Monday, May 24, 2010

A Pattern?

Click to enlarge.

30 comments:

DreadedCandiru2 said...

Okay, it's checklist time:

1) Anthony eating like a pig? Check.
2) Anthony making some tiny thing into a great big freaking disaster?
Check.
3) Anthony loving lavender and teal?
Checkaroonie.
4) Anthony being disenchanted with Liz because she can't serve his needs?
Check and double check.
5) Anthony trying to worm his way back into Therese's life because he wants what he wants when he wants it and cares not for the needs of others?
Check!!
6) Anthony being incapable of learning?
Do I even have to answer that?

It's crap like this that makes me believe that Anthony was deemed a savior because he's essentially a male Elly; we could, after all, swap out 'Anthony' and 'Therese' with 'Elly' and 'John' and be equally right.

John F Jamele said...

Grass is always greener, eh, Anthony?

I wouldn't mind seeing Liz trying to pull his shit with Paul and getting shot down, too. That woman always needed someone to tell her "you aren't the center of the fucking universe for all single men, you know."

Godozo said...

Don't discount the problem with the lack of children. Obviously Anthony seems to need children to justify his existence.

But beyond that, I'm surprised that he's blocked out so much of the troubles in his past that he'd want to return to Therese. Sure he was unable to deal with Therese's postpartum Depression, but wasn't SHE worst to him in the end?

(word verification word: hosed)

April Patterson said...

It's crap like this that makes me believe that Anthony was deemed a savior because he's essentially a male Elly; we could, after all, swap out 'Anthony' and 'Therese' with 'Elly' and 'John' and be equally right.

You could well be onto something there...

Muzition said...

This comic made me laugh out loud.

April Patterson said...

Grass is always greener, eh, Anthony?

Exactly!

I wouldn't mind seeing Liz trying to pull his shit with Paul and getting shot down, too. That woman always needed someone to tell her "you aren't the center of the fucking universe for all single men, you know."

Recently, I was reading a journal article about Theodore Dreiser's novel Sister Carrie. The article noted that the two men with whom she has relationships are both singleminded about getting her, but once they've got her, they seem to lose their passion for her. This sort of reminds me of the way things went with Liz and Eric. Paul was crazy about her--it's almost as if she can't stand being with someone who really wants to be with her.

We've seen Anthony being about as passionate as a limp noodle. And I've always had a sense that the Liz he was so fixated on from the time they broke up in university until they reunited was a fictional construct in his head. It seemed as if he never really knew the real Liz, whoever that is. So I could see him withdrawing when it dawns on him that the woman he married is not Fantasy!Liz. And then add to that their inability to conceive.

April Patterson said...

Don't discount the problem with the lack of children. Obviously Anthony seems to need children to justify his existence.

True. During the trial, Anthony's parental status played a major part in the way he went out of his way to present himself to Liz.

But beyond that, I'm surprised that he's blocked out so much of the troubles in his past that he'd want to return to Therese. Sure he was unable to deal with Therese's postpartum Depression, but wasn't SHE worst to him in the end?

That's just it--I think he's practicing selective memory.

(word verification word: hosed)

Word verification can be exceedingly wise sometimes. ;)

April Patterson said...

This comic made me laugh out loud.

Hee--thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

The really sad thing is, I believe that Therese really and truly loved Anthony, once.

Think about it. She -chose- to spend her life with him. She must have seen something wonderful in him.

But Liz? He was always her last choice, and only after being urged, cajoled, and brainwashed into it by Elly and John. And her strangely pro-Anthony sort-of friends. And people who were technically only close to Mike, but kept acting as if they had the right to interfere with her life. And...AAAAAUGHH!!!

April Patterson said...

But Liz? He was always her last choice, and only after being urged, cajoled, and brainwashed into it by Elly and John. And her strangely pro-Anthony sort-of friends. And people who were technically only close to Mike, but kept acting as if they had the right to interfere with her life. And...AAAAAUGHH!!!

Oh, I know--there was such a strong undercurrent of Anthony being the guy she settled for after giving up on her youthful hopes and dreams. ::sigh::

Anonymous said...

