“Let’s get it on.” “What?” “I SAID, LET’S GET IT ON.”
The Middletons, 5/18/06
I’ve often excoriated The Middletons for its extreme middle-of-the-road bland lameness, for a mediocrity so shameless that it makes Herb and Jamaal look somewhat above average. But there’s one thing that I have to give it credit for: it deals unflinchingly with the sex lives of old people.
What?
No, I’m not joking.
OK, laugh it up, whippersnapper, but you’re going to be old some day, and you’re still going to want to get it on, and the last thing you’ll want is some young punk acting like his or her generation invented sex. Like you never got freak nasty back in the day!
Well, maybe you didn’t, in which case, you’d want to get busy with a suspender-clad, bow-tie wearing senior hunk all the more. My point, though, is that The Middletons proudly features a sexually aggressive old lady character, and all of us who are now or who will someday be old ought to salute that.
But no matter what your age, don’t talk about it in front of your kids though, because: ew.
The Paradox
May 18th, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Eeeeew…
Uncle Lumpy
May 18th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
What’s with, “Ed’s blind and can’t hear”? Did “deaf” get added to the forbidden-words list while I was napping? And if so, why isn’t “blind” on it, too?
Cartoonists write fewer than a hundred words a day – why don’t they pay more attention to them?
mooselet
May 18th, 2006 at 4:28 pm
The man is blind and deaf and you’re letting him drive??? How desperate are you, lady?
gnome de blog
May 18th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
Because they’re too busy fine-tuning their exquisitely crafted drawings?
Nah – I didn’t think so either.
Thanks for bringing back SIBYSI, Josh.
tODD
May 18th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
I’ve never heard of the Middletons before, so it’s possible I don’t get them (although if they’re worse than Herb and Jamaal, then I’ve already thought about it too much) …
But is the joke that they’re going to have a blind person chauffeur for them? Because there’s not a lot of reaction in the last panel. Arguably, Ed seems the most shocked, which makes no sense — he can’t hear (or read lips) what was just said about him.
Also, what’s up with that singular angry eyebrow? It’s bothering me. And besides, if Ed’s chauffering, wouldn’t they be smooching behind him?
Gah! Gah!
Glenn
May 18th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
#3: In-car sex is best during the adrenaline shock following a collision. Ain’t nothin’ hotter than the prospect of getting it on in the backseat of a car lodged in a ditch, with an unconscious chaffeur in front chowin’ down on airbag.
Hank Kimble
May 18th, 2006 at 4:38 pm
5/18 Dinette Set– “Land Ho?”
kippetje2000
May 18th, 2006 at 4:59 pm
I just hope to god that he puts his teeth back in before commencing with the smooching. “Come over here and sit on my lap and we’ll talk about what ever pops out. My hip probably.”
MLH
May 18th, 2006 at 5:00 pm
“Unflinching” in this context being equivalent to “not funny.” Is so little happening in Gil Thorp, Mark Trail, Mary Worth, or RMMD that you’re stooping to “The Middletons”?
AwfulArt
May 18th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
Most all of us males dig on “Girls & Sports”… Not the comic strip which normally sucks, but broads & baseball…But today Charlie Brown make a rare apperance in the strip & it’s funny…With apologies to Charles M. Schulz…
The Mighty Sam
May 18th, 2006 at 5:33 pm
Maybe, by saying, “I’m not smooching in front of Ed,” after already agreeing to Ed serving as the chauffeur for the tryst, the old guy is suggesting that Ed is going to be a participant rather than a spectator.
That’s right: we’re talking an old-people three-way.
CJ
May 18th, 2006 at 5:52 pm
I was thinking along the same lines as The Mighty Sam (#11), waiting for Gramps to ask the key question:
“I don’t care if he can see or hear, I want to know if I have to share my Viagra?”
or…something about Granny and Ed’s moustache, maybe…
King Dogmeat
May 18th, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Is it just me, or does this comic strip not make any sense? Is it just me, or is this comic strip not funny? Tell me!
Howland Owl
May 18th, 2006 at 6:30 pm
13: I was thinking the same thing — in Panel 1, she seems to be addressing the middle-aged guy on the left, which makes it appear that the old guy on the right is Ed, the chauffeur, and she’s going to smooch with the younger guy.
Then the old guy’s response in Panel 2 makes more sense. But in Panel 3, she addresses the old guy, saying that Ed is blind and deaf — Ed appears to be neither, and the joke would make more sense if it was referring to the old guy, anyway. It’s not funny and it doesn’t make any sense.
Canaduck
May 18th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
This is the second post this week titled “Let’s Get It On”. Thanks, Josh, now I’ve got Barry White in my head.
Howland Owl
May 18th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
15: You mean Marvin Gaye, doncha?
Austin
May 18th, 2006 at 6:59 pm
LOL
Re: #14, the middle-aged guy is her son. The old guy is who she tends to smooch with. You never see Ed in this strip.
And, the little half-circle to the left of the middle-aged guy’s eyes is his “wide-eyed” reaction shot.
