Courage (or Filling Time)
The dialogue in today’s For Better or For Worse really rambles. In this respect, it has the appearance of real-life dialogue, or at least real-life dialogue by two persons attempting to speak philosophically about life, who only know about life from guests on a talk show. This is the sequence:
Iris talks about watching Jim sleeping. It reminds her of when she watched her babies sleeping.
Elizabeth takes the word “babies” and says she wants one.
Iris takes Elizabeth’s desire for a baby and talks about how she will need to teach the baby about life.
Iris takes her own reference to life and talks about how it takes courage to live life to the full and Grandpa Jim has courage.
Elizabeth takes Grandpa Jim’s courage and adds that he also has Iris.
Iris has no answer for that, probably because she is trying to figure out if Elizabeth just complimented her or insulted her. Either is possible.
This rambling mess is what I would call:
a. 4 panels of reasons why I am glad Iris and Elizabeth don’t talk more often.
b. Lynn Johnston filling space until she can end the strip, because she realized that she did not leave enough strip space to do anything with the wedding reception.
c. Lynn Johnston expressing her own philosophy of life in a comic strip
d. A subtle story telling how it is that Elizabeth Patterson realizes her own mortality looking at her soon-to-be dead grandfather, and comes to the conclusion that she wants to reproduce and thus embrace life, even as her own grandfather is close to embracing death.
Iris talks about watching Jim sleeping. It reminds her of when she watched her babies sleeping.
Elizabeth takes the word “babies” and says she wants one.
Iris takes Elizabeth’s desire for a baby and talks about how she will need to teach the baby about life.
Iris takes her own reference to life and talks about how it takes courage to live life to the full and Grandpa Jim has courage.
Elizabeth takes Grandpa Jim’s courage and adds that he also has Iris.
Iris has no answer for that, probably because she is trying to figure out if Elizabeth just complimented her or insulted her. Either is possible.
This rambling mess is what I would call:
a. 4 panels of reasons why I am glad Iris and Elizabeth don’t talk more often.
b. Lynn Johnston filling space until she can end the strip, because she realized that she did not leave enough strip space to do anything with the wedding reception.
c. Lynn Johnston expressing her own philosophy of life in a comic strip
d. A subtle story telling how it is that Elizabeth Patterson realizes her own mortality looking at her soon-to-be dead grandfather, and comes to the conclusion that she wants to reproduce and thus embrace life, even as her own grandfather is close to embracing death.
posted by howard at 9:43 PM
14 Comments:
Seriously! It's as if Liz's idiocy is contagious. Liz is known for talking in a way that sounds like she thinks she's profound, but really just sounds nonsensical and foolish. But Iris doesn't usually do that. Why does Lynn have to mess with the one character I still like?!?
I love that stupid "I'd like to have a baby someday!" Like, duh. Everyone knows that the only reason Pattersons get married is to perpetuate their dull existence by breeding a new generation of boring suburbanites who are about as deep as a puddle. I also have personal hate for people who say they want to have babies. IMHO, it's a stupid thing to say. They only stay babies for a year or so.
In this respect, it has the appearance of real-life dialogue, or at least real-life dialogue by two persons attempting to speak philosophically about life, who only know about life from guests on a talk show.
There's another influence that needs to be taken into consideration: sappy movies about courageous women written by shallow nincompoops. Today's strip reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons that has Homer bawling his eyes out at a movie on the Lifetime network.
qnjones,
I love that stupid "I'd like to have a baby someday!" Like, duh. Everyone knows that the only reason Pattersons get married is to perpetuate their dull existence by breeding a new generation of boring suburbanites who are about as deep as a puddle.
You've again pointed out who her fanbase are. Coffee Talk is where dishwater dull people with the depth of a dime get together and congratulate Lynn on being true to their bland, fearful lives.
I can't believe Lynn wasted her "30 seconds" on this when the strip as we know it is ending tomorrow. WTF?
