Part of me is really worried she won’t be able to pass this class just because Robin is teaching it which would suck, but part of me also thinks that if she wants to be a politician or activist she’ll at some point be working with or under people she despises so this could be good experience for her.
Roz really shouldn’t be in a class taught by her sister in the first place, but if she has to be here then Robin has to at least put up a front of professional distance.
Remember the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Aunt Viv teaches Will and Carlton’s class about the civil rights movement? Or the episode of Recess where it’s revealed that Ms. Finster the playground monitor is a family friend of the Spinellis?
The thing is, Robin had to know this in advance, and everything we know about the DeSantos’ family relationships suggests Robin is a primary support for her sisters. (We didn’t see their mom at Freshman Family Weekend, though I suppose she could’ve been offscreen or sick or something.) They almost certainly saw each other over winter break. Roz would’ve been enrolled in the class by then. Roz may well have talked about getting into a competitive class like this. Roz had no warning this was coming, so of course she’s going to react badly given the disaster that is their relationship.
Robin may be acting more or less in line with standards, but the only way she DIDN’T know Roz was owed the courtesy of a heads up so she could pick another section (if only because of her major, if Robin somehow didn’t realize she’d be taking ‘Nicholson’s’ class this semester) is a level of ignoring Roz that’s… deeply, deeply sad.
@Regali(bc i cant reply directly to your reply) I think it’s likely that Roz wouldn’t tell Robin about the class. She could be trying to avoid a “you want to be like me” speech from Robin, or just… straight up not care to tell her.
Roz didn’t have to tell Robin about the class. Professors get a class list. They know who’s supposed to be there.
Robin knew and deliberately blind-sided her sister. (Or possibly, because she’s Robin, didn’t know because she never even looked at her class list, but she shows no surprise at all about Roz being there.)
WRT professors getting a class list, it seems extremely in-character for Robin to not read a thing like that. I’m not convinced we have enough information to know which side is more messed up, but I’m not sure either of them have really earned that much benefit of the doubt at this point in this strip.
You’re right. Roz has been very disrespectful and is disruptive when voicing her opinions almost as if other opinions don’t matter.
My problem is that Robin’s been extremely awful to Roz. It kind of goes both ways with them, but Robin slut shamed and demeaned her sister in front of people in her first appearance and blatantly told Roz to her face that keeping her job was more important to her than her beliefs.
Roz in return actively tried to sabotage her sister’s career willing to use her lesbian teacher as bait for it so they both have done horrible shit but I still wouldn’t want someone like Robin as a teacher to Roz specifically.
It’s always nice to remember that Leslie asked Roz to literally shut up and stop making a scene with Joyce when the “white naive christian girl” started to understand the class.
Honestly I can like Robin in what she brings to a story but never as a person because if she was real she’d have absolutely killed people a la Pump’s speech to Moist in Discworld’s Going Postal given her politics and position of power in the past.
I would imagine this is Robin try to use wacky hijinks to make everyone happy. It will explode in her face dramatically, and she will probably learn a lesson after making everyone else’s life worse.
I also wouldn’t want Roz as a student for Robin. Mostly for the sake of the other students though. The two of them interacting is going to be detrimental to everyone around them, especially those who need this class. Roz is going to be at least as disruptive as she was in Gender Studies, and Robin is likely going to just push her buttons and escalate the situation.
They’re bad for each other and bad for everyone around them when they get together.
This is true too. This interaction between them is already wasting everyone’s time. When Robin first showed up Leslie actually ended class early because of the fight between her and Roz although she justified it as a teaching moment since it was relevant to the class itself. Still not good for a class where they’ll potentially interact everyday.
She can also probably fit 10 billiard balls in her mouth, play a saxophone with her nose, crab walk 3 miles straight, and do the tiny clown car bit flawlessly. Though, for the last one, she’ll need a least 9-14 exact duplicates of herself before she can pull it off…
She can also play the spoons, make music with her armpit, and little animals from balloons. She can also whistle Dixie, while eating crackers, and covering one eye.
Sadly confident the damage will not be limited to Roz. Becky still friggen lives with Robin, as far as we know. Everyone is going to hate this for one reason or another.
Dorms are only for about 30 weeks a year. She still needs some other place for the remaining 22. Although she does have a standing invitation with (half) the Brown family.
How long you can access dorms can vary depending on the school, but Becky should be good at least for the semester, which is a few months for her, so I think that’s enough to qualify it as where she lives currently. And, of course, the semester is years for us.
1) Infuriated-at-Robin-Roz tends to become even-more-obnoxious-to-everyone-else-Roz.
2) Dorothy doesn’t deserve a teacher so petty that she won’t call on Dorothy because Dorothy asked a good question that one time.
3) NO ONE ELSE in that class deserves Robin as a teacher either. (Well maybe one or two we don’t know, but otherwise.)
4) If Robin doesn’t stop playing power games with her students and make with the actual teaching, the class will riot and she won’t have taken over shit.
While I’m ok with Robin infuriating Roz, I also kinda want the students in this class to learn stuff by a competent teacher. So unless Robin somehow is actually good at teaching the subject, I hope she’s not their permanent teacher for this class.
I love how Dorothy is just like, “raising my hand will get us past this argument and maybe get my question heard? Okay, I can play by that rule and raise my hand with a blank look on my face that cannot be misconstrued as misconduct in any way.”
Also, Robin refusing to recognize her own sister? Ouch!
TBF though, my problem isn’t so much with ROBIN herself. It’s the people she’s been used as a joke for, politics wise, that have poisoned her DoA self for me, and I’m not convinced she really gets why her policies were wrong. That said, her stepping down for Becky was a good start so we’ll see if she can get back to me loving her. I hope so because I adored her in Shortpacked.
Yep. The decision to keep her as a member of Congress while changing states to one with a radically different political landscape opened a lot of story opportunities, but it also screwed her over likability-wise. She was always still going to be queer, so her siding with Republicans for votes would always have been terrible. And even before she became a Trump analogue the GOP had been less and less subtle about being a party held together primarily by bigotry. I’m pretty sure her more ‘wacky’ hijinks would’ve translated badly, much like Mike, but I miss the Robin who had any emotional maturity. Much less ‘you make me not want to run anymore’ Robin.
