The Many Views of Ted McCaulay
We have had 2 strips now with Dr. Ted McCaulay. His face has appeared clearly in drawing or in silhouette in 7 panels. The miracle of Lynn Johnston’s art is that Dr. Ted McCaulay’s face looks different in every single panel. Some artists might make a mistake and draw the same face at least one time; but not Lynn Johnston. She is especially talented this way.
Monday, Panel 1: Ted is eyeless and with a bad toupee, which has slid over his ear and makes it look like Ted needs a haircut.
Monday, Panel 2: Ted gets his haircut, and his ear magically reappears, along with his eye, which is shut, so he can’t see the huge indentation of his face, leading under his nose.
Monday, Panel 4: The muppet, Guy Smiley, makes a guest appearance as Ted.
Tuesday, Panel 2: Elly Patterson puts a Ted wig on, and appears as Ted. The bulbous Elly nose is the giveaway. Coming along with Elly is Dawn Enjo, playing the waitress and once again reminding us that Lynn Johnston no longer can draw Asian characters with their eyes open.
Tuesday, Panel 3: John says Ted needs someone else in his life besides his mom. Someone who can trim Ted’s rapidly-growing eyebrows.
Tuesday, Panel 4: Bela Lugosi as Dracula lives. He has no trouble attracting girlfriends. Blah-blah! One little bite, and they are all his. If only they would stop looking at his pointed ears.
Tuesday, Panel 5: In silhouette, Ted’s nose retracts from the prior panel.
As for the strip, I enjoy the inadvertent subtext. In yesterday’s strip, John Patterson suggested that they both go to the pub. Today, John suggests that Ted needs someone else in his life. Ted immediately leaps to the conclusion that John means a girlfriend; but is that what John is really saying?
John: I don’t know about you, Ted, but I need a break. Life’s too short. Wanna go to the pub on Friday?
Ted: I told my mom I’d stay home.
John: Forgive me for saying this, Ted – but, you need someone else in your life! Someone who will understand you better than your mother. Someone who’s a doctor like you. Someone who’s a man like you. Do you understand what I’m saying Ted?
Ted: You think I need “guy time,” John?
John: Oh, yes, Ted. Yes I do.
Monday, Panel 1: Ted is eyeless and with a bad toupee, which has slid over his ear and makes it look like Ted needs a haircut.
Monday, Panel 2: Ted gets his haircut, and his ear magically reappears, along with his eye, which is shut, so he can’t see the huge indentation of his face, leading under his nose.
Monday, Panel 4: The muppet, Guy Smiley, makes a guest appearance as Ted.
Tuesday, Panel 2: Elly Patterson puts a Ted wig on, and appears as Ted. The bulbous Elly nose is the giveaway. Coming along with Elly is Dawn Enjo, playing the waitress and once again reminding us that Lynn Johnston no longer can draw Asian characters with their eyes open.
Tuesday, Panel 3: John says Ted needs someone else in his life besides his mom. Someone who can trim Ted’s rapidly-growing eyebrows.
Tuesday, Panel 4: Bela Lugosi as Dracula lives. He has no trouble attracting girlfriends. Blah-blah! One little bite, and they are all his. If only they would stop looking at his pointed ears.
Tuesday, Panel 5: In silhouette, Ted’s nose retracts from the prior panel.
As for the strip, I enjoy the inadvertent subtext. In yesterday’s strip, John Patterson suggested that they both go to the pub. Today, John suggests that Ted needs someone else in his life. Ted immediately leaps to the conclusion that John means a girlfriend; but is that what John is really saying?
John: I don’t know about you, Ted, but I need a break. Life’s too short. Wanna go to the pub on Friday?
Ted: I told my mom I’d stay home.
John: Forgive me for saying this, Ted – but, you need someone else in your life! Someone who will understand you better than your mother. Someone who’s a doctor like you. Someone who’s a man like you. Do you understand what I’m saying Ted?
Ted: You think I need “guy time,” John?
John: Oh, yes, Ted. Yes I do.
posted by howard at 10:42 PM
20 Comments:
LOL. To me, what John is doing looks totally normal. Every single unhappily married person I know is constantly "recruiting" for the Married Team. I think it's something they do to maintain their own delusions. My job is full of Johns, trapped in miserable marriages, who go around telling us happy singles that we won't be happy until we finally get married.
I'm guessing that Lynn engaged in a lot of similar self-delusion during her married years.
howard,
I'm going to have to agree with qnjones on this one; John is simply trying to get Ted enlisted in the ranks of the married-in-denial. The unspoken context comes, of course, from Lynn's inability to imagine male conversation. As with Mike and Weed, she always makes John and Ted sound like Disparate Lowlifes with Y chromosomes.
Yeah, look how creepy Lynn is portraying Ted to be- sure he has girlfriends, but Mother doesn't like any of them, so the don't work out. As we all know, Lynn thinks that being under your mother's thumb like this is really strange....oh, wait....
What I meant was, Lynn has always implied that kids should seek out partners based on their own interests and needs, not based on what they think their mommy would approve of....oh wait....
