Mistaken Impressions
Sometimes reading For Better or For Worse is like entering a land with customs and beliefs very strange to me. It was easy to make fun of Elizabeth and Anthony’s unloving contractual proposal as simply the manifestations of a poor story-teller, but then Anthony mentioned the “love” word to little Françoise, so there was every evidence that Lynn Johnston considers a proper proposal to be like that of a business contract and “love” should not be mentioned.
It happened again in today’s For Better or For Worse strip. I honestly thought yesterday’s business of Françoise being afraid of losing Elizabeth if Anthony and Elizabeth marry could not possibly be the way the characters had thought, and it was just very poorly worded. Well, much to my surprise, Elizabeth is actually addressing that exact issue with Françoise and telling her that she and Anthony are not going to lose their friendship, “not ever. No matter what.” In other words, Elizabeth is essentially saying, “No, Francie. Even though your parents fought like cats and dogs when they were married, doesn’t mean that I will do the same when I am married to your father. We are going to still be friends.” How bizarre. I am having a difficult time fathoming this thought process.
Then Elizabeth continues the line of reasoning by saying that now she is going to marry Anthony she gets to be Francie’s friend too. Aside from two Sundays back, when Liz demonstrated Patterson eating behaviour to Francie, I had often thought that Liz’s standoffishness with respect to Francie was simply poor story-telling on the part of Lynn Johnston. Most normal people wooing a single parent, try to woo both the parent and the child. And here we find that it was Liz’s intent all along not to do that. In other words, if Liz was not engaged to Anthony, she did not consider it to be appropriate to try and be Francie’s friend in addition to Anthony. But now she is engaged, she gets to be Francie’s friend too.
Francie has the good sense not to respond to such a ridiculous line of reasoning with anymore than an "Uh-huh".
It happened again in today’s For Better or For Worse strip. I honestly thought yesterday’s business of Françoise being afraid of losing Elizabeth if Anthony and Elizabeth marry could not possibly be the way the characters had thought, and it was just very poorly worded. Well, much to my surprise, Elizabeth is actually addressing that exact issue with Françoise and telling her that she and Anthony are not going to lose their friendship, “not ever. No matter what.” In other words, Elizabeth is essentially saying, “No, Francie. Even though your parents fought like cats and dogs when they were married, doesn’t mean that I will do the same when I am married to your father. We are going to still be friends.” How bizarre. I am having a difficult time fathoming this thought process.
Then Elizabeth continues the line of reasoning by saying that now she is going to marry Anthony she gets to be Francie’s friend too. Aside from two Sundays back, when Liz demonstrated Patterson eating behaviour to Francie, I had often thought that Liz’s standoffishness with respect to Francie was simply poor story-telling on the part of Lynn Johnston. Most normal people wooing a single parent, try to woo both the parent and the child. And here we find that it was Liz’s intent all along not to do that. In other words, if Liz was not engaged to Anthony, she did not consider it to be appropriate to try and be Francie’s friend in addition to Anthony. But now she is engaged, she gets to be Francie’s friend too.
Francie has the good sense not to respond to such a ridiculous line of reasoning with anymore than an "Uh-huh".
posted by howard at 10:20 PM
22 Comments:
I think it is especially bad form for Liz not to use the word "love" here. First, she should assure Francie that she loves Anthony, because Francie is clearly mentally developed enough to understand that "no love" equals "divorce." In fact, that is how many parents explain divorce to their kids--"Mommy and Daddy don't love each other anymore, but they love you and always will." I see Francie's mental development as being at least on the age 7 or 8 level. When I was 7, I know I understood the concept of "marriage of convenience" from books and TV, and in Francie's place, I would think Liz was telling me that was what she and Anthony were proposing.
Furthermore, Liz needs to tell Francie that she loves her. Anthony promised Francie that Liz would love her. If my dad said that, and the future stepmom failed to echo those sentiments and offered only friendship, I would have thought it was a lie my dad told me to smooth things over. Not a good start.
Finally, the last panel is a big WTF. This is Lynn avoiding any serious, heavy-hitting discussion with ridiculous, unnatural, saccharine nonsense.
The failure doesn't stop there. Notice that she wants to be her friend instead of her parent? That she's repeating the mistake she's made in every class she's ever taught by asking the child's permission to be an authority figure? When push comes to shove and she has to lay down the law, Françoise will assume Liz's irrational, ill-considered promise was a lie. Anthony with his "Be nice to my friend Liz or God will kill a puppy slowly and painfully right in front of you" balderdash may be a crappy father but he is a parent and does set limits on her behavior. Liz wants to be a Cool Big Sister and is setting herself up for a horrible screaming match when she's forced into becoming a mother.
howtheduck:
Most normal people wooing a single parent, try to woo both the parent and the child. And here we find that it was Liz’s intent all along not to do that.
