January 3, 2010: Sunday Showdown!

(Click to enlarge)

Clockwise from the bottom left:

• I don't know what's a more futile and fruitless exercise for the Lockhorns: a session with their marriage counselor or a session with their financial counselor. It's also a little hypocritical for Loretta to be bemoaning the Lockhorns lack of financial resources when she is by far the biggest reason they are in such dire straits. The Lockhorns' harrowing free fall into the poorhouse continues unabated. It's a push.
• Oh the breathtaking majesty of seeing Loretta is in full on nagging mode! The furled brow, the crossed arms, the boiling rage, the irritating repetition! It's like watching Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or Jordan in the 4th quarter of an NBA final; a glorious look at a true master practicing their art at the top of their game. Judging by Leroy's firm incapacitation, it looks like she'll be working on this nag for an extended period. Loretta goes up 1-0.
  
• As a despondent Loretta wages her sad losing battle against the ravages of age at the vanity mirror, Leroy find a dynamite opportunity to comment on it and cut directly to her cripplingly insecurities. Ice cold. If Leroy wants to remain competitive in the new year, it would serve him well to exploit the self consciousness front that was so under utilized by him the previous year. Leroy ties it up.
• Leroy and his poor friend find themselves thankful and fortunate after having survived another life threatening meal from Loretta. While it's been long established that Loretta has been attempting to poison Leroy with her cooking since day one, but it's a bit unfair that their innocent dinner guest has to face an attempt on his life as well. Perhaps, she's just trying to eliminate all potential witnesses. Leroy goes up 2-1 and lives to criticize another day.
• I think Leroy's line would work better if Loretta was a psychologist or if they were at a psychologist's office (or maybe even the marriage counselor's). We get that a visit to Loretta's Victorian Era mother-in-law is a traumatic event for Leroy and requires some therapy afterward; but since when was Loretta ever interested in hearing about Leroy's feelings? Also that alien smile on the face of the usually perpetually scowling mother-in-law is sort of making me uncomfortable. Leroy still earns the point and runs away with the day, 3-1. The first Lockhorn point of the new year!

Official Count:

Leroy - 1

Loretta - 0
Push - 2