Interaction
Interaction
[White Hat and Cueball have just met and begins an interaction.] White Hat: How are you doing? Cueball: Really excited to be confidently handling this extremely basic social interaction!
[White Hat holds is arms slightly out.] White Hat: Same here! Cueball: Hey, congrats! White Hat: You too! Cueball: Thanks!
[In a frame-less beat panel, they just stand still.]
[Same setting as in the first panel.] White Hat: And now it's falling apart before my eyes. Cueball: I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead. White Hat: Same. Cueball: See you later!

Cueball and White Hat are attempting to make small talk. White Hat begins the conversation with a typical greeting, asking, "How are you doing?" Normally this is a habitualized greeting pattern, where the person being greeted would respond with a generic positive like, "Good," "Okay," "Can't complain," etc. Instead, Cueball answers with a very open and honest statement about the social anxiety he thinks he is successfully dealing with. White Hat then admits that he is experiencing the same thing, and the two congratulate each other for having a "normal" conversation with another human. After that, there is an awkward silence where neither knows what to talk about next. Finally, White Hat makes note of the awkwardness and Cueball suggests they stop before it gets worse.
The scene is ironic because their dialogue mirrors the common pattern of typical minor daily interactions, but also differs greatly from anything "normal." White Hat & Cueball are being really weird here, specifically because their dialogue is inappropriately open & honest. The literal semantic content of their dialogue is probably more accurate & meaningful than the usual pleasantries people exchange, but the effect is very different.
So basically they have not managed to behave like regular human beings, and thus have nothing to congratulate each other for. Except for White Hat's opening line nothing in the conversation has in any way resembled normal behavior. Due to their serious issues with small talking and interacting with other people, even this simple interaction fails completely, hence the title of the comic.
The title text states that, after saying goodbye, they don't move away, keeping up the uncomfortable silence, continuing to display their problems. Neither of them wish to be the first to turn away, or one or both are locked in the situation and has no clue how to finish it, even though they are both obviously aware of their problems and what makes them anxious. This may be a reference to the final stage direction " They do not move. " in Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot , where the protagonists frequently discuss leaving, but do not move.
Randall has previously made several comics with a similar theme, showing Cueball's (or his own) problems with several social situations / interactions / small talk, especially the comic 222: Small Talk which is very similar to this one. He made three of those type of comics in a span of about a month more than two yeas ago finishing with 1650: Baby .
[White Hat and Cueball have just met and begins an interaction.] White Hat: How are you doing? Cueball: Really excited to be confidently handling this extremely basic social interaction!
[White Hat holds is arms slightly out.] White Hat: Same here! Cueball: Hey, congrats! White Hat: You too! Cueball: Thanks!
[In a frame-less beat panel, they just stand still.]
[Same setting as in the first panel.] White Hat: And now it's falling apart before my eyes. Cueball: I'm gonna quit while I'm ahead. White Hat: Same. Cueball: See you later!
