Close to Greatness
In the comments from yesterday, I said:
There is one aspect of aphasia (like unto the Boxcar comments) that I had hoped would be explored with April, and that is the strange part of accessing parts of someone's brain through music that cannot be done with regular speech. In other words, an aphasic man can sing an old song he knew perfectly fine, but still be barely able to talk. Since Grandpa Jim had stroke #1, I keep expecting April to pick up that guitar and Grandpa Jim to warble along with her on some old favourite of his, and create both a special bonding moment and point out in no uncertain terms that there is still someone inside Grandpa Jim's body.
Well, Anon NYC went so far as to predict we would see this happen this week, and sure enough, April has that guitar out to play for Grandpa Jim. When I first saw the strip, I was immediately taken with the idea that Anon NYC had nailed this prediction exactly and April’s “Grampa ?!!!!” was in reaction to his singing along with her. But then I looked more carefully and saw, “Snozzz” was not really Grandpa Jim singing. Too bad. We came so close with this one. Instead we get Iris making a forced joke connecting “knowing how someone ticks” to “clocks and sleep habits.”
Ah, Lynn Johnston. You were tantalizingly close to a great For Better or For Worse strip today, and you were betrayed once again by your love of the almighty pun. Might as well face it, you’re addicted to puns.
There is one aspect of aphasia (like unto the Boxcar comments) that I had hoped would be explored with April, and that is the strange part of accessing parts of someone's brain through music that cannot be done with regular speech. In other words, an aphasic man can sing an old song he knew perfectly fine, but still be barely able to talk. Since Grandpa Jim had stroke #1, I keep expecting April to pick up that guitar and Grandpa Jim to warble along with her on some old favourite of his, and create both a special bonding moment and point out in no uncertain terms that there is still someone inside Grandpa Jim's body.
Well, Anon NYC went so far as to predict we would see this happen this week, and sure enough, April has that guitar out to play for Grandpa Jim. When I first saw the strip, I was immediately taken with the idea that Anon NYC had nailed this prediction exactly and April’s “Grampa ?!!!!” was in reaction to his singing along with her. But then I looked more carefully and saw, “Snozzz” was not really Grandpa Jim singing. Too bad. We came so close with this one. Instead we get Iris making a forced joke connecting “knowing how someone ticks” to “clocks and sleep habits.”
Ah, Lynn Johnston. You were tantalizingly close to a great For Better or For Worse strip today, and you were betrayed once again by your love of the almighty pun. Might as well face it, you’re addicted to puns.
posted by howard at 11:33 PM
23 Comments:
The only thing that rescues this strip from being a total waste of time is that she isn't resorting to her weak and imbecilic wordplay to demean Jim. Iris is actually admitting that she has no real idea what she got herself into. It might seem surprising that she'd make such an admission to April and not Elly but when you think about it, it isn't. April is far less likely to launch into an angry tirade if thinngs don't go exactly as she wants them to.
dreadedcandiru2,
Good point about the admission from Iris. I was too distracted by the pun to realize what she was saying to April.
Now that you point it out, of the persons who have tried communicating with Jim, aside from Iris, April seems genuinely upset that it did not work. That is a contrast between other members of the Patterson family.
When Liz visited, she and Jim communicated via telepathy to make fun of Iris. Each time Mike visited, it was "me" and "my book". The last few times Elly visited, it's been mainly, "You sure have it rough, Iris. See you later!" or the even weirder "Let me comfort you with stories about my friend Connie Poirier's dating life."
There's one person that has been conspicuous by his absence, both physically and mentally: John. If I had to guess, he'd be on the same page as April's bandmates on this issue. He seems to think it's an unfortunate thing to have happened but it's more or less over with so she shouldn't really worry or anything.
When people used to say that the pun is the lowest form of humor, I didn't understand what they meant. There are many very artfully constructed puns, and a good, solid groaner can be a delight.
Reading recent Foobery, however, I understand. The lazy pun used as a defensive mechanism, a la today's strip and many others, is the lowest form of humor.
