Peter the Unknowable
Since Lynn Johnston is using today's new-run of For Better or For Worse to finally take the story of Peter Landry and Connie from the Who’s Who retcon, let’s see how close she gets. From the Who’s Who:
When she realized that one of her co-workers, Peter Landry, was interested in her, it seemed like the answer to her prayers. Pete was a divorcee, seven years older than she was, a handsome man and a sharp dresser with an air of sleek confidence about him. He was attentive, always opening doors for her, helping her on with her coat and generally displaying an old-fashioned chivalry that was irresistibly flattering to a woman in her insecure state. She wasn't in love with him, but after the anguish of loving and losing Pablo, that seemed like a plus. Her mother liked him, too. It only occurred to Connie afterward that this should have been a warning.
Oops! Elly thinks Connie was crazy about Peter Landry.
Six months after their first date, Connie and Pete married.
At least Lynn got this part right.
Two years later, they divorced. In her eagerness for marriage, Connie hadn't let herself see Pete as he really was, until it was too late. His traditional attitudes went much further than she could accept. He made all the decisions, insisted his wife not work, was jealous of any man she spoke to, and once they were married, no longer hid his disapproval of the child she had borne out of wedlock. It was a shock to realize she had married a younger version of her father. In fact, he was worse, for Pete had a self-centred vanity that her father would have scorned.
And now for Elly's final statement: “Some people you wouldn’t get to know in a lifetime!” If this is supposed to apply to Peter Landry then Elly is saying to Connie that even if she had dated Peter Landry for as long as she lived (instead of 6 months), she still wouldn’t have gotten to know him. That doesn’t make sense. After all, within 2 years Connie got to know Peter well enough to get divorced from him.
I wonder who it could possibly be that we are talking about in this strip, if it’s not Peter Landry? Is there some person in the strip with whom Elly was involved that she felt she didn’t get to know even after having known him for a lifetime? Hum? It’s so mysterious. After all, Elly is only 32. She hasn’t really lived long enough to know a man romantically for most of her life, unlike a certain 60+ year-old cartoonist we know.
On a personal note: The current update on my mother-in-law is that there is no update. She is stable in ICU and hasn’t changed since yesterday. Thanks for all the prayers for her.
When she realized that one of her co-workers, Peter Landry, was interested in her, it seemed like the answer to her prayers. Pete was a divorcee, seven years older than she was, a handsome man and a sharp dresser with an air of sleek confidence about him. He was attentive, always opening doors for her, helping her on with her coat and generally displaying an old-fashioned chivalry that was irresistibly flattering to a woman in her insecure state. She wasn't in love with him, but after the anguish of loving and losing Pablo, that seemed like a plus. Her mother liked him, too. It only occurred to Connie afterward that this should have been a warning.
Oops! Elly thinks Connie was crazy about Peter Landry.
Six months after their first date, Connie and Pete married.
At least Lynn got this part right.
Two years later, they divorced. In her eagerness for marriage, Connie hadn't let herself see Pete as he really was, until it was too late. His traditional attitudes went much further than she could accept. He made all the decisions, insisted his wife not work, was jealous of any man she spoke to, and once they were married, no longer hid his disapproval of the child she had borne out of wedlock. It was a shock to realize she had married a younger version of her father. In fact, he was worse, for Pete had a self-centred vanity that her father would have scorned.
And now for Elly's final statement: “Some people you wouldn’t get to know in a lifetime!” If this is supposed to apply to Peter Landry then Elly is saying to Connie that even if she had dated Peter Landry for as long as she lived (instead of 6 months), she still wouldn’t have gotten to know him. That doesn’t make sense. After all, within 2 years Connie got to know Peter well enough to get divorced from him.
I wonder who it could possibly be that we are talking about in this strip, if it’s not Peter Landry? Is there some person in the strip with whom Elly was involved that she felt she didn’t get to know even after having known him for a lifetime? Hum? It’s so mysterious. After all, Elly is only 32. She hasn’t really lived long enough to know a man romantically for most of her life, unlike a certain 60+ year-old cartoonist we know.
On a personal note: The current update on my mother-in-law is that there is no update. She is stable in ICU and hasn’t changed since yesterday. Thanks for all the prayers for her.
posted by howard at 9:27 PM
4 Comments:
howard,
I wonder who it could possibly be that we are talking about in this strip, if it’s not Peter Landry? Is there some person in the strip with whom Elly was involved that she felt she didn’t get to know even after having known him for a lifetime? Hum? It’s so mysterious. After all, Elly is only 32. She hasn’t really lived long enough to know a man romantically for most of her life, unlike a certain 60+ year-old cartoonist we know.
Today's strip was, of course, another cheap shot at Rod; it's too bad that it outs Lynn as being as dim as Elly. After all, Rod never seemed all that mysterious to me; it thus seems that Lynn/Elly's ignorance was due to a mixture of laziness and a lack of curiosity,
As for your MIL, I hope and pray she gets better soon. It's never a good thing waiting on a doctor's word.
I've been sending the healing thoughts in your MIL's direction--please keep us posted....
Agree with dc2--this is definitely another potshot at Rod. And I also suspect he was never especially mysterious.
As many good wishes and thots as you and your family needs, Howard. :)
This is probably why Lynn decided to bring back Pete after all; the sudden realisation that the strip contained a divorced career woman whose husband tried to hold her back. Joy.
shoebox2,
You're right to have predicted something even more 'joyous': a week-long rant about Pete's many flaws. Not only does Elly have to be the audience for a retcon that would probably end up making him into a folk hero, she also ends up revealing how stoooopid she is by being just as ignorant of what Connie endure after her little chat as she is now.
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