What I hate is how Iris' comment after Liz says she wants a baby implies that the only child Liz will really raise is her own, from birth, and she won't teach these these to 3-year-old Francoise. She couldn't have said she'd teach this stuff to her little one and Fran?
If the strip were continuing forward in time, Francoise would be competing with April for who is the most-put-upon child.
qnjones,
Liz is known for talking in a way that sounds like she thinks she's profound, but really just sounds nonsensical and foolish.
Yes. My all-time favourite was when Liz addressed interracial dating with respect to her and Paul Wright: “Race! I wonder why we say that people are of different ‘races.’ It seems to me, we’re all running at the same speed and heading towards the same destination. The only ‘winners’ are the ones who’ve made the world a better place for having been here!”
But Iris doesn't usually do that. Why does Lynn have to mess with the one character I still like?!?
Lynn has an objective to destroy all the likeable characters before the series ends. Probably tomorrow, she will destroy April, at the conclusion. And maybe the pets too.
I also have personal hate for people who say they want to have babies. IMHO, it's a stupid thing to say. They only stay babies for a year or so.
I still refer to my 13-year-old son by some of the pet names I called him when he was a baby. It drives him crazy.
DreadedCandiru2
Today's strip reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons that has Homer bawling his eyes out at a movie on the Lifetime network.
I can see that. “Little Elizabeth wants to have a baby! WAAAAAH! It’s so sad, because it’s so true.”
aprilp_katje,
I can't believe Lynn wasted her "30 seconds" on this when the strip as we know it is ending tomorrow. WTF?
She has hit her points. Liz and Anthony are married. Grandpa Jim saw Liz in the dress. Once she got there she said, “Cheeze! I have 3 strips left to do. Do I want to write a reception strip, with all those people? If I do that, then aprilp_katje will send Stephanie some e-mail message asking me who I drew, like it wasn’t perfectly obvious. I hate getting those messages from aprilp_katje, so we’ll just stick with the hospital room for the next few days. I know! I can fill the time by making Iris and Liz seem wise and mystical.”
CanuckDownSouth,
She couldn't have said she'd teach this stuff to her little one and Fran?
No. No she can’t. Little Françoise already knows more about life than Liz does.
If the strip were continuing forward in time, Francoise would be competing with April for who is the most-put-upon child.
She’s had an excellent start so far. Last in line of the flower girls, even though she is younger than Merrie and the step-daughter. Yelled at by Elizabeth in the bridal limousine for talking. Her grandparents and Aunt Abby nowhere to be seen in the wedding proceedings.
...and the circle continues. Anthony becomes his father, Therese was the selfish first wife abandoning her family, Liz becomes the passive second wife who was waiting in the sidelines and now wants a "real" child.
Hopefully, Francoise will NOT turn out like Anthony.
debjyn,
Hopefully, Francoise will NOT turn out like Anthony.
Sure she will. Unable to get Anthony to give her money to go out on dates with Robin, Michael Patterson will suggest to Gordon Mayes that he needs a 3-year-old on staff. Gordon agrees, and hires Françoise. Within the year, Françoise discovers an investment opportunity, finds investors, and convinces Gordon to go through with it. In short order Gordon goes from being a simple car dealer to being the biggest car dealer in the greater Toronto metropolitan area. All thanks to Françoise.
You know, I actually found today's strip almost peaceful. Sure it has an inane wall o' text that is a virtually meaningless Hallmark knock-off.
But there was no pun. And that made all the difference.
Thursday Next,
But there was no pun. And that made all the difference.
You're right. No pun. It is the little things that make life worthwhile.
howard,
Remember yesterthread when you said that the cause of Liz's hatred of Therese was irrelevant? You were spot on. According to Lynn's latest letter to her fans, only the Core Four (John, Elly, Michael and Elizabeth) will matter after Sunday. Jim's health issues? Iris? April? Anthony and Deanna? Forget about them! Only the original cast count now.
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