Telepathic Liz and Telegraphic Josef
This isn’t the first time Liz has communicated via a thought bubble with an older male member of her family, as she does in today’s For Better or For Worse. She has done it before with Grandpa Jim. She also testified at the Howard Bunt trial via thought bubble.
So, it should be any surprise that she and her dad can say, “You’re something wonderful” to each other on her wedding day. I always say that there is nothing quite so special as telepathy on your wedding day.
I got to witness a father / daughter wedding moment this summer. I was at my wife’s convention in Dallas, in the hotel room reservation right next to the convention was a wedding. As we gathered for the convention dinner, the bridal party and the bride and her father were all lined up ready to go in. The bride and her dad were sharing stories with each other and the bride started crying. Unfortunately , he was not armed with tissues. I was, because my wife made sure I carried tissues on me for her sake, because she did not want to carry a purse to the convention dinner. She said, “Run over there and give that girl a tissue. Her father is not prepared.” So, I did. The bride said, “Thank you.” And it was really very cute, to see a young woman so excited and thrilled with her dad at that moment.
When I saw today’s For Better or For Worse, I thought that this kind of sentiment I witnessed was just the same kind of sentiment Lynn Johnston must have been going for when she wrote the strip. Unfortunately she has to have Josef Weeder telegraph the joke. If that third panel had been eliminated where Josef sets up the final panel joke, the strip would have been much, much better.
So, it should be any surprise that she and her dad can say, “You’re something wonderful” to each other on her wedding day. I always say that there is nothing quite so special as telepathy on your wedding day.
I got to witness a father / daughter wedding moment this summer. I was at my wife’s convention in Dallas, in the hotel room reservation right next to the convention was a wedding. As we gathered for the convention dinner, the bridal party and the bride and her father were all lined up ready to go in. The bride and her dad were sharing stories with each other and the bride started crying. Unfortunately , he was not armed with tissues. I was, because my wife made sure I carried tissues on me for her sake, because she did not want to carry a purse to the convention dinner. She said, “Run over there and give that girl a tissue. Her father is not prepared.” So, I did. The bride said, “Thank you.” And it was really very cute, to see a young woman so excited and thrilled with her dad at that moment.
When I saw today’s For Better or For Worse, I thought that this kind of sentiment I witnessed was just the same kind of sentiment Lynn Johnston must have been going for when she wrote the strip. Unfortunately she has to have Josef Weeder telegraph the joke. If that third panel had been eliminated where Josef sets up the final panel joke, the strip would have been much, much better.
posted by howard at 1:27 AM
25 Comments:
howard,
If that third panel had been eliminated where Josef sets up the final panel joke, the strip would have been much, much better.
Unfortunately, Lynn seems spellbound by the idea that she has to do things this way so that her fan base doesn't have to puzzle things out. They apparently need that third panel so they can see why John and Liz are thought-bubbling glurge at one another.
Personally I didn't even find a joke in this not ven a sentimental sigh. John seems to continue with his theme that women a physical being first and foremost. It's been mentioned before that John usually only complimented Liz on her physical apperance, which is kind of creepy and shallow all at the same time. Instead of calling Liz a "real beauty" couldn't he have said something along the lines of how much she's accomplished in her life and is now ready for the next, albeit mundane and crass, step in life. In the last panel all I could think of is that description on the Liz page that she wishes to "marry someone just like dad!" Liz looks more excited to be with her dad than Anthony, whom she's never described as being anywhere near "wonderful" to anyone.
howtheduck, I have this from Steph, re. the Crane/Crow SNAFU:
The Crane/Crow thing will probably end up in the "we screwed up" section of the Q and Eh at some point - we'll definitely acknowledge it somewhere.
ruth, I didn't see a joke, either. :(
DreadedCandiru2,
Unfortunately, Lynn seems spellbound by the idea that she has to do things this way so that her fan base doesn't have to puzzle things out.
You’re saying that either Lynn thinks her fan base is stupid and needs the explanation, or (after witnessing many a Coffee Talk compliment) Lynn knows her fan base is stupid and has to have the explanation.
ruth,
It's been mentioned before that John usually only complimented Liz on her physical apperance, which is kind of creepy and shallow all at the same time.
That’s true. Liz never gets complimented for her accomplishments by any of her parents. Of course, Mike doesn’t either, which is kind of funny. I have a running joke that John has only complimented Mike for raking the leaves without being asked and picking him and Elly up at the airport. Maybe if Liz raked the leaves, she might get a compliment from John for something other than her looks.
Liz looks more excited to be with her dad than Anthony, whom she's never described as being anywhere near "wonderful" to anyone.
There have been a few strips in the past where Liz would “light up” when she greeted her father, and you’re right, aside from the Shawna-Marie wedding reception ballet scene with Anthony and Liz, she has not shown the same emotion with Anthony.
aprilp_katje,
The Crane/Crow thing will probably end up in the "we screwed up" section of the Q and Eh at some point - we'll definitely acknowledge it somewhere.
Good to know we don’t have to start calling them Crow.
ruth, I didn't see a joke, either. :(
I was reminded of the old joke from the movie Young Frankenstein, where Igor tells the doctor to “walk this way” as he scooted with his hump, and the doctor repeated the same movement. It wasn’t as funny as the moment in Young Frankenstein, but how often do you see literal interpretation of a request done telepathically used as a punch line? Not often, I would say.
