Lynn Johnston Opens the Floodgates
Today’s For Better or For Worse ignited a storm of fury on the For Better or For Worse message boards. The FOOBiverse’s Journal in particular was inundated with more posts than I have ever seen it get. April’s Real Blog was affected insomuch as eeknight was motivated to drop in for an Anthony post. I was in the middle of writing up the “Anthony is cross-examined” post yesterday when I ran out of time and had to put it off until today. So, I was pushed into revisions by eeknight’s post and also my desire to incorporate John Patterson’s statements about Anthony from today's strip into it. Neither was expected. I was pleased with the final result, but it was a little long.
The storm of Foob-hate was such that I really had to write up Constable Paul Wright as a complete innocent in contrast and it was surprisingly not that difficult. Elly and John’s comments about Anthony don’t specifically say “Anthony should be your boyfriend and not Paul.” They hinted around it enough, so Paul could easily reinterpret it.
Howard Bunt: He gets a reprieve of sorts and doesn’t go to prison this week. Liz and Anthony hearing the verdict will almost assuredly be in the strip, because it provides yet another opportunity for them to get together. Even if the monthly letters announce the verdict, I will wait until the strip shows up and go with the monthly letter, only if I am sure it is not going to arrive in the strip. Based on tomorrow’s strip, it won’t be happening this week. It looks like we are about to march into the “Mike’s novel” plotline and introduce the idea that it is finished and headed off to the publisher. This leaves Howard the opportunity to write up what his lawyer, Mr. Benis, presents as his defence in the interim. Lynn Johnston is too chicken to write it up, but I am not.
Jeremy / Zeremy Jones: After the Gym Jam, and Jeremy did not physically appear, I think he is done as far as For Better or For Worse goes. Actually, I am not sure what else Lynn can do with the “April in School” storyline, because the “Becky is Evil” story has dominated all the school activities for the last (yes, it’s true) 3 years. Of course, Becky hasn’t been punished for taking work from other students, so there could be more “Becky is Evil” to come. But after the beatdown Becky took at the Gym Jam, it would be just flogging a dead horse. Jeremy’s purpose from here on out, is just to take his usual acerbic look at the plotline and help drive susannamoodie and the_berserker’s plots with Zandra Larson and Duncan Anderson, which I enjoy quite a bit.
Constable Paul Wright: I have in mind his denouement. I think he will bow out in the next month, which is too bad, because the non-ARB posters who have commented on ARB seem to like his character and style. I hope Lynn doesn’t make him into too much of a villain, that he can’t continue, but you know how she is about those things. I expect him to grow fangs and horns in the next month.
The storm of Foob-hate was such that I really had to write up Constable Paul Wright as a complete innocent in contrast and it was surprisingly not that difficult. Elly and John’s comments about Anthony don’t specifically say “Anthony should be your boyfriend and not Paul.” They hinted around it enough, so Paul could easily reinterpret it.
Howard Bunt: He gets a reprieve of sorts and doesn’t go to prison this week. Liz and Anthony hearing the verdict will almost assuredly be in the strip, because it provides yet another opportunity for them to get together. Even if the monthly letters announce the verdict, I will wait until the strip shows up and go with the monthly letter, only if I am sure it is not going to arrive in the strip. Based on tomorrow’s strip, it won’t be happening this week. It looks like we are about to march into the “Mike’s novel” plotline and introduce the idea that it is finished and headed off to the publisher. This leaves Howard the opportunity to write up what his lawyer, Mr. Benis, presents as his defence in the interim. Lynn Johnston is too chicken to write it up, but I am not.
Jeremy / Zeremy Jones: After the Gym Jam, and Jeremy did not physically appear, I think he is done as far as For Better or For Worse goes. Actually, I am not sure what else Lynn can do with the “April in School” storyline, because the “Becky is Evil” story has dominated all the school activities for the last (yes, it’s true) 3 years. Of course, Becky hasn’t been punished for taking work from other students, so there could be more “Becky is Evil” to come. But after the beatdown Becky took at the Gym Jam, it would be just flogging a dead horse. Jeremy’s purpose from here on out, is just to take his usual acerbic look at the plotline and help drive susannamoodie and the_berserker’s plots with Zandra Larson and Duncan Anderson, which I enjoy quite a bit.
