Sunset Manor, Here He Comes
I had thought we were headed toward a Grandpa Jim arc, but I did not expect us to go to it so quickly with today’s For Better or For Worse. I thought we would have a few more days of Eva smackdown, but no. We have April visiting Grandpa Jim and he doesn’t look good; but it’s hard to tell. In his last appearances, Jim was in a wheelchair. Walking by himself is a big improvement, even if he looks weak while he is doing it.
Nevertheless, Lynn Johnston wrote about Iris’ reservation for Sunset Manor back in October and it seems highly unlikely she would do that, if she were not going to use it. Lynn’s style for the last several years has been to drop in a strip showing the future, and then not come back to it for months and sometimes years. This makes it fairly easy to predict the storylines if you are an avid reader of the strip as I am. For a casual reader, even one buying the collections covering 6-8 months of strips at a time, it would make little-to-no sense at all.
The difficulty of the next part is the characters in play. If Iris announces that Jim is going to Sunset Manor, I would hardly think that April would be the one to whom to break that news. Probably Elly would be a much better choice, in case there were details to work out. On the other hand, Elly has taken a hands-off approach to Iris’ control over Jim. It is possible that Iris may just announce it, and it is essentially a done deal with no argument. Then we say good-bye to Jim until he is wheeled in at Elizabeth’s wedding.
The other possibility would be to play off the idea that Iris has put Jim on a waiting list for Sunset Manor for 2 years and she finally gets the call that says a spot is open. Ignoring the idea that Iris would have put Jim on the list before he had stroke #1 and ignoring the fact that long term health facilities are not assigned this way in Ontario, i.e. using For Better or For Worse logic; this particular method could be done if April were there, or even just Dixie the dog. Iris could get a call, or check the mail and that would be it.
The key element is whether or not Lynn is able to tap into the emotions of the caregiver and the person moving into a full time care facility. That is going to be an emotional motherlode for many of Lynn Johnston's readers and there is a lot of good plot potential there. Let's hope she can pull this one off. It would be nice to have some good strips for a change.
Nevertheless, Lynn Johnston wrote about Iris’ reservation for Sunset Manor back in October and it seems highly unlikely she would do that, if she were not going to use it. Lynn’s style for the last several years has been to drop in a strip showing the future, and then not come back to it for months and sometimes years. This makes it fairly easy to predict the storylines if you are an avid reader of the strip as I am. For a casual reader, even one buying the collections covering 6-8 months of strips at a time, it would make little-to-no sense at all.
The difficulty of the next part is the characters in play. If Iris announces that Jim is going to Sunset Manor, I would hardly think that April would be the one to whom to break that news. Probably Elly would be a much better choice, in case there were details to work out. On the other hand, Elly has taken a hands-off approach to Iris’ control over Jim. It is possible that Iris may just announce it, and it is essentially a done deal with no argument. Then we say good-bye to Jim until he is wheeled in at Elizabeth’s wedding.
The other possibility would be to play off the idea that Iris has put Jim on a waiting list for Sunset Manor for 2 years and she finally gets the call that says a spot is open. Ignoring the idea that Iris would have put Jim on the list before he had stroke #1 and ignoring the fact that long term health facilities are not assigned this way in Ontario, i.e. using For Better or For Worse logic; this particular method could be done if April were there, or even just Dixie the dog. Iris could get a call, or check the mail and that would be it.
The key element is whether or not Lynn is able to tap into the emotions of the caregiver and the person moving into a full time care facility. That is going to be an emotional motherlode for many of Lynn Johnston's readers and there is a lot of good plot potential there. Let's hope she can pull this one off. It would be nice to have some good strips for a change.
posted by howard at 10:06 PM
11 Comments:
howard:
Today's strip was a pretty good start to what could be a great story line. If Lynn pulls it off, the Kol_AId Drinkers might see the Settlepocalypse to be the giddy bungle we kow it to be. It is, after all, hard to root for two dull people stumbling towards a prearranged disaster when a real crisis is occuring at the same time.
dreadedcandiru2,
Today's strip was a pretty good start to what could be a great story line.
I can rejoice that Lynn resisted the urge to have April do a terrible pun in the final panel of today’s strip, but I am not sure how the storyline is going to be much different from the storylines of April visiting Grandpa Jim over the last year. April comes in, she plays for Grandpa Jim, she feels pity for his condition, she talks about it with Iris, Iris tells her she is wonderful for visiting, and April leaves. We’ve seen that sequence several times. The key ingredient will be to see if and how the move to Sunset Manor is introduced and whether or not Lynn is capable of drawing the characters’ reaction to it. Even today, when she drew a heart-wrenching Grandpa Jim struggling on his walker; we have an April in the background, not drawn to scale with the size of Grandpa Jim, looking directly at the reader, with a posture of a soldier at attention. April’s thoughts of “I want to cry” don’t match with her drawing where it looks like she should be thinking, “Sir. Yes sir.” It wrecked it for me and made me wonder if Lynn can draw sadness that isn’t giant tears spewing out of someone’s head. If she can’t, then I don’t see how she can pull off this story.
