Shiimsa’s Return
We have a few things happen in today’s For Better or For Worse of note:
1. Shiimsa, the little animal friends, which occasionally bears a resemblance to a cat (panel 1 of today’s strip is not bad, but definitely not cat-like in panels 3 and 4), makes her reappearance today, having last appeared on August 23, 2007.
2. Elizabeth continues her trend of looking like Mike in every single panel. Although Mike has very feminine features, the big difference in this case is that Elizabeth’s bun is usually more pronounced and has more hair attached to it, relative to the size of her head. This subdued bun in combination with the broadly drawn shoulders and nearly nonexistent breasts is what is doing it. Lynn should put some big, old Patterson hips on Liz and eliminate this gender ambiguity.
3. Lynn Johnston shows that she was aware The Transformers movie was a huge money-maker last year. However, she does show that she does not what Transformers are, i.e. tagline “Robots in disguise”. Instead we get “goofy monster thing” from Rudy. Sorry Lynn, but assuming Rudy is Elizabeth’s age, meaning born in 1981 and the fact that the Transformers first generation toy line was from 1984 – 1993, unless the boy was living in a vacuum, he would know what Transformers are. I was born in 1962 and have never played with a Transformer, and I know The Transformers advertising tagline.
Let me see if I can make sense out of Rudy’s argument. Candace says they just sort of click, meaning they fit well or function well together.
Rudy compares his relationship to the “click” sound to the sound someone makes when changing a Transformer into a car. He then elaborates and says the way Candace and Rudy figure each other out is what he is referencing. In other words, Candace and Rudy figure each other out the same way someone figures out how to change a Transformer around. I think he means the number of clicks to indicate the relative ease of this figuring out stuff. That actually makes sense to me.
Candace instead goes off on his choice of comparison. I have been around people like this before. Even if you are trying to say something positive, they latch onto a word or phrase, interpret it negatively and will not let it go. I don’t think Rudy actually needs to put his foot in his mouth because of what he said. However, I can believe that Rudy has learned over a period of time, that it might take this kind of effort at humourous self-abasement to get Candace off the subject before the conversation turns ugly.
Two strips into Rudy and Candace together and I can see that their relationship is struggling. We have had two times in a row, where someone says something which Rudy feels the need to elaborate into a public example about how good his relationship with Candace is. Doing it once is OK. Doing it 2 times means Rudy is trying to show off for Elizabeth. To know what the problem is in the relationship, I can look right at the last panel of today’s and yesterday’s strips. Rudy can’t say anything without Candace challenging it, what Rudy calls “psycho-analysis”. It’s not really psycho-analysis so much as harping on Rudy’s choice for an example. However, the fact that Rudy uses the phrase “psycho-analysis” means that this bantering with Candace must frequently take the form of psycho-analysis.
I think Lynn is trying to go for a goofy guy who doesn’t say everything right. I could probably go with that, except for the fact I can follow Rudy’s reasoning. This means I am trying to understand what he saying while Candace is not. I had a girlfriend like this once. She was very pretty, but I had to watch what I said and judge every response and everything I said carefully, because she was inclined to pick on every misstep. Eventually (and I think I have mentioned that I was fairly stupid in my young, single days), I found that when I phrased things as well as I could, she continued the practice to the point of embarrassing herself (i.e. her friends called her on it). And that pretty much ended that relationship.
I don’t think Candace and Rudy are that bad, but at least 2 strips into it, Candace is not giving Rudy a break. This is a change in their relationship from back in 2001 – 2004. I looked back at the best Candace and Rudy dialogue moments in the archive from February, 2003, and there is a big difference in the way they talked then versus today. 8 years ago, they were uncertain about the future of their relationship; but it was obvious how well they got along. Today, they are certain about their relationship; but they are having a hard time getting along with each other in front of an old friend.
Kudos to Lynn Johnston for the excellent character progression of Rudy and Candace.
1. Shiimsa, the little animal friends, which occasionally bears a resemblance to a cat (panel 1 of today’s strip is not bad, but definitely not cat-like in panels 3 and 4), makes her reappearance today, having last appeared on August 23, 2007.
2. Elizabeth continues her trend of looking like Mike in every single panel. Although Mike has very feminine features, the big difference in this case is that Elizabeth’s bun is usually more pronounced and has more hair attached to it, relative to the size of her head. This subdued bun in combination with the broadly drawn shoulders and nearly nonexistent breasts is what is doing it. Lynn should put some big, old Patterson hips on Liz and eliminate this gender ambiguity.
