, that has to take priority.

[Conzy]

My old beagle, I don't feel bad about putting down at all.  When we pulled the injection, the dog had been diabetic and blind for over a year.  Three days before, he had a stroke that left him in a state where we had to guide him to his supper bowl because he could not find it on his own.  Sure, it sucks that I lost a dog I loved, but I honestly believe that the stroke killed the dog and all we had put down was the empty shell.  Call me creepy all you want, but I have never felt guilt about making the call to put him down.

Agreed. I would've felt bad if I weren't in the room with him, but I'll never feel guilty about putting my old dog down a few years ago. That's not to say it wasn't difficult, and I certainly was sad, but never guilty.

Are you saying you didn't feel bad? I never required guilt. I just said there's nothing wrong, or pathological about guilt itself. That Guilt is Healthy in those circumstances. Broccoli is healthy too, but if you don't eat it, it doesn't mean your sick. Did you declare that you weren't going to feel bad about? Cuz I gotta stick to my guns on that one. That's a bit of creepy thing to do after your dog dies.

If you didn't feel bad, um... Okay. I'm not getting the impression that that's the message, so I don't see the point. Care to elucidate?

In my experience, reducing a discussion to semantics is a sure fire way to create tension in said discussion. I'd say that it's pretty obvious that Penguin47 is saying that he felt sad that the right thing to do was to put his dog down, but was in no way going to feel like it was his fault, due to it being the right thing to do. That's a healthy way to approach an unenviable task. I can see this going the same way your discussion went a couple days ago with a poster whose name I can't remember, and in both cases I'm afraid I think you're being a little overly-critical of people's uses of language, seeing as you obviously have a background in philosophy, Reindeer. Like I said, when in discussion with those who might not have the same background it would probably lead to fewer arguments if you were to take people up on the spirit they have made their points in, rather than the specific philosophical definition of some of the words they have used.

[NilsO]

'Go home and get some Help.'

Help. I don't know that brand. Is Help a single malt?

No, it is blended:

(click to show/hide)

[Svennerson]

I honestly find it astounding that people are still willing to go a bit easier on Faye in order to put some of the blame on Dora. People have been putting up with Faye for months, and I honestly can't quite figure out why. What does she bring to the other character's lives? At the start she gave Marten company when he was basically a desperate loser, and through her he made a load of other friends, which seems more a peripheral benefit than anything Faye actually did. What she did actually do was threaten him, beat him up and vomit on him.

Okay, so before I continue, this is NOT a defense of Faye right now.  She's fucking up big time, and Dora is doing the right thing.  That being said, pre-breakdown Faye was definitely one of my favorite characters and would probably fight with Tai for best friend in the group, and I think it has to deal with the culture in Massachusetts.  If you're not being an ass to your friends there, you're not caring enough.  When my family gathers, it's basically a room full of Fayes (including the alcohol), and everyone is laughing and loving it.  Despite being displaced and raised in NC, my best friends have always been the ones that are at least a bit abusive to me.  Why?  Their hilarious, their loyal as hell when they need to be, they won't let ANYONE mess with me the wrong way.  I understand Faye's...attitude...is one that would not be appreciated everywhere, but in Mass it's almost revered.

They're called Massholes for a reason, you know.

[LeGrande]

What if Faye follows in her father's footsteps and commits suicide? After being fired and going on another drinking binge, she might think everything is hopeless. Even though she has a possibility of being rescued by Sven, who might decide to put up with Faye's issues because he's blinded by love/lust.

I could imagine a scenario where Marten and Claire come back from their date and find Faye's lifeless body on the sofa or in the bathroom. If Faye kills herself, the repercussions on the cast will be huge. The funeral would be a way to bring old characters back in an ensemble setting.

It's also possible that they find Faye so drunk and passed out that they call an ambulance and she goes to the hospital. Again, it would be a way to bring older characters back as they visit Faye.