Though it took Robin awhile (and much drama) to get that emotional maturity in SP!. I suspect we’ll see it here, but it’ll take even longer, since she’s not as major of a character.
Honestly, we’re already seeing it. Resigning from Congress for Becky was a huge step, but she’s got a long way to go. And she’ll always be wacky.
TBH, I could live with it if she was a bad, but funny teacher. The worst thing that can happen is the kids have a bad learning experience. They’ll live.
It’s a little more than sisterly teasing at this point. Robin and Roz have done horrible things to each other to the point I don’t really trust Robin to even treat Roz fairly in this class.
There is no way Robin would be allowed to actually be in charge of a class that her sister is in. MASSIVE conflict of interest there. I can only assume she is a visiting instructor assisting in the class or has gone back to school herself and is the AI for the course, which would be allowed as long as she does not do any grading for Roz herself.
Are you insinuating Ms. Desanto is related to that random student? DeSanto is just a super common surname. I hear we used to have a state senator by that name too.
I think you have wildly unrealistic expectations. Teachers end up teaching their children all the time. And professors aren’t an abundant resource; if Robin is the teacher, and there’s some reason for that, the university isn’t to go “stop! upend everything!” just because her sister is registered.
There are some conflicts of interest and some ethical questions, but there is nothing in most universities/schools that would actually prevent educators from having family members and loved ones in their classes. Idk which university you are from, but that isn’t how most work.
Well, they certainly wouldn’t allow it without talking to both parties beforehand and discussing how to avoid conflicts of interest. It happens, but only when it is unavoidable.
Trying to establish professional boundaries by treating her kid sister as ‘young Ms de Santo’ and insisting that she treat her as her teacher instead of her sister in turn.
Come on. “Professional boundaries” don’t include pretending not to recognize your sister. Professional would require letting your sister know ahead of time to avoid scenes like this.
You are two making good points, Robin is deliberately teasing Roz, since she should have told it ahead of time.
However, I for once admire Robin’s behavior because a student just directly insulted her (twice) and she not only kept her cool but made in such a way that her authority on the class isn’t directly challenged (Since, y’know, asking Roz to leave wouldn’t work).
But also did so in a way that’s continuing to needle said student. She knows exactly where Roz’s buttons are, it’s not a coincidence that she’s pushing them. She’s escalating the situation.
The issue here is that Roz 1- interrupted the class, 2- Questioned the teachers authority by a- yelling and b- insulting at a teacher. In my university, the students would have themselves ask Roz to shut up or leave class.
I personally ignore students who behave in such a way, but I don’t think Robin is in the wrong on how she is treating a troublesome student by simply stating they have no authority while doing it in a chill way. She is escalating, but also doing in a way that the only one to be seen as guilty is Roz, not her.
I think I’d agree if this interaction was with any other student, but Roz isn’t just any troublesome student, she’s Robin’s sister, and that’s now known to the entire class. That changes the nature of the interaction, and as a student, I don’t think I’d be seeing this as Roz being the only guilty one. They’re both looking pretty bad to me.
Send her a text. She might not reply, but she’d read it. Pass word through their mother.
Show up on her damn doorstep if you have to. Hell, pull her out of class at the very start if you somehow absolutely can’t get in touch with her.
Fan theory: This decision happened early in the morning (when they were having math class) and they all received an e-mail explaining everything, but since no one read it, they are just unaware and surprised.
As I posted yesterday, I think that he quit very much at the last minute, possibly with a parting quip to his former colleagues something along the lines of: “So long, losers!”
She’s gonna spill her bubble soap all over the floor.
(Plot twist: that’s actually a nice, very real smoking pipe. But Robin doesn’t smoke so she uses it as a bubble pipe because it makes a lousy silly straw.)
Okay, so taking a step back, this particular exchange doesn’t really matter at all, but I can’t help but think of how annoyed I’d be as a student in that situation…
At Roz, for angrily disrupting the class while really derailing a question that I’d probably really like an answer to.
At Robin, for being immature and unprofessional, teasing her sister and conspicuously ignoring good students instead of trying to look like someone who’s actually able to teach a class.
At the school for not giving anyone any hint that the professor who they were all eager to learn from would not, apparently, be the one actually teaching the class.
At Robin, again, for just blindsiding her sister with this despite knowing it would become a whole disruptive thing.
I mean, this whole thing probably took less than a minute in real time, but as far as first impressions go, I’d probably be both really annoyed and really disappointed if I had been looking forward to the class.
oh if i was a student i would be living for this exchange. but in a few weeks im sure the novelty would wear off and I’d just be annoyed at what’s probably gonna be a waste of a semester
If this actually does go on and/or keep happening, I imagine any students with other options are just going to switch classes.
Oh, could this be how Willis avoids having to draw a bunch of background faces for the strips in this class? Everyone drops it? But then he’d have to draw empty chairs…
I think that you are deeply overestimating Robin’s self-awareness. To her, she is this amazingly well-respected and well-liked public figure whose honesty, wisdom and probity are beyond question. Yes, I know: Sad.
The problem is the years of interaction history between Roz and Robin. She asked the question in exactly the same way as she would have asked “Where’s my hairbrush?” and likely with exactly the same manner she would as if she were accusing her older sister of ‘borrowing’ her stuff without asking.
I think as a student I’d just be sinking into my seat, wondering if the whole semester was going to be like this and if I needed the class for my major I’d be trying to game out whether my classmate would drop the class first and make it bearable or if I should just drop it right then and there and try again another semester.
God damn and now some comments have it out for Roz for raising her voice because she’s angry her sister is there, who she has no respect for and with good reason, instead of her professor she actually really wanted to be taught by in this highly sought after class
But no let’s be like omg Roz stop disrupting the class, from this highly unexpected and unwanted development, how dare you be emotional
But anyway I like this development with Robin for the drama, but you know it’s not gonna be good for any of the students in this class
Right? Also, there’s fewer than 100 words in this whole exchange. This has been going on for less than a minute. They haven’t reached “OK, now she’s holding up the class” yet.
They almost certainly all also want an answer for why she’s here instead of the teacher they expected, so it won’t be until they hear it that they’ll get upset at her for arguing with her (if she still is).
