2010-07-15
Explanation
This comic satirizes a common dynamic in relationships where one partner says "nothing" is wrong when something clearly is. A man asks his wife "What's the matter?" She replies "Nothing. What's the matter with you?" He says "Nothing." In most relationship humor, this would be the setup for passive-aggressive tension. But instead, the man takes her words completely at face value and celebrates: "Woohoo! Nothing's wrong! We have the best marriage ever!"
In the third panel, the man explains to someone (or to himself) that his marriage is "way better now that I take everything literally." The final panel shows the wife asking "Does that bother you?" to which the man tentatively replies "...no" while she shouts "Woohoo!" -- turning his own strategy back on him. She takes his "no" literally and celebrates, mirroring exactly what he did to her, suggesting this approach to communication might not be as one-sided as he thought.
The votey panel continues the gag: the man says "It hurts my ears when you yell" while the wife shouts "Woohoo!" -- showing that the strategy of taking everything literally and celebrating has its downsides when your partner enthusiastically adopts the same approach. The comic pokes fun at the idea that relationship communication problems could be solved simply by being relentlessly literal and optimistic.