Never mind. Ted? You are a creep. The mystery here is, why are you being portrayed as a creep, since you are just vocalizing the Stay at Home Till Mommy Picks Out a Partner for You mentality Lynn's been advertising for years.
This comment has been removed by the author.
John_F_Jamele,
I think that Ted is portrayed as a creep because he's obeying the commands of another mother. Just as Mike and Dee are seen as heroically battling the 'evil' attempts Mira makes to supplant Saint Elly-of-Koi and live lives that have an evilly high content of fulfillment, Ted is best understood as willfully following his own mother's orders instead of following the blissful path of the Foobs by having a crappy marriage, a job that deadens his soul and kids who suck the life out of him.
JohnFJamele, the only Mommy who should be picking out marriage partners for her kids is Lynn's avatar Elly, apparently. Of course, it's okay in her case, as we all know that Elly is perfect.
I sometimes think that married folks want all their friends to be married because they feel it makes it easier for them to socialize with. If Ted were married to Connie, for instance, Elly would undoubtedly be more approving of John spending time with Ted.
Of course, John's Monthly Letters in which he talks about Ted with a tone of pity, condescension, and disgust confuse the issue of whether John really ever liked the guy in the first place.
qnjones,
Every single unhappily married person I know is constantly "recruiting" for the Married Team.
What do the happily married persons you know do? Oh, wait! I already know the answer to that question. We have discussed it at length before. I am pretty sure that I don’t do this. I honestly cannot remember ever telling any man that they need someone in their lives, or they need a girlfriend, or they need a wife. That’s kind of an anti-male statement. The usual stereotype is for married men to go into mourning for a man who has gotten engaged, and taunt him for giving up his freedom. Of course, I don’t remember doing that either.
Of course, it's okay in her case, as we all know that Elly is perfect.
She approved of Deanna and Anthony. We know she disapproved of Paul Wright and Eric Chamberlain. Did she disapprove of Rhetta Blum? I don’t remember. It certainly would have made for better story-telling for Elly to be occasionally wrong on this part.
John F Jamele,
Never mind. Ted? You are a creep. The mystery here is, why are you being portrayed as a creep, since you are just vocalizing the Stay at Home Till Mommy Picks Out a Partner for You mentality Lynn's been advertising for years.
From a story-telling aspect you do have, once again, two positions at odds with each other. Elly pushed Anthony on Elizabeth, even when he was married with a child and Elizabeth had a steady boyfriend, and somehow this was a good thing. Ted’s mom took a look at the Milborough women and saw the likes of Connie Poirier and said, “Ted. You can do better.” From my perspective, Ted’s mom had the right idea.
DreadedCandiru2
I think that Ted is portrayed as a creep because he's obeying the commands of another mother. Just as Mike and Dee are seen as heroically battling the 'evil' attempts Mira makes to supplant Saint Elly-of-Koi and live lives that have an evilly high content of fulfillment, Ted is best understood as willfully following his own mother's orders instead of following the blissful path of the Foobs by having a crappy marriage, a job that deadens his soul and kids who suck the life out of him.
Actually, I don’t think Lynn is pushing the job that deadens your soul. She emphasized Mike as author over Mike as magazine editor. She emphasized Deanna as sewing school teacher over Deanna as pharmacist, only because she had to support Mike until he became a best-selling author. She even dropped in the idea that Anthony Caine would own a bed and breakfast instead of working for Gordon Mayes. What is the message here? Did she want Dr. Rod Johnston to give up his dental practice and live off her millions?
[i] Actually, I don’t think Lynn is pushing the job that deadens your soul. She emphasized Mike as author over Mike as magazine editor. She emphasized Deanna as sewing school teacher over Deanna as pharmacist, only because she had to support Mike until he became a best-selling author [/i]
I concur. Once the initial excitement of the job wore off, Portrait was increasingly viewed as a hellish corporate environment that Mike only stuck with because he had a family to support (more reasons to resent his children!).
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Lynn did wish Rod to give up his own career and interests, to live off of her, and to adopt an attitude of eternal gratitude.
As for the question about what happily married people do: it's hard to answer this question because you always misremember and believe that I said I don't know any. In fact, what I've always said is that I know a few people who seem happy or content in their marriages, but that I have never seen a marriage that didn't look intolerable to me. Which is why I'm single.
Anyway, to answer the question, amongst those who seem happy/content, some recruit and some don't. And the "happy recruiters" are usually way less obnoxious about it than the miserable ones and give up after I politely indicate my lack of interest in matrimony.
Cedar,
Once the initial excitement of the job wore off, Portrait was increasingly viewed as a hellish corporate environment that Mike only stuck with because he had a family to support (more reasons to resent his children!).
I never did understand that. In my mind, Mike had his 9-to-5 Portrait job which kept him busy during the day; but it was his freelance writing work which was keeping him from his kids. And yet, the Portrait job was the one viewed as hellish. After he quit Portrait, I expected Lynn Johnston to show all these strips of Mike with the kids to show how much better life was now he could spend more time with the kids. Instead, she showed Mike shunting the kids off to school or to his mother, so he could write. I think she kind of missed her own point with that storyline.
qnjones,
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if Lynn did wish Rod to give up his own career and interests, to live off of her, and to adopt an attitude of eternal gratitude.