I do sort of understand the problem here. Robin knows that she’s at a disadvantage here, coming into this class with its established social dynamics and something of a personal bond with the former tutor. She’s got to establish boundaries and authority as quickly as possible. That means that, feelings aside, she’s got to insist that Roz treats her as ‘Miz de Santo’ the teacher, not her goofy older sister.
Also, yes, if there is anyone who is likely to leave her completely high and dry, it’s Dorothy. Does anyone else think that she was going to ask Roz’s question for her because helping out others is kind of her thing?
I tend to believe that Dorothy intended to ask something relevant and not something obvious. There real teacher is right there and as a result Nicholson’s location is irrelevant. Robin gives Roz a chance at asking a question and it’s whether she recognized Dorothy when clearly she did. Ducking Dorothy’s question sight unseen was probably a good move.
Big important lesson for Roz: She has many years of work, progress, back-stabbing and corruption before she’s in a position to officially decide who is the ‘real’ anything in any context.
Gotta disagree
Name on the syllabus = real teacher until the change is explained.
Roz doesn’t have any ability that anybody else doesn’t have, but she and all the rest signed a contract stipulating who the teacher is.
Nicholson’s location is irrelevant and wouldn’t be a useful answer to the real question anyway. The question, as anyone should be able to understand, is “Why isn’t he teaching this class?”
Which is a very relevant question and one that should be addressed by the replacement at the first opportunity.
What established social dynamics or personal bond? This is the first session of a class in the new semester.
It’s possible some of the students have had Prof. Nicholson for another class, but mostly they’d just signed up for the class because of his reputation.
And if Robin wanted Roz to treat her properly as the professor, she’d have warned her beforehand – so that this scene wouldn’t play out in class.
If you see this as a student’s vs teachers thing than sure Robin is making good moves.
If you want things to actually work. Robin should have told her sister that she would be teaching/subbing ahead of time.
Insisting in class they are teacher and student isn’t a bad move but the way she goes about it is.
Plus answer the question. Both of them.
She wants to look the part. This is what Robin thinks a professor should look like, and she’s all about the facade. Those glasses are fake – she wore them for Congress too.
According to someone else (Vance Packard? I forget), a man in a bowtie indicates his sexuality is still tied up in his mother. A woman in a bowtie? He didn’t say.
Also, they don’t dangling into the patient while you are performing surgery or an exam. It used to be a convention that surgeons wore bow ties and physicians (= US “internists”) wore four-in-hand (long) ties.
Seriously, even looking at bowties (and bows) in general is deeply unpleasant to me. Unfortunately, bows seems to a popular part of female clothes and undergarments… :\\
I haven’t worn a bowtie since I was a kid (nor a tie since I retired, except to funerals) but it seems a very strange thing to hate. If it makes the person wearing it happy, where’s the harm?
And academia is a useful fall-back for an unspectacular politician who never had the chance to create useful contacts in high finance, law or the defence sector!
I would have been halfway to livid if I had been a student paying tuition, possibly with student loans, and a politician decided to come in and start ignoring questions.
I honestly cant stand roz most of the time but I’m not ridiculous enough to be willfully blind to when a character has a good reason to be upset. I’d be screaming too
I’m surprised people view Robin and teasing Roz, I was just taking it as Robin is so dumb she thinks this is the proper way to establish boundaries. “I can’t have a conflict of interest if I do not know her! So let’s act like I don’t!”
(Also I went back to when Robin was first introduced to see how bad the slut-shaming was and like Roz has some balls for saying her video harmed no one considering it featured someone who did not consent to it being upload, in a location that she did not have the right to use and was made to harm her sister’s career, which may be shit, but it the way she makes money to like. Also is it stated if Joe knew he was being recorded? I feel like it is glossed over, since it was Joe and he doesn’t give a shit)
Joe agreed to being recorded and uploaded because of the hotness factor of a sex tape, he outright stated as such to Dorothy’s face. I don’t think he was aware that it would blow up to the degree it did though. He probably expected more ‘I’ll upload it and a few friends/people will see and find it hot’ not ‘I’m related to a political figure so it will blow up as this big thing in the news’. And it did blow over, but like, there was more of a blow-up than Joe probably could have expected.
He agreed, but is it really informed consent when one party knows it’s going to be a big deal and the other doesn’t?
And Roz may have said it was stupid it would hurt her sister’s career, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t want it too. Given what else we’ve seen of Roz’s opinion of Robin’s career, it seems pretty likely.
Yeah? He knew about and consented to the important parts of her plan. She obviously could’ve done better by making sure Joe understood her sister was a congresswoman, but I’d consider that rude rather than like, violating
And yeah, Roz 100% wanted the sex tape to hurt Robin’s campaign, which is a good and noble goal
I would argue: “This is going to blow up and everyone is going to see it. Like you are going to be known for this as this is a political stunt” Is a very important detail.
On top of how Joe did expressly consent to being filmed and the video uploaded, Robin being a congresswoman may have been “how she made money”, but she was (though hopefully is no longer) a bigot who supported laws that hurt people. It is 100% right and just to remove such people from their jobs, especially when that job is a POLITICAL OFFICE
Like, I get that Roz can be pretty obnoxious, but come on.
This interaction kind of shows a lot wrong with Roz and Robin’s dynamic. Roz starts off screaming at Robin as if she purposely made this happen and if treating her like a normal student is a purposeful jab, when if you are a teacher of a family member, you do have to put up that distance for professionalism. Robin breathing in her direction is treated as practically a personal attack by her. This may have been a fairly last minute substitution or she may only be here a couple of times (I’ve had classes with multiple teachers where some come in for a single topic). She views Robin in a very negative light.
While Robin, who perceives their relationship in a more positive light, probably thought this would be funny or amusing if it was a surprise if she did know it for longer. She isn’t overreacting or reacting strongly because teasing her sister mildly and having Roz react strongly is probably normal.
They both do things that are awful to each other over all though. So I’m not saying either one is better here, just pointing out their views of their relationship are very different. Roz treats it very negatively while Robin treats it positively and that’s what creates this type of weird moment where Robin probably sees this as amusing while Roz is very much not amused.