If Lynn pulls it off, the Kool_AId Drinkers might see the Settlepocalypse to be the giddy bungle we know it to be. It is, after all, hard to root for two dull people stumbling towards a prearranged disaster when a real crisis is occurring at the same time.
Maybe. Most likely, Lynn will try to drain their tear ducts by bringing Grandpa Jim into the wedding and making him a “special” part of the wedding ceremony.
Begin the dirge now.
I feel the perfect storm brewing. Jim kicks the bucket, then in the Lizthony wedding we see them dancing. Cut to an inset of chinballs Jim with his first wife mirroring their dance.
And curtain!
I really hate that Lynn is going down this road. As you said, this is going to be a landmine loaded with emotional disaster if she doesn't do it correctly.
Heaven knows she lost her touch with writing romance. The cold, business-like dealings of Liz and Granthony are horrible, and the Shannon strips are practically insulting.
I hope there is a conclusion to the assisted living hint, too. But then again, I was sure there was going to be more of a payoff for the harmonica loss, the "white goose" naming, and all the other Mtig stories that suddenly just screeched to a dead end.
James,
I feel the perfect storm brewing. Jim kicks the bucket, then in the Lizthony wedding we see them dancing. Cut to an inset of chinballs Jim with his first wife mirroring their dance. And curtain!
I can definitely see that. Even if Lynn does not kill off Grandpa Jim, as she has promised not to do, I would be very surprised if there is not at least one strip of Grandpa Jim imagining in thought balloon the scene you just described, while he is watching Anthony and Liz dancing in the wedding. The thing which would make it perfect, is if Anthony and Liz dance using those awkward ballet-style moves (lifts and dips) they did back in Shawna-Marie Verano’s wedding, and Jim imagines him doing the same awkward moves with his 1st wife. That would make it all worthwhile to me.
debjyn
I really hate that Lynn is going down this road. As you said, this is going to be a landmine loaded with emotional disaster if she doesn't do it correctly.
She resisted the awful pun today, but it had to be torture for her. I just don’t see Lynn Johnston resisting the urge to pun for the rest of the week.
I hope there is a conclusion to the assisted living hint, too.
There is so much potential there. My parents are getting close to that age, and it’s a real struggle for them to come to grips with the idea that the next place they move is the place where they die. I would love to see Lynn Johnston handle it well, but she has to be able to draw some decent facial expressions. This business she does with eyeballs wandering around the face will not work, when it is crucial to the story that the expressions be clearly drawn.
But then again, I was sure there was going to be more of a payoff for the harmonica loss, the "white goose" naming, and all the other Mtig stories that suddenly just screeched to a dead end.
There was an end of sorts, with her visit back. It just wasn’t the ending I would have expected. Who would have thought Mtigwaki would end with (1) Your favourite pupil is still having problems and by the way, you’re going to discover that he stole from you, and (2) Everyone in town thinks your boyfriend is better off with his new girlfriend, and (3) By the way the fact he cheated is your own darn fault. It was satisfying in a sort of “I hate Liz” kind of way, but certainly cast a pall over any pleasant reminisces about the place.
howard:
Who would have thought Mtigwaki would end with (1) Your favourite pupil is still having problems and by the way, you’re going to discover that he stole from you, and (2) Everyone in town thinks your boyfriend is better off with his new girlfriend, and (3) By the way the fact he cheated is your own darn fault. It was satisfying in a sort of “I hate Liz” kind of way, but certainly cast a pall over any pleasant reminisces about the place.
That's putting it mildly. It's also a strong indication your fears about this story line will be realized. Lynn may even make the resultant morass worse than we can imagine. She certainly did last...year...this...time, if you catch my drift.
Howard: Such reminisces of Jim and Marian would be especially awesome if Marian is drawn looking as large and scary as she was in that previous wedding memory that Katje linked to awhile back. Also, I'd like to see Jim trying to hoist her in one of those butt-grab lifts that Patterson women do to show they are in love.
I'm pretty sure the writing on this will be businesslike and disappointing. I expect Iris to just say, "Oh yeah, we're going to Sunset Manor now dear, tell your parents won't you?" And then we will have one strip of April reflecting with Elly, which will end in wordplay, and that will be it.
qnjones:
I expect Iris to just say, "Oh yeah, we're going to Sunset Manor now dear, tell your parents won't you?" And then we will have one strip of April reflecting with Elly, which will end in wordplay, and that will be it.
It would certainly mesh with the minimalist style Lynn has adopted now so that's probably what will happen.
dreadedcandiru2
Lynn may even make the resultant morass worse than we can imagine. She certainly did last...year...this...time, if you catch my drift.
June, 2007 – Shannon Lake on a table, or Liz at the wedding? 2 tough choices for drift-catching.
qnjones,
I'm pretty sure the writing on this will be businesslike and disappointing. I expect Iris to just say, "Oh yeah, we're going to Sunset Manor now dear, tell your parents won't you?" And then we will have one strip of April reflecting with Elly, which will end in wordplay, and that will be it.
Well, unless Lynn drags this story into next week, that’s about what she could accomplish in 2 days.
Post a Comment
<< Home