Rudy’s Return
In today’s For Better or For Worse, fortunately Candace Halloran is still recognizable with her never-changing unusual hair; otherwise I would have wondered why Gerald and Michael were having a conversation in Liz’s apartment with this redheaded woman. Rudy only really looks Rudy-like in the final panel, while Liz remains decidedly Mike-like in every single panel including a very Mike reaction shot in the final panel.
My initial excited reaction on seeing the strip would have been the return of the Liz / Anthony relationship for the first time since last December, until I realized that what we really have is the return of Rudy Dodd. Anthony is nowhere in sight, and once again we are forced to envision Liz’s relationship with Anthony based on what she says about it, and not what we actually see. I could also be excited about the return of Liz’s apartment as a sign she is not really living with Anthony as was implied back in December; except Liz has a history of using extra living spaces to conceal her activities.
So, Rudy Dodd’s return is the big news. Rudy Dodd last appeared in August 7, 2005 in one of what used to be a Liz staple of her out with a bunch of friends getting stinking drunk. I note that Rudy appears to be drinking a beer, while Liz is sipping a steaming, hot beverage of “I’m finally mature enough to get married”. Rudy’s actual last spoken line was on May 29, 2004; just before Liz’s graduation.
Rudy’s purpose in life is mainly to provide a boyfriend for Candace who is not threatened by Elizabeth Patterson and her magical ability to attract men out of nowhere. Ergo, Rudy cannot be very good-looking (the Julia effect) and he must be playful and goofy (unlike all of Elizabeth’s other very serious boyfriends). In other words, take Elizabeth’s future husband, and turn him the opposite way and you will get Rudy Dodd. Ideally, Anthony would show up and lend credence to Liz’s assertion that they are taking it slow. However, the most fun would be Anthony meeting with Rudy Dodd, to get the comparison and contrast between Anthony’s personality and Rudy’s.
Make it so, Lynn!!
My initial excited reaction on seeing the strip would have been the return of the Liz / Anthony relationship for the first time since last December, until I realized that what we really have is the return of Rudy Dodd. Anthony is nowhere in sight, and once again we are forced to envision Liz’s relationship with Anthony based on what she says about it, and not what we actually see. I could also be excited about the return of Liz’s apartment as a sign she is not really living with Anthony as was implied back in December; except Liz has a history of using extra living spaces to conceal her activities.
So, Rudy Dodd’s return is the big news. Rudy Dodd last appeared in August 7, 2005 in one of what used to be a Liz staple of her out with a bunch of friends getting stinking drunk. I note that Rudy appears to be drinking a beer, while Liz is sipping a steaming, hot beverage of “I’m finally mature enough to get married”. Rudy’s actual last spoken line was on May 29, 2004; just before Liz’s graduation.
Rudy’s purpose in life is mainly to provide a boyfriend for Candace who is not threatened by Elizabeth Patterson and her magical ability to attract men out of nowhere. Ergo, Rudy cannot be very good-looking (the Julia effect) and he must be playful and goofy (unlike all of Elizabeth’s other very serious boyfriends). In other words, take Elizabeth’s future husband, and turn him the opposite way and you will get Rudy Dodd. Ideally, Anthony would show up and lend credence to Liz’s assertion that they are taking it slow. However, the most fun would be Anthony meeting with Rudy Dodd, to get the comparison and contrast between Anthony’s personality and Rudy’s.
Make it so, Lynn!!
posted by howard at 9:57 PM
16 Comments:
I'd say that Lynn might love to make that comparison. That way, she can show us all the difference between Anthony the Responsible and Rudy the Trivial. It is not going to occur to her that Anthony will come out of it looking worse than ever. She is dimly aware of the voices that gainsay the Settlepocalypse but cannot for the life of her figure out what Anthony (or Liz, as far as that goes) is doing wrong. The same lack of knowledge of the world that makes her think that Mike is a great father makes her think that Anthony is the victim.
My reactions were something like: "Liz looks like Mike. If they didn't call her Liz, I'd mistake her for Mike. Why does she wear her hair in a bun to hang out with her friends? Oh, they're talking about Anthony. Why can't we see the relationship unfold instead of reading a conversation about the relationship? Oh, heck, isn't this exactly what Liz was saying back in July/August?" You know, the "taking it slow, blah, blah blah. It's as though time has not advanced at all.
FBoFW: Ignoring "show, don't tell" since at least 2005.
(Don Martinesque word verification code: fumqkoqz)
Ideally, Anthony would show up and lend credence to Liz’s assertion that they are taking it slow.
Uh, no. Liz says they are taking it one day at a time. She is in AA - Anthony Lovers Anonymous.
howtheduck, I had my yoga class last night, and afterwards I let my yoga instructor know that I do a blog written from the point of view of a teenage-girl comic strip character, and had had her take jivamukti yoga. Then I told him about your character establishing that she'd gotten her friends to go, too. He said that this made his day. :)
Gosh, I wish you could write FBoFW for a month! I was really laughing at your comments--unlike the response I have to the strips.
Yep, we probably will have a Rudy/Blanthony comparison. Kind of like the Julia/Liz meeting. But then, also, Julia came off as the person I would most like to know, even though she was supposed to be the "poor, stupid, dumpy" contrast to the gorgeous, mature Lizard.
Funny how Lynn NEVER had Eric, Warren or Paul meet Blanthony, wasn't it? Don't believe that comparison was something Lynn wanted to risk her sweetie Anthony against.
I preferred to substitute the name "Weed" for Anthony in the first panel. That made it more consistent with the artwork and made it a more interesting read.
DreadedCandiru2,
I'd say that Lynn might love to make that comparison. That way, she can show us all the difference between Anthony the Responsible and Rudy the Trivial.
