Saturday, March 15, 2008

Checkboxes

Lynn has been checking off the checkboxes these last few weeks in For Better or For Worse

Wedding dress found – Check
Remind readers who Rudy and Candace are, so they won’t be confused when they show up at the wedding – Check
Warren Blackwood character assassinated - Check
Anthony and Elizabeth engaged to someday be married – Check
Everybody loves Anthony and Elizabeth together – Oops. Oh well.

10 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or is Francie's outfit kind of odd? Bulky sweater, short miniskirt, and bare legs. Can't say I've ever seen a kid dressed like that. It looks even stranger the way the colorist at Yahoo! did it.

I guess I should praise Lynn for not depicting Liz as an instant mother replacement for Therese. But she makes this strip so incredibly boring. Makes me wish Anthony had said, "Your real mommy is dead! Elizabeth is your Mommy now! Stop your crying and go worship your PatterMom!" That would at least be interesting.

Also, Francie is expressing worries that a three year old does not understand or have the words for. But then, we are used to that by now.

I think Rudy and Candace were shown having an oh-so-wonderful relationship because they are going to get married too, or at least engaged.

2:02 AM  
Blogger April Patterson said...

Also, Francie is expressing worries that a three year old does not understand or have the words for. But then, we are used to that by now.

This is what stood out most glaringly to me. What three-year-old asks, "What's gonna happen to me if you marry [name]?" This just isn't the way a three-year-old thinks or speaks.

The outfit--maybe we're supposed to think she has thick tights in the same color as the skirt? If not, yes, weird outfit.

5:47 AM  
Blogger DreadedCandiru2 said...

What stood out for me was hat Anthony was far more affectionate towards Francie than he was to Liz. It seems clear that he isn't marrying for love as much as he's trying to obtain a reasonably docile stepmother for his child.

9:54 AM  
Blogger howard said...

qnjones,

Is it just me, or is Francie's outfit kind of odd?
I personally like the little girl dresses that are kind of frilly and fall below the knee. Bare legs in Arizona are pretty commonplace due to the temperature. I haven’t seen a short skirt with a bulky sweater in years, and certainly not on a 3-year-old girl.

I guess I should praise Lynn for not depicting Liz as an instant mother replacement for Therese.
In my mind, this means that Lynn Johnston plans for another encounter with Thérèse. I have long expected one where Francie calls Liz “mom” in front of Thérèse, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this mention of “mom” as a choice for Elizabeth to be called is being brought up specifically for this purpose.

I think Rudy and Candace were shown having an oh-so-wonderful relationship because they are going to get married too, or at least engaged.
Maybe. Although my impression of Rudy and Candace, compared to how they were in university, is that they are far less affectionate than they used to be.

11:05 AM  
Blogger howard said...

aprilp_katje,

This is what stood out most glaringly to me.

What three-year-old asks, "What's gonna happen to me if you marry [name]?" This just isn't the way a three-year-old thinks or speaks.

None that I know of. I was reminded of Eliza Dolittle’s conversation with Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, where she doesn’t know what is to become of her now that she has been turned into a lady.

11:05 AM  
Blogger howard said...

DreadedCandiru2

It seems clear that he isn't marrying for love as much as he's trying to obtain a reasonably docile stepmother for his child.
Anthony wants “a home”, where that means “a woman to take care of the house and the kids”. The difference in affection shown to Liz vs. Francie by Anthony made that very clear this week.

11:06 AM  
Blogger DreadedCandiru2 said...

howtheduck:

Well, at least he's going to marry someone who wants a home as bad as he does. Check that. She wants a home where she'd be 'loved' even more. As long as she has people around her, the Pattersonian belief that physical proximity equals affection will sustain her.

11:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One thing I would like to remark on, based on your comments earlier this week about "parenting".
What stands out to me are the dynamics that Lynnn Johnston shows her characters having with her kids. The "moms" don't really seem to love their children; they are usually portrayed as noisy interruptions in the mother's life. Elly with young Mike and Liz; Dee with her kids. And for a teacher, Liz's behavior with Francoise is REALLY off. She made no effort to get to know her "dear friend's" child, until she started dating Anthony for real. I could accept that, if, again, this "great friendship" has not been slammed at us over and over again.
Then, John's interaction with Mike didn't seem quite right; there was very few real "bonding" activities--camping, working on cars, etc. Which wouldn't surprise me was based on Rod's interaction with the son he "agreed to take on" as part of marriage (again, the same way Liz seems to be treating Francoise). John was very well portrayed as bonding with April and Liz; again, something I bet Rod did with Kate. Anthony also seems to behave better with Francoise than I would expect.

But Lynn never has shown us as Francoise being a priority over Anthony's pursuit of Liz. That is the part that galls now; he may have been shown as "wanting" to be a father, but obviously it was in the context of wife-child-house. that is the home he wants, and it isn't based on emotion, just image.
And again, I think "image" is all Lynn really cared about. Sadly, most abusive homes such as the one Lynn grew up in, are like that; good appearance and rotten on the inside. Part of the reason Lynn would ignore Rod's philandering, until he simply made the affair public--much the way Anthony did.

1:31 PM  
Blogger howard said...

debjyn,

And for a teacher, Liz's behavior with Francoise is REALLY off. She made no effort to get to know her "dear friend's" child, until she started dating Anthony for real.

I agree with you completely here. Back in November, 2006, when Liz and Anthony and Francie went to lunch during the Bunt trial, Lynn Johnston missed out on a huge opportunity to show early pre-dating dynamics between Francie and Liz, by not showing even a little of that lunch.

That is the part that galls now; he may have been shown as "wanting" to be a father, but obviously it was in the context of wife-child-house. That is the home he wants, and it isn't based on emotion, just image.
Absolutely right on this point. The August, 2005, “I have no home” strip occurred while Anthony was on paternity leave, just 5 months after Francie was born, and possibly during the time when Thérèse was suffering from postpartum depression. It’s difficult to say what Anthony’s expectation was---that Thérèse might magically change her mind about wanting to take care of the baby, once the baby was born? Nevertheless, because Thérèse did not meet this expectation she was branded as a villainess.

Sadly, most abusive homes such as the one Lynn grew up in, are like that; good appearance and rotten on the inside. Part of the reason Lynn would ignore Rod's philandering, until he simply made the affair public--much the way Anthony did.

Very likely. The patterns of abuse often move from generation to generation.

4:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

qnjones

Is it just me, or is Francie's outfit kind of odd? Bulky sweater, short miniskirt, and bare legs.

I think that everyone removes their shoes when they enter Anthony’s house. Francie’s outfit looks odd because she probably took off her shoes and tights when she came in.

Also, Francie is expressing worries that a three year old does not understand or have the words for.
Francie’s feet reach the floor when we see her sitting on the bed in panel 2, so she is either 5 years old or a three-year old on growth hormones. It is strange that last Sunday she is shown sitting in a booster seat.

Anon NYC

6:41 PM  

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