I’m on neither’s side here, I’m on side Dorothy of try to ask the question and skip the whole silliness to get a straight answer.
Sure, the DeSanto sister’s dynamic is horrible. Remember Robin is like. She just comes in and sweeps everything along by force of personality. Like she did in Leslie’s apartment. Roz has lived with this her whole. Robin’s made her be a prop for her political ambitions, while pushing policies she despises. Of course she views Robin negatively. And of course Robin doesn’t acknowledge it. Maybe she does think it would be a funny surprise. That’s the problem. That’s what’s wrong with Robin. That dynamic – much like she forced herself into Leslie’s life and treated it positively while nearly driving Leslie around the bend.
Hell, it’s possible she’s not the teacher and she just put on the Professor outfit and swept in here to mess with Roz. Not out of character, except that she hasn’t ever shown that much interest in Roz before.
Even here Robin isn’t treating her like a normal student, she’s pretending she doesn’t know her. Sure, you have to put some distance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge them. Preferably with some warning ahead of time to avoid a scene like this.
How is Roz supposed to react? The teacher she was excited to learn from is gone, replaced by the destructive whirlwind that’s tormented her for years. No warning. No chance to avoid it. And she won’t even acknowledge or explain.
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now I wonder what if Roz DID raise her hand
would the universe implode
I say with 100% certainity that we will never know
Soggies may rule!
oh poor roz
No. Roz has this coming. Love seeing “holier than thou” folks dealing with events that just aren’t going their way.
Not really. Roz can be obnoxious, but she doesn’t deserve Robin. Not like this.
Roz absolutely deserves non-bigoted Robin.
Robin was literally a conservative politician.
Like, obnoxious leftists aren’t as bad as people who campaign on making the lives of the marginalized miserable. Both sides are not the same.
Yes and she torpedoed her career to gain redemption for her sister:
Becky.
Cool, doesn’t mean she regrets or understands why her heterocentric, misogynistic and sometimes racist policies were wrong.
It is bizarre how much this community hates the character that acts most like it.
I note that we still don’t have the answer to where Professor Nicholson is.
Or to what that rhythmic pounding coming from Robin’s trunk is.
I’m sure that’ll be answered in the next strip. This moment has plenty of hangtime to milk
Is Robin’s trunk the one with seven locks on it?
Are you saying that club music is coming out of Robin’s butt?
That’s what I heard.
Nicholson’s being taken care of by top men.
TOP. MEN.
I just had an awful thought.
What if that IS Nicholson? And Nicholson is just Robin’s pen name?
Because Nicholson hasn’t taught a class before, if I’m remembering that right, and it totally fits for Robin to use a male name to write.
They said Nicholson was a talking head on tv, so I imagine they know what he looks like
How can Robin speak clearly with a pipe in her mouth?
Good question!
She’s a politician. They can speak out of both sides of their mouth.
(This joke brought to you by the comic taped to Grandma’s fridge)
That, and they often talk out of their ass. (And in advanced cases, both sides of that.)
Because it’s a BUBBLE pipe.
DaHOY!
Surprise! The pipe’s actually a microphone and it’s how any of them can even hear her speaking right now.
The same way Sal talks with a cigarette in her mouth.
Don’t bring logic into this.
It’s not impossible.
Woof. I actually feel real bad for Roz.
So do I. But I’m sure that feeling will fade as she continues talking.
And Roz always intends to continue talking.
Part of me is really worried she won’t be able to pass this class just because Robin is teaching it which would suck, but part of me also thinks that if she wants to be a politician or activist she’ll at some point be working with or under people she despises so this could be good experience for her.
Why? She’s trying to take over the Class,
she’s making a scene , and being disruptive and disobedient.
and its not because its Robin per se, she did this with Leslie also.
if She doesnt like the professor she can drop the class. its the first day.
This is a pretty understandable reaction to finding out that your “eccentric” older sister is subbing for your class’s professor without warning
Understandable sure. Acceptable not so much. Pretty much started yelling at her right away. I don’t have time for rudeness in my class, young lady.
How about Robin’s behavior? Not just pretending not to recognize her here, but also not warning Roz she’ll be teaching the class up front.
Roz is yelling, but that’s an understandable provoked reaction, to a situation Robin set up.
Roz really shouldn’t be in a class taught by her sister in the first place, but if she has to be here then Robin has to at least put up a front of professional distance.
Remember the episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air where Aunt Viv teaches Will and Carlton’s class about the civil rights movement? Or the episode of Recess where it’s revealed that Ms. Finster the playground monitor is a family friend of the Spinellis?
The thing is, Robin had to know this in advance, and everything we know about the DeSantos’ family relationships suggests Robin is a primary support for her sisters. (We didn’t see their mom at Freshman Family Weekend, though I suppose she could’ve been offscreen or sick or something.) They almost certainly saw each other over winter break. Roz would’ve been enrolled in the class by then. Roz may well have talked about getting into a competitive class like this. Roz had no warning this was coming, so of course she’s going to react badly given the disaster that is their relationship.
Robin may be acting more or less in line with standards, but the only way she DIDN’T know Roz was owed the courtesy of a heads up so she could pick another section (if only because of her major, if Robin somehow didn’t realize she’d be taking ‘Nicholson’s’ class this semester) is a level of ignoring Roz that’s… deeply, deeply sad.
@Regali(bc i cant reply directly to your reply) I think it’s likely that Roz wouldn’t tell Robin about the class. She could be trying to avoid a “you want to be like me” speech from Robin, or just… straight up not care to tell her.
Roz didn’t have to tell Robin about the class. Professors get a class list. They know who’s supposed to be there.
Robin knew and deliberately blind-sided her sister. (Or possibly, because she’s Robin, didn’t know because she never even looked at her class list, but she shows no surprise at all about Roz being there.)
@Regalli
I mean, if Roz was your sister, wouldn’t you ignore her too?
WRT professors getting a class list, it seems extremely in-character for Robin to not read a thing like that. I’m not convinced we have enough information to know which side is more messed up, but I’m not sure either of them have really earned that much benefit of the doubt at this point in this strip.
