Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Who Says We Learn From Experience? Not Lynn.

Today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse seems very similar to a strip Lynn Johnston did back in 1980 portraying Elly when she was sick. The premise is the same. The woman is lying in bed, changing position with 3 panels of thought balloons. Then the final panel has the punch line. The 1980 strip I remember in particular, because Lynn Johnston reenacted it during her 1980 interview with CBC. To me, it clearly indicates the character represents Lynn. I think Connie Poirier, in this situation, represents Lynn in her single mom days. Maybe there was some guy out there whom single Lynn Johnston threw herself after. Or maybe she did like Connie did, and just happened to be moping around, hoping the guy would figure out she was throwing herself at him. I doubt it.

My initial reaction when reading this strip is “Connie threw herself at Phil? Did I miss a strip?” My understanding of what it means when a woman throws herself at a man is that she has essentially said to him, “Here I am. Do whatever you want with me." This could very well be Connie’s intended message to Phil. She certainly went to Montreal with the “Here I am” idea in mind. It shows her level of desperation for a man, and her complete lack of self respect to have taken the trip in the first place. This is a woman who used her pregnancy to try to get Pablo da Silva to move from his country to marry her, so this type of destructive behaviour is not out-of-character for her.

The surprising part is that she does not get the “Do whatever you want with me" idea across. In this area, Connie is completely inept. She doesn’t seem to realize there is more to throwing yourself at a man than simply showing up. If I look at the strip from yesterday, Connie’s defence mechanisms are up and operating in full force and the standard arsenal women use to attract men has been put into deep storage. She doesn’t smile. She barely talks, and when she does it is about how she shouldn’t be there in the first place because her son has a broken leg. She has no sense of humour. She is wearing clothing that does not flatter her figure. She has the personality of a shy nun. In fact, I think a shy nun would have done better in attracting a man than Connie does with Phil. She is trying to attract Phil the way a wall tries to attract paint.


It’s very mysterious Connie would be portrayed in this fashion, especially considering that in the original publication Connie’s next reaction to this situation is to get a makeover where she does essentially what she should have done before visiting Phil, i.e. make herself appear attractive to the opposite sex. Making yourself look better after being rejected is so Lynn Johnston. Lynn has regaled us in her interviews about wearing the negligees from the Salvation Army and going to bed in full makeup after calling her best girlfriend, who is doing the same, all in the name of feeling better about herself after dealing with rejection from a man.

If Lynn Johnston wanted to show Connie throwing herself at Phil and being rejected, why didn’t she just go ahead and show that? The use of the “in bed thinking” strip device is the clue for the answer. Just as “Elly in bed thinking” represented Lynn, so does “Connie in bed thinking.” Since so much of this strip is taken from Lynn’s life, I can easily speculate the reason for Connie’s excessively demure behaviour is Lynn’s defensive reference to something she may have done in real life. It’s as if she is saying, “I did throw myself at a man, but it wasn’t that bad because I didn’t really do anything bad. I’m not a slut.” To make a fool of yourself over a man, a woman usually has to do a little more than stand there; but if you relate too much to the character, then maybe you don’t want to admit that.

The end result of this portrayal in the strip is a headscratcher. Connie appears to be overreacting to having done nothing, or the readers get the feeling there is significant material we have not seen. The side effect is that Connie’s reaction does not seem to be in keeping with Connie as we know her. She has already been shown to be very aggressive when it came to Phil. This timid creature is not the Connie Poirier we know.

18 Comments:

Blogger DreadedCandiru2 said...

Connie appears to be overreacting to having done nothing, or the readers get the feeling there is significant material we have not seen.

Most people would rather believe the latter; this is why I hope to see some new-ruins that explain what it is that Connie is supposed to have done to make herself feel bad. If she's whining about standing around like a mook, I don't know what Lynn is trying to say.

9:31 PM  
Blogger Clio said...

To make a fool of yourself over a man, a woman usually has to do a little more than stand there; but if you relate too much to the character, then maybe you don’t want to admit that.

There's a saying that goes something like: we regret the things we didn't do more than the things we did do. If Connie were anything like me -- well, she would be with Lawrence, but assuming Lawrence hadn't broken his leg, she'd be lying there thinking, "why did I drive all the way to Montreal to see Phil and then not even flirt with him? Why did I clutch my purse and frown as if afraid he was a mugger? Has being around Elly so much rubbed off, and now I am doomed to be as sexless as her, all because of some outdated, sexist double standard?"

Driving all the way to Montreal for a man and then sending GO AWAY signals to him -- yep, insane. There is definitely no mirror in my house for this one.

9:49 PM  
Blogger FDChief said...

Or perhaps what we're seeing is the utter lack of understanding of the actual implementation of things like "seduction" or "throwing myself at him" on the part of a middle-class white-bread Canadian housewife.