This could well be the case. Lynn has had her daughter work for her, and currently has her ex-sister-in-law and ex-niece working for her. Obviously she has no problem employing relatives or ex-relatives.
And there are all those elements of Rod Johnston which operated independently of Lynn Johnston that never made it into the strip as a part of John Patterson’s life (working with Canadore College, the North Bay Waterfront Park renovation, and doing dental work for countries in South America, etc.) It certainly would have made John Patterson a more interesting character; but Lynn Johnston may not have wanted to give her approval to such things by including them in her strip. In fact, whenever she talked about going on the trips with Rod to South America, she spoke mainly about her part as a translator and mentioned very little of what Rod was doing. John Patterson’s interests outside of Elly are limited to dental work and model trains. With 30 years of doing strips, there would have been a moment to slip other stuff in, if Lynn wanted to.
As for the question about what happily married people do: it's hard to answer this question because you always misremember and believe that I said I don't know any.
And you always seem to misremember what I misremember. Looking at my comment above, I am pretty sure I didn’t misremember what you misremembered that you think I usually misremember. Of course, when it comes to misremembering things, it’s hard to say what is misremembered or just plain remembered.
Anyway, to answer the question, amongst those who seem happy/content, some recruit and some don't. And the "happy recruiters" are usually way less obnoxious about it than the miserable ones and give up after I politely indicate my lack of interest in matrimony.
Let me see if I have this straight. In your opinion, some percentage of happily married persons recruit; but every single unhappily married person recruits?
I have a different theory, qnjones. I think your opinion is skewed by your own situation. You are so attractive, the married folk consider you to be too dangerous to leave as single, and you are too humble to realize this is what is really happening. What do you think of my theory?
Ha ha. I see the evidence that contradicts your theory in the mirror every day.
Honestly, I think my opinion has been skewed (somewhat) by the particular set of co-workers I've had for the last 2.5 years. There are three VERY unhappily married people who work there. I mean, they complain every single day about their spouses, and truly have terrible marital situations. At the same time, they are constantly nagging me about getting a boyfriend and getting married. I am in the office no more than 10 hours per week, yet I am guaranteed to be harangued on the subject at least once a week. One of them tells me she prays for me to get a husband every single week! It is out of control. It is also part of the reason that I often work from home.
There is also the awful fact that my mother, who has the world's worst marriage, has started being really manipulative on the subject. She has taken to tearfully wondering if she's ever going to get any grandchildren. Hint hint. Then she tells me a horrible marriage is better than staying single. Hint hint.
Three years ago, I probably wouldn't be so definite on the subject. I'd seen the unhappy recruiter trend, but not like this. But right now, every single unhappily married person I see on a regular basis is on my case all the time. I wish I were exaggerating.
qnones said
But right now, every single unhappily married person I see on a regular basis is on my case all the time. I wish I were exaggerating.
Ugh, that's awful, I hope you get out of that situation soon. It seems very strange to me. I've never had anyone nag at me to have a boyfriend or get married, and I'm 32 and was single through the overwhelming majority of my twenties and am now living with my boyfriend. My parents have often not wanted me to have a boyfriend, especially my father, who has Issues with any guy I like, but that's another story. People who are unhappy with their own choices often use other people to validate those choices, though, when they don't have the courage to gain self-knowledge.
Anyhow, I think Ted looks like Gomez Adams in today's strip.
qnjones,
I see the evidence that contradicts your theory in the mirror every day.
There’s the humble part of my theory.
I am in the office no more than 10 hours per week, yet I am guaranteed to be harangued on the subject at least once a week. One of them tells me she prays for me to get a husband every single week!
That’s ridiculous. Where I work that would be grounds for harassment charges. Does your boss know this is going on?
There is also the awful fact that my mother, who has the world's worst marriage, has started being really manipulative on the subject.
Unfortunately, there is not much you can do about mothers on this subject, except try to change the subject. When I was in this situation, my sister got pregnant and took the heat off me.
clio-1.
Anyhow, I think Ted looks like Gomez Adams in today's strip.
I can definitely see that. The one thing for certain is that he doesn’t look like Ted McCaulay
Unfortunately, I work at a small "family" company that prides itself on having personal lives bleed into the professional arena on a daily basis. The receptionist brings her dog to work. The bookkeeper brings her teenage daughter...and gave her the password to my work computer so she could "tinker" with it! If I started complaining about all the unprofessional behavior, the lady who prays for me to get a husband would be low on the list of problems.
BTW, I just re-read your OP and saw the thing about Guy Smiley. It cracked me up because I frequently think that Lynn's characters look like Muppets. It's the potato noses, mainly, and the gaping stupid toothless smiles. I have often thought that various characters looked like Guy Smiley, but especially Ted.
"One of them tells me she prays for me to get a husband every single week!"
And this is *acceptable*? I mean, apart from the incredible rudeness of dragging your coworkers into your religious practises, there's the implication of "man, you're such a hopeless case that God Himself is gonna have to intervene."
Post a Comment
<< Home