You’re right. Roz has been very disrespectful and is disruptive when voicing her opinions almost as if other opinions don’t matter.
My problem is that Robin’s been extremely awful to Roz. It kind of goes both ways with them, but Robin slut shamed and demeaned her sister in front of people in her first appearance and blatantly told Roz to her face that keeping her job was more important to her than her beliefs.
Roz in return actively tried to sabotage her sister’s career willing to use her lesbian teacher as bait for it so they both have done horrible shit but I still wouldn’t want someone like Robin as a teacher to Roz specifically.
It’s always nice to remember that Leslie asked Roz to literally shut up and stop making a scene with Joyce when the “white naive christian girl” started to understand the class.
Yes. It is.
Honestly I can like Robin in what she brings to a story but never as a person because if she was real she’d have absolutely killed people a la Pump’s speech to Moist in Discworld’s Going Postal given her politics and position of power in the past.
I would imagine this is Robin try to use wacky hijinks to make everyone happy. It will explode in her face dramatically, and she will probably learn a lesson after making everyone else’s life worse.
I also wouldn’t want Roz as a student for Robin. Mostly for the sake of the other students though. The two of them interacting is going to be detrimental to everyone around them, especially those who need this class. Roz is going to be at least as disruptive as she was in Gender Studies, and Robin is likely going to just push her buttons and escalate the situation.
They’re bad for each other and bad for everyone around them when they get together.
This is true too. This interaction between them is already wasting everyone’s time. When Robin first showed up Leslie actually ended class early because of the fight between her and Roz although she justified it as a teaching moment since it was relevant to the class itself. Still not good for a class where they’ll potentially interact everyday.
Dorothy: “Where’s Professor Nicholson?”
Roblin: “See, that’s why you never answer her questions. She asks ones like that! Seriously…..”
“Good question; five points to Ravenclaw. Next?”
Probably not Dorothy’s question.
See, Robin can learn things.
She doesn’t want to but she can.
She can also probably fit 10 billiard balls in her mouth, play a saxophone with her nose, crab walk 3 miles straight, and do the tiny clown car bit flawlessly. Though, for the last one, she’ll need a least 9-14 exact duplicates of herself before she can pull it off…
I’m sure she can do that. But I see no reason to think that’s a skill she aquired rather than a natural talent.
She can also play the spoons, make music with her armpit, and little animals from balloons. She can also whistle Dixie, while eating crackers, and covering one eye.
Specialization is for insects.
For all his flaws, I miss Heinlein.
Man, this school is bananas.
B-A-N-A-N-A-S
She like Professor Nicholson, didn’t she?
A LOT better than she likes Robin, that’s fer sure
Robin is doing a great job of infuriating Roz so I’m all for her taking over this class permanently.
Sadly confident the damage will not be limited to Roz. Becky still friggen lives with Robin, as far as we know. Everyone is going to hate this for one reason or another.
Becky lives in the dorms now.
Dorms are only for about 30 weeks a year. She still needs some other place for the remaining 22. Although she does have a standing invitation with (half) the Brown family.
And Leslie, probably
How long you can access dorms can vary depending on the school, but Becky should be good at least for the semester, which is a few months for her, so I think that’s enough to qualify it as where she lives currently. And, of course, the semester is years for us.
Becky has become Dorothy’s douchey roommate, remember?
1) Infuriated-at-Robin-Roz tends to become even-more-obnoxious-to-everyone-else-Roz.
2) Dorothy doesn’t deserve a teacher so petty that she won’t call on Dorothy because Dorothy asked a good question that one time.
3) NO ONE ELSE in that class deserves Robin as a teacher either. (Well maybe one or two we don’t know, but otherwise.)
4) If Robin doesn’t stop playing power games with her students and make with the actual teaching, the class will riot and she won’t have taken over shit.
4a) Teaching by experience!
Honestly a teacher that won’t call on people because they have good questions is a bad teacher.
I’m not sure anyone here was expecting Robin to be a good teacher.
I’m sure they were all expecting Robin to be a good teacher.
… named Nicholson.
While I’m ok with Robin infuriating Roz, I also kinda want the students in this class to learn stuff by a competent teacher. So unless Robin somehow is actually good at teaching the subject, I hope she’s not their permanent teacher for this class.
I love how Dorothy is just like, “raising my hand will get us past this argument and maybe get my question heard? Okay, I can play by that rule and raise my hand with a blank look on my face that cannot be misconstrued as misconduct in any way.”
Also, Robin refusing to recognize her own sister? Ouch!
“The audience is on its feet–and demanding an explanation!”–“The Show Must Go On!” segment of Roggin’s Heroes, circa 1992
Meanwhile, Prof. Nicholson is in a nearby bar.
“Hi Lloyd!”
“A little slow tonight, isn’t it?”
“BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA”
Here I thought the comments section disliked Roz as much as I did. One comic of sisterly teasing and suddenly everyone feels bad for her.
I think people may dislike Robin more at this point
I certainly do. DoA Robin sucks.
TBF though, my problem isn’t so much with ROBIN herself. It’s the people she’s been used as a joke for, politics wise, that have poisoned her DoA self for me, and I’m not convinced she really gets why her policies were wrong. That said, her stepping down for Becky was a good start so we’ll see if she can get back to me loving her. I hope so because I adored her in Shortpacked.
Yep. The decision to keep her as a member of Congress while changing states to one with a radically different political landscape opened a lot of story opportunities, but it also screwed her over likability-wise. She was always still going to be queer, so her siding with Republicans for votes would always have been terrible. And even before she became a Trump analogue the GOP had been less and less subtle about being a party held together primarily by bigotry. I’m pretty sure her more ‘wacky’ hijinks would’ve translated badly, much like Mike, but I miss the Robin who had any emotional maturity. Much less ‘you make me not want to run anymore’ Robin.
Though it took Robin awhile (and much drama) to get that emotional maturity in SP!. I suspect we’ll see it here, but it’ll take even longer, since she’s not as major of a character.
Honestly, we’re already seeing it. Resigning from Congress for Becky was a huge step, but she’s got a long way to go. And she’ll always be wacky.
If she’d been the wacky teacher this whole time, I think she’d be a lot more likeable.
But, well, hindsight….