I know it seems impossible for anyone with a functioning libido, but perhaps Lynn (Connie) thought that standing there in her Georgy-girl neckerchief with her buttocks tightly clenched was the equivalent of acting like Suzy Creamcheese. Perhaps she really DID think that she'd been slutting around, and couldn't figure out why Phil hadn't gone into heat.

It makes her a profoundly ignorant woman, but at least it explains this without the need for a retcon.

God DAMN, I hate this story arc. Makes me want to force Lynn to flip through the pages making "yadda yadda" sounds for the dialogue until she gets through it.

11:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This strip was implausible in the original run, and it's ludicrous now. In the new-run "For Bizzaro or For Worse" universe, Connie has been corresponding with Phil for a year, has had sex a few times with him, and then found a woman answering the door at Phil's place (unless she randomly knocked at the door of somewhere down the street). After all this she either (a) throws herself at Phil, (b) gets all mousy and shy, or (c) both of these. Yeah, right!

11:12 PM  
Blogger DreadedCandiru2 said...

FDChief,

I said something a lot like that on gocomics.com; so far, I haven't had a response but I bet that at least some people will agree with me.

3:11 AM  
Blogger April Patterson said...

dc2:

I hope to see some new-ruins that explain what it is that Connie is supposed to have done to make herself feel bad.

If there were going to be new-runs to explain this, I suspect they would have run before today's strip.

Clio:

If Connie were anything like me -- well, she would be with Lawrence, but assuming Lawrence hadn't broken his leg, she'd be lying there thinking, "why did I drive all the way to Montreal to see Phil and then not even flirt with him? Why did I clutch my purse and frown as if afraid he was a mugger?

Yes! This actually makes sense, and I can imagine having thoughts like this after behaving as Connie had.

FDChief:

I know it seems impossible for anyone with a functioning libido, but perhaps Lynn (Connie) thought that standing there in her Georgy-girl neckerchief with her buttocks tightly clenched was the equivalent of acting like Suzy Creamcheese.

I really think Lynn must have thought that the neckerchief was a good look, as she even had latter-day Elly wear one when she wanted to look gussied up.

Anonymous:

Connie has been corresponding with Phil for a year, has had sex a few times with him, and then found a woman answering the door at Phil's place (unless she randomly knocked at the door of somewhere down the street). After all this she either (a) throws herself at Phil, (b) gets all mousy and shy, or (c) both of these. Yeah, right!

Exactly! Lynn really doesn't seem to think through the effect her new-runs have on her continuity or basic plausibility.

3:51 AM  
Blogger April Patterson said...

Erg. I forgot to subscribe to comments. Posting this to subscribe. :)

3:52 AM  
Blogger howard said...

DreadedCandiru2,

Most people would rather believe the latter; this is why I hope to see some new-ruins that explain what it is that Connie is supposed to have done to make herself feel bad.

I agree. This is a storyline that practically cries out for new-run explanations.

5:30 AM  
Blogger howard said...

Clio,

…she'd be lying there thinking, "why did I drive all the way to Montreal to see Phil and then not even flirt with him? Why did I clutch my purse and frown as if afraid he was a mugger? Has being around Elly so much rubbed off, and now I am doomed to be as sexless as her, all because of some outdated, sexist double standard?"

If Connie did do that, then the comments she made about “I made a fool of myself. I do dumb things. I wish I could turn back the clock.” would make sense. And we can’t have that in this strip.

5:30 AM  
Blogger howard said...

FDChief,

Or perhaps what we're seeing is the utter lack of understanding of the actual implementation of things like "seduction" or "throwing myself at him" on the part of a middle-class white-bread Canadian housewife.

This is possible. In the April and Elizabeth romance strips, those girls were usually the recipient of unexpected advances by men, where they didn’t do much more than stand there and look pretty. On the other hand, when I think about the strips with Mike and Martha, Martha was very physically aggressive in comparison. She actually touched Mike and smiled at him and hugged him. That slut!

Perhaps she really DID think that she'd been slutting around, and couldn't figure out why Phil hadn't gone into heat.

“I came to Montreal. Isn’t that enough?” That makes sense too. I remember how Elizabeth used to harp on the “Anthony must visit me at Nippissing. Warren must visit me in Mtigwaki. Paul must move to Milborough.” themes. For a woman to go visit a man where he lives might be the height of sluttiness in Lynn Johnston’s mind.

God DAMN, I hate this story arc. Makes me want to force Lynn to flip through the pages making "yadda yadda" sounds for the dialogue until she gets through it.

She would probably just say, “Hum. Hum.”

5:32 AM  
Blogger howard said...

Anonymous,

After all this she either (a) throws herself at Phil, (b) gets all mousy and shy, or (c) both of these. Yeah, right!

Clearly Lynn Johnston is making very little attempt to blend her new-run storyline with the reprints. Connie should not be acting like a frightened little mouse around Phil by this point in their relationship. She bought him a bathrobe and liquor for Christmas after all.

5:33 AM  
Blogger howard said...

april_katje,

If there were going to be new-runs to explain this, I suspect they would have run before today's strip.