Today's entire strip, but particularly the first panel, makes John look exactly like Anthony. Ew. Ew. Ew.
The only one I'm proud of is Weed, who is making lemonade out of lemons by using this entire event for his professional portfolio. Kind of like those people whose portraits are in your frames when you buy them.
I thought this came was great in the usual "OMG, Lynn so totally has blown it again!" category.
My first reaction was "So Liz and John CAN'T think of anything unless someone else tells them to? Well, that falls right in line with how idiotic they have both become--John just tries to avoid Elly, and Liz waited for Anthony because he told her to, and she's marrying him because he said they probably should.".
To express emotion, the characters would need to act as though they still had emotions.
howard,
You’re saying that either Lynn thinks her fan base is stupid and needs the explanation, or (after witnessing many a Coffee Talk compliment) Lynn knows her fan base is stupid and has to have the explanation.
That would explain her long, awkward rant a while back. The message I got from reading it was "What do you want from me? I have to spoon-feed drivel to nitwits!"
Yeah, I hated this. John has never noticed Liz before for anything. At least, not in the last 10 years. She only gets his attention for 1) being pretty, and 2) getting married. Too bad you're not a teeny tiny choo-choo, Liz. Then you might really be important to your father.
Now Lynn is going to have to EAT Crow! Harhar!
I blame Lynn for that joke! ;)
Thursday Next,
The only one I'm proud of is Weed, who is making lemonade out of lemons by using this entire event for his professional portfolio.
Professional portfolio? I didn’t get that from the strip; but if it’s true, at least we haven’t seen him take any pictures of Elly and Connie.
debjyn,
My first reaction was "So Liz and John CAN'T think of anything unless someone else tells them to?
I thought this too. I had hoped for something a little more meaningful, even if it was cliché, like “I can’t believe my little Nizzie is getting married.”
DreadedCandiru2
That would explain her long, awkward rant a while back. The message I got from reading it was "What do you want from me? I have to spoon-feed drivel to nitwits!"
Good point. I have been making fun of the “read between the lines” bit of it since she wrote that letter, but hidden in that explanation was an expectation that her fans should be smart enough to fill in the parts of the story she wasn’t telling.
qnjones,
She only gets his attention for 1) being pretty, and 2) getting married. Too bad you're not a teeny tiny choo-choo, Liz.
Very true. She’s been a teacher in Milborough for 2 years running, and stories where her students realize that Dr. Patterson, their dentist, and Miss Patterson, their teacher are related to each other; or a story about John showing off dentistry or model trains to her class, would have been very nice. However, Lynn Johnston’s story-telling style is to only do a certain type of story with a particular character, and with Liz that story has been her love life or teaching in Mtigwaki, without exception.
Nav,
Now Lynn is going to have to EAT Crow! Harhar! I blame Lynn for that joke! ;)
Don’t give her any ideas.
howard,
well, maybe I'm mistaken. That's what I thought Carleen was implying
here. But re-reading it, maybe she's just saying "It's free, sure, but Weed's not crap."
Love it that Liz knows about the award, but not about the limos.
Someone just called my attention to the fact that Lynn corrected Gary and Vivian's last name. Every newspaper in the world is going to have Lynn eating Crow but the last compilation will have their right names.
Oh, awesome, dreadedcandiru2!
I barely pay attention to this strip anymore, and yet I instantly recognized that error. Why is it that Lynn and her paid staff of, what, 6-12 people can't spot that stuff before it goes out the door? That's kind of appalling and makes me think that Lynn's staff is afraid to point out to her when she makes an error. Or, it's like the office where I'm working right now, where the boss is so bad (bad manager, prone to angry outbursts) that the employees don't care about doing a good job anymore and do only what it takes to stay employed.
Seriously. The strips passes through several pairs of hands from penciling to submission. You'd think someone would notice that "Crow" is the wrong name and say something. And as howtheduck pointed out, this wasn't merely a case of substituting one bird for another--"Crane" had a special significance. Gah, it's as if LJ has about as much regard for Mtigwaki as Liz does. >:-(
Thursday Next
maybe she's just saying "It's free, sure, but Weed's not crap."
That was what I guessed, but that doesn't mean your interpretation is incorrect. I still stand by my "Don't want Connie and Elly in a professional portfolio" stance.
DreadedCandiru2
Someone just called my attention to the fact that Lynn corrected Gary and Vivian's last name.
Ha! Somebody in Corbeil used an eraser, even if it was a computer-generated one. That makes my day.
qnjones
That's kind of appalling and makes me think that Lynn's staff is afraid to point out to her when she makes an error. Or, it's like the office where I'm working right now, where the boss is so bad (bad manager, prone to angry outbursts) that the employees don't care about doing a good job anymore and do only what it takes to stay employed.
Considering Lynn's recent display of ego about her strip at that award ceremony, she doesn't seem like someone who would take those kinds of corrections very well.
aprilp_katje,
And as howtheduck pointed out, this wasn't merely a case of substituting one bird for another--"Crane" had a special significance. Gah, it's as if LJ has about as much regard for Mtigwaki as Liz does. >:-(
That was the part of it that was the most distressing. Lynn's attitude toward Mtigwaki has definitely been going down ever since the Paul breakup.
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