Definitely – though we’ll see how awful she is as a teacher.
But that would deny her at least some of the character growth.
TBH, I could live with it if she was a bad, but funny teacher. The worst thing that can happen is the kids have a bad learning experience. They’ll live.
Seriously, Roz sometimes bothers me. I really hate Robin.
Not everyone.
Frankly, she shouldn’t be doing ‘sisterly teasing’. This is not the place for it. She is the teacher, apparently.
If anything it just makes me love Robin more!
It’s a little more than sisterly teasing at this point. Robin and Roz have done horrible things to each other to the point I don’t really trust Robin to even treat Roz fairly in this class.
And vice versa.
Sure, but Robin’s in the position of authority. It’s her job to treat her students fairly.
Roz can be a jerk and the most she’ll do is get herself in trouble for being disruptive.
i can do two things at once!
what are they?
We can multitask
nice callback.
+1
Exasperating as Roz is, I’ll side with her in this case.
Oh yeah, definitely Roz’s snap and stab everyone origin story.
Willis is being really really good to us.
I wonder what he’s up to.
That’s a bubble pipe, isn’t it?
Maybe but if it is it is empty.
The bowl goes from upward facing in panel 2 and then is held bowl down in panel 4 and back to upward in 7….. Hmmmm
Methinks the artist done goofed when showing her holding the pipe in panel 4 and connected the stem to the top instead of the bottom.
She was holding it upside down yesterday too. Right side up in her mouth, upside down in her hand.
There is no way Robin would be allowed to actually be in charge of a class that her sister is in. MASSIVE conflict of interest there. I can only assume she is a visiting instructor assisting in the class or has gone back to school herself and is the AI for the course, which would be allowed as long as she does not do any grading for Roz herself.
Are you insinuating Ms. Desanto is related to that random student? DeSanto is just a super common surname. I hear we used to have a state senator by that name too.
You have a future in public relations.
I think you have wildly unrealistic expectations. Teachers end up teaching their children all the time. And professors aren’t an abundant resource; if Robin is the teacher, and there’s some reason for that, the university isn’t to go “stop! upend everything!” just because her sister is registered.
There are some conflicts of interest and some ethical questions, but there is nothing in most universities/schools that would actually prevent educators from having family members and loved ones in their classes. Idk which university you are from, but that isn’t how most work.
Well, they certainly wouldn’t allow it without talking to both parties beforehand and discussing how to avoid conflicts of interest. It happens, but only when it is unavoidable.
I’d change the “certainly wouldn’t” with “shouldn’t”. Reality has shown me that stuff like that can happen without many issues.
what the hell is robin doing
Trying to establish professional boundaries by treating her kid sister as ‘young Ms de Santo’ and insisting that she treat her as her teacher instead of her sister in turn.
Come on. “Professional boundaries” don’t include pretending not to recognize your sister. Professional would require letting your sister know ahead of time to avoid scenes like this.
This is provocation.
I agree
You are two making good points, Robin is deliberately teasing Roz, since she should have told it ahead of time.
However, I for once admire Robin’s behavior because a student just directly insulted her (twice) and she not only kept her cool but made in such a way that her authority on the class isn’t directly challenged (Since, y’know, asking Roz to leave wouldn’t work).
But also did so in a way that’s continuing to needle said student. She knows exactly where Roz’s buttons are, it’s not a coincidence that she’s pushing them. She’s escalating the situation.
The issue here is that Roz 1- interrupted the class, 2- Questioned the teachers authority by a- yelling and b- insulting at a teacher. In my university, the students would have themselves ask Roz to shut up or leave class.
I personally ignore students who behave in such a way, but I don’t think Robin is in the wrong on how she is treating a troublesome student by simply stating they have no authority while doing it in a chill way. She is escalating, but also doing in a way that the only one to be seen as guilty is Roz, not her.
I think I’d agree if this interaction was with any other student, but Roz isn’t just any troublesome student, she’s Robin’s sister, and that’s now known to the entire class. That changes the nature of the interaction, and as a student, I don’t think I’d be seeing this as Roz being the only guilty one. They’re both looking pretty bad to me.
Your responses work on the assumption that Robin and Roz have any meaningful means of communication and everything I’ve seen suggests that they don’t.
Send her a text. She might not reply, but she’d read it. Pass word through their mother.
Show up on her damn doorstep if you have to. Hell, pull her out of class at the very start if you somehow absolutely can’t get in touch with her.
Do not do whatever this is.
Fan theory: This decision happened early in the morning (when they were having math class) and they all received an e-mail explaining everything, but since no one read it, they are just unaware and surprised.
And Robin did her ‘bare minimum’.
I mean, it’s possible. It’s the absolute best spin for Robin and she already would have had to be in the pipeline to be teaching there.
Also, it might be an attempt to establish professional boundaries… by a fundamentally stupid person.
That’s certainly a possibility.
Robin too can multitask.
Wow I forgot how much I hated Robin
Riley has literally zero competition for Best DeSanto Sister.
There could be a fourth sister that’s even better.
I honestly have no idea how Willis could depict that if he tried.
I hope there’s some explanation for why Robin is replacing Professor Nicholson soon.
Also, I’m pretty sure Robin has the pipe upside down every time she puts it in her mouth.
As I posted yesterday, I think that he quit very much at the last minute, possibly with a parting quip to his former colleagues something along the lines of: “So long, losers!”
She actually has it the right way around in her mouth, but she holds it the wrong way every time she takes it out.
She’s gonna spill her bubble soap all over the floor.
(Plot twist: that’s actually a nice, very real smoking pipe. But Robin doesn’t smoke so she uses it as a bubble pipe because it makes a lousy silly straw.)
Okay, so taking a step back, this particular exchange doesn’t really matter at all, but I can’t help but think of how annoyed I’d be as a student in that situation…
At Roz, for angrily disrupting the class while really derailing a question that I’d probably really like an answer to.
At Robin, for being immature and unprofessional, teasing her sister and conspicuously ignoring good students instead of trying to look like someone who’s actually able to teach a class.
At the school for not giving anyone any hint that the professor who they were all eager to learn from would not, apparently, be the one actually teaching the class.
