...I dunno. While Lynn Johnston has never avoided dramatic situations of this nature before, something seems "off" about this one. The pacing seems...clunky, somehow. Like she's trying to force the emotions.
She earned my tears when April almost drowned, and Farley lost his life saving her.
Then again, she may be burnt out. The strip is ending in 2007, and the last few years have been heavy on the drama.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I confess to not having read FBoFW for a couple months. So I went back and started two weeks back and read forward. Maybe I'm just a softy, but this arc is making me cry.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I missed the April/Farley storyline - how did that happen?
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
I've been waiting for this for probably more than a year now. She's been hinting he's got Alzheimer's for a long time, and I was expecting this to be a seizure, but a stroke makes just as much sense. His story was still hanging, and yeah, the strip is wrapping up soon.
I think part of the shift in the drama has been that the characters are all getting older. Before, the Patterson family was the centre, and they were all centralised. But now they're spread out, with Michael married with his own kids, Elizabeth teaching, and the family all spread out. It's harder to keep a slow pace when you have so many people to focus on. It really resonates with me, actually, because that's where my own family is at right now.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
I actually cried too.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Darn. Just reading about the April/Farley thing made me get all weepy a bit. I am such a sap when it comes to sad pet stories.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I'm not questioning the use of drama, or even this particular drama. In truth, she began the gradual shift of tone from sitcom to "dramedy" soap opera way back in the 80s.
And I've lost loved ones in this way too.
I guess that's why it feels less effective to me. The clumsy attempt at humor earlier in the arc ("it must be serious if he won't eat prime rib!") threw me out of the story. And for some reason I'm not engaged by the further strips.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
The deadline for conclusion is appropriate. The family structure has descended into