Constable Paul Wright: I have in mind his denouement. I think he will bow out in the next month, which is too bad, because the non-ARB posters who have commented on ARB seem to like his character and style. I hope Lynn doesn’t make him into too much of a villain, that he can’t continue, but you know how she is about those things. I expect him to grow fangs and horns in the next month.
posted by howard at 12:07 AM
7 Comments:
I only made a half-hearted post at the FOOBiverse yesterday, and didn't even bother to read it. I just can't bring myself to wade into that mess. I did read your post though! :)
I don't know about "fangs and horns." I think Liz and Paul are going to meet up and talk about their relationship. Liz is going to be frustrated that he "wasn't there for her" during the trial. I think Paul's only reaction to that will be to say that he couldn't get time off of work, which will indicate that at some point, Liz did tell him about her assault.
Then Liz will plaintively demand, in her faux-pathetic way, to know the status of his transfer. Then Paul will confess that he either didn't put in for one, or ran into a roadblock yet isn't trying very hard to get around it. He will say that he's thought about it, and doesn't want to leave his life in the north.
Paul may also confess that he is "confused" by his feelings for Susan, and that he doesn't know exactly who he wants. Liz may confess the same thing about Anthony, but more probably she will do one of the following:
1) Think in a thought bubble that she has the same problem, but not say it out loud, because it's easier to just let Paul feel like a jerk; OR
2) Not "realize" she feels that same "confusion" over Paul and Anthony until she's on her way home.
Liz will say that she doesn't want to leave the south, and they will break up with the same sort of hug that Liz and Warren did a year ago. Liz will go home and go straight over to Anthony's house. She'll let it slip that she broke up with Paul. I think that for once we might see Liz take the initiative on New Year's Eve, and tell Anthony, "I've always loved YOU." Anthony will look dumbfounded, but then he proposes just before midnight.
Actually, I think maybe Paul and Liz might both reveal their feelings for Susan and Anthony, and conclude that they just come from "different backgrounds" and it's easier/makes more sense to be with someone who is "more like them." I don't think Lynn the crypto-racist can resist getting that in there.
The FOOBiverse had a lot of repetition yesterday. "Hate Lynn. Hate Elly. Hate Liz. Hate Anthony. etc." The most interesting part of it was how yesterday's strip struck a resonating tone of hate in so many people. There were a lot of people who were first-time posters, whom Lynn Johnston had enraged enough to go from lurker to poster. Regular posters there, like you and me, are the ones who will show up on "toilet" humour day.
You have clearly adopted the "Warren Blackwood"-esque departure between Paul and Liz. That is distinctly possible. Liz does not have bad feeling for Paul or Susan, so it seems unlikely Paul or Susan would be set up as villains, and Liz's departure from Warren was basically friendly. There were no frying pans involved.
I, on the other hand, am still favouring the Mike / Deanna / Rhetta scenario because so many of the elements fit (and also because I am stubborn about sticking with my initial predictions). Liz did not feel one whit of guilt for dating Paul, when she had been holding out for Warren to come and see her. I cannot see her going guiltless for thinking about Anthony when she has Paul, even though virtually everyone in her family is pushing her toward Anthony, and even though she seems to be unable to express any thoughts on the matter, even in a thought balloon. This element of guilt fits better with Mike/Rhetta/Deanna than Liz/Warren, since Mike felt guilty about liking Rhetta when he really wanted Deanna (or the girl closest to him). I am still going with that scenario and in view of that, as Rhetta never knew about Deanna, I think Anthony is blissfully unaware of Paul, and will remain that way.
I promised you a list of Liz's evil deeds, but then I realized the list is too long. What I am constantly struck by is how Liz is physically violent with April, easily enraged like a hormonal Martian teenager, and deeply immature in the way she interacts with her parents. She's angry, manipulative, and childish. I don't know why we're supposed to like her. There are almost no strips in the last 5 years where I don't see her actions as deeply flawed. She's a very unlikeable person.
I think there will be some guilt with Liz, but just a little. And it will be shared guilt. It will turn up when Liz and Paul admit they are falling for other people. But because it's a mutual sin, it won't be treated as a big deal.
I think Anthony might find out about Paul, but not until the breakup is a fait accompli.
BTW, one thing I was struck by in yesterday's strip:
Liz refuses to call Paul her "boyfriend." She says she has a man in her life. That's pretty telling, because when she was single, Liz answered Howard's question about whether she was attached with, "There are people in my life." Apparently, her attachment to Paul is now at such a low level that he barely causes her internal commitment meter to register a notch above "single."
Re. Liz being unlikeable--since Lynn is always stressing that all of the major characters are HER, and that they react to situations as she would, what does this say about her?
::shudder::
I checked the reference to "boyfriend" in the Liz monthly letters and she refers to Paul as her boyfriend one time in January, 2006 letters. The only person she refers to as a boyfriend is Anthony and he is the ex-boyfriend.
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