I Remember Grandpa
In a shocking series of events in today’s For Better or For Worse, Elizabeth Patterson actually notices Grandpa Jim is missing, about the time that a normal bride might realize her Grandpa is missing. And to her credit, she misses Iris too. The funny part is that she immediately goes to her mother for the answer about Grandpa Jim’s location, knowing that if secrets are being kept from her, her mother is the one keeping them.
Of course, Liz ruins all that normality by not asking her mother why her grandfather is in the hospital, or expressing surprise by saying something like, "But he looked fine last night at the rehearsal dinner." The next logical step for Liz is visitation, even though she does not know if the man is in a condition to be visited. This tells us that Liz knows that Grandpa Jim will be enough recovered for a visit. We have yet another case where a character knows something that she should not know.
That gives 4 strips left before the end, making it seem pretty unlikely we are going to see much of the reception. I was beginning to think Michael’s speech was a given and so was April’s song; but I am not sure how they can fit those in and visit Grandpa Jim too unless…yes, they are done at the hospital.
Personally, I hope that Lynn doesn’t try to fit in April’s song and Michael’s speech at the hospital, to give Elizabeth and Anthony’s visit a more personal touch. However, if April finds out what is going on, then it would be out-of-character for her, not to insist on coming along. Plus I cannot imagine the strip ending without the whole Patterson family being gathered together one last time.
Of course, Liz ruins all that normality by not asking her mother why her grandfather is in the hospital, or expressing surprise by saying something like, "But he looked fine last night at the rehearsal dinner." The next logical step for Liz is visitation, even though she does not know if the man is in a condition to be visited. This tells us that Liz knows that Grandpa Jim will be enough recovered for a visit. We have yet another case where a character knows something that she should not know.
That gives 4 strips left before the end, making it seem pretty unlikely we are going to see much of the reception. I was beginning to think Michael’s speech was a given and so was April’s song; but I am not sure how they can fit those in and visit Grandpa Jim too unless…yes, they are done at the hospital.
Personally, I hope that Lynn doesn’t try to fit in April’s song and Michael’s speech at the hospital, to give Elizabeth and Anthony’s visit a more personal touch. However, if April finds out what is going on, then it would be out-of-character for her, not to insist on coming along. Plus I cannot imagine the strip ending without the whole Patterson family being gathered together one last time.
posted by howard at 12:29 AM
24 Comments:
I can't tell what Liz and Anthony are doing here. In the first panel, I thought they were running down the aisle (doing the recessional). Note that Liz has her eyes closed. So I thought it was the height of stupid for her to notice Jim and Iris were missing as she ran down the aisle with her eyes closed!
But after taking a second look, I can't tell what the hell is going on. They are definitely walking/running in the first panel. But maybe the second panel depicts them after some time has passed? Is this maybe a receiving line? Or, as would be more likely with Pattersons, just a mob of admirers and sycophants gathered around Liz and Anthony, telling them how wonderful they are? I'm sort of confused.
Interesting that Liz suddenly cares so much for Jim, since the only time she visited him was to show him the wedding dress she planned to destroy. She never cared about him at all until he could be used as as excuse for her to finally do what she always secretly wanted to do--marry Anthony.
I knew that Lynn would not ruin the expensive ceremony. She is way too materialistic. I'm guessing they might also have a reception after 1-2 strips at the hospital.
P.S.--Pretty gross of Elly to act like the bride should put a reception and honeymoon above seeing her grandfather, who might die any second (despite Phil's glib pronouncement). She's all like, "Oh no, you don't want to ruin the fancy wedding with dreadful, unsightly sick people!" WTF? Just a couple of weeks ago, Elly was shoving him full of trifle and beef stew (cause of the heart attack, peeps!) and hugging Jim and telling him how lucky they were to get to spend time with him. Now he is a nuisance to be ignored 'cause his hospital room isn't bedecked in teal and lavender.
howard,
Plus I cannot imagine the strip ending without the whole Patterson family being gathered together one last time.
