February 21, 2010: Sunday Showdown!

(Click to enlarge)

Clockwise from the bottom left:

• Leroy looks even more disgustingly disheveled than usual. If I didn't know better it would appear that Leroy get fired from work on Friday and has been mired in a catatonic state of depression for the entire weekend. Of course with the perpetually filthy Leroy you really can't make any firm conclusions based on his personal state of disarray. He could degenerate into a hopeless derelict at the drop of a hat; a tendency that Loretta is all too willing to exploit every time. In fact, this time she even brought a friend. Loretta goes up 1-0.
• Spiteful, backhanded apologizing is about as close as the Lockhorns get to actual apologizing. Here, Leroy firmly "apologizes" for some ambiguous wrong that Loretta has accused him of (probably something involving watching football or making fun of her mother). A laudable effort by Leroy to efficiently salvage a point from an otherwise negative situation. Leroy ties things up at 1-1.
• It makes me a little bit sad to see how much potential in this scene had and how none of it was utilized. Awkwardly standing high on a ladder with his back to it; could Leroy be in any more of a vulnerable state? There are so many ways Loretta could have exploited this from the subtle (making some sort of "screw in a light bulb" joke) to the homicidal (straight up pushing over the ladder). Instead, we're given some pointless musing about the downside of cordless phones. It's a sad push.
• Leroy's attempt to break the sound barrier on the Long Island Expressway, not surprisingly, leads to him getting pulled over by the local police. While attempting to go 768 mph plus in a 55 zone will probably lead to the maximum fine, maybe Leroy can get a sympathetic ear from the officer. A few brief moments of interaction between Loretta and the officer is probably all he needs to plead his justification. Leroy gets the point, 2-1.
• After a 9 month hiatus, the infamous text box returns to the Lockhorns. While I prefer the usual below the scene location of the words, I guess the use of the box is pretty defensible here considering the hefty dialog. Regrettably, the text doesn't do much except indicating that the Lockhorns' pharmacist is a unscrupulous drug dealer who illegally offers his customers a wide selection of medication without a prescription. It's a push. Leroy takes the day in a squeaker, 2-1.
  

Official Count:

Leroy - 13
Loretta - 19
Push - 20