The Way Things Weren’t
I remember doing a production of Kiss Me Kate where the character of Kate is supposed to run out of a house being chased by her sister, Bianca and her mother, because they are upset with her. In the production I was in, the director decided that the sister should run out first being chased by Kate and her mother. The actress playing the sister was completely confused and tried on multiple occasions to explain to the director that the scene made no sense with this staging. The more she tried to explain to him, the more he insisted that that actors do it just the way he staged it. Ultimately, they did and the scene made little sense. The director did not understand the play, and it was very frustrating to those who did.
With today’s For Better or For Worse, I have the feeling that the creator of this strip has reached that point. She has the character of Elizabeth Patterson explaining in great detail about how she was “dumped so many times” by the character of Warren Blackwood. I think the author of the comic strip does not understand the relationship of Elizabeth and Warren, even though she was the one who created them. She seems to think that they were at one point, boyfriend and girlfriend. After all, you can’t dump someone unless there was a committed relationship at some point. However, if you are a scrupulous reader of this strip (as I sadly must admit I am), then you would know that Warren Blackwood and Elizabeth Patterson have never been boyfriend and girlfriend, not even in university.
I went through the on-line archives of the old comic strips on the For Better or For Worse website to confirm this. He dated her from April to May, 2003, and they parted as “just friends” when he graduated, having never been shown as doing anything more than hugging each other. He was her unexpected and convenient university graduation party date in 2004. He went on a date with Elizabeth to the party Josef Weeder threw for Michael Patterson getting his book contract in March, 2007; and their second date was cancelled because of his work. Those are all the occasions I could find where Elizabeth Patterson and Warren Blackwood were together, and Elizabeth was not in a relationship with another man.
I am not sure what to make of it. Is Lynn Johnston retconning in that Warren and Elizabeth had a relationship as a boyfriend and girlfriend? Or has she honestly forgotten the nature of their relationship?
With today’s For Better or For Worse, I have the feeling that the creator of this strip has reached that point. She has the character of Elizabeth Patterson explaining in great detail about how she was “dumped so many times” by the character of Warren Blackwood. I think the author of the comic strip does not understand the relationship of Elizabeth and Warren, even though she was the one who created them. She seems to think that they were at one point, boyfriend and girlfriend. After all, you can’t dump someone unless there was a committed relationship at some point. However, if you are a scrupulous reader of this strip (as I sadly must admit I am), then you would know that Warren Blackwood and Elizabeth Patterson have never been boyfriend and girlfriend, not even in university.
I went through the on-line archives of the old comic strips on the For Better or For Worse website to confirm this. He dated her from April to May, 2003, and they parted as “just friends” when he graduated, having never been shown as doing anything more than hugging each other. He was her unexpected and convenient university graduation party date in 2004. He went on a date with Elizabeth to the party Josef Weeder threw for Michael Patterson getting his book contract in March, 2007; and their second date was cancelled because of his work. Those are all the occasions I could find where Elizabeth Patterson and Warren Blackwood were together, and Elizabeth was not in a relationship with another man.
I am not sure what to make of it. Is Lynn Johnston retconning in that Warren and Elizabeth had a relationship as a boyfriend and girlfriend? Or has she honestly forgotten the nature of their relationship?
posted by howard at 11:42 PM
18 Comments:
I agree--the story Lynn must have in her head is not the one we read in the strips. Baffling.
It is confusing that Lynn doesn't seem to realize that Liz and Warren were anything more than casual acquiantences. I think it could be because she reads far more into such arrangemnts than most people do. If a man smiles at her, it must be because he's madly in love with her.
aprilp_katje,
I agree--the story Lynn must have in her head is not the one we read in the strips. Baffling.
Do you think it's a story Lynn has in her head? The last time Liz broke up with Warren in December, 2005, she complained he was never around and had been dating other women than Liz. In fact, I thought she was still headed in that direction when she had Warren thought-balloon about Josef Weeder's models in the March, 2007 Mike party. Then in April, 2007, she had Warren cancel a date, Elly make a comment about how that was typical of Warren, and now we have this whole different perspective that the problem was not Warren's job, but his not letting Liz know about his comings and goings and what he was doing on his job. It's a whole different thing from before, because if Liz was really Warren's girlfriend, then she could reasonably expect Warren to let her know about his comings-and-goings and what he was doing on his job. I almost look at as if enough years passed since the December, 2005 breakup, that Lynn Johnston forgot what the character was about.
DreadedCandiru2,
I think it could be because she reads far more into such arrangemnts than most people do. If a man smiles at her, it must be because he's madly in love with her.
This is possible too. We saw this week that when Liz refused Warren's hug (which is something that she has not ever had a problem doing with ex-boyfriends before), that the "hug" actually did mean more than the "just friends" notion that Liz had been putting out during all her hugs sessions with married Anthony Caine.
howtheduck, I guess I'm not sure whether it's a story in her head or a lack thereof. Maybe she has too short an attention span to keep track of where Liz and Warren apparently stand, coupled with an unwillingness to review her own strips to assess the impression they have created.
