seduction
Explanation
The Joke
A student approaches a professor and says: "Professor, I know I'm failing and I would give you anything for a good grade." The professor tells her to listen carefully. The student, anticipating a sexual proposition, begins to look uncomfortable. Instead, the professor's "seduction" involves asking if she's willing to go to the store, buy a whole roll of parchment paper, and make flash cards.
The final panel shows the student in silhouette telling someone: "Do not tell my wife." The other person responds: "Why? Those are completely normal study strategies."
The Humor
The comic executes a double bait-and-switch. First, it sets up what appears to be the well-known sleazy "professor trades grades for sexual favors" scenario. The professor's intense "listen carefully" builds this expectation. Then the reveal: the professor is simply suggesting legitimate study techniques — buying parchment paper, making flash cards, and putting in real effort. This is funny on its own as a subversion.
But the second twist in the final panel adds another layer. The student says "don't tell my wife," which initially sounds like it confirms something illicit happened — but the other person points out that these are just normal study strategies. The implication is that the student finds actually studying to be more shameful or transgressive than the sexual scenario would have been. The idea that honest academic effort is the truly embarrassing secret is the deeper joke.
Broader Context
This comic plays with the "quid pro quo" trope that appears frequently in jokes and pop culture about academia. Weinersmith subverts the expected punchline to make a commentary on how some people find genuine effort and vulnerability (admitting you need to study hard) more uncomfortable than the alternative. It also gently mocks the student's assumption that there must be some shortcut or secret — when the real answer is just doing the work.