At Robin, again, for just blindsiding her sister with this despite knowing it would become a whole disruptive thing.
I mean, this whole thing probably took less than a minute in real time, but as far as first impressions go, I’d probably be both really annoyed and really disappointed if I had been looking forward to the class.
oh if i was a student i would be living for this exchange. but in a few weeks im sure the novelty would wear off and I’d just be annoyed at what’s probably gonna be a waste of a semester
If this actually does go on and/or keep happening, I imagine any students with other options are just going to switch classes.
Oh, could this be how Willis avoids having to draw a bunch of background faces for the strips in this class? Everyone drops it? But then he’d have to draw empty chairs…
Aw, but I like the Panel 2 Filler Extras from yesterday; their blank canvas backstories offer so much headcanon potential!
I think that you are deeply overestimating Robin’s self-awareness. To her, she is this amazingly well-respected and well-liked public figure whose honesty, wisdom and probity are beyond question. Yes, I know: Sad.
Idunno, “where’s professor Nicholson” is a pretty good question in my opinion. She could have definitely asked it in a better way, though.
The problem is the years of interaction history between Roz and Robin. She asked the question in exactly the same way as she would have asked “Where’s my hairbrush?” and likely with exactly the same manner she would as if she were accusing her older sister of ‘borrowing’ her stuff without asking.
I can’t really blame Roz in this strip.
I think as a student I’d just be sinking into my seat, wondering if the whole semester was going to be like this and if I needed the class for my major I’d be trying to game out whether my classmate would drop the class first and make it bearable or if I should just drop it right then and there and try again another semester.
Or maybe wondering who this weird lady in the professor costume was and where the famous teacher I’d tried so hard to get into this class for was.
Probably that too, yeah.
God damn and now some comments have it out for Roz for raising her voice because she’s angry her sister is there, who she has no respect for and with good reason, instead of her professor she actually really wanted to be taught by in this highly sought after class
But no let’s be like omg Roz stop disrupting the class, from this highly unexpected and unwanted development, how dare you be emotional
But anyway I like this development with Robin for the drama, but you know it’s not gonna be good for any of the students in this class
Right? Also, there’s fewer than 100 words in this whole exchange. This has been going on for less than a minute. They haven’t reached “OK, now she’s holding up the class” yet.
They almost certainly all also want an answer for why she’s here instead of the teacher they expected, so it won’t be until they hear it that they’ll get upset at her for arguing with her (if she still is).
What do you mean, she isn’t holding up the class? It’s been two days already.
And those are 2020 days. That’s equal to at least a fortnight in normal time.
I do sort of understand the problem here. Robin knows that she’s at a disadvantage here, coming into this class with its established social dynamics and something of a personal bond with the former tutor. She’s got to establish boundaries and authority as quickly as possible. That means that, feelings aside, she’s got to insist that Roz treats her as ‘Miz de Santo’ the teacher, not her goofy older sister.
Also, yes, if there is anyone who is likely to leave her completely high and dry, it’s Dorothy. Does anyone else think that she was going to ask Roz’s question for her because helping out others is kind of her thing?
I tend to believe that Dorothy intended to ask something relevant and not something obvious. There real teacher is right there and as a result Nicholson’s location is irrelevant. Robin gives Roz a chance at asking a question and it’s whether she recognized Dorothy when clearly she did. Ducking Dorothy’s question sight unseen was probably a good move.
Their real teacher…
Big important lesson for Roz: She has many years of work, progress, back-stabbing and corruption before she’s in a position to officially decide who is the ‘real’ anything in any context.
Gotta disagree
Name on the syllabus = real teacher until the change is explained.
Roz doesn’t have any ability that anybody else doesn’t have, but she and all the rest signed a contract stipulating who the teacher is.
I’m pretty sure there was no contract and if there was the University lawyers would have never allowed them to stipulate who the instructor would be.
Nicholson’s location is irrelevant and wouldn’t be a useful answer to the real question anyway. The question, as anyone should be able to understand, is “Why isn’t he teaching this class?”
Which is a very relevant question and one that should be addressed by the replacement at the first opportunity.
This.
What established social dynamics or personal bond? This is the first session of a class in the new semester.
It’s possible some of the students have had Prof. Nicholson for another class, but mostly they’d just signed up for the class because of his reputation.
And if Robin wanted Roz to treat her properly as the professor, she’d have warned her beforehand – so that this scene wouldn’t play out in class.
If you see this as a student’s vs teachers thing than sure Robin is making good moves.
If you want things to actually work. Robin should have told her sister that she would be teaching/subbing ahead of time.
Insisting in class they are teacher and student isn’t a bad move but the way she goes about it is.
Plus answer the question. Both of them.
It’s great to see Robin appear again, but why in this awful outfit with a disgusting bowtie???
Bowties are awful and make me feel sick :\\
She wants to look the part. This is what Robin thinks a professor should look like, and she’s all about the facade. Those glasses are fake – she wore them for Congress too.
According to a well known doctor, “Bow ties are cool.” Who knew? Yes.
According to someone else (Vance Packard? I forget), a man in a bowtie indicates his sexuality is still tied up in his mother. A woman in a bowtie? He didn’t say.
Also, they don’t dangling into the patient while you are performing surgery or an exam. It used to be a convention that surgeons wore bow ties and physicians (= US “internists”) wore four-in-hand (long) ties.
Don’t hate the tweed.
Obligitory “Bowties are cool” from a Doctor Who fan.
(In fact, of course, bowties aren’t cool, and that’s the joke.)
(Okay, I somehow missed that it had already been done. Sorry KingoHrts, I’ve been having trouble focusing today.)
Robin’s old enough to have seen Bill Nye the Science Guy in her school years, maybe she just associates “bowtie = smart” in her mind.
Meanwhile, Jason’s pissed off because bow ties are supposed to be his thing in this comic!
I’ll take a bowtie over a tie any day of the week. Ties are uncomfortably constraining.
Bowties are constraining *and* ugly!
Seriously, even looking at bowties (and bows) in general is deeply unpleasant to me. Unfortunately, bows seems to a popular part of female clothes and undergarments… :\\
I haven’t worn a bowtie since I was a kid (nor a tie since I retired, except to funerals) but it seems a very strange thing to hate. If it makes the person wearing it happy, where’s the harm?