Neither can I. Despite qnjones's hopes that common decency might be paid obeisance, it seems obvious the man's last minutes will be turned into a three-ring circus.
qnjones,
Just a couple of weeks ago, Elly was shoving him full of trifle and beef stew (cause of the heart attack, peeps!) and hugging Jim and telling him how lucky they were to get to spend time with him. Now he is a nuisance to be ignored 'cause his hospital room isn't bedecked in teal and lavender.
This is because she's a shallow opportunist with entitlement issues. Sh made a great big show of being the Devoted Daughter so she could look good on paper and now that she's done with him, Jim can just rot.
qnjones, I was confused, too. They seem to be running down the aisle (much like Mike an' Dee did at the sham-wedding--Liz even borrowed Dee's facial expression). But then--what? They're at the front of the guests again? Did they run all of three feet and stop dead in their tracks? Or run all the way down the aisle and jog back up? Bwuh?
howtheduck, I see that the woman you'd identified as Aunt Ruby looks much more plausibly Rubylike in today's strip.
qnjones,
But after taking a second look, I can't tell what the hell is going on. They are definitely walking/running in the first panel. But maybe the second panel depicts them after some time has passed? Is this maybe a receiving line?
In the second panel, Anthony also has an astonished look on his face, just like Liz. However, you can’t tell if Anthony’s astonishment is due to not seeing Grandpa Jim and Iris or if it is due to what Liz is saying (like “We’re about to get in a limo and go to the reception. Why is Liz suddenly stopping to look for her Grandpa?) Possibly the latter because the next 2 panels have Liz turned around alone talking to her mother, having ditched Anthony. My guess is Liz runs out with some kind of bizarre expectation that Grandpa Jim must be in the back with the Mtigwaki folk and not seated with the family, then not seeing him, she turns around and asks Elly where he is.
I knew that Lynn would not ruin the expensive ceremony. She is way too materialistic. I'm guessing they might also have a reception after 1-2 strips at the hospital.
I expect they will still have the reception, but I am not so sure we will see it in the strip. I would be surprised if the strip does not close with a final view of the family together, including Jim.
P.S.--Pretty gross of Elly to act like the bride should put a reception and honeymoon above seeing her grandfather, who might die any second (despite Phil's glib pronouncement).
Elly’s lack of interest in her father with a heart attack (and making jokes about it) has been surprising and (I thought) out-of-character for her. Aside from April and Iris, she the one who always ran to the hospital when Grandpa Jim was there.
DreadedCandiru2,
Neither can I. Despite qnjones's hopes that common decency might be paid obeisance, it seems obvious the man's last minutes will be turned into a three-ring circus.
I would be surprised if Lynn kills him off in the final strip, but I will agree it will be very circus-like, probably played for some comic effect.
aprilp_katje,
Did they run all of three feet and stop dead in their tracks? Or run all the way down the aisle and jog back up? Bwuh?
That’s the way it looked to me. Jog 3 feet, stop dead, and jog back (without Anthony).
howtheduck, I see that the woman you'd identified as Aunt Ruby looks much more plausibly Rubylike in today's strip.
Well, thanks to the Yahoo colouring, “Aunt Ruby” was re-identified as Aunt Marge, Jesse Mukwa’s auntie. The nose shape and glasses shape is almost identical to Aunt Marge, so I am pretty sure the panel is the Mtigwaki contingent. The young person in the back is likely Jesse Mukwa (with Aunt Marge there), although it still looks a lot more like Greta than Jesse. Maybe Jesse grew his hair out and braided it in First Nations fashion.
And of course, it's so easy for the Mtig people to travel to the thrown-together-at-the-last-minute wedding.
Liz is one teacher out of dozens that have passed through Mtig, didn't particularly get involved with the people, and pretty much shafted them all, at the end. I'm sure Aunt Marge and Jessie could rake up the money for a trip like this (funny none of the Pattersons beside Elly ever visited Mtig), and Gary doesn't have any problem leaving his job as a school administrator and teacher to run South for a few days right before school starts.