Maybe this reflects the "fantasy" that Lynn has about Sparky. She certainly carried on about how "special" their friendship was but there seems little evidence he felt the same way. Doesn't seem as though Lynn has any radar whatsoever about what "friends" and "lovers" are all about and where the boundaries are with acquaintances. At least that would explain the strip which has simply become baffling.
We complain about the characters "saying" and not "seeing"; I actually think that is better, as we can't seem to get the same interpretation from the strips as Lynn does.
aprilp_katje,
Maybe she has too short an attention span to keep track of where Liz and Warren apparently stand, coupled with an unwillingness to review her own strips to assess the impression they have created.
An unwillingness to review her own strips is certainly believable. After all, we have seen inconsistent art from panel-to-panel in a single strip, so what is going back to look at something from 2 years ago. On the other hand, Lynn oftentimes gets a theme in her head about a character and she will doggedly pursue that theme literally for years. Remember the whole business with “music has to be fun or you won’t have any real friends” that was the theme of the 2-year-old long feud between April and Becky.
Now it occurs to me that the Becky / April theme, although reflected in the strip, originated in the letters. It is now time for the changing view of Warren:
Liz's Letter, June 2004
I haven't seen my friend Warren for a few weeks and doubt that he will be able to come to North Bay for grad. He has been flying all over the north for the pipeline checking for problems and bringing in supplies. Some of the equipment cannot be delivered any other way but by helicopter, so some of the loads he carries are large and awkward machine parts which are slung from a cable from the underside of the aircraft. The biggest threat to helicopter pilots is when the load swings and a pendulum effect occurs, making control difficult. I confess that I do worry about him, and I know he doesn't tell me everything that goes on for this reason.
Liz's Letter, July 2004
Everyone keeps asking me about Warren. He is a really great guy. He's funny and adventurous and has a great sense of humour, but how can we sustain anything more than friendship when his work takes him from Newfoundland to Yellowknife? We get along well. We have talked about "love" but sometimes with eight weeks between visits, it's just not possible. I can't expect him to NOT date other people and I want my freedom too - there's a life I want to experience on my own and our friendship fits perfectly. I want him to "drop in" on me. I want him to enjoy my company with no complications and vice versa. At this point it's NOT a vice nor adversa!
This next letter is a strange one. It makes it seem like Warren is in fact doing what 2008 Liz wants him to do by keeping in touch.
Liz's Letter, August 2004
I keep in touch with Warren every week. He's in B.C. with a firefighting crew. He's taking a course in "dunk and dump" - hauling water and fire retardant to the fireline. No matter what he does, there's an element of danger to it. That's what makes his world go 'round and my head spins when I think about it. I try not to. I try just to think about him safe, happy and with me!
Then we come to this letter, where Warren stops talking.
Liz's Letter, October 2004
I wish I knew what happened with Warren. He hasn't called lately. He hasn't emailed either, and I cringe every time I open my instant messenging program and see that he's not online. I hope he's okay. I'm sure I'd have heard about it if something bad had happened. I think things may be over between us, so it's best not to think about it. Hah! Too bad the sensible part of your brain can't overrule the sensitive part. It hurts not to hear from him. I deserve better.
I know I came up here of my own volition, but at times I just want to pack my bags and run for it. Of course, I'd have to hitchhike to Spruce Narrows and then catch a bus and a train and by the time I've thought that far ahead I remember my contract and the people who are counting on me, and then I get some of my courage back. (Here's where my sensible brain says "get a grip, and grow up and stop whining!")
Warren talks again.
Liz's Letter, November 2004
I've had a couple of messages from Warren. He says he'll come and see me when the lakes freeze over. That's like "when Hades freezes over", so I'll believe it when I see it. He's been working out of Vancouver Island for an environmental company, flying up the coast, checking on oil spills and photographing whale pods. Exciting life, I guess, but it doesn't include me. I've managed to put him into the "friend" column of my mental Rolodex. It's clear that there's no future for us together, but we have no past. So why do I miss him? Why do I care? Beats me! (Or am I beating myself up?)
Liz saw Warren over Christmas, but we didn’t.
Liz's Letter, March 2005
I haven't seen Warren since Christmas and his letters are getting pretty short. I guess that's it for our relationship...which I can live with. No sense in dwelling on it. At least our friendship renewed my faith in men. You can be surrounded by really nice guys - and have some "serious relationships", but one lousy jerk like Eric totally shook my confidence when it came to dating. Warren was a good friend, and I owe him for helping me get my head back together. That's the schpiel I give people who ask. How I actually feel is another subject.
In this letter, Liz sounds like she is starting to lose it, if she thinks every helicopter could be Warren.