My personal terror is that there are probably hordes of beslippered old ladies who read strips like this and titter with glee, then press their fingers to their breastbones and shake their heads and murmur "dear me" or "oh my stars."
Such people are the bane of my existence.
Continuing from yesterday's conversation:
Stephen Hawking can communicate with the world in a very complex and meaningful way, via the computer he has. When I was at Harvard, I used to see him in the cafeteria at lunchtime. It was obvious he could hold serious conversations that went beyond "I'm hungry" or "I want my slippers." I see that as being very different from Jim's situation. It seems that he can't talk beyond a very few words, can't write, and has some limited hand gestures.
I'm not saying everyone in that situation would want to die. But wanting to die is a perfectly reasonable reaction to that situation. And using him as fodder for one-liners, as Lynn did again today, is deeply demeaning.
And actually, since Elly is retired, it should be a priority for her to make time for Jim EVERY DAY. How hard would it be to pop over for an hour in the morning and help out? When my grandparents were housebound, my aunt and uncle who still live in the same town went every single day, and they have full-time jobs. It is disgusting that Elly, rich and idle, has left Jim's care largely to Iris, who IRL could not physically do it alone.
dlauthor says it best: The pun used as a defense mechanism. Lynn seems so uncomfortable with simple, loving expressions and touching moments.
Even between the "loving" characters, the strips showing interaction seem so--uncomfortable.
DreadedCandiru2
There's one person that has been conspicuous by his absence, both physically and mentally: John.
Actually, John’s one association with Grandpa Jim and his stroke was in this strip, which if you look carefully at it, explains exactly what John’s opinion is on the matter and why he has had nothing to do with it ever since.
dlauthor,
I have an image in my head now of you being pursued by hordes of beslippered old ladies, shaking their heads at you and murmuring "dear me" or "oh my stars."
qnjones
And actually, since Elly is retired, it should be a priority for her to make time for Jim EVERY DAY. How hard would it be to pop over for an hour in the morning and help out?
Elly, as presented in the strip, helps out only when asked. When Mike and Deanna lived in Toronto, she rarely visited and only visited when Mike and Dee asked her for help, i.e. taking care of Robin when he had bad ears, or when Mike and Deanna were overwhelmed with the arrival of Robin. The phrase she used then was “They need me.” complete with musical notes. As much as Iris may need help, we have still yet to see her ask Elly for help. There are some people who will give help automatically when they see a need, and then are some people who will only help when asked. It is in this last category Elly falls, even when the person is her own father. I may not like it from a personal standpoint, but that is how her character has been presented and Lynn is consistent in that portrayal.
debjyn
Even between the "loving" characters, the strips showing interaction seem so--uncomfortable.
I agree wholeheartedly, and this is one of the main reasons why Anthony and Liz’s romance seems so cold to me. Even when they hug, it looks like two persons put together in an uncomfortable position by a professional photographer in order to the best angle and the right light.
Yes. I forgot his studied under-reaction to this. Something tells me that Marian was his favorite in-law since he was there mentally when she was in her last days. I never really got the impression that he and Jim got along all that well. This was never really explored in the strip but we never saw what Jim thought of his sin-in-law.
howard,
The beslipped "oh my stars" ladies don't chase me. They just wait till I go to a movie, then they sit behind me.
Also, as far as the awkward posture goes, have you seen the CBC video where Lynn demonstrates how she figures out how to draw people? She basically does the pose herself, and draws what it looks like. The problem is, that means everyone has the body language of a somewhat uptight 60-year-old woman. This goes a long way to explaining the apparent effeminacy of Michael and Granthony, and the cold stiffness of Liz. It's because they're all Lynn.
Not only do they all have the body language of a sixty year old woman, they've started to behave like one. As an example, you will recall the hostility with which we greeted John's barging into Liz's room after the trial to pitch Anthony. Of Elly had done that, nobody would have thought anything much of it.
DreadedCandiru2
Something tells me that Marian was his favorite in-law since he was there mentally when she was in her last days. I never really got the impression that he and Jim got along all that well. This was never really explored in the strip but we never saw what Jim thought of his sin-in-law.
