I See Warren Blackwood: Prepare for Nonsense
It’s gotten to the point with Warren Blackwood, where I dread his appearances in For Better or For Worse because the storyline invariably pushes into new levels of stupid. Warren should have just stayed a university boyfriend, who helped Liz overcome her bad feelings about guys after her experience with Eric Chamberlain. I liked that Warren.
But he had to reappear. Back in December, 2006; when Liz set up Warren and Constable Paul Wright to meet, was the beginning of the end of Warren Blackwood, nice guy. If I were Constable Paul Wright, and my girlfriend agreed to let me drive her to the town where my parents lived, only to tell me at the last minute she wasn’t going to meet my parents, but instead was going to jump into a helicopter driven by an old boyfriend; that would have been the end of the relationship right there. If I were Warren Blackwood, and I dated a girl for 2 months in university, I would wonder why she was obsessed with the idea that I could fly my work helicopter into her little Northwestern Ontario town anytime I pleased. When I finally put that trip together and she shows up with her new boyfriend, that would have been the end of the relationship right there. She would have to take the bus back to Mtigwaki.
Then Warren reappeared again in January, 2007 to take Liz to Mtigwaki “one day early”, so she could catch Paul and Susan Dokis red-handed having a visit. It made no sense at all then, and looking back on it, it still makes no sense.
Then Liz invited Warren to her brother’s book party (instead of Anthony Caine) and afterwards he jumped around like a madman, just because she agreed to go out with him a second time and like he had not known her since 2002 or ever been a date with her before. I still can’t fathom it.
Now we have Warren the apartment stalker, who announces he has quit his job in order to get his relationship with Liz going, while being so out of touch that he is unaware Liz is dating someone else. It is as if the man is mentally ill, only a mentally ill man would make more sense.
But he had to reappear. Back in December, 2006; when Liz set up Warren and Constable Paul Wright to meet, was the beginning of the end of Warren Blackwood, nice guy. If I were Constable Paul Wright, and my girlfriend agreed to let me drive her to the town where my parents lived, only to tell me at the last minute she wasn’t going to meet my parents, but instead was going to jump into a helicopter driven by an old boyfriend; that would have been the end of the relationship right there. If I were Warren Blackwood, and I dated a girl for 2 months in university, I would wonder why she was obsessed with the idea that I could fly my work helicopter into her little Northwestern Ontario town anytime I pleased. When I finally put that trip together and she shows up with her new boyfriend, that would have been the end of the relationship right there. She would have to take the bus back to Mtigwaki.
Then Warren reappeared again in January, 2007 to take Liz to Mtigwaki “one day early”, so she could catch Paul and Susan Dokis red-handed having a visit. It made no sense at all then, and looking back on it, it still makes no sense.
Then Liz invited Warren to her brother’s book party (instead of Anthony Caine) and afterwards he jumped around like a madman, just because she agreed to go out with him a second time and like he had not known her since 2002 or ever been a date with her before. I still can’t fathom it.
Now we have Warren the apartment stalker, who announces he has quit his job in order to get his relationship with Liz going, while being so out of touch that he is unaware Liz is dating someone else. It is as if the man is mentally ill, only a mentally ill man would make more sense.
posted by howard at 10:49 PM
12 Comments:
Funny how Liz realizes now how pathetic and non-existent her "relationship" with Warren was. But back when she was off in Mtigwaki? She expected him to make regular helicopter trips to visit her and cried because he never called her...even though she always told him they couldn't be more than friends.
Of course, this change is entirely due to Liz's engagement. Now that she has a husband on the hook, she doesn't need to cling to every ridiculous shred of a "relationship" in the vain hope that it might one day turn into a marriage.
I think Liz's statement in panel 3 is meant to convey that she and Anthony, like, totally Did It on Christmas. Which of course to Liz means they have to get married. I wonder if Eric Chamberlain knows what a lucky escape he had?
qnjones:
Now that she has a husband on the hook, she doesn't need to cling to every ridiculous shred of a "relationship" in the vain hope that it might one day turn into a marriage.
That's pretty much why she's doing this. In her searching years, she couldn't say no to a potential husband but that's changed. She can be as rude and graceless as Elly is.
qnjones
Now that she has a husband on the hook, she doesn't need to cling to every ridiculous shred of a "relationship" in the vain hope that it might one day turn into a marriage.
And is also the reason that Liz did not shut Warren down in no uncertain terms during his last visit in March. She left him with promise of a relationship, and then worried that he had destroyed her relationship with Anthony. She was still juggling two guys. If Warren had dropped to his knee and proposed with a ring in his hand back in March, what do you want to bet it would be Liz and Warren together now?
I think Liz's statement in panel 3 is meant to convey that she and Anthony, like, totally Did It on Christmas.
There is no doubt in my mind that Liz and Anthony Did It after that Patterson Christmas dinner. It was set up in just the style Lynn Johnston likes to do with Liz, where she doesn't say it explicitly, but leaves enough clues so there is no doubt what is going on.
I wonder if Eric Chamberlain knows what a lucky escape he had?