Now we have a second weakness to use against you!
I am SO happy to see Robin again! I love her shenanigans.
All part of an insidious plot to win back Leslie’s affection.
FWIW, I think it may be more about keeping close to Becky.
She can do two things at once.
I guess she needed a new job after quitting the election.
And academia is a useful fall-back for an unspectacular politician who never had the chance to create useful contacts in high finance, law or the defence sector!
I would have been halfway to livid if I had been a student paying tuition, possibly with student loans, and a politician decided to come in and start ignoring questions.
Thats my time and money they would be wasting.
Roz turns to no one in particular and asks, “Why don’t we just avoid the rush and start hating her now?”
Great! After being ignored for years at home by her siblings. Now Roz can be ignored by her sister even at university. Roz. Run away!!!!!!!
I honestly cant stand roz most of the time but I’m not ridiculous enough to be willfully blind to when a character has a good reason to be upset. I’d be screaming too
hahaha this is great. Roz’s middle child syndrome is coming out in full force here.
I think this will be good for Roz, eventually.
I’m surprised people view Robin and teasing Roz, I was just taking it as Robin is so dumb she thinks this is the proper way to establish boundaries. “I can’t have a conflict of interest if I do not know her! So let’s act like I don’t!”
(Also I went back to when Robin was first introduced to see how bad the slut-shaming was and like Roz has some balls for saying her video harmed no one considering it featured someone who did not consent to it being upload, in a location that she did not have the right to use and was made to harm her sister’s career, which may be shit, but it the way she makes money to like. Also is it stated if Joe knew he was being recorded? I feel like it is glossed over, since it was Joe and he doesn’t give a shit)
Don’t have the link handy, but Joe stated that he knew he was being recorded, and was also unbothered (proud?) about it being uploaded.
Joe agreed to being recorded and uploaded because of the hotness factor of a sex tape, he outright stated as such to Dorothy’s face. I don’t think he was aware that it would blow up to the degree it did though. He probably expected more ‘I’ll upload it and a few friends/people will see and find it hot’ not ‘I’m related to a political figure so it will blow up as this big thing in the news’. And it did blow over, but like, there was more of a blow-up than Joe probably could have expected.
Some day Joe will learn that Joyce watched the video tape. Except that will probably happen during a time skip.
Video. No tape involved. Old reflexes.
I just remember him being super surprised by it so I assumed he was unaware of it was uploaded.
Also, to others, yeah not telling the other party details means it is not informed consent. In extreme cases, it is a crime.
Joe knew and agreed to it being uploaded. And Roz was saying it was stupid it would harm her sister’s career when she didn’t hurt anyone making it.
He agreed, but is it really informed consent when one party knows it’s going to be a big deal and the other doesn’t?
And Roz may have said it was stupid it would hurt her sister’s career, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t want it too. Given what else we’ve seen of Roz’s opinion of Robin’s career, it seems pretty likely.
Yeah? He knew about and consented to the important parts of her plan. She obviously could’ve done better by making sure Joe understood her sister was a congresswoman, but I’d consider that rude rather than like, violating
And yeah, Roz 100% wanted the sex tape to hurt Robin’s campaign, which is a good and noble goal
I would argue: “This is going to blow up and everyone is going to see it. Like you are going to be known for this as this is a political stunt” Is a very important detail.
I mean, yeah, she definitely wouldn’t have cried over it hurting Robin and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a value add for her.
On top of how Joe did expressly consent to being filmed and the video uploaded, Robin being a congresswoman may have been “how she made money”, but she was (though hopefully is no longer) a bigot who supported laws that hurt people. It is 100% right and just to remove such people from their jobs, especially when that job is a POLITICAL OFFICE
Like, I get that Roz can be pretty obnoxious, but come on.
This interaction kind of shows a lot wrong with Roz and Robin’s dynamic. Roz starts off screaming at Robin as if she purposely made this happen and if treating her like a normal student is a purposeful jab, when if you are a teacher of a family member, you do have to put up that distance for professionalism. Robin breathing in her direction is treated as practically a personal attack by her. This may have been a fairly last minute substitution or she may only be here a couple of times (I’ve had classes with multiple teachers where some come in for a single topic). She views Robin in a very negative light.
While Robin, who perceives their relationship in a more positive light, probably thought this would be funny or amusing if it was a surprise if she did know it for longer. She isn’t overreacting or reacting strongly because teasing her sister mildly and having Roz react strongly is probably normal.
They both do things that are awful to each other over all though. So I’m not saying either one is better here, just pointing out their views of their relationship are very different. Roz treats it very negatively while Robin treats it positively and that’s what creates this type of weird moment where Robin probably sees this as amusing while Roz is very much not amused.
I’m on neither’s side here, I’m on side Dorothy of try to ask the question and skip the whole silliness to get a straight answer.
Or a gay one.
I would rather have an ace answer but I’ll take any answers I can get.
Sure, the DeSanto sister’s dynamic is horrible. Remember Robin is like. She just comes in and sweeps everything along by force of personality. Like she did in Leslie’s apartment. Roz has lived with this her whole. Robin’s made her be a prop for her political ambitions, while pushing policies she despises. Of course she views Robin negatively. And of course Robin doesn’t acknowledge it. Maybe she does think it would be a funny surprise. That’s the problem. That’s what’s wrong with Robin. That dynamic – much like she forced herself into Leslie’s life and treated it positively while nearly driving Leslie around the bend.
Hell, it’s possible she’s not the teacher and she just put on the Professor outfit and swept in here to mess with Roz. Not out of character, except that she hasn’t ever shown that much interest in Roz before.
Even here Robin isn’t treating her like a normal student, she’s pretending she doesn’t know her. Sure, you have to put some distance, but that doesn’t mean you can’t acknowledge them. Preferably with some warning ahead of time to avoid a scene like this.
How is Roz supposed to react? The teacher she was excited to learn from is gone, replaced by the destructive whirlwind that’s tormented her for years. No warning. No chance to avoid it. And she won’t even acknowledge or explain.
Everything new addition this book is Terrible, lol. I keep thinking it better not get worse, but then…