2013-08-31
Explanation
In this comic, an elderly man at what appears to be a dinner party announces his unusual dying wish: "When I die, I want my body used to grow a plant." When asked what kind, he reveals it is a cucumber plant. He then elaborates that he wants the cucumbers to be picked and then used for the pleasure of women. The other person at the table, a woman, responds that she is "okay with the first part of that" -- meaning the environmentally friendly burial concept -- but objects to "the part where you die," turning the conversation into a dark but oddly sweet moment.
The humor operates on multiple levels. Initially, the old man'''s wish sounds eco-friendly and progressive (green burials where bodies nourish plants are a real trend). The reveal that he specifically wants cucumber plants "for the pleasure of women" takes it in a bawdy direction, as cucumbers have an obvious phallic association. But the final punchline swerves again into sentimentality, as the woman'''s concern is simply that she does not want him to die.
The votey panel shows the woman yelling "And stay the hell out of my vegetable garden!" -- snapping back to the crude implication and suggesting the old man has perhaps already been making unwanted horticultural contributions. The comic is a classic SMBC structure of setup, misdirection, and a punchline that recontextualizes the whole conversation.