Finally, We Might Get Some Answers
The character Lynn Johnston most likes to play games with is Elizabeth. She continually starts up these plots with Liz and then does not show the crucial sequence that would explain much about where the story is going. We don’t see Liz’s response to Anthony when he asked her to wait for him. We don’t see Liz’s response to Gary Crane when he asked if she would be working in Mtigwaki next year. Then some even subtler stuff like, last December, Liz told Paul to stop on the road so they could kiss. Did they kiss? We don’t know. What we do know is that we have never seen them kiss. Ever. Even during the post-Valentine’s Day loving arc, all that happened was the good Constable swung her around and danced with her in sock feet. No kissing. We could assume there might have been some kissing since she talked about it last December, but that is no guarantee. They may have just talked.
That is what makes the character of Liz somewhat maddening. She is by far the most difficult to read. Lynn Johnston is making it look a lot like she is going to dump her boyfriend and chase after Anthony Caine in her own passive fashion, but there is the little thing about Paul Wright’s last name. Before this week, I might have been able to skip over that. But after the 4Evah & Eva joke this week, I am not sure anymore. Lynn introduced Eva in November, 2005 and finally got around to that name joke in May, 2006—6 months later. If she is willing to wait that long to use a straight line, then maybe it’s more important to her to make a bad joke than it is to get Elizabeth back with Anthony. It’s hard to tell. The main thing is that today’s strip showed promise of finally getting some of those answers.
Tomorrow’s strip: Liz says she is homesick. I had wondered how Lynn would try to make Liz likeable and still get her back to Milborough after all this Mtigwaki is home stuff. Unless they retcon out the business with Paul Wright getting his transfer, this is not going to work.
That is what makes the character of Liz somewhat maddening. She is by far the most difficult to read. Lynn Johnston is making it look a lot like she is going to dump her boyfriend and chase after Anthony Caine in her own passive fashion, but there is the little thing about Paul Wright’s last name. Before this week, I might have been able to skip over that. But after the 4Evah & Eva joke this week, I am not sure anymore. Lynn introduced Eva in November, 2005 and finally got around to that name joke in May, 2006—6 months later. If she is willing to wait that long to use a straight line, then maybe it’s more important to her to make a bad joke than it is to get Elizabeth back with Anthony. It’s hard to tell. The main thing is that today’s strip showed promise of finally getting some of those answers.
Tomorrow’s strip: Liz says she is homesick. I had wondered how Lynn would try to make Liz likeable and still get her back to Milborough after all this Mtigwaki is home stuff. Unless they retcon out the business with Paul Wright getting his transfer, this is not going to work.
posted by howard at 9:43 PM
3 Comments:
If Paul and Liz had any kind of conversation about the Warren appearance, then they would have discussed why it was that the relationship didn't work. Liz says, "He never visited." Paul says, "I must move closer or I will lose her." It seems like a natural (and loser) reaction, particularly considering he made the announcment in February, a little more than a month after the thing with Warren.
I think you are right about how this will go. Everyone will be really nice to Liz as she leaves, so there are no guilty feelings, including Paul. ARB Paul will probably not let her off so easily.
We don’t see Liz’s response to Anthony when he asked her to wait for him. We don’t see Liz’s response to Gary Crane when he asked if she would be working in Mtigwaki next year.
Sadly, I think we did see Liz's response to Anthony and her response to Gary. I think she simply did not respond. Or in Anthony's case, the response was the look of "Oh, my God, get off of me, you psycho" she had on her face in that last panel when A. grabbed her by the shoulders and ordered her to wait for him.
Liz seems to think clamming up and not answering people's questions is a perfectly legitimate "response," I'm afraid.
qnjones,
I would be very surprised if your assessment of the fate of Paul is not correct. I am not much into the idea of him committing suicide, though. Lynn might pull a Warren on us, and have Paul show up at her wedding to Anthony to give her a final farewell and blessing before her marriage and nice pair of Mtigwaki mocassins.
aprilp_katje,
I am not so sure the clamming up was Liz's answer. Elly's monthly letter after that, led me to believe something was actually said. However, you can't trust the monthly letters for accuracy as far as the strip goes, so you may be right.
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