Ever watch that Judi Dench Britcom, "A Fine Romance"? It's a funny, warm, endearing look at a middle-aged couple who reluctantly fall in love and "settle" for each other. But it's done in a way that fully acknowledges the ambilvalence while at the same time making the viewer -want- to see the two together.

Lynn failed at that. She blinded herself to the ambiguity and could no longer discern what her characters were coming off as. Sad.

April Patterson said...

Ever watch that Judi Dench Britcom, "A Fine Romance"? It's a funny, warm, endearing look at a middle-aged couple who reluctantly fall in love and "settle" for each other. But it's done in a way that fully acknowledges the ambilvalence while at the same time making the viewer -want- to see the two together.

I haven't seen this but will watch for it. Judi Dench is brilliant. :)

Lynn failed at that. She blinded herself to the ambiguity and could no longer discern what her characters were coming off as. Sad.

She not only failed miserably but she also was defiant in her defense/denial of said failure.

howard said...

Rejection of lavender and teal. Imagin that?

I liked the reuse of the same Anthony language he used with Elizabeth. Is he going to end up saying, "I have no home!"? I suppose his motivation is that he wants children and this version of Elizabeth doesn't seem to be as inclined as wife #1.

Anonymous said...

Oh. Oh. Oh, wow. And you only have a few strips to go on this? Gaah!

Good to see Therese shutting him down. Now will she alert Liz to his thoughts straying?

But yeah, Anthony is definitely a male Elly. Or a male Lynn. Divorced once with a child, searching for an ideal second partner -- with their ideal being a pushover who'll conform to whatever they want? Sounds like what Lynn wanted out of Rod, I'm sorry to say... Her final take that at him in the strip was to turn Elizabeth into his spineless, genderflipped counterpart.

Anonymous said...

Ewww...Anthony is such a creep! I'm guessing that the real reason he's doing this is that he knows Therese is able to bear children so that he can have the son he always wanted. Yuck!

I actually feel sorry for Liz; something I thought I would never do after the whole "defending Anthony for ignoring Therese's postpartum depression" strip. Hopefully, she'll wise up and realize that listening to idiots like Elly about the suitability of Anthony as a spouse is a bad way to go through life.

--mighty_penguina

April Patterson said...

I liked the reuse of the same Anthony language he used with Elizabeth.

Thanks--I knew you'd pick up on that. :)

Is he going to end up saying, "I have no home!"?

He totally would have if Thérèse had said "I'm not a homewrecker." But she opted for a much more direct "No."

I suppose his motivation is that he wants children and this version of Elizabeth doesn't seem to be as inclined as wife #1.

I think on top of that, it's a strong aversion to dealing with uncomfortable situations. And Liz's infertility and failed IVF have created a very uncomfortable situation. Thérèse's PPD was also, for him, an uncomfortable situation, but I think by this point, he has found a way to gloss over the way he reacted/didn't react to that.

April Patterson said...

Divorced once with a child, searching for an ideal second partner -- with their ideal being a pushover who'll conform to whatever they want? Sounds like what Lynn wanted out of Rod, I'm sorry to say...

Interesting take--it would take the analogy to its logical conclusion.

April Patterson said...

Hopefully, she'll wise up and realize that listening to idiots like Elly about the suitability of Anthony as a spouse is a bad way to go through life.

One can hope. Too bad Liz threw Paul away (just as she characterized Thérèse as having thrown away Anthony and Françoise).

Anonymous said...

Threw Paul away, insulted the ENTIRE COMMUNITY PAUL LIVED IN, and departed full of righteous indignation and a sense of entitlement.

And a seven year old ex-student who had mysteriously grown into a teenager in the space of only a couple of years. Who she gave an unhealthy, warped non-lesson to in morality.

Sorry, guys. Liz is just as dirty as Anthony. I can't feel sympathy for her beyond realizing she was at least partially a victim of a harridan of a mother and a clueless father.

Godozo said...