Liz's Letter, June 2005
Warren has emailed a few times and phoned once. He's been working up North for a mining company, but has taken a firefighting contract in BC for the summer. This isn't the safest way to make a living, but he's guaranteed a salary and he likes the country. He's sort of freelance, and a four month contract is a bonus. People have stopped asking about him. I haven't seen him for a long time. I don't know if he's dating someone else and I don't care. Actually, I don't want to know. Every time I hear the sound of a helicopter I wonder if it's him. I'd hoped that feeling would go away but it hasn't. Dawn says that I'll forget him when somebody else comes along, but so far that hasn't happened.
In this letter, calls her thing with Warren a relationship and declares it didn’t work out.
Liz's Letter, July 2005
I'd like to date, but the last thing I need is a "relationship". I've committed to going back to Mtig in the fall, and there would be no way I could sustain another long-distance thing. It didn't work out with Warren and he had a helicopter, so it's probably futile to try for a relationship with anyone who has a land-bound vehicle.
One month later, Liz is thinking about calling Warren.
Liz's Letter, August 2005
Still, I'm hoping for some spark in my life. So far there are no serious "loves" in the picture. Maybe I'll try to give Warren a call this summer...if I'm lucky he'll come and park his chopper next to mine. I wonder what he'd think if he saw me tearing down the 401 on Gord's bike.
The entrance of Constable Paul Wright puts an end to the Warren fantasy.
Liz's Letter, January 2006
So the end of 2005 brought an ending, and the start of 2006 will mark a beginning - I'm going to approach my relationship with Paul in a different way now that I'm not searching the skies for Warren.
Liz’s final word about Warren, which is actually a more logical assessment than what we are getting in the strip.
Liz's Letter, September 2007
I guess I "dated" Warren, but his job was more important than his relationships. I would have liked to have had him around more so I could have gotten to know him better. Had we had that kind of relationship at first, with regular phone calls and more time spent together, we might have been able to face all the regular separations. But for all the years I've known him, I don't feel that I know him at all.
debjyn,
Maybe this reflects the "fantasy" that Lynn has about Sparky.
This an intriguing comparison and certainly works, if Lynn and Sparky only got together for the annual Reuben awards and the like.
debjyn:
It does seem likely that Lynn, who has definite issues with affection, might believe Sparky's natural politeness was a sign of something deeper that it really was. She certainly had no problem telling Michaelis that and I read in a post on cartoonbrew.com that the comments in the bio are toned down significantly. Guisewhite was honest and didn't give him what he wanted and she was only allowed a few pages. Lynn volunteered almost more than he needed and she's treated as if she's a reliable source.
howtheduck:
It seems to me that I'm not alone in beliveing that Lynn thought more was going on than actually did. His family certainly has issues with her interpretation of events.
DreadedCandiru2,
It does appear that Monte Schulz has a much higher opinion of whatever Cathy Guisewhite and his sister would have said about Charles Schulz, than what Lynn Johnston was quoted as saying.
But what about voices who weren’t heard? Well, for example, he only spoke to my sister Jill once over a lunch and that was that. He did interview Cathy Guisewite, but then called back to ask her, if you can believe it, whether or not my dad “came on to her.” Is he joking? Cathy knew Dad for more than twenty years, and except for one or two lines, David left her out of the book in favor of Lynn Johnston who provided much more provocative information, much of which (particularly in the first draft) is silly and self-serving.
I can’t tell if Lynn believed Charles Schulz “came on to her” as was asked of Cathy Guisewite. But the more I think about it, the harder time I have relating the anger of Liz towards Warren Blackwood as anything that Lynn would feel toward Charles Schulz.
It seems that Lynn lets her anger out the same way she says her mom did--put-down remarks, passive-aggressive actions.
Think about it; now that Schultz is dead, can he refute any of her stories? She also really starts to make very subtle comments about his jealousy, etc. And there is a definite wisp of anger at his "rejection" of her toward the end of his life.
howtheduck:
I should have made myself clearer. It seems to me that the real point of today's strip was for Lynn to vent her spleen at a closer target: Rod 'the Flying Dentist' Johnston. The upset she felt of Schilz's supposed rejection is a separate matter.
On a different topic, check this out.
Well, they're the same mental age they started out as so it should be a fairly even battle.
dreadedcandiru2,
It seems to me that the real point of today's strip was for Lynn to vent her spleen at a closer target: Rod 'the Flying Dentist' Johnston.
Interesting perspective. Since Rod has not been a flying dentist in quite some time, Lynn would be rehashing very old arguments. If Rod, for example, used to make it a habit of disappearing on his flying dentist outings without letting Lynn know what he was doing, then I think Lynn would have had a legitimate complaint, because they were married. Why Lynn would think she could transfer that kind of argument from a married couple to a couple in her comic strip who are barely dating, I do not know.
Howard, thanks for reminding me how much I used to love reading the monthly letters. They are so interesting and well written, making it obvious that LJ did not write them.
BTW, you guys at ARB are doing a great job snarking!
Anon NYC
Anon NYC,
On behalf of my fellow ARB snarkers, I thank you. As for the monthly letters I miss them too. I find that these days, particularly with the comic strip being difficult to understand at times, I wish there were a monthly letter to read to explain it.
Post a Comment
<< Home