I can just see the Anthony/Liz/Candace/Rudy double-date:
Rudy: So, Anthony. Liz says you guys are taking it slow.
Anthony: That’s right. One day at a time.
Rudy: What do you guys do?
Anthony: We come home from work. We have supper. We put my daughter to bed. Then we talk a lot about how Liz doesn’t want to leave.
Rudy: Wow! Candace and I are a lot like that, except we have sex. What do you do on weekends?
Anthony: We go to the park and watch Francie play and if she causes any trouble, we take her for an ice cream to calm her down.
Candace: Well there has to be something more than that?
Elizabeth: No. That’s about it. Well, there was something else.
Candace: What?
Elizabeth: You guys came over to my apartment and asked me questions about Anthony.
Rudy: Wow! Candace and I are a lot like that, except we travel all over Europe and have sex.
Candace: OK, Anthony. What did you do before you were dating Liz?
Anthony: Just the same, except I would go to astronomy club and I would dream about the times I had with Liz when we dated in high school, or I would dream about having a life with Liz.
Candace: OK, Anthony. How about when you were married? What did you do then?
Anthony: Pretty much the same.
Rudy: Wow! So, Liz what did you do before you were dating Anthony?
Elizabeth: I sat at home waiting for Anthony to ask me on a date. And when he was married, I sat at home waiting for an e-mail telling me Anthony had gotten a divorce. Anthony asked me to wait for him and I did for the most part.
Candace: Except for when you were dating the cheating Ojibway guy and the cheating helicopter pilot that is.
Elizabeth: I don’t like to mention them. I also spent 4 months of my life going to a rape trial with Anthony last year. That was fun.
Anthony: Even when her parents came.
Candace: How did that turn out?
Elizabeth: Pretty good. I find that there is no better place for rekindling a romance than a rape trial.
Anthony: It’s the closest I have ever gotten to talking about sex with Liz.
Rudy: Wow! Candace and I are really lucky that we are not you.
Candace: You were reading my mind, Rudy!
That is why Anthony is never seen around anyone else besides Gordo. He's such a bland guy that even Gerund would be more masculine-looking.
Howard:
Now that's the way to write realistic dialog!
Except you really needed to have Liz and Anthony throw out some cliches and platitudes.
debjyn,
Except you really needed to have Liz and Anthony throw out some cliches and platitudes.
Good point! Liz and Anthony are being entirely too honest in their speech.
Funny how Lynn NEVER had Eric, Warren or Paul meet Blanthony, wasn't it?
Interestingly enough, she had Paul meet Warren, where Liz told Warren she preferred Paul. Then she turned around and had Warren fly Liz into Paul’s love nest in revenge, so he could take over from Paul. Of course Warren is still working in Yellowknife for almost a year now, waiting until he gets done so he can come back and get that date Liz promised him. So, maybe there is hope for a meeting between him and Anthony.
DreadedCandiru2,
That is why Anthony is never seen around anyone else besides Gordo. He's such a bland guy that even Gerund would be more masculine-looking.
This is a great flaw in Lynn’s writing. Why is Gordon successful? Because John Patterson gave him start-up money and he is such a hard worker. Well, baloney.
He went from auto mechanic to car sales and (there is some offense here to car salespersons, sorry), but my father-in-law did this job for a time and had to quit because he felt he was being told to do immoral things for the sale. There are aspects to the job, an being successful at the job, which could tell us a lot about Gordon.
Lynn Johnston’s perspective on being rich has been messed up by virtue of the fact she had it handed to her on silver platter. She said in one of those interviews that getting rich was easy. I believe it was, “All you had to do was show up on time and being a hard worker.”
However, if she were take a good look at what a person would be like who went from being a kind of a goofy, dumb guy who could fix cars to a guy who owns a giant business, and the effects of what years of physical abuse from his drunken father would have on him and his own parenting skills; then she could have a really great character.
Anthony is bland because we just don’t know anything about him. We don’t know anything about his parents, or if he has brother or sisters. Nothing. We don’t even know why the guy likes Elizabeth. He just showed up one day as the nerdy guy wanting Liz to be his girlfriend, but he says things to Liz like, “You’re a blessing” which makes me think he has a thing for holy women.
Gordon, however, we know plenty about. We know exactly how he fell in love with his wife Tracey. We know what his childhood was like. Gordon should not be more boring than Anthony.
james,
“Weed” for Anthony. You’re right. It’s a much better strip with that change.
aprilp_katje,
Oh, heck, isn't this exactly what Liz was saying back in July/August?" You know, the "taking it slow, blah, blah blah. It's as though time has not advanced at all.
Time hasn’t advanced. We’ve had 6 months of hybrids. On the other hand, Liz traditionally lies to Candace about how things are, and then Candace challenges her about it. In this case, we know that Liz has not been taking things slow with the exception of not being engaged (and given she still has her apartment, not being open about their physical relationship). We know:
a. Liz has made a commitment to be there for little Francie for the long term. In my opinion, this is not taking it slow at all. Taking it slow would be getting to know Francie over a period of time and then the both of you deciding that you would like to be her mother and take care of her for the next 15-16 years of her life.
b. Liz considers Anthony’s house to be her home.
Liz may talk a slow game, but she is not that slow. I hope Candace makes her eat those words.
That is correct. A writer who knew what it was like to work for her success could have made Gordon into one of the most compelling (if not exactly nice) characters in her strip. If Lynn had kept the strip focused on John and Elly, he'd be the devil with which they'd be forced to consort from time to time. Anthony would then be Starscream to Gordo's Megatron: a lackey plotting to stab his boss in the back. That would make him intersting, too.
dreadedcandiru2,
Anthony would then be Starscream to Gordo's Megatron
LOL. The visual imagery of this is cracking me up.
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