After reading many of these comments, I'm beginning to wonder if what we're seeing with Anthony is not so much a Lynn-centric wimp (life around children, trouble dealing with anyone other than themselves, etc.) but someone who'd be an abusive husband if he weren't such a failure to begin with. Lynn could have had some interesting comics had she not been fixated on Anthony being her "Man of Destiny" and cared a little less about losing the dittohead audience.

Anonymous said...

Isn't he still abusive?

When Therese didn't want a child, he tried tricking into compliance -- he outright lied to her, making a promise he had no intent whatsoever of keeping. ("Flowers, chocolates... promises you don't intend to keep," Cogsworth said. I doubt he intended his advice to be taken so literally.) Even though she'd made it clear she wasn't interested in starting a family at that time, he badgered her into it... and expected mystical female hormones to kick in once the baby was born, forcing her to go against her stated wishes and making her stay home. In other words, he didn't give a damn about her dreams -- and was actively trying to crush them, by relying on some twisted idea he had of a 'woman's role' being preprogrammed into them by hormones and instincts.

When that didn't work -- when those mystical hormones instead left her with postparturm depression -- he made no real attempt to understand why, or help her. He just decided there was something wrong with her and kept pining after Liz. (And there's little doubt in my mind he blamed poor Francoise, too -- looking at her and thinking "Why weren't you good enough to keep Therese around? If you'd just done your job, Mommy would still be here doing her job."

When Liz was assaulted, he used that as an excuse to get closer to her and beg her to "wait for him", spinning a sob story about Therese being some horrible beast. He used Francoise as a pawn to try and lure her in -- "Look what a good daddy I am! And Francoise loves you!"

And now it seems he wants to repeat the whole thing... only Therese is too savvy to fall for it. She's already been burned by him, worse than the burns Michael should have gotten during his little laptop rescue. Question is, can he find some OTHER girl who's too bubble-headed or desperate to recognize what he is?

Destroyer of Worlds said...

BWAHAHAHA!!!

Finally!!! The smackdown Anthony deserves! All the Anthonys of the world need their own Thereseses to give them a flat-out, no wiggle room, 'NO'!

Anonymous said...

Lynn Johnston: "No, no. It was Therese's PARENTS who made her have the kid! Anthony was INNOCENT. Therese was evil! Anthony is PERFECT! He was Liz's FirstChildhoodLoveFirstChildhoodLoveFirstChildhoodLoveFirstChildhoodLove!!!!111!!!11ONE!

DreadedCandiru2 said...

Anonymous,

Isn't he still abusive?

Yes, he is; the thing is that he doesn't stand out from the rest of the pack. The whole cast is, to one degree or another, preprogrammed with abusive tendencies. We either see passive abusers like Elly or active ones like John. What we don't see is the sort of decent person we wouldn't mind hanging out with...unless, of course, Lynn tells us to hate them.

Ziesdov61 said...

I now have this vision of a homeless Anthony, wandering the world looking for answers, finally finding his way to the home of his second ex-mother-in-law, the only woman who can REALLY understand him, and moving in with her. Elly turns cougar so that she can have companionship (i.e., someone to nag and manipulate), and both of them are shocked, shocked when everyone around them recoils with revulsion.

April Patterson said...

Isn't he still abusive?

He certainly is--what's stunning is that Lynn never seems to have realized that she was writing him that way.

April Patterson said...

Finally!!! The smackdown Anthony deserves! All the Anthonys of the world need their own Thereseses to give them a flat-out, no wiggle room, 'NO'!

:)

April Patterson said...

"No, no. It was Therese's PARENTS who made her have the kid! Anthony was INNOCENT.

Ugh--that was one of my least favorite retcons in the whole "Liz tries to justify Anthony to Candace" sequence.

April Patterson said...

Elly turns cougar so that she can have companionship (i.e., someone to nag and manipulate), and both of them are shocked, shocked when everyone around them recoils with revulsion.

Now where did I leave that giant vat of brain bleach I purchased? ;)

kam said...

Elly turns cougar so that she can have companionship (i.e., someone to nag and manipulate), and both of them are shocked, shocked when everyone around them recoils with revulsion.

Oh dear lord. I can see that happening. I don't want to see that happening, but I can totally see it.

~kam