As people who fish know, being quiet is a normal requirement for good fishing. If you want to talk about feelings, go to a bar and get drunk or go home to your spouse.  I have a new theory:  The de-bait team deliberately sabotaged Mark’s survival retreat by conning him into including this “discuss your feelings” component. Why? Because they don’t want competition for their own fishing business.

The art today is not as erratic as it was earlier this week. In fact, I very much like the depiction of Mark in panel 3 (that is, the adult, not the remembered child or father). It’s quite naturalistic, expressive, and well-drawn without being too cartoony (e.g. unlike the prior two panels and the too cartoony flashback figures in panel 3 ). But I still prefer Mark’s original beard.