Oh well. The strip has gone so far down the drain it's not even possible to compare it at all to real life. It just as well be Bizarro for all the sense it makes--just not as funny.
howtheduck, I wish there were a way to get you to unsee the colorized version, see the B/W version uninfluenced, and find out who you think those characters are then. Oh, well, ce n'est pas possible!
April 20, 2004. See especially Aunt Roo in the second panel. January 17, 2007. A two-fer with Aunt Marg and Jessie. Today's strip.
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Ah, now I think I know the purpose of the 6 limos. I mean limousines. They'll presumably be used to ferry the entire wedding party to the hospital.
If this is what happens, then Gordon must be psychic or something, for knowing to offer all those limousines.
aprilp_katje,
howtheduck, I wish there were a way to get you to unsee the colorized version, see the B/W version uninfluenced, and find out who you think those characters are then. Oh, well, ce n'est pas possible!
There is no need to be insulting, my continuity goddess. The real problem is that Lynn Johnston is infuriatingly inconsistent in her character-drawing. However, these are the clues:
The character does not have Ruby’s giant lips, and is closer match to Marge.
The character’s hair is too long for Marge, but it does not have Ruby’s trademark curly hair strand hanging down in her face. The hair texture is straight like Marge’s closer to the face, but curlier like Ruby’s at the end.
The nose is hard to judge given the angle, really more like an Elly / muppet nose. In the strip you linked there is a panel where it does match Ruby’s nose, but the nose shape changes for Ruby in every panel of that strip. It is actually a closer match for Marge’s nose as seen in this strip, but not much like Marge in the strip you linked.
As for the glasses, it is again not an exact match. Marge has square glasses with rounded edges, while Ruby has more oval glasses. The glasses on this woman today look more like plain circles.
As for context, Panel 8 of the Sunday strip and Panel 2 of today’s strip put the Cranes, this woman and the other young character together. Traditionally, I could trust the colouring of the Sunday strip, but on Sunday, the colouring has First Nations skin on the young character only. This is wrong, because we know for certain Gary Crane also has First Nations skin colour. The problem is that Kevin Strang has taken over the colouring from Jackie and he works from home and so there is no one to check his colouring.
The only character consistently coloured with First Nations skin colour between Sunday and the Yahoo is the younger character, so I must presume that this is accurate. However, aside from skin colour, the character does not look anything like Jesse Mukwa, and is a closer physical match to Greta. On the other hand, from May, 2006 to January, 2007; Lynn almost completely changed Jesse’s appearance with him growing from a boy chest high to Liz to matching her height, so who knows what is going through her mind? Greta is so obscure, and Jesse has his own Who’s Who page along with the Cranes. The placement with the Cranes 2X implies to me that this may be Marge and Jesse.
However, it could just be coincidence. Since Candace is involved in the wedding, Aunt Ruby is a good choice too, and she also ranks high enough to have her own Who's Who page. If it is Aunt Ruby, then the best guess for the young First Nations character is going to be Greta, who is the closest match to what has been drawn.
debjyn,
Liz is one teacher out of dozens that have passed through Mtig, didn't particularly get involved with the people, and pretty much shafted them all, at the end.
But Liz promised she would come back and visit, and she did. Liz did have her moments of being involved with the people with the star gazing party and attending the pow-pow. I admit the bulk of the Mtigwaki strips involved her in the classroom and wrestling with Shiimsa. However, in Lynn’s head, Liz was greatly admired, because they do not hand out spirit names to just anyone.
I'm sure Aunt Marge and Jessie could rake up the money for a trip like this (funny none of the Pattersons beside Elly ever visited Mtig), and Gary doesn't have any problem leaving his job as a school administrator and teacher to run South for a few days right before school starts.
Aunt Marge and Jesse may have traveled with Gary and Vivian, even though it shows Gary and Vivian arriving by themselves. As for Pattersons visiting Mtigwaki, there was one monthly letter where April planned to visit Liz over March break, which never came to pass. I think it would have been a fine story to tell, but Lynn must have changed her mind.
Muzition,
If this is what happens, then Gordon must be psychic or something, for knowing to offer all those limousines.