So, there you go. Still not funny, but a little more explained.
marykat
May 18th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
I wonder if Ed has a Crevasse to “strap on an’ride”? I bet the old guy would reconsider the threesome then…
Mysterio
May 18th, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Did today’s “Mallard Fillmore” even attempt to make a joke? It comes down to “Once liberals said something, now they say something else!” There’s no effort at irony, wordplay, or any other form of humor.
Beasley
May 18th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
Welcome to the world of “The Married”. Bwah-ha-haaaa! BWAH-HA-HAAAA!
mumbles
May 18th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
FOOB: I think I know how this story’s going to end. Apwil is going to share some of her friend Eva’s wisdom to her parents. “Mom, Eva says it’s okay that you have some ‘junk in the trunk’….all men like a little cushion for their pushing, right Dad?” That’ll soon be the end of 4-Eva.
Mumblix Grumph
May 19th, 2006 at 12:37 am
If Ed is driving the car and the oldsters are in the back seat, how in the hell would they smooching IN FRONT of him?
That’s a plot hole big enough to drive a Buick through.
mentarman
May 19th, 2006 at 1:16 am
I like how she’s staring right into her son’s eyes as she talks about this imminent shagging. She’s either actually addressing him or just saying it right into his face to get a reaction. Either way, it’s creepy.
roydrink
May 19th, 2006 at 5:02 am
“But no matter what your age, don’t talk about it in front of your kids though, because: ew.”
Ew!? Ew?… Josh, you don’t have any teanage kids. Or at least one like mine. Suggesting that her parents are still doing ‘it’ is the best way she doesn’t.. :^)
BTW, the old folks comic I like the best is Pickles. It’s got some of the lame “being old” jokes, but occasionally a good one. Also Roscue, the dog in the strip, breaks me up.
Lyman Returns
May 19th, 2006 at 7:37 am
Ah, it seems that the burned-out, cynical, uncaring committee of hacks who churn out ‘Blondie’ day after day were utterly out of ideas…observe, the ‘Blondie’ installment of May 19th…resurrecting that good ol’ bastion of comic funniness…the “older people can’t program VCRs” joke. Haw! It slays me every time…but not in a good way.
This strip probably originally ran in the papers circa 1987-1997. The committee is so listless they didn’t bother to white-out ‘VCR’ and put ‘Tivo’ or ‘DVD Player’. Man, they’re hitting a new low!
Really, does ANYONE have problems programming their VCR anymore?
mere cog in the machine
May 19th, 2006 at 7:57 am
After years of being subjected to FOOB Elly’s hairy legs and ginormous can, I guess I can handle a little old people sex. You have made me jaded, oh so jaded, evil Lynn Johnston.
Smitty Smedlap
May 19th, 2006 at 7:58 am
Actually, the phrase “Get It On” now only reminds me of Captain Tennille from “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.”
Hogenmogen
May 19th, 2006 at 8:21 am
JP: That chick is crying AGAIN?
Foob: John the elder Patterson is showing off to a couple of 14 year olds and gets caught by the fuzz. The only thing you could do that would salvage your reputation in their eyes is to talk your way out of a ticket. Your wife offered up one daughter to the cops, so maybe you could betroth the other. I know April is only 14, but you’re in a jam here.
Blondie: Although I can believe this awful excuse for a joke has been trotted out yet again – kid knows tech stuff, adult doesn’t – I can’t get past Dagwood calling his co-worker by his last name. Didn’t that go out of fashion in the 70’s? Also, strangely, the tech object in question is a VCR. Can’t he just substitute Tivo or cell phone or something current?
But another kid knows tech stuff, adult doesn’t comic is today’s TDIET. What’s amazing about today’s strip is that it was obviously not written in the 50’s, with knobs on the wooden box tv and a milkman wearing a bowtie or some other dated anachronism.
The third tech-related strip today is Pluggers. Wow, what a stretch to make a pun about the Blackberry tech device versus the actual berry. Well, if you’re a Plugger, yew don’ need no stinkin’ teck-kno-low-gee anywayz.
Hogenmogen
May 19th, 2006 at 8:23 am
#25 Sorry, Lyman, you noted Blondie before I did.
Britbike
May 19th, 2006 at 8:26 am
I know it’s too easy, but “Cathy” is annoying the crud out of me. This whole week has been her mother demanding grandchildren (which does tie into the old(er) people and sex thing, because Cathy must be 60 by now). I keep wanting to slap them both. Without major medical intervention, it ain’t happening for Cathy. Give it up, Ma! Be happy with the grand dog, cause that’s all you’re getting!
BassoGap
May 19th, 2006 at 9:18 am
MT – “You found the pieces of dynamite with my client’s name on them, tracks that match his shoes, a post-it note with my client’s handwriting that says ‘Blow the damn road!’, phone records of the before/after status calls, and cancelled checks made out to Semi-discreet Demolition, Inc….If that’s all you have, Mr. Trail…”
MW – “One thing I don’t understand, Mary…why does Lou keep referring to me as ‘the Mare of Flanders’? What does he mean?”
