Shared Procrastination
We haven’s seen Anne Nichols since October, so it’s good to see her again in today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse. Elly’s other friend, Connie Poirier, we have seen more recently. Connie mentioned that she had already bought Elly’s brother Phil his presents, when Elly said that her only thing left was to get something for her brother. This turned out to be a lie, because we saw that Elly bought things for Phil and also for John. A week earlier, Connie used the idea of writing a Christmas letter as a means of proving that Elly was not taking advantage of all her opportunities to write.
Connie seems very prepared for Christmas and she seems to have an expectation that others should be too. Annie, on the other hand, appears to be even more behind than Elly. Even though today’s strip celebrates Elly and Anne’s mutual lack of Christmas preparedness, I also notice it is also set in opposition to the strips featuring the ultra-prepared Connie. We know the “Connie in Montreal” strips are coming, where she makes a fool of herself and abandons her child to chase after a man. I have this feeling Connie is being set up so the Elly can take the judgmental point of view of her decision to chase after Phil. In other words, even though Connie is prepared for Christmas, her life is wreck. Anne is not prepared for Christmas, and her life is great.
Connie seems very prepared for Christmas and she seems to have an expectation that others should be too. Annie, on the other hand, appears to be even more behind than Elly. Even though today’s strip celebrates Elly and Anne’s mutual lack of Christmas preparedness, I also notice it is also set in opposition to the strips featuring the ultra-prepared Connie. We know the “Connie in Montreal” strips are coming, where she makes a fool of herself and abandons her child to chase after a man. I have this feeling Connie is being set up so the Elly can take the judgmental point of view of her decision to chase after Phil. In other words, even though Connie is prepared for Christmas, her life is wreck. Anne is not prepared for Christmas, and her life is great.
posted by howard at 11:23 PM
9 Comments:
Connie seems very prepared for Christmas and she seems to have an expectation that others should be too.
I remember when the post-August 2008 future of the strip was still up in the air and there was talk of revisiting the past from a different perspective. What I didn't appreciate at the time was that that perspective would be Lynn's post-divorce point of view and not seeing the same storyline through another character's eyes. I had hoped that we'd see Connie's take on events, as she seemed one of the more interesting characters originally, before she became just a straight man for Elly's puns.
Of course Connie would be more prepared: she's a single mum and she has to be organized and manage her time well if she is going to be able to make sure Lawrence gets to school, craft camp and the parent-free cinema on time, lust after Phil and work whatever hours she needs to that allow her endless afternoons free for drinking coffee with Elly.
In other words, even though Connie is prepared for Christmas, her life is wreck. Anne is not prepared for Christmas, and her life is great.
This must mean that when Connie marries Greg and Annie mutates into Steve's warden, the shoe will be on the other foot. I haven't looked up the Christmas strips from that era yet so I can't confirm that hunch but it does have a plausible feel to it.
forworse,
I remember when the post-August 2008 future of the strip was still up in the air and there was talk of revisiting the past from a different perspective. What I didn't appreciate at the time was that that perspective would be Lynn's post-divorce point of view and not seeing the same storyline through another character's eyes.
The giveaway to me was Lynn’s interview in The Chicago Tribume in October, 2007. She was talking about the Sunday strip she reprinted where Elly dreams that John is having an affair.
“I decided to let it run. In a poignantly ironic way, the strip is autobiographical, but the events depicted there happened a long time ago. “I drew that strip years ago … the first year that the strip came out,” Johnston said, adding that it is one of the older strips that are running as part of the hybrid plan.
“I really had that dream. … I put it in a strip, never thinking that it would ever be something that I would experience.
“I’ve been going over the very first strips that I did, and I decided to let it run. … I like it; it was good. It’s really kind of unique, considering the situation. The girls at [my] studio thought it was appropriate, and we all kind of smiled and said, yes, let’s run it.”
When she made this admission in a public venue, there was no doubt that Lynn Johnston’s choice of reprints would be ones which would reflect badly on John Patterson in order to get revenge on her ex-husband. She certainly did not let us down. I think the biggest surprise to me was just how many strips in her first year were negative towards John Patterson.
DreadedCandiru2,
This must mean that when Connie marries Greg and Annie mutates into Steve's warden, the shoe will be on the other foot.
Looking at those old strips, what happens after Connie marries Greg is that the storyline with Connie concentrates on the 2 new daughters for about 1-2 years until they mysteriously disappear.
Connie concentrates on the 2 new daughters for about 1-2 years until they mysteriously disappear.
They're probably in the crawl space.
According to Connie's bio, one of the girls went to college & the other went to live with her mother. They had apparently been hostile to her from the beginning. Greg hoped they'd warm to her. But things weren't thawing fast enough for Connie--she proposed to him. Then they left on their honeymoon, taking Lawrence but leaving the girls behind. Smooth move, Connie.
Then Greg announced they were moving to Millborough. He'd wangled a transplant--partly to please Connie & partly to separate his daughters from friends he disliked. Why? We don't know. There was also no discussion with Connie or the girls over the decision.
And she meekly went along when Greg kicked Lawrence out of "his" house.
--not Bridget
forworse,
Connie concentrates on the 2 new daughters for about 1-2 years until they mysteriously disappear. They're probably in the crawl space.
LOL at that one.
not Bridget,
According to Connie's bio, one of the girls went to college & the other went to live with her mother.
The girls show up in June, 1987 and make their last appearances in April, 1988. Essentially they are there one school year. The way it comes off in the biography is that life with Connie is so awful that when one girl leaves for university, the other girl would rather live with her mom than with Connie, even though she had been living with her dad before Connie came into the picture.
Then Greg announced they were moving to Millborough. He'd wangled a transplant--partly to please Connie & partly to separate his daughters from friends he disliked. Why? We don't know. There was also no discussion with Connie or the girls over the decision.
As near as I can tell from this strip, the move to Milborough seems to be much more Connie’s idea than Greg’s.
Yes, Howard, that strip makes it seem that Connie was the force behind the move. The Bio was different--but why should they be consistent?
Well, for the sake of good storytelling. But that's hardly considered in Foobland!
--not Bridget
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