Never
by Jeff
Image text: I'll never forget you--at least, the parts of you that were important red flags.
Wow, this is a little deep for a Friday. But, let me see if I can decode this. Cueball is mulling over a previous relationship in which he had something so special, he will never have something that special with anyone else.
However, the image text gives us another angle on the story in which the previous partner had important "red flags". "Red Flags" is a phrase used to describe problems or warnings about the person that they would not be a good fit for a serious relationship or marriage. Red flags include (depending on the person) no job, history of cheating or violence, etc.
Cueball indicates he will never forget this mysterious previous person because of their important red flags that must have doomed the relationship.
Well, now I'm sad.
April 13th, 2012
It seems like cueball is looking at his reflection and talking to his alter ego.
April 13th, 2012
Interesting theory, but I don’t think the rest of the comic supports it. I think Cueball was just gazing across the water, not having a Gollum-esque conversation with himself.
April 13th, 2012
This explanation fits. It might be about personal development: Cueball has changed, and he will never re-live the times of his former ego. And he is glad to be the more mature person he is *now*, rather than the person he was earlier in his life.
In this case, the “red flags” might refer to some bad mistakes he made earlier. Your mistakes greatly influence who you become.
April 13th, 2012
I don’t buy it. Cueball is usually not that crazy. He is more of an average joe. He is more Seinfeld than Kramer. More Barney than Fred. Sorry, not young enought to have a more current reference.
April 13th, 2012
More Dora than Boots?
Too young?
April 14th, 2012
Like hell, he’s talking about the relationship being so horrible he’s glad to be out. What, is everyone not seeing the third panel here? We need Randall over here to break it down to the pessimists in these comment boards who insist this is a sad comic.
April 13th, 2012
I think the explanation is missing the twist in the third frame. Usually when someone says something like “I will never have with anyone what I had with you” it implies that the couple had something special and great that could never be replaced. But in the third panel he says “Thank God,” implying that the relationship was so horrible he’s thankful he’ll never have to experience it again. The same thing happens in the image text: “I’ll never forget you” is usually a positive sentiment–but then he explains that he’ll never forget the aspects of his partner that were red flags, so he doesn’t fall into the trap of having a similar relationship again.
April 15th, 2012
Although, the “thank God” could be a desperate way of shrugging it off. Forcing yourself into thinking about the negative with the person.
April 16th, 2012
I just stopped to think about this strip and realised I could have said this after most of my relationships ended, how daft is that?
Never a dull moment though…
The strip made me laugh anyway.
April 13th, 2012
What Jessica said. This isn’t deep, it’s humorous.
April 17th, 2012
Second.
Seems the author of this blog doesn’t really grasp the concept of satire. And is over analyzing in some comics
April 13th, 2012
Like Jessica, I didn’t need to go to the tool tip to get the cynical twist. Maybe it’s because I’ve been there — but haven’t we all? If the best thing about your relationship is the “makeup sex”, then maybe it’s time to look for a better match? (Although I must admit I still miss that “makeup sex” even after all these years … please don’t tell my wife … sigh …)
April 13th, 2012
I think the red flag is related to Outlook’s ability to flag up messages…
April 13th, 2012
or some other admin type dutys.. doesnt windowsserver use red flags for certain alerts or issues??
April 13th, 2012
The term “red flag” and this usage were around LONG before Outlook. Or even computers.
April 13th, 2012
When xkcd gets even a little bit serious I’m always worried that it’s something bad that’s really happened to Randall.
April 13th, 2012
I might be over-geeking this, but I can’t help seeing a reference to the Star Trek TNG episode ‘Skin of Evil’?
April 13th, 2012
You’re definitely over-geeking it, so I’m not sure what it says about me that I can see *exactly* what you’re talking about.
April 13th, 2012
I second that. On both points.
April 13th, 2012
I doubt it’s related but it might explain the seemingly random gloominess.