Elizabeth is not a normal person. Given her natural timidity and lack of awareness of How The World Really Works, it would never occur to her that she'd have to be friends with Françoise. Her sheltered childhood in the Pattermanse with its exposure to her mother's warped values never prepared her for that possibility so she cannot see it.
qnjones,
First, she should assure Francie that she loves Anthony, because Francie is clearly mentally developed enough to understand that "no love" equals "divorce." In fact, that is how many parents explain divorce to their kids--"Mommy and Daddy don't love each other anymore, but they love you and always will."
You would think this would be a natural choice; but I don’t think this is what Lynn Johnston is after anymore.
When I was 7, I know I understood the concept of "marriage of convenience" from books and TV, and in Francie's place, I would think Liz was telling me that was what she and Anthony were proposing.
I am not so sure anymore that this is not what is being proposed. To propose Anthony said, “We’ve been friends for so long, I think we’d be good partners.” After they accept the proposition, Liz responds with a friendly “YEEAAAAAHH!” and not a love kiss. And then Liz follows up her discussion with Francie by pointing out that she and Anthony are going to be “friends. That won’t change. Not ever. No matter what.” Lynn Johnston is not only going this route, but she is doing it consistently. I don’t think I can go along any further with the idea that she is simply incompetent at writing romance, but really means this to be a “marriage of convenience”. She and Anthony are going to be 2 friends who agree to live together and raise a child together without any declaration of love whatsoever.
Anthony promised Francie that Liz would love her. If my dad said that, and the future stepmom failed to echo those sentiments and offered only friendship, I would have thought it was a lie my dad told me to smooth things over.
But Anthony did not tell Liz that he told Francie she was going to be in a “happy home with two people who love you very much”. He told Liz, “She knows you’re a good friend.” and “I think she’s afraid that if we get married, she’ll lose one of us.” In fairness to Liz, she is trying to follow Anthony’s lead, only he has, for reasons I cannot understand, painted a picture of the situation with Francie that is only remotely like the conversation he had with her.
DreadedCandiru2
When push comes to shove and she has to lay down the law, Françoise will assume Liz's irrational, ill-considered promise was a lie.
As if Liz will ever lay down the law. The Patterson style of parenting presented in reprint Elly and modern Mike has scrupulously avoided responsibility and punishment, when it came to parenting. We’ve seen enough of Liz’s teaching style to know she will not stray far from this style either.
Her sheltered childhood in the Pattermanse with its exposure to her mother's warped values never prepared her for that possibility so she cannot see it.
True enough. Her mother has pushed her toward Anthony when he was married, engaged, and when Liz was in a relationship with another man. That is certainly a perspective that excludes the feelings of all other persons involved in the situation.
"Sometimes reading For Better or For Worse is like entering a land with customs and beliefs very strange to me."
I'm glad you don't dismiss some of the things the Pattersons do as some sort of "Canadian" thing. I assure you that most of us Canadians are nothing like the Pattersons!
I don't have the exact strips but this is in SUCH a contrast to Mike and Dee's relationship. The big deal was for Mike to get Dee to say that she loved him--that was when the entire relationship moved to a now level. THEN a marriage proposal. So, Lynn was functioning in a real world of relationships then.
Now, she has this---monstrosity as the culmination of what seems like a hundred years of two characters oogling and carrying on about each other? And the point is, they were meh as friends (Liz always wanting to date others, criticizing Anthony for being bland and predictable, Anthony going out with the guys or tagging along with Liz and her girlfriends (did they ever double-date?). And now as a maybe-sort-of-engagement they can continue this forever.
It also made me grateful for the "Yeaahhh" response for Liz, though. It was either that, or after "yeah, we could say we are engaged" the last panel would show them still setting far apart on the couch and taking a drink of coffee.
Lynn just doesn't even seem to care; and it shows.
Why does Mike keep appearing in this story arc? He's there again in panel 5 today.
I think Lynn's point with the whole story arc is that being in love is foolish and not nearly as satisfying as a cold, calculated contract.
james:
It seems likely that Lynn started out being madly in love with her first husband. After reviewing the messy results and comparing them with the more stable life she had with Rod, I'd say that she thought that love was a bad thing.
Muzition
I assure you that most of us Canadians are nothing like the Pattersons!
I had hoped you would say, “none of us Canadians are anything like the Pattersons” but even in the States, there are people who think Lynn has a camera in their home.
debjyn,
I don't have the exact strips but this is in SUCH a contrast to Mike and Dee's relationship. The big deal was for Mike to get Dee to say that she loved him--that was when the entire relationship moved to a now level.
