As Mark sits at his All-in-One (I wonder if that’s a visual pun?), Bill Ellis delivers the bad news we pretty much expected. I’m surprised that Rivera didn’t draw Mark in panel 4 with a big fried egg on his face. That would have been great, and a welcome return to Rivera’s earlier, more creative panel designs.

To twist the Comeuppance Knife, for example, Bill could follow-up this letdown by proposing Mark assist Kelly Welly on her climate change assignment. That would be the proper sitcom solution that puts the dad/husband in his place and forces him to confront his arrogance. A soft-pedaled arrogance used to be a Mark Trail virtue, but Rivera has been body-slamming that punching bag ever since she started. It’s pretty beat up by now (cue Simon & Garfunkel), so I’m hoping for a more creative and empowering—to borrow a term—adventure to come out of this.