LIz and Paul talk. Finally.
Today’s strip was interesting insomuch as Liz bounced back and forth between saying she was confused about leaving to saying she was definitely going to go. Paul invoked his hurt feelings about how she timed this with his impending transfer. All my ARB snark was based on this strip, so many of them laboured on an attempt to explain what was going on from their perspective. Unfortunately they were not too funny, but they were interesting to write.
In tomorrow’s strip, Liz has gone completely away from the confused part to an “I am definitely going and I want you to come with me” line. It is the same line she used on Vivian and now expresses it to Paul. We get a little Paul history about how he has only lived in one area all his life, except for courses, which are probably the Ontario Provincial Police training academy courses in Orillia. That would be a kiss of death for “I want to see the world” Liz, if she actually wanted to see the world.
But the big occasion is that Liz finally admits that she loves Paul Wright. However, for that to come out in the heat of the discussion between them, then it makes me believe she is not sincere and is just saying it because she has been cornered.
Overall I am please that Liz and Paul are finally talking, but the break-up seems inevitable this week.
In tomorrow’s strip, Liz has gone completely away from the confused part to an “I am definitely going and I want you to come with me” line. It is the same line she used on Vivian and now expresses it to Paul. We get a little Paul history about how he has only lived in one area all his life, except for courses, which are probably the Ontario Provincial Police training academy courses in Orillia. That would be a kiss of death for “I want to see the world” Liz, if she actually wanted to see the world.
But the big occasion is that Liz finally admits that she loves Paul Wright. However, for that to come out in the heat of the discussion between them, then it makes me believe she is not sincere and is just saying it because she has been cornered.
Overall I am please that Liz and Paul are finally talking, but the break-up seems inevitable this week.
posted by howard at 10:34 PM
6 Comments:
:(
I can't say I am surprised by this direction. I have expressed many times the perspective that there was no way Lynn would spend all that time on the Anthony story of his failed marriage, without it leading to a Liz payoff. Today's strip is probably intended to try to paint her in a better light, because Paul will not be willing to leave his home territory to follow her, which will be the reason why "Although he is Mr. Wright. He is actually Mr. Wrong." After all, in order to woo Liz, you must be willing to follow her wherever she decides to go. That was Warren's big flaw. Instead of British Columbia, he should have gotten that helicopter job in NW Ontario and followed Liz. Then when she decides to go home, you have to follow her. Paul has shown a willingness to follow, but apparently only within the confines of NW Ontario.
Poor Paul! Grrrrr.
With Paul, the Lynnions have created a sort of Warren, i.e. a guy who is Liz's boyfriend while she lives in a particular place, but who is unwilling or unable to make the transition with her to her next destination. Neither of them were bad guys, but it appears that neither of them are able to meet Liz's demands for a relationship to work. In the monthly letters, Liz complained again and again about Warren not coming to visit her in Mtigwaki. If her relationship with Paul lasts past this week, then the possibility exists of a similar complaint. "I moved to Markham, and he said he would visit, but he isn't visiting me." The Lynnions love to repeat plots these days, so I wouldn't be surprised if that is the outcome. It would allow Liz to be tentative in starting up her relationship with Anthony again, and then maybe even doing a repeat of the Mike phone call to Rhetta situation, where Liz finds out Paul is with another woman. That part would be a repeat of not only the "Warren dates other girls" but the Eric scenario too. But if the relationship ends this week, I don't know how the Lynnions can paint it except that Paul is too caught up in his Indian life to ever be a part of the Milborough lifestyle and is therefore unsuitable as a longterm mate. If that happens we would see 2 majour deviations in the characterization:
1. Paul worships Liz. He has no trouble doing all the traveling to meet and date her. He wants her to meet his parents and he takes the slap in the face that was the Warren helicopter ride with style and grace. Paul, as portrayed so far, would put in the transfer to Toronto, even if he could not be there immediately. If Paul does not do this, then he will show more of a spine than he has to date and it would be out of character.
2. Liz is making a snap decision to move back to Milborough. Pattersons do not make snap decisions, ever. Liz's decision to move up north was played out over years of her education. The idea that Liz would suddenly decide she doesn't want to live in Mtigwaki, is completely out of character for her. A Patterson would mull over the idea for more than a year before making that decision.
It will be interesting to see how it goes.
Ooh, maybe we will discover that this isn't Liz at all--it's an alien replacement. Meanwhile Liz is the subject of a series of humiliating yet largely painless experiments aboard the mother ship! ;)
Let's hope the humiliating yet largely painless experiments can have a little pain. The final vote is in for tomorrow's strip and Paul stays in character, where Liz does not. Alien Liz or Alizien. That might work.
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