3. Lynn Johnston shows that she was aware The Transformers movie was a huge money-maker last year. However, she does show that she does not what Transformers are, i.e. tagline “Robots in disguise”. Instead we get “goofy monster thing” from Rudy. Sorry Lynn, but assuming Rudy is Elizabeth’s age, meaning born in 1981 and the fact that the Transformers first generation toy line was from 1984 – 1993, unless the boy was living in a vacuum, he would know what Transformers are. I was born in 1962 and have never played with a Transformer, and I know The Transformers advertising tagline.
Let me see if I can make sense out of Rudy’s argument. Candace says they just sort of click, meaning they fit well or function well together.
Rudy compares his relationship to the “click” sound to the sound someone makes when changing a Transformer into a car. He then elaborates and says the way Candace and Rudy figure each other out is what he is referencing. In other words, Candace and Rudy figure each other out the same way someone figures out how to change a Transformer around. I think he means the number of clicks to indicate the relative ease of this figuring out stuff. That actually makes sense to me.
Candace instead goes off on his choice of comparison. I have been around people like this before. Even if you are trying to say something positive, they latch onto a word or phrase, interpret it negatively and will not let it go. I don’t think Rudy actually needs to put his foot in his mouth because of what he said. However, I can believe that Rudy has learned over a period of time, that it might take this kind of effort at humourous self-abasement to get Candace off the subject before the conversation turns ugly.
Two strips into Rudy and Candace together and I can see that their relationship is struggling. We have had two times in a row, where someone says something which Rudy feels the need to elaborate into a public example about how good his relationship with Candace is. Doing it once is OK. Doing it 2 times means Rudy is trying to show off for Elizabeth. To know what the problem is in the relationship, I can look right at the last panel of today’s and yesterday’s strips. Rudy can’t say anything without Candace challenging it, what Rudy calls “psycho-analysis”. It’s not really psycho-analysis so much as harping on Rudy’s choice for an example. However, the fact that Rudy uses the phrase “psycho-analysis” means that this bantering with Candace must frequently take the form of psycho-analysis.
I think Lynn is trying to go for a goofy guy who doesn’t say everything right. I could probably go with that, except for the fact I can follow Rudy’s reasoning. This means I am trying to understand what he saying while Candace is not. I had a girlfriend like this once. She was very pretty, but I had to watch what I said and judge every response and everything I said carefully, because she was inclined to pick on every misstep. Eventually (and I think I have mentioned that I was fairly stupid in my young, single days), I found that when I phrased things as well as I could, she continued the practice to the point of embarrassing herself (i.e. her friends called her on it). And that pretty much ended that relationship.
I don’t think Candace and Rudy are that bad, but at least 2 strips into it, Candace is not giving Rudy a break. This is a change in their relationship from back in 2001 – 2004. I looked back at the best Candace and Rudy dialogue moments in the archive from February, 2003, and there is a big difference in the way they talked then versus today. 8 years ago, they were uncertain about the future of their relationship; but it was obvious how well they got along. Today, they are certain about their relationship; but they are having a hard time getting along with each other in front of an old friend.
Kudos to Lynn Johnston for the excellent character progression of Rudy and Candace.
posted by howard at 10:57 PM
13 Comments:
Oh, my. I feel that Lynn might be using the Return of Rudy to make Lizthony look good after all. The means seem obvious: Candace picks apart everything Rudy says while Liz acts like a good little girl, stands by her manand keeps her gob shut. The trajectory seems obvious when you consider how old-fashioned Lynn is. Liz has a traditional life and shares the 'happiness' Elly knows. Candace 'rebels' against 'the way things are' and ends up alone. I feel cheapened by having to endire an effed-up moral.
Eek, I'd forgotten that Lynn had given Candace and Rudy the patented Lynn an' Rod "compatibility list" device we saw in that infamous Lizthony Sunday strip that left Kool-Aid Nation believing these two were engaged.
Poor Rudy. Life with Candace must be exhausting. And notice he wanted someone who doesn't criticize him. But he got someone who criticizes his word choice on a regular basis, it seems.
aprilp_katje,
Eek, I'd forgotten that Lynn had given Candace and Rudy the patented Lynn an' Rod "compatibility list" device we saw in that infamous Lizthony Sunday strip that left Kool-Aid Nation believing these two were engaged.
