I’m getting a bittersweet feeling here. One part of me is glad that Yehuda et al seem to have found the car; we’ll see how that plays out. But then there is a part of me that is reminding me that if this is in fact the car that was involved in the accident and they are able to re-open the case — and then bring it to a successful end in that the owner/driver is found and brought to account for his actions — that this will provide closure for Fred; and with that closure he may no longer need to ‘haunt’ the comic strip looking for his nemesis, so bye-bye Fred.
The other thing is that, according to my understanding, Brother Pilot is not normally mute but has taken a vow of silence to refrain from speaking until the mystery of Fred’s accident is solved. So again, if this plays out to a favorable conclusion Brother Pilot will again speak normally and his little quirky-yet-humorous trait of writing notes will no longer be a part of the strip.
Sure, there’s still Yehuda and Idle Crossing and their romance/love affair/whatever you want to call it as well as the ongoing byplay between Yehuda and Joe, and I’d love to be able to see what happens when Fizz gets old enough to leave the bakfiets and get a GrowBike of her very own … but I don’t think that this is going to be enough to keep the strip going much longer. I’m afraid that this is Rick and Brian tying up loose ends preparatory to turning out the lights and locking the door on the Kickstand Cyclery for good in another year or so.
BB, totally respectable conclusions, and I agree on both of these characters, but fred and pilot are not the heart of this strip. Fred’s accident, maybe, but as a character he’s always come and gone. And I like pilots notes too, but they’re not necessary. Sister s talks, and she’s plenty interesting!
The essence of a great novel is surprise and unimagined directions for the characters—“Luke is Leah’s brother?!” —and hopefully the same will happen here.
*Again, what if it’s possible the car/van is/was owned by a “Community”? Say a Community taken to protecting those within itself, even if it is possibly at the expense of an outsider?
Now, what if one’s oath and obligation’s to that Community border on being basically forced into silence because although you may suspect, or even know who was the party driving the car/van, you cannot openly speak.
Then again, if someone asks you a direct question, which to my knowledge, nobody has openly asked Brother Pilot, you have the oath to fall back on?
In my opinion Pilot knows something and something besides a promise or oath, or rather someone, is preventing him from openly speaking and answering.
The way this has played out tells us that the suspect is closer than we suspect, he or she is literally right there, under everyone’s noses.
I have had the feeling all along that Rick has ‘known’ the identity of the driver and is currently working the reveal into the story for closure….
As for plot ideas – there is the question of the relationship between Sister Sprocket and Yehuda! 🙂
I’m getting a bittersweet feeling here. One part of me is glad that Yehuda et al seem to have found the car; we’ll see how that plays out. But then there is a part of me that is reminding me that if this is in fact the car that was involved in the accident and they are able to re-open the case — and then bring it to a successful end in that the owner/driver is found and brought to account for his actions — that this will provide closure for Fred; and with that closure he may no longer need to ‘haunt’ the comic strip looking for his nemesis, so bye-bye Fred.
The other thing is that, according to my understanding, Brother Pilot is not normally mute but has taken a vow of silence to refrain from speaking until the mystery of Fred’s accident is solved. So again, if this plays out to a favorable conclusion Brother Pilot will again speak normally and his little quirky-yet-humorous trait of writing notes will no longer be a part of the strip.
Sure, there’s still Yehuda and Idle Crossing and their romance/love affair/whatever you want to call it as well as the ongoing byplay between Yehuda and Joe, and I’d love to be able to see what happens when Fizz gets old enough to leave the bakfiets and get a GrowBike of her very own … but I don’t think that this is going to be enough to keep the strip going much longer. I’m afraid that this is Rick and Brian tying up loose ends preparatory to turning out the lights and locking the door on the Kickstand Cyclery for good in another year or so.
-“BB”-
BB, totally respectable conclusions, and I agree on both of these characters, but fred and pilot are not the heart of this strip. Fred’s accident, maybe, but as a character he’s always come and gone. And I like pilots notes too, but they’re not necessary. Sister s talks, and she’s plenty interesting!
The essence of a great novel is surprise and unimagined directions for the characters—“Luke is Leah’s brother?!” —and hopefully the same will happen here.
Guys, let it go and enjoy the script.
Hear, hear, George…
*Again, what if it’s possible the car/van is/was owned by a “Community”? Say a Community taken to protecting those within itself, even if it is possibly at the expense of an outsider?
Now, what if one’s oath and obligation’s to that Community border on being basically forced into silence because although you may suspect, or even know who was the party driving the car/van, you cannot openly speak.
Then again, if someone asks you a direct question, which to my knowledge, nobody has openly asked Brother Pilot, you have the oath to fall back on?
In my opinion Pilot knows something and something besides a promise or oath, or rather someone, is preventing him from openly speaking and answering.
The way this has played out tells us that the suspect is closer than we suspect, he or she is literally right there, under everyone’s noses.
I have had the feeling all along that Rick has ‘known’ the identity of the driver and is currently working the reveal into the story for closure….
As for plot ideas – there is the question of the relationship between Sister Sprocket and Yehuda! 🙂