Not a psychic. All of the characters share a group mind known as Lynn Johnston. It’s kind of like the Borg aliens from Star Trek.
On the other hand, from May, 2006 to January, 2007; Lynn almost completely changed Jesse’s appearance with him growing from a boy chest high to Liz to matching her height, so who knows what is going through her mind?
Seven months is plenty of time for a boy to have a growth spurt. Last June, my partner's oldest son (he was 12 years old at the time) was shorter than me and weighed about the same as me. By the end of August, he was noticeably taller than me and weighed about 15 pounds more than I did. That's only three months. Lynn's not off-base here.
It seems pretty obvious to me why Elly asked Liz if she really wanted to go to the hospital after just getting married--it was just to set up the last line: "I do."
Kristina
Seven months is plenty of time for a boy to have a growth spurt. Last June, my partner's oldest son (he was 12 years old at the time) was shorter than me and weighed about the same as me.
In the 12-14 age ranges, boys can grow quite a bit. In May, 2006, when Liz left, at the oldest Jesse would have been finishing Liz's Grade 5 class putting him at 11 years old. So, he could be close to 12 by January, 2007. My son is 13 years old, and we expect his big growth spurt this year. In his class, he is still at the age where a lot of the tallest kids in his class are the girls, who experience their growth spurts earlier.
Sorry, howtheduck, I didn't mean to be insulting! I really did think that seeing the strip without colorizing would have produced a different perception.
And I'm not convinced the "Greta" of the Sunday strip and the "Jesse" of today's strip are even meant to be the same person. But I don't know--this strip has become a sloppy mess!
aprilp_katje,
Sorry, howtheduck, I didn't mean to be insulting! I really did think that seeing the strip without colorizing would have produced a different perception.
Water under the bridge, oh my continuity goddess. When it comes to this strip, I look at all kinds of versions to see if I can make sense of it.
And I'm not convinced the "Greta" of the Sunday strip and the "Jesse" of today's strip are even meant to be the same person.
They may not be, but they are put together with the "Aunt Ruby" or "Aunt Marge" in both Sunday and today's strip. To me, that implies a connection. If it's "Aunt Ruby" and "Greta" then the connection is Nipissing. If it's "Aunt Marge" and "Jesse" then the connection is Mtigwaki. I think I am just going to presume they are all there. Why not? If Gary and Vivian Crane came, what's 2 extra spots in the car for Jesse and Marge? If Aunt Ruby came, then Greta is still a stretch, because I don't think they ever met each other.
I've e-mailed Stephanie for an assist on the characters. I'll let you know if I hear back!
Of course a Mtig contingent made it to the wedding! After the teal & violet invitations hit town, the community united to raise money for bus fare or gas. Then they drew straws. (Losers got to make the trip.)
During the long, dark winter nights to come, tales of The Wedding will cause many a guffaw, chortle & snort of disbelief. "You mean she asked Liz 'but you just got married; do you have to go NOW?' While her own father had just had another heart attack?"
Paul will be congratulated yet again for dodging the bullet.
Photos & videos of the ceremony? Of course. And of the reception, with the exotic Southerners telling Tales of The Pattersons. Amazing how an open bar will set those tongues to wagging...
april_katje,
I've e-mailed Stephanie for an assist on the characters.
You are so lucky to have the inside track.
maggie-texas,
After the teal & violet invitations hit town, the community united to raise money for bus fare or gas.
Given the nature of the way Mtigwaki was portrayed, I could genuinely see a fund-raiser to send Jesse Mukwa to the wedding.
"You mean she asked Liz 'but you just got married; do you have to go NOW?' While her own father had just had another heart attack?"
This is true. Within the Ojibway, respect for elders is a big part of their culture. I think they would be shocked to see Elly's behaviour.
Paul will be congratulated yet again for dodging the bullet.
Another excellent point. Paul Wright is a constable living in town with his girlfriend, and I would imagine his presence would change things considerably in the town, if for no other reason than they would have easily accessible law enforcement. I would expect comparisons would be drawn, once the people in Mtigwaki got a look at Anthony Caine, and thought "She left Mtigwaki for him?!!"
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