Can I Come?
Lynn Johnston has opted to do more new-runs and we have one in today’s For Better or For Worse. Today’s topic to be resolved is Elly’s writing course last mentioned in November. In that strip, Elly still appeared to want to write, but in today’s strip she appears to have given up on that idea. It makes me wonder if Lynn Johnston has in mind to reprint the one strip of Elly taking the class, which she never reprinted.
Elly claims she would need a year alone in a Spanish villa to write, which is pretty funny when you consider the writing class was only one night a week. Besides, she has Annie taking care of Lizzie judging from this strip today, and Michael is at school. What kind of time does Elly need? It’s a bogus excuse; but at least Lynn Johnston is consistent in this characterization of Elly. There was a moment there when I thought she going to make Elly serious about writing, instead of giving up on something when it gets hard, which is more typical of the Elly we have seen over the last 30 years.
As for the punch line, it is one that Lynn Johnston has used before. Of course, when she used it before, it made a little more sense. Anne Nichols has just come over with Lizzie and tells her that she enjoys looking after her and Elly can ask her to do that anytime. In 2 more panels, she is begging Elly to take her with her to a Spanish villa. How do those 2 personalities go together? There should have been something to give us a clue why Anne wants to go to a Spanish villa with Elly, aside from the obvious romantic angle. Maybe Anne loves Spain. Who knows? Maybe we will find out in tomorrow's strip.
Elly claims she would need a year alone in a Spanish villa to write, which is pretty funny when you consider the writing class was only one night a week. Besides, she has Annie taking care of Lizzie judging from this strip today, and Michael is at school. What kind of time does Elly need? It’s a bogus excuse; but at least Lynn Johnston is consistent in this characterization of Elly. There was a moment there when I thought she going to make Elly serious about writing, instead of giving up on something when it gets hard, which is more typical of the Elly we have seen over the last 30 years.
As for the punch line, it is one that Lynn Johnston has used before. Of course, when she used it before, it made a little more sense. Anne Nichols has just come over with Lizzie and tells her that she enjoys looking after her and Elly can ask her to do that anytime. In 2 more panels, she is begging Elly to take her with her to a Spanish villa. How do those 2 personalities go together? There should have been something to give us a clue why Anne wants to go to a Spanish villa with Elly, aside from the obvious romantic angle. Maybe Anne loves Spain. Who knows? Maybe we will find out in tomorrow's strip.
posted by howard at 10:54 PM
9 Comments:
Besides, she has Annie taking care of Lizzie judging from this strip today, and Michael is at school. What kind of time does Elly need? It’s a bogus excuse; but at least Lynn Johnston is consistent in this characterization of Elly. There was a moment there when I thought she going to make Elly serious about writing, instead of giving up on something when it gets hard, which is more typical of the Elly we have seen over the last 30 years.
This makes nonsense of my theory that John, Mike and Lizzie would actively get in the way of her alleged ambitions; what we're going to see is something more familiar: her calling it quits because it's too difficult and twisting something unrelated that they said or did into their active hatred of her dreams.
I notice you linked to the baffling "I had to run out of excuses before I ran out of time" strip.
Apropos of that particular strip, I guess Lynn Johnston thought that sounded like "clever wordplay", and therefore her readers would think it was "humorous", but - you know what? The more I read that line, even in context of the strip and Elly's class, the more it actually makes NO EFFING SENSE AT ALL, let alone is "funny".
Time for WHAT? Time to sign up for a class? What if she instead "ran out of time before she ran out of excuses"? One can take a class in Creative Writing (or whatever Elly is actually taking, as there are conflicting accounts) anytime, as long as one is still alive and fairly healthy - does "run out of time" mean "Elly dies"? She's awfully young for that to be an issue on her radar screen....
Lynn really has no concept of semesters, does she? "That writing class" should have ended, and the question should be whether she started another one. But I agree that Lynn might be gearing up to show that omitted "classroom" strip from January, with the prof from "that writing class." Then when she reprints the one from May 15, 1981, she can reprint the one about her, about Elly having "finished her nightschool class for the summer," she can pretend that the class would have lasted from October through May.
Today's strip doesn't even try to make sense. Anne's been shown as the one who loves being a parent. It does amuse me to see the early new-ruin where Anne notes that Connie has "only one" child. At least, by now, Lynn has remembered that Anne also has "only one" at this point.
I doubt that tomorrow's strip will explain anything.
DreadedCandiru2,
This makes nonsense of my theory that John, Mike and Lizzie would actively get in the way of her alleged ambitions; what we're going to see is something more familiar: her calling it quits because it's too difficult and twisting something unrelated that they said or did into their active hatred of her dreams.
Although Elly did specifically say why she didn’t have the time to write, you know that John, Mike and Lizzie are the reason. I seriously doubt she is going to say it is because writing is too hard or she realized she stinks at it, even if that is the real reason she gave up.
Anonymous,
I notice you linked to the baffling "I had to run out of excuses before I ran out of time" strip.
It’s kind of ironic when you consider the theme of today’s strip was, “My excuse is that I don’t have the time.”
One can take a class in Creative Writing (or whatever Elly is actually taking, as there are conflicting accounts) anytime, as long as one is still alive and fairly healthy - does "run out of time" mean "Elly dies"? She's awfully young for that to be an issue on her radar screen....
What you have is a classic case of Lynn not remembering Elly is not in her 60s, like Lynn is.
aprilp_katje,
Lynn really has no concept of semesters, does she? "That writing class" should have ended, and the question should be whether she started another one. But I agree that Lynn might be gearing up to show that omitted "classroom" strip from January, with the prof from "that writing class."
Then when she reprints the one from May 15, 1981, she can reprint the one about her, about Elly having "finished her nightschool class for the summer," she can pretend that the class would have lasted from October through May.
This could very well be the case. We will probably have new-runs all this week, but if Lynn starts next Monday with the April 6, 1981 strip, then she will hit the May 15, 1981 strip in 6 weeks. With 6 weeks advance for the dailies, she is probably aware of the May 15 strip and these new-runs may be part of her effort to get the story back on track.
It does amuse me to see the early new-ruin where Anne notes that Connie has "only one" child. At least, by now, Lynn has remembered that Anne also has "only one" at this point.
Maybe. I don’t see any kids with Anne except that tar baby, whom I hope is Lizzie.
The idea of Elly spending a year writing in a villa in Spain is so laughable that it should have been the punch line to this strip.
Anonymous,
The idea of Elly spending a year writing in a villa in Spain is so laughable that it should have been the punch line to this strip.
Elly has not ever expressed this desire before. I suspect this comes from Lynn Johnston, who considers Spanish to be her language.
You just know that if Elly were in a villa in Spain to write, she'd write about how she can't seem to find the Spain she's been looking for--the real Spain. She'd write her complaints about how hard it is to find fish and chips and how she keeps being about to buy some food but then for some reason or other doesn't, until she's so hungry she eats a pint of frosting.
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