The best part of that strip sequence I referenced from February, 2003, was this strip from March 1, 2003 that concluded the storyline with Rudy realizing that his list was stupid and after seeing how Candace treated her Aunt Ruby after she was assaulted, made him realize he didn't want to look any further than Candace for a mate. Too bad Liz and Anthony have not come to similar conclusions after seeing something about each other.
dreadedcandiru2,
I feel that Lynn might be using the Return of Rudy to make Lizthony look good after all.
Never fear, dreadedcandiru2, whenever Lynn Johnston intentionally tries to make someone look good, it almost always makes them look bad, and usually in a very snarkable fashion.
howtheduck:
Watching Anthony look even worse than he does now is sort of what I was hoping for.
howard,
The whole "make someone look bad by trying to make them look good" phenomenon is also at play here, combined with Lynn's tin ear for realistic dialogue -- at least in the past several years.
I think this is her attempt to do snappy teasing banter between the two of them -- she's trying to show what a fun-loving, free-wheeling pair they are. Instead, she makes Candace seem shrewish and Rudy like a dolt.
How this reflects on her own relationships with men, and how they end, is for the individual reader to decide.
In addition to all your insightful comments, I think Lynn's underlying message is that Bohemians can't truly be happy. You need to play it straight to really be fulfilled.
dlauthor,
I think this is her attempt to do snappy teasing banter between the two of them -- she's trying to show what a fun-loving, free-wheeling pair they are. Instead, she makes Candace seem shrewish and Rudy like a dolt.
She was much more successful with Candace and Rudy banter back when they were all in university. I imagine that Candace and Rudy are reappearing here in preparation for:
a. Candace as maid of honour (pretty sure of this one)
b. Rudy as best man (although I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon Mayes gets this spot).
c. Couple dates, to prove that Liz has friends.
James,
In addition to all your insightful comments, I think Lynn's underlying message is that Bohemians can't truly be happy.
You could be right. One of the underlying characteristics of Rudy and Candace is the idea that their commitment to each other is based on the idea that they are not with anyone else. However, considering Lynn’s experience with marriage and her children’s single state, you might think she would rethink this perspective.
howtheduck:
However, considering Lynn’s experience with marriage and her children’s single state, you might think she would rethink this perspective.
I'd like to think she would too but she seems the sort of person who wants to re-write the past so that it comes out the way that it's somehow supposed to. Learning from mistakes gets in the way of that.
Wouldn't it be just great to have Rudy as Anthony's best man? What a total admission that Anthony doesn't have any friends; he never knew Rudy at all. But I figure either Gordon or Mike would do the honor--even though he doesn't have any kind of friendship with them. At least, what normal people consider friendship.
Also, I just rolled my eyes about Candace's "analyzing". Oh, yeah she has a degree in Psychology; whoo! that's what those people do, right? Sigh. Not if they are actually good counselors or therapists.
debjyn,
The only reference to Candace’s post-university employment comes in this letter:
Liz's Letter, July 2005
Candace and Rudy will be around, at least. I was surprised that they would end up in the Toronto area again, but they decided to come south after their tour of Europe, so here they are. Rudy's thinking about going to U of T in the fall, and Candace found a job so they're sticking around.
That was awhile back. The most recent reference to Candace and Rudy and where they live was in this letter, although it does not discuss their employment:
Liz's Letter, March 2007
I think I may spend part of the break with Candace and Rudy. They're settled in Toronto; Candace always loved the busy-ness of the city, so I'm not surprised to hear that the two of them found a space as close to the downtown core as they could manage to afford. They take advantage of living where they do - they're always exploring the markets, trying different ethnic restaurants, going to shows...they're involved in their community too. They maintain a small local garden with some of their neighbours (in the warmer months, anyway), and they volunteer. I need to start doing things like that. I spend too much time at home.
It doesn’t sound like Candace got a job in her degree field, so it could be that psychoanalyzing Rudy is something she does to make up for that.
Wow--so basically, Rudy and Candace are doing all the things that Liz supposedly moved back home to do. But, she's just sitting in her apartment. Mmm..wonder why?
And she definitely isn't spending any time in that apartment after the Shawna-Marie wedding hook-up. But she and Blanthonette still don't do anything--so far they went shopping, out to eat, to the park, and now stay home and read Mike's literary epic.
Boring, Liz. Good thing she got that little "adventure" out of her system.
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