SF – Sally…that shed is why his wife his leaving him. She caught him and Ted in there, doing “yardwork”.
Foob – “Why was I speeding, with a carload of underage boys? Um…”
PBS – I wonder if Pig realizes his invitation to the luau is not to provide the entertainment…
GF – Poor Satchel. Tell Bucky it only matters what the bids are at closing, not early in the auction.
Dilbert – So…Dilbert’s going to get a ton of money…and a reach-around? To quote Josh, “Ew.”
Doonesbury – For my graduation, I had to spell my last name phonetically on a 3×5 card, and hand it to the person reading the names. What’s funny is everyone had to, including those named Smith.
9CL – No, Thorax. The proper answer is “Why not?”
Seaweed
May 19th, 2006 at 9:19 am
People. “Let’s Get it On” is totally Al Green.
Phinneaus J. Whoopigoldberg
May 19th, 2006 at 9:21 am
I like how the artist literally leaves his thumbprint on his work.
And #10 — I think the comic strip Girls & Sports may be one of the all-time worst executed strips.
Jem
May 19th, 2006 at 9:30 am
#30: “Be happy with the grand dog, cause that’s all you’re getting!”
My fear is that she will eventually get a grandchild. This strip jumped the shark a long time ago but I think it’s getting ready to jump another one. I hope I’m wrong.
I Go Pogo
May 19th, 2006 at 9:50 am
Seaweed, Marvin Gaye wrote & originally recorded Let’s Get it On. A search on Amazon reveals no recordings of the song by Reverend Al. Perhaps you are thinking of Let’s Stay Together.
Mister Nobody
May 19th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Seaweed. Saying it, even with confidence, doesn’t make it so.
Perhaps you’re thinking of AL Green’s 1974 song “Let’s Get Married.”
Hogenmogen
May 19th, 2006 at 10:25 am
#31 – Basso – Unidentified neighbor + Ted Forth = Broke-back-yard.
Couldn’t resist the pun.
And yeah, I thought the same thing about the “weak case” in MT
gnome de blog
May 19th, 2006 at 10:34 am
In this particular case, the proper answer (edited for family newspaper content) is: “Why not?”
njkayaker
May 19th, 2006 at 11:46 am
It makes a bit more sense if you suppose that Ed isn’t in the picture. That is, no one in the strip is Ed and that the guy with the moustache is not Ed.
It’s unlikely that (in the first frame) she would be taking -to- Ed and refering to him in the third person.
mere cog in the machine
May 19th, 2006 at 12:24 pm
#27: “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge”? Is that some sort of sick nursing home competition? What in Gods name ever happened to knitting and watching Lawrence Welk? Sheesh!
Woodrowfan
May 19th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
MT: Apaprently the developers hired OJ’s lawyer. “Evidence/ What evidence?”
Molassey
May 19th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I know this is a couple days late, but re: Peanuts, there’s a great New Yorker article on the strip:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?041129fa_fact
gump worsley
May 19th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Concerning the first panel of today’s (May 19) Rex Morgan, shouldn’t there be quote marks around the words “golf game”?
(Not to mention a little more explanation, like “the golf game that seemingly first came up for discussion in 1998.”)
Lyman Returns
May 19th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
#29-Hey, it’s cool. No harm, no foul.
OK, I can’t let today’s Crankshaft go by…we have this crew of school-skipping wanna-be gangsta rappers, known for saying things like, “Yo, if Crankshaft finds out we be skippin’, he gonna bust a cap in us!” Then today, one of them says “We’re going anywhere we want, as long as it’s super fantasically special!”
Hey, Tom Batiuk…this group of kids needs to talk like hard-core rappers OR refugees from the Get-Along-Gang. You gotta pick one. The two cannot co-exist!
MotoMike
May 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
Lyman Returns (44): I was mentioning this last week or so; I think Batiuk is setting FW and Crankshaft up for another collision – same events occurring same day in each strip, but from different POV. Note that the locale is Mammoth Mall.
King Folderol
May 19th, 2006 at 4:04 pm
Sometimes I feel like I’m in my own little corner, crying.
Like the clown in today’s (5/19) RMMD, in the picture in Panel 1 that Troy’s hanging up. Beyond the obvious question of WTF???????, one must wonder if this is Wilson and Nolan’s subtle way of piercing into Troy’s soul. He’s smiling on the outside but crying on the inside, and the frame in the tiny picture is symbolic of how Troy is trapped by his dark past, even though he thinks the center is going to help him escape. But, no. It is you, Troy, who is the trapped, sad, clown, and it is you for whom there is no escape.
And it’s great that there’s a city council member around; I’m sure he knows all about blackmail and corruption and can commisserate with your little, ahem, problem.
Meanwhile, over in FC, it’s clearly “Ralph Wiggum” weak for Jeff and Bil Keane. I’m waiting for tomorrow’s inevitable installment, where Jeffy poops on the recliner, and the caption reads, “Mommy, this toilet doesn’t have a hole in it like the others in the house!”
tkycq tgwquirln
June 25th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
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