Why the Need to Retcon?
As we go through the retcon of the relationship between Thérèse and Anthony Caine in For Better or For Worse, I wonder why Lynn Johnston is bothering to go through this effort. Her stated reason in the Panels and Pixels interview was that she didn’t know Anthony, but most of what we have seen so far is a mild critique, saying Thérèse henpecked Anthony a little.
Back in my university days, my music theory class had a grad student for a teacher, who was leaving. So we undergrads decided to demonstrate what we had learned by writing compositions in honour of the teacher, and performing them for him. I decided to write a 4-part harmony choral piece talking about how about music theorists were notorious drunks. I handed this off to the guy who was accompanying the performance and much to my surprise, he read the music, and the text and interpreted it as an oompah band drinking song. That was not my original intent, but it was so much better than what I had intended, I went with the flow and grew to see my composition that way.
Why can’t Lynn Johnston do the same thing? Imagine you are Lynn Johnston, and you have written what you think is an incredible story of romance with Anthony and Elizabeth, and then you turn around and find that people don’t find it romantic at all. You discover your most romantic moment, when the hero rescues the girl and then confesses he loves her and asks for him to wait for her, is not considered romantic but instead horrifically inappropriate behaviour for a near-rape victim. Why can’t Lynn Johnston say to herself, “I guess this isn’t coming off the way I thought it would, but I can use it. I can turn the relationship into a character study of how two deeply-flawed individuals overcome their problems and make a life together.”?
Back in my university days, my music theory class had a grad student for a teacher, who was leaving. So we undergrads decided to demonstrate what we had learned by writing compositions in honour of the teacher, and performing them for him. I decided to write a 4-part harmony choral piece talking about how about music theorists were notorious drunks. I handed this off to the guy who was accompanying the performance and much to my surprise, he read the music, and the text and interpreted it as an oompah band drinking song. That was not my original intent, but it was so much better than what I had intended, I went with the flow and grew to see my composition that way.
Why can’t Lynn Johnston do the same thing? Imagine you are Lynn Johnston, and you have written what you think is an incredible story of romance with Anthony and Elizabeth, and then you turn around and find that people don’t find it romantic at all. You discover your most romantic moment, when the hero rescues the girl and then confesses he loves her and asks for him to wait for her, is not considered romantic but instead horrifically inappropriate behaviour for a near-rape victim. Why can’t Lynn Johnston say to herself, “I guess this isn’t coming off the way I thought it would, but I can use it. I can turn the relationship into a character study of how two deeply-flawed individuals overcome their problems and make a life together.”?
posted by howard at 11:54 PM
12 Comments:
I agree--if LJ had just gone with the premise that Anthony's behavior was horribly inappropriate--and had everyone (Liz, Elly, etc.) react accordingly, things could have gone off into a completely different direction.
Meanwhile, I believe we're meant to forget exactly when the mustache happened! :-0
Are these the issues that brought about the break-up of Anthony and Therese’s marriage? If so, then a marriage between Liz and Anthony won’t work either.
Don’t most wives think their husbands sometimes dress like fools? I’m constantly on my husband’s case about the length of his pants (too short). And I have told him more than once to cut his Dagwood sandwich in half. And oh yes, I get really annoyed when he eats an apple and leaves the core on the coffee table. Big deal - I still love him (and most of the time he ignores me, so I nag more…)
The Therese that Liz is describing seems graceful and appropriate. Candace should be challenging Liz on her silly explanation.
Anon NYC
aprilp_katje
Meanwhile, I believe we're meant to forget exactly when the mustache happened! :-0
As for mustache time placement, none of the characters in the strip today had wedding rings or an engagement ring on, so you could place the timing of the mustache as pre-engagement.
Anon NYC,
Are these the issues that brought about the break-up of Anthony and Therese’s marriage?
That is a very good question. We never saw this kind of behaviour between Anthony and Thérèse in the strip before this time. I hope Lynn Johnston isn’t going to end this sequence by saying that it was. After over 20 years of having Elly Patterson scream and screech at John Patterson at the way he dresses, his manners, the way he folds clothes, the way he loads a dishwasher, etc.; to make this the point of contention between Anthony and Thérèse which caused their marriage to end would be extraordinarily hypocritical. Those kinds of wifely complaints have been the bread and butter of this strip.
The Therese that Liz is describing seems graceful and appropriate. Candace should be challenging Liz on her silly explanation.
Exactly. What happened to devil’s advocate Candace? She caved in a little fast for the Candace I loved from past strips.
Why can’t Lynn Johnston say to herself, “I guess this isn’t coming off the way I thought it would, but I can use it. I can turn the relationship into a character study of how two deeply-flawed individuals overcome their problems and make a life together.”?
Because it means admitting an error, something Lynn cannot and will not do. One need only look at Katje's envelope of Northern Canadian AIR for proof of that.
You'll accept what I give you and you'll be thankful for it too!
Adrianne
(Cannot for the life of me remember what my Blogger password might be ...)
howtheduck, for the flashback events to have happened pre-engagement, we would have to surmise that the Anthony-Thérèse relationship went sour before they even got engaged, in which case, why did they get engaged, let alone marry?
We'd also need to believe that Michael had been briefing Liz on the Anthony-Thérèse relationship prior to the December 2001 reveal about their engagement during the NYE party. And we know that this does not fit in with the established continuity. Thérèse's existence was clearly news to Liz and the entire Patterclan.
April, it will be interesting to see how LJ presents the serious issues over the next two days . These seem to be the silly things that happened when they were happy together - before and shortly after the wedding. Therese is nagging but she is smiling and addressing Anthony as "honey."
Anon NYC
adrianne_p
Because it means admitting an error, something Lynn cannot and will not do
I think it is more than just admitting an error. It looks like she wants us to have the reaction to the story she wants, and she is trying to revise the story to get it.
As for your password, you used to do that Alex and Eva thing, so maybe something related to that?
aprilp_kajte
We'd also need to believe that Michael had been briefing Liz on the Anthony-Thérèse relationship prior to the December 2001 reveal about their engagement during the NYE party. And we know that this does not fit in with the established continuity. Thérèse's existence was clearly news to Liz and the entire Patterclan.
Actually we see it was news to Liz and Candace. The rest of the Patterclan (Mike, Deanna, Elly, and Gordon) seem to be pushing Liz and Anthony really hard to get together that December, 2001. I find it difficult to believe that Gordon would be unaware of the engagement; and if Gordon knows, then everyone else knows. I agree though, Mike could not have briefed Elizabeth before New Years 2002.
Anon NYC
These seem to be the silly things that happened when they were happy together - before and shortly after the wedding.
I wonder how Lynn will address the serious problems. I am reminded that when Shannon Lake and April were taunted at lunch time, no one said “retard” and the insults were kind of bizarre. I think what we have seen so far cannot possibly be the majour complaints about Thérèse, but after Shannon's lunch I am not sure.
Elly and John are often engaged in silly criticisms, and they have a great marriage. LJ has a darn good idea of the types of things that would cause a marriage to collapse.
If these issues are not be addressed then we might as well have a wedding at the end of the month - and let the hybrid begin.
Anon NYC
Anon NYC,
If these issues are not be addressed then we might as well have a wedding at the end of the month - and let the hybrid begin.
Well put. I could not agree with you more.
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