June 23rd, 2020
23 Jun 2020 · page 998 of 1306
Opening doors.
Cast: Benjamin Thackerey, Eliza Swift, Gren
Comments (57)
Events
ThoughtBubble
14 Nov 2026 – 15 Nov 2026
Harrogate Convention Centre
Manchester Megacon
31 Jul 2027 – 1 Aug 2027
Manchester Central
Gren is best dog.
Gren is just so done with this "romance" nonsense.
"I can't take it anymore, I must dig my way out of here! ...ooooh, what's this?" :D
This! Gren has had enough of your awkward flirting and will have no further part in it. 😀
Gren has no patience for this bullshit. She is a Professional.
Five years earlier
Harry: How's Gren getting on?
Eddie: Great! Today I taught her to sniff out levers in cold storage areas.
Harry: Hrmm. Think that's necessary?
Eddie: Trust me, you'll thank me some day.
This day or bit later
Harry to Sid: You let Verity's cousin take care of Gren? And he let her be locked in a freezer? And Gren make them go out of there? Hrm.
Love the smug dog eyebrows in the second panel.
Interestingly both Harriet, Ben & Eliza (with help from an animal or animal-like being) managed to unlock a door by opening up about their feelings (⌒‿⌒)
Also, Gren is the goodest of dogs and deserves a spin-off series (or a short story at least)
Bonus story for next physical book?
There was a Gren's Magical Day comic but that might have been a guest one? She ate a fairy which I don't think are things in the main canon.
kudos to everyone on the last page who called Gren getting them out because she was sick of their romance shenanigans :P
At least they managed to arrange a Date first!
I love that Ben and Eliza's plan basically works out to "cuddle together and hope for the best" despite one being a competent (not spectacularly powerful, but competent) magician, and the other being a competent researcher and police constable. They're adorable together, but they really need to get that date in before they both turn into jelly-brained idiots through distraction.
Find a nice cafe where they can, uh, chill.
hsss
Freezer and chill?
Gren: All right, we are DONE here.
Gren: I was promised a second sausage and I will have it!
Well, there is enough (frozen) fish around!
Gren: "Sausage is HOT!"
A wizard, a detective, and a dog, and only one of them has working brain cells at the moment.
"A wizard, a cop and a dog get pushed into a cold-storage locker..."
The other two are a wee bit distracted.
Doggo: Okay, they're sniffing each other. We can go, now.
How not having with this is Gren? She's sniffing out emergency levers so she can get the hell away from those lovebirds.
Gren: "Sigh. Amateurs."
"Am I really going to have to do EVERYTHING on this hunt?"
So they got out without being rescued or Ben summoning. Well, they aren't completely out yet, maybe he'll still need to summon something.
Now I imagine how happy Captain Barber would be to hear this part of Eliza's report...
Is a "date" a historically accurate way for two unmarried adults to see each other in this setting?
[researches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating#Etymology "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dating#Etymology")
...yes?
Next-to-last panel: If we survive, it's a date. {That's romantic, but it's safe 'cos it's never gonna happen}
Final panel: Oh {insert-Victorian-expletive of-your-choice}! We're gonna live.
Bad dog!
BTW: Aside from Knotty and wossname {and, i assume, Nicola}, who knows Eliza's backstory?
I just noticed/realised that Eliza wears high collars that pretty much cover her neck.
I'm pretty sure that's just the fashion standards of the time. Women were generally expected to wear high-necked dresses unless they were going out for the evening.
Gren just has to do all the work and it's NOT FAIR
No point owning a dog and then operating the emergency lever yourself.
Gren realizing she's the only experienced Bounty Hunter here. Gotta take care of everything for the newbies.
I so AGREE with Eliza's statement "We might not be very good Bounty Hunters" there: [https://www.widdershinscomi...](https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/april-21st-2020 "https://www.widdershinscomic.com/wdshn/april-21st-2020")
I am so happy for them but the contrast between Harry finally (after however many months it's been in-universe and however many years it's been irl) realizing she has romantic feelings for Sidney three pages ago and these two spending I think a day together before admitting they'd like to go on a date is sending me!!
I know right!! No judgement on people taking their time or being guarded about romance, that's pretty me. It's just a nice change of pace to see two people hit it off and ask each other out <3
Eliza and Knotty both worked pretty fast compared to Harry, huh.
To be fair, going on a date isn't quite the same thing.
Gren truly is the smartest one on the team.
You go, Gren!
"my work here is done" -- Gren
Gren in panel 1: Ugh, are they really just gonna sit there and freeze?
Gren in panel 2: finally snaps I guess I DO have to do everything myself!
Gren in panels 4-6: grumble grumble only one who does any real work around here grumble grumble
Gren has no time for flirting. There's adventure to be had!
Aha! Even dastardly villainous Americans have to obey simple workplace safety laws!
Alas, it's happening to villains [more and more](https://youtu.be/VgX6JFoV0TM?t=117 "https://youtu.be/VgX6JFoV0TM?t=117") these days.
Gren - the greatest canine helper ever! Certainly the one with the brain. And the nose!
Look! Ben just gave Gren a sincere compliment! He has realized he should appreciate the dog. That is some good character growth there.
(Oh, and he also asked Eliza on a date which will doubtlessly be cute. Hopefully their date will not be interrupted by plot relevant complications.)
Kudos to Radiance for accurately predicting panel 3!
Ben tries door, doesn't find latch. Gren, having to do everything her own self, decides there's probably an emergency lever, looks for it, and finds one.
Ben still not thinking this plan through.
There is a precedent for Gren opening the door. In the USA, Amtrak (national passenger rail service) installed touch sensitive pads that could be activated by knees and elbows. They were used to make it easier to open the doors between cars when the passenger had his hands full with luggage. Apparently, seeing-eye dogs quickly learned how to open the doors by pushing their nose against the knee-high pad.
Gren, to self: "Puzzle it out. Humans are often distracted and can get stuck in here. How would they get out if they did that....oh gods, they're getting mushy over here. Whelp...off I go to find the panic button."
I saw it more as 'Cold smells, metal smells, people smells. Door smell? Strange metal + foot smell under cold-wet smell?' ::dig dig dig:: 'Metal + foot smell.' ::paws metal:: click thnk 'Warm smell!' "Wrf!"
Best boy!!!