“sin-in-law” -- misspelling or Freudian slip?
As for your impression about John and Jim, there are precious few moments with the two of them together.
From this strip and this strip we know that John does Jim’s dental work, and they seem to be friendly. From this strip, we know that Jim and John share an interest in ogling women in front of their wives.
However, the bulk of Elly’s visits to see Jim do not include John, and I thought the strip I linked was very telling because, as the 3 women cried and thought-ballooned what they were going to miss about Jim; John Patterson stood there thoughtless as he was being groped by Iris for 3 panels.
dlauthor,
Also, as far as the awkward posture goes, have you seen the CBC video where Lynn demonstrates how she figures out how to draw people?
I have not seen that CBC video, but it sounds like a good one and certainly explains a lot. I wonder if it also explains the effeminacy (womanly hips) of Dr. John Patterson.
A misspelling, of course. They do seem friendly enough towards one another but John does seem to be less than concerned with the prospect of the man's passing. As I've said upthread, he probably thinks that Jim's lived a long, full life anyway so he should exit this world as quickly as possible so the daily cycle can return to its precious regularity. That, or he simply refuses to show pain because he thinks it makes him look weak.
I have not seen that CBC video
Weird--I could have sworn I remembered you commenting on the clip, here in your blog. When the clip was released, it was one of two related videos available.
This is my interpretation of today’s strip:
Panel 1: April is speaking to Grandpa on an adult level and he appears to be attentive.
Panel 2: April is engrossed in playing jazz; Grandpa is not visible, so I chose to take it to mean that April is playing beautifully and that Gramps is enjoying what he hears.
Panel 3: April realizes that Grandpa has dozed off--and she is disappointed.
Panel 4: April is having a mature, relaxed conversation with Iris.
Panel 5: Iris appears at ease while conceding that she does not have all the answers.
This is not the Aha! Moment I was hoping to see, but it does show a tender relationship between a teenager and her grandparents.
I like it…
Anon NYC
Qnjones,
But wanting to die is a perfectly reasonable reaction to that situation.
Yes, it is reasonable. In fact, I have made it very clear to my husband that I do not want machines to keep me alive.
But if I were in Jim’s situation I would opt for life. He is not in pain, seems rational and optimistic, and is surrounded by a loving family. And most importantly, I would want to witness Liz’s wedding!
Anon NYC
April Patterson
Weird--I could have sworn I remembered you commenting on the clip, here in your blog. When the clip was released, it was one of two related videos available.
All right. I remember the set of 2 CBC videos, but my poor feeble memory fails to recollect Lynn Johnston using her own body as a physical model, except with those polaroids. I am old. My mind is going.
Anon NYC
I was doing great with your interpretation of today’s strip until you got to Panel 5. I don’t think I could imagine anyone working so hard to turn her conversation into a bad pun, to be truly at ease.
However, you should take credit for a mostly accurate prediction. April, did whip out that guitar, after all.
Anon NYC:
Well, I would dispute that Jim is "surrounded by loving family." Iris is the only one who has any use for him on a regular basis. April seems to make a strong effort for a 16 year old. The rest of them are essentially absent. It's sad.
Howard:
I get that Elly is consistent in her refusal to help until asked. I still think it is morally bankrupt in the case of Grandpa Jim. Mike and Dee are two able-bodied, capable parents. Helping there should be by request. Iris is not really capable of doing all she does for Jim (though Lynn has magically wished it to be so). Elly is morally required to step in and offer help in terms of money and time. That Elly and Phil have not done this means they are morally disgusting to me, and the antithesis of family values.
qnjones,
I get that Elly is consistent in her refusal to help until asked. I still think it is morally bankrupt in the case of Grandpa Jim.
You get no argument from me on these points. As presented, Elly's dogmatic "helping only when asked" is detrimental to her father and raises questions why Elly will not change this attitude for her father. It also begs the question, why is Iris so proud she can't ask for help?
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