It’s Friday the 13th…
April 14th, 2012
Why is everyone going with a gloomy explanation with this? It’s obviously humorous, refer to third panel. Jessica’s explanation is right, everyone else who isn’t referring to the humorous nature of this comic is wrong. I thought this comic was really obvious and not in the slightest need for explanation.
April 13th, 2012
I envision Cueball eulogizing over a pool of blood, and in panel 3 he turns away in disgust.
I’ve never known Cueball to have murderous tendencies, but then again, the pool of liquid IS dark.
April 14th, 2012
The pool clearly shows a reflection of Cueball, much more clearly than blood could.
April 18th, 2012
Cueball is also way thinner than a human could actually be in real life. He doesn’t have any fingers or facial features either.
April 14th, 2012
Haha, yeah, I thought accepted it as blood unquestioningly, too, before I read explainxkcd.
April 19th, 2012
The transcript in the page source indicates it is a pond.
April 13th, 2012
This reminds me of a previous comic: http://xkcd.com/71/
April 14th, 2012
Very similar. And VERY previous.
April 15th, 2012
Don’t forget:
http://xkcd.com/334/
It’s really the same joke.
The comic starts off by giving you the impression that he misses the girl, but in the end you realize that the opposite is true.
April 15th, 2012
I actually get the impression that he misses the girl in the linked comic, unlike the current one.
April 15th, 2012
I hate to explain the comic that’s being used to explain this comic, but… I’m pretty sure the linked comic (#334) is basically the same idea as this comic; in the linked comic, he’s 1000 miles from her and decides it’s still not far enough, so he’s going to keep walking.
April 17th, 2012
Possibly, but you can still want to forget someone that you miss.
April 18th, 2012
I think he does miss and did love her in 337, because unlike in the other two comics, he describes her positively in the third box (feel of warm skin and mischievous smile?), where as in the other comics, he only talks about how he left her. He lost her, and is trying to escape the pain by forgetting her, but his feelings are too strong to forget after a thousand miles, so he keeps walking. At least that’s my opinion. I agree with Jessica in that the most recent comic is humorous, not sorrowful or remorseful.
April 14th, 2012
could it be a tar pit, perhaps?
April 14th, 2012
Did Randall’s wife die?
April 14th, 2012
I do not think he would publicly imply he would basically remember her red flags, or even that she had them.
But I must admit it was my first thought – I took the thanking as gratitude for the past. But the red flags did not fit, but Jessica’s explanation does.
April 15th, 2012
Also, the final frame does not fit. Did not everyone see the final frame? Jessica is spot-on.
April 14th, 2012
My first impression of this comic is that it deals with getting over depression. Black pools often seem to be the visual image of depression and the reflection of cueball in the pool seems to reinforce this image of dealing with a relationship with oneself. Depression is also a very personal relationship that others may be aware of but no one shares it together. This would explain how he could say that he “knows” that “I will never have what I had with you with anyone” and his expression of “Thank God.” If this is the case, then the over text “red flags”, mostly likely refers to distorted depressive thoughts.
April 14th, 2012
We’re waaaaay over-thinking this one. Dunno if I’m breaking some sort of netiquette thing by mentioning another web comic. If so, apologies in advance. But the script of this one is the sort of thing I love about “A Softer World” — and there would be no chance of misunderstanding there!
This is simply a twist on the notion that there’s something sentimentally beautiful about the end of a toxic relationship. And the phrase “red flags” is a common way of describing the signs you should’ve seen to warn you that this person was emphatically NOT “The One”. Like the time my (long-time ex) girlfriend delightedly shared the “wonderful” pathetic love notes her previous boyfried would leave on her windshield. His pain made her feel special and proud.
April 16th, 2012
Trouble is, the bunny-boilers and mind-mincers tend to be the more interesting ones to be with.
Bin there, done that.
April 17th, 2012
Randall links to A Softer World on xkcd, so I think you’re okay.