That would be the sensible place to put them. Since we are talking about Lynn Johnston, I think “after” is a pretty fair choice.

I really think Lynn must have thought that the neckerchief was a good look, as she even had latter-day Elly wear one when she wanted to look gussied up.

I remember when fashion neckerchiefs were all the rage with the middle-aged and elderly lady sets.

5:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is this the same Connie who had no problem with booting her six-year-old dainty dollboy son out of the house during CHRISTMAS so she could have lots and lots of make-out sessions with Phil?

Why's she suddenly feeling all shy and self-blaming NOW?

7:05 AM  
Blogger howard said...

Anonymous,

Is this the same Connie who had no problem with booting her six-year-old dainty dollboy son out of the house during CHRISTMAS so she could have lots and lots of make-out sessions with Phil?

This is the same, although I don’t know if it was limited to just making out.

Why's she suddenly feeling all shy and self-blaming NOW?

This part actually does make sense within the context of this character. Connie is not blaming herself for anything having to do with Lawrence. She is blaming herself for throwing herself at Phil. When it didn’t work, she was embarrassed. If it had worked, I doubt she would show the same degree of remorse.

As for the way Connie treats Lawrence, he gets ignored in favour of his mom’s romantic interest continually throughout his mom’s dating years, up to and including being thrown out of the house by his step-dad when he announced he is gay. After graduating from high school, we never see Lawrence and Connie together again, even at Mike or Elizabeth’s weddings.

And it is not just Lawrence. Connie’s step-daughters only last 1 year with her before they flee to their mother, who was described as being so awful she hadn’t seen her daughters in over 2 years. I guess she didn’t look so bad after living with Connie.

Connie is not a very good mom. She always places her interests over those of her children. I am not sure why Lynn Johnston would pick such a woman to be Elly’s best friend, however, I give credit to Lynn Johnston for portraying her so consistently.

8:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

howard:
Connie is not a very good mom. She always places her interests over those of her children. I am not sure why Lynn Johnston would pick such a woman to be Elly’s best friend, however, I give credit to Lynn Johnston for portraying her so consistently.

Actually, neither Elly nor Connie are good moms--the best you can say about them is that all of their kids survived childhood. The only "good" mom in the strip is Annie Nichols and she is seen as a fussy person whose husband eventually cheats on her. That would mean Connie would be the perfect best friend for Elly since their parenting styles of "benign" neglect are so similar.

--mighty_penguina

12:48 PM  
Blogger howard said...

mighty_penguina

Actually, neither Elly nor Connie are good moms--the best you can say about them is that all of their kids survived childhood.

Elly does have her issues, however, she is known for putting her children’s needs above her own, especially in ridiculous situations where she appears to martyr herself for no reason instead of doing something practical and sensible.

That would mean Connie would be the perfect best friend for Elly since their parenting styles of "benign" neglect are so similar.

I agree that Elly’s parenting style is closer to Connie’s than Anne’s. As time goes on, Anne is shown to have discipline issues with her sons, so it is not always perfect. Eventually Lynn Johnston got to a point where it was important for her to show the Patterson kids’ relationship with other kids. Anne’s 2 boys were closest to Elizabeth in age, but Lynn Johnston went for the all girl set of friends for Liz, and that left the Nichols boys out, and they disappeared from the strip. Lynn Johnston would later on site Anne’s marital problems as the reason she dropped Anne from the strip, and that is certainly reasonable coming from a woman who appears to have suspected her husband was having an affair throughout the course of most of her marriage. The real question is why she introduced the idea of Steve Nichols having an affair in the first place, if she was planning to abandon it almost as soon as she introduced it.

1:27 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's interesting that as the strip progressed, Connie wound up being not just Elly's best friend, but her only friend. Anne was scarcely ever seen after the first few years, and no one really took her place. In the last few years, even within her marriage, the friendship aspect of the relationship was sometimes a topic of character's conversation but seldom a subject of Lynn Johnston's creative imagination. Perhaps that's not surprising, since Elly gradually developed into something of an antiheroine, with few ingratiating qualities.

I say this as someone who liked many aspects of the strip up until about the "Mr. (W)right" storyline. Johnston could create interesting, compelling female characters, including (for me) Elizabeth, April, and Candace. Unfortunately, Elly, the central character of the strip, seldom, if ever, was seldom, if ever, as successfully characterized.

Just my two cents, and a bit more.

4:54 PM  
Blogger howard said...

Anonymous,

It's interesting that as the strip progressed, Connie wound up being not just Elly's best friend, but her only friend.

It does seem that way. Carol Enjo had potential, but disappeared after April appeared. Then Elly developed her bookstore and her employee Moira Kinney also had potential, but Lynn never really did anything with Moira or the bookstore staff. Lynn went through a storyline talking about the hiring of new employee Beatrice Alfarero, but never did anything with her either. The storylines started revolving around the Patterson children with Elly occasionally popping into their stories. There were rarely any stories that were driven by Elly.

9:06 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home