[Thrillho]

I'm quite surprised at how resentful so many people are about Faye as a character, and even more about Dora.

One thing I'd say is that we have to keep in mind the slightly more comedic and, for lack of a better term, slightly less 'enlightened' circumstances of the earlier comics.

Jeph is an educated, sensitive gent, but in the early days he was playing Faye's violent tendencies for laughs, perhaps due to a lack of consideration or simply because the comic was a bit more cartoony in those days - either way I think he is nowadays far less likely to end a comic with the punchline being someone getting punched in the face.

The point I'm making is that accusing Faye of being a bad person based on her behaviour in earlier comics, when Jeph possibly won't have known himself as much as a writer, or known as much what he was aiming to achieve, isn't really fair on him at all, or on the character of Faye.

As for Dora I've no idea where this angry attitude is coming from.

Tell ya one thing though, I'd really like it if people stopped referring to anybody, fictional or otherwise, as a 'bitch' in this thread, mmm'kay?

[Svennerson]

Tell ya one thing though, I'd really like it if people stopped referring to anybody, fictional or otherwise, as a 'bitch' in this thread, mmm'kay?

I'm sorry, I don't take orders from a bitch...
Mistew Gawwison

(The above was sarcasm, I do not have enough data to say whether or not you're a bitch )

[snubnose]

...

I really dont like the comic right now. 

[BenRG]

As for Dora I've no idea where this angry attitude is coming from.

IMHO, at least for some veterans, it is the break-up with Marten. It is simply amazing the degree to which some people have internalised that event and made it a personal affront.

[Thrillho]

Really? Man, not sure how I feel about that.

[dexeron]

I know that looking at Faye's behavior from the outside, it make perfect "logical" sense to say "why does everyone put up with her?" and act as if she's a horrible person.  I also know that even in real life it sometimes makes sense to cut someone out of your life when your interactions with them are only enabling their self-destructive (and destructive to others) behavior, or when their behavior is only hurting you; sometimes you have to distance yourself from something toxic for everyone's good.

But I think it's easy to forget that Marten, Dora, Hanners, etc are Faye's friends.  Friends accept.  It doesn't mean they overlook problems like this, or ignore them.  But it also means they don't just say: "You're in a bad place, you're a terrible person, this is hard for me to deal with, so good luck on your own."  They say: "How can we help you," even if that help is of the "tough" variety (and that can even include, at the most extreme, distancing themselves. )

Faye's not evil, she has a disease, and right now she isn't even willing to admit to needing to get well.  That's a hard place, and while I wouldn't condemn anyone for wanting to get away from that (being a friend/family member of an addict can be hell, and no one should be guilted into feeling that its their responsibility to fix someone else's problems) I think we're forgetting what the running theme of this comic always has been.  If Dora's response is immediately hardcore, and new-confident-Marten might be closer to that than we'd expect, and Hanners might show that hidden (but always present) backbone, I still couldn't see them ever stopping being Faye's friend, nor trying (in whatever way is appropriate) to help her move beyond this.

[jwhouk]

12 pages on Thursday. Could go nuclear depending on the Friday cliffhanger.

Damn you, Jacques! (does appropriate fist- wave)

[Half Empty Coffee Cup]

I don't really want to think about what I might see in Friday's comic. The possibilities are just depressing. (excepting Movie Night, which would partially serve to make Faye storming off the cliffhanger)

[Lubricus]

It wouldn't surprise me if tomorrow's strip is a cute one featuring Marten and Claire, possibly ending in Marten getting home to find Faye smashed, as some have predicted. Too much drama is left in this arc to end it comfortably this week anyway.

[cesium133]

I don't know if anyone's noticed this yet, but Dora has permitted Faye to drink at CoD before (yes, it's just beer, but still...)

[ankhtahr]

But there's a huge difference between social drinking, as in drinking a beer with the pizza, together with everybody else, and getting drunk, just to get drunk.