Absolutely. The website even says, “Mike and Deanna: A Love Story” compared to
“Liz and Anthony: One More Chance”.
James,
I think Lynn's point with the whole story arc is that being in love is foolish and not nearly as satisfying as a cold, calculated contract.
There was a part of me that hoped that this was not really where Lynn was going with this, and yet, this point shows up again and again in this story. She might have Anthony and Liz turn around and say that they love each other tomorrow, but for right now, Lynn seems to be determined to say that they are just friends who have agreed to be partners.
DreadedCandiru2,
After reviewing the messy results and comparing them with the more stable life she had with Rod, I'd say that she thought that love was a bad thing.
There is a good deal of truth to this. The “2 lists of attributes desired in a spouse” date between Liz and Anthony was, according Lynn in interviews, taken directly from hers and Rod’s life, and is very contractual. Ironically, if you consider their relationship to be like a contract, then if, as Lynn has said, Rod agreed to take on young Aaron, if Lynn agreed to take on living in Lynn Lake; then all things considered, that contract was broken.
The "breach of contract" idea would actually make an amusing storyline. They could have a mock trial among their friends and everything.
james,
mock trial. I think Lynn already did that with the Howard Bunt trial.
howtheduck, I found two strips in Family Business I thought would interest you. They ran in January of 2001, right after Liz returned to university from winter break.
The first shows Liz having actual passion for Eric (so lacking with Anthony). The next has her going into a riff about fate that sounds eerily similar to a conversation she had with Paul.
So, let's see. Liz was physically affectionate with Eric and (to a lesser degree) Paul. She thought fate had brought her together with each. With Anthony--physical affection is stilted (wedding) and no "fate" talk that I remember. Hmmm.
Well, I read today's strip and am feeling more chipper than I've felt since Warren first appeared..
Anoynmous in Rochester (me!) is now officially placing money on the chance that Liz and Anthony will abandon any thoughts of romance and will realize they are meant to be friends. The strip will end with Liz as a single, independent woman. If the strip concludes just as the new school year starts, perhaps she'll be introduced to a new teacher in one of the final strips. Lynn would have used the word LOVE by now...
aprilp_katje,
Those are interesting strips (thanks for posting them) and typical of the way affection was portrayed in those days. I remember when I first uncovered that the Houston Chronicle archive went back to September, 2001 and I read the For Better or For Worse strips from then to January, 2003, where the FBorFW website archive started. I was immediately struck by how much more kissing and physical affection there was, prior to my deduced date of February, 2002, (from seeing a definite change in the art style) where I believe Lynn started turning over some of the creative duties to other people. Before that time, Liz and Eric kissed a lot, and so did Candace and Rudy, and John and Elly, and there was even a kissing strip with Deanna and Weed, after he found them the Salzman apartment.
I know her relationship with Anthony is stilted now, but I remember there was a strip where high school Liz and Anthony had to be stopped from kissing in a car by John when the windows fogged up. I think the issue of passion and lack of love has less to do with the way the characters are portrayed and more to do with whatever happened around February, 2002. After that point, physical affection in the strip in general, and particularly Liz soured. If I remember my statistics correctly, since that time Gerald and April only kissed once a year in the 4 years of their relationship. Liz kissed Warren once, Paul once, and Anthony has received the Shawna-Marie wedding kisses and the list dinner kiss, and that has been it.
I agree the fate conversation is shockingly like that of what she had with Paul Wright. I guess that should have been a clue that Paul, like Eric, was going to get caught cheating.
Anonymous in Rochester
now officially placing money on the chance that Liz and Anthony will abandon any thoughts of romance and will realize they are meant to be friends. The strip will end with Liz as a single, independent woman.
Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but Lynn Johnston did say in interviews that the strip ends with a wedding, so whose wedding do you think that will be, if it is not Liz and Anthony?
It'll probably be a double wedding with Liz and Anthony, and April and Gerald. (It is Gerald, right? I get a lot of April's Real Blog interference these days.)
mock trial. I think Lynn already did that with the Howard Bunt trial.
It was a mockable trial, at least.
ellie,
If I had to pick a double wedding I would go with Liz and Anthony, and Candace and Rudy, since Lynn just set up the idea that those couples are similarly compatible.
In the strip April is currently unattached but is heavily tied to Gerald. In April's Real Blog Jeremy Jones is finally having his day with April, a girl he has long adored, but for whom he was extremely incompetent at expressing affection (even more so than Anthony or Liz, but just barely).
Thanks, Howard. I can keep the storylines straight but can't remember which is Gerald and which is Jeremy! I suppose it would be silly to expect Lynn to be marrying off April. That would involve her remembering that the kid still exists.
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