I think Eric Chamberlain knew. This strip is always the strip I think of when I want to know how Eric thought of Elizabeth.
dreadedcandiru2
In her searching years, she couldn't say no to a potential husband but that's changed. She can be as rude and graceless as Elly is.
We did not get to see the John proposal to Elly and what she went through to get it, back last September during their romance retcon. They went straight to living together and her quitting university. Elizabeth may have had the same plan with Eric Chamberlain, except she failed to quit university to support Eric's education like Elly did. Kind of hard not to propose to a girl who gives up her university education for you.
Very good and exactly to the point. I would say Lynn messes up the relationship behavior of men, simply because she doesn't understand males. However, I'm pretty much sure she doesn't understand human behavior at this point.
Interesting you say how you hate to see Warren; it's true that we used to love to see the Liz story simply because it was funny it was so awful; now it is so awful it's not even funny anymore (excepting that "over-the-top" reaction of Warren yesterday). I used to enjoy the strips with Liz; now they are as depressing as seeing Grandpa vegetating.
Holy cow! That strip you linked to of Eric--that is EXACTLY what Anthony did every time he got around Liz when he was married! Yet this is our "great guy"????
I think the "Anthony and I did it, so we're official" is hilarious; LJ still seems to think in terms of 1950 morals. Even if Liz and Granthony didn't do the dirty in HS, having sex doesn't necessarily imply committment to a lot of people anymore. I guess the "guess we're engaged to maybe we should get a ring" was the logical conclusion to Prim and Proper Anthony and Elizabeth.
Glad to know that Liz's caring about Granthony grew into bigger caring.
Actually, what I meant to say was that this is Elizabeth letting Warren know that Anthony and she Did The Deed. Of course, Liz can't bring herself to be more specific that this vague statement, and Warren won't pick up on the subtlety.
Given how stiff Liz and Anthony were with each other during the proposal, can you imagine how cold and robotic the sex must have been? Imagining that makes me both giggly and nauseous.
debjyn,
Interesting you say how you hate to see Warren; it's true that we used to love to see the Liz story simply because it was funny it was so awful; now it is so awful it's not even funny anymore (excepting that "over-the-top" reaction of Warren yesterday).
I liked the “over-the-top” reaction too. There is a certain part of the Liz and Anthony romance I enjoy, because Lynn is so awful at writing a romance; but I cannot figure out what the purpose is for having Warren Blackwood in this mix. He pops in once a year and throws himself at Liz, and then he does things which do not make sense any way you look at it. It’s not Lynn trying and failing. It’s Lynn not even trying.
Holy cow! That strip you linked to of Eric--that is EXACTLY what Anthony did every time he got around Liz when he was married! Yet this is our "great guy"????
There is a way you can write a story where it is obvious that the other girl is better for the guy than the girl he married and you root for them to finally get together. The movie The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) did it very well. Lynn Johnston struck out with the Thérèse / Anthony / Elizabeth triangle. One of the things that the The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) did, which For Better or For Worse did not do, was to show that the husband (Anthony character) was actively trying to make his marriage to the wrong woman (Thérèse character) work and he was not actively trying to woo his friend’s daughter (Elizabeth character), but really did just happen to end up talking to her because she would be at social occasions involving her dad. We never saw Anthony trying to make his marriage work, even in the retcon last year, where he stood immobilized by his wife’s post-partum depression. We saw Gordon talking about how Anthony was trying. But, even when Thérèse was big and pregnant, we would see Anthony still hanging all over Elizabeth and ignoring his pregnant wife. Show defeats tell. You can’t have Anthony act like Eric Chamberlain, and he still gets to be the “great guy.” You are exactly right.
qnjones,
Given how stiff Liz and Anthony were with each other during the proposal, can you imagine how cold and robotic the sex must have been? Imagining that makes me both giggly and nauseous.
Giggly and nauseous. Interesting and understandable combination. I can completely imagine that kissing Liz must be an unpleasant experience. Eric has to think about kissing Tina to get through it. Warren only managed to kiss Liz at her graduation. Paul only kissed Liz when he said goodbye to her in Mtigwaki. After Anthony and Liz’s ballet in the park kissing, and the kiss after the list date; we have not seen the two of them move to a pucker, when most people I have known in a similar stage of their relationship, usually can’t keep their hands off each other. After little Jesse Mukwa pointed out that he too had noticed Elizabeth’s lizard breath, I am no longer certain that there is something more to this than a nickname.
I love the shame she displays in panel 3 when admitting she and Grandthony are an item. She can't lift her eyes out of the coffee cup to say it to his face.
What a maroon!
howard:
After little Jesse Mukwa pointed out that he too had noticed Elizabeth’s lizard breath, I am no longer certain that there is something more to this than a nickname.
Having Anthony point out to her that she has halitosis after they say that I do's would indeed be funny. What would make it even funnier everyone else, including Elly, telling her the stench coming from her mouth curled their nose hairs but Mike was the only one who ever said anything about it.
Maybe now Lynn will win some award for portraying a mentally ill person in her comic.
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