#567 – augh

I've heard it said that the most hurtful thing about men isn't their cruelty but their indifference. I'd extend that to Will's general inability to know what Mar is feeling or asking for. It's not really his fault - he is genuinely trying to make things right. But that only feeds into Mar's disappointment and anger, that they never really shared a deep enough connection to sense and alleviate each other's pain.

22 thoughts on “#567 – augh

  1. How is Will supposed to know what she's feeling? Every response is "AUGH" or silence.

    1. "It’s not really his fault – he is genuinely trying to make things right. But that only feeds into Mar’s disappointment and anger, that they never really shared a deep enough connection to sense and alleviate each other’s pain."

      1. "It's not his fault", but "the most hurtful thing about men is…" Sounds like the worst thing a man can do is exist. We're apparently too stupid to live.

        1. Is that your reading of the comic or is there something going on in your life ???

        2. nah, it's just you

        3. ok less glib response: like mar and streever noted, Will's problem isn't in his effort, it's in the lack of emotional connection and the lack of maturity to understand that dynamic well enough to have avoided/prevented this whole thing. They're well past a "right" answer

        4. LOL of course you're a butthurt dude, of course. Guess what, that's part of human relationships. People have needs that are sometimes unfair or difficult and they get hurt or disappointed. Sure, you can take this as a searing indictment on all men or you can appreciate that it's relationships and people are sometimes messy and a human being can be disappointed by a lack of connection with someone else.

          I'm a guy – married with a kid – and I'm marginally self-aware so I can read, enjoy, and even appreciate this scene because it's not something I take as a widespread rejection of me. I suggest therapy or a mindfulness practice so you can get in touch with your feelings and develop a little personal security and self-awareness and stop telegraphing your insecurities so broadly.

        5. I just can't make sense of the contradiction. I have no problem with the scene itself. Mar's a mess about Will and wishes she wasn't. I get that.

          FWIW, I'm married with two kids.

        6. Contradictions are where the human spirit lives. I'm sure if you took an honest and thorough look at your life you'd find times where a situation didn't work and the other person – fairly or not – made it worse, especially in familial or romantic relationships. Being a human being is messy.

        7. I once learned that you're in love with someone or you're not. No one–not even you–can convince you to be. Once knew a girl I'd have asked [stupidly, it turns out] to marry me, but even though we were very close, just couldn't convince herself that she wanted anything more, even though her family certainly wished she had. I think even she wanted to, but couldn't. I made it worse by trying to convince her she should. It was dumb, and she was wrong for me anyway, but I was lonely.

          So yes, I get it.

          Admittedly, I suck at relationships.

        8. I'd like to act like the statement about telegraphing didn't hit home more than a bit. The fact that I feel like my back's up is a bit telling.

    2. He's not. The point was always they're not right for each other, and both have a lot of personal shit they need to work out on their own.

  2. I'm confused with the action on this one – why does Will scream?

    1. Pretty sure this is her "puke on his dick" dream coming true…

    2. Mar puked on his dick. It was foreshadowed earlier.

    3. You're about to find out in one page.

  3. It's a dream come true.

  4. THERE'S the closure. Frightening, warm, chunky closure.

  5. I always thought Will intentionally said this to sort of give her closure. The way he pauses for a moment before saying she can stay, and what he says in the next page, I always read it as Will realising that maybe the best thing he could do is to pretend/act like the douche that Mar thinks he is, to make her finally decide to move on from him.

    It's interesting that Meredith's commentary frames it as him not doing this on purpose, because I always felt like this scene (in my interpretation of it) fit neatly into how Will sort of views himself as a bad person for much of the story.

  6. I really enjoy the lips-stopped-in-mid-pucker in the last panel. Great element choice to emphasize the moment.

  7. Oh geez I can hear that 4th panel in an ex's voice.

  8. What is the shadow on Will's chest? A bruise?

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