[Blackbird]

I kind of wonder how this will affect Dora/Tai. 
Dora: "I had to fire Faye for drinking on the job."
Tai: "I get high as fuck at work all the time, what's the big deal?"

[Neko_Ali]

People can be just as alcoholic with beer as with hard liquor. It's not a 'milder' drink.. You just drink more of it. That said, the 'beer and pizza' was a different situation. By the look of things, it was near the end of the shift and the place was pretty dead. Dora was the one who mostly suggested having the beer and pizza there. And it wasn't like they were completely drunk, hiding and lying about it. It may be kind of hypocritical to say 'it's okay to have a drink on the job if I'm drinking too', but that situation and this one are very different animals.

[Bologna]

I saw some musings about Faye's father's condition at the time of his death, and found this comic while digging through the archives:

Faye: Mom, do you really have no idea why Dad killed himself?
Mrs. Whitaker: Honey, I've thought and thought about it for years and I still haven't got a clue. He never said anything to me, the coroner couldn't find anything unusual in his system, and his family doesn't have a history of depression.  It's just a mystery to me.

Thankfully, I don't have too much experience with post-mortem toxicology reports, but surely alcohol would appear on one, right?  So, chances are that Mr. Whitaker didn't have a traceable BAC at time of death.  Again, not sure how all of this works, but with all the talk about her father's condition, I thought I'd throw this out there.

[BenRG]

@ Bologna,

I'm not going to insist on this being the answer but mothers do lie to their daughters if they think it will protect them. Maybe, because Mrs W knows how close Faye was to her father, she decided to hide the fact that he was an alcoholic from her? If so, then she could make an appearance if Faye ends up in hospital/rehab to tell the real story to Faye's friends.

[Bologna]

@Ben, that's...possible.  Can't say we know too much about Faye's mom to infer either way.  That's almost a-whole-nother plotline in itself. 

[NilsO]

I kind of wonder how this will affect Dora/Tai. 
Dora: "I had to fire Faye for drinking on the job."
Tai: "I get high as fuck at work all the time, what's the big deal?"

Alternative Tai: "You bitch! I get high as fuck at work all the time. Why don't you fire me as well? No, wait a minute, I quit!"

Although drug and alcohol abuse are different, I would guess Tai is going to have great sympathy for Faye. Tai appears not to view her drug abuse as a problem, and seems not to have been reprimanded for it at her workplace. For her, drugs and alcohol are a natural part of daily life.

[Neko_Ali]

It's also questionable what the coroner might have thought was 'anything unusual'. Or it's possible he knew Mrs Whittaker was a devout non-drinker and hid the fact that he was drunk at time of death to spare her further pain. Or it's possible Faye was right. He wasn't an alcoholic, he only had one drink a week and just snuck it because his wife didn't approve of drinking. You don't have to have a family history of alcoholism, depression or mental health problems do have one of those issues. It is brought up because if there is a history of those sorts of things in your family, it increases your risk of developing them yourself. It could very well have been that Mr Whittaker was very depressed for a long time, or had other issues in his life that he hid from his family/they didn't see. Issues that he saw no other escape from. It's very easy to get into that sort of cycle of self destruction if you keep negative feelings bottle up. Even those that seem and are minor things when talked about and brought out into the light can be huge monsters if you keep it to yourself in the dark and keep poking at it.

[CaptainFish]

Dora's reaction makes sense, I just wish she inverted the order. Seriously talk to Faye about why this is unacceptable and really damaging to her life, implore her to go to therapy, send her home for the day and then bring her in sober to talk about punitive measures.

I totally get why Dora did what she did though, especially since Faye blew off their last conversation about her drinking with humour. There's dramatic irony in that we can clearly see how self-destructive Faye is acting, while Dora and Marten have only gotten glimpses of Faye being a somewhat happy drunk*. If they had been witness to the Pintsize moment I think they'd have made a bigger deal about it.

*Even so, they still pressed the issue to some extent.