While I like to think I’ve gotten better at predicting the varied twists webcomics are going to take, Questionable Content has a regular habit of pulling the rug out from under me. Needless to say, I couldn’t have predicted Padma and Marten starting to kiss on the living room couch (which has seen a lot of action through the years, including Faye throwing up on Marten and Hannelore getting a good night’s sleep because she felt safe there). It’s not that there wasn’t a natural progression to Monday’s revelation that Jacques can’t draw feet under bedcovers (small hint, Mr. Jacques: you forgot their heels); I thought Padme was “getting into” kissing Marten on Friday’s update (and I was tempted to comment on it then as I found Hanners peeking around the corner to be absolutely adorable).
So… yeah. Looking back, I can see the progression – going all the way back to Padma asking Marten out dancing (which kind of explains why Elliot was busy getting drunk at the bar – she must have shot him down big, with the words “I don’t want to ruin our friendship” and “I don’t think of you that way” being prominent in the conversation) in the first place. Given that Padma is planning on moving to help watch over her grandmother, I suspect the relationship won’t last. Of course, given the fact this is Marten we’re talking about, who tends to over-think everything, that’s a given (though it was cute that Faye asked Marten not to move away chasing after Padma, especially as he ended up in Boston because of a girl he was into).
To be honest, I doubt Padma will end up moving away; she’s too interesting and vivacious a character for Jacques to disappear (I mean, just her underwear alone showcases her humor – and I see that Marten was smart enough to turn off Pintsize rather than risk his night ending up on the Internet). The tragic route would, of course, be her grandmother passing away; more amusing could be if her grandmother ended up moving out to Boston instead so not to disrupt Padma’s life (especially if the grandmother ended up being as vivacious and lively as Padma). But I’m sure that when the time comes, Jacques will pull the rug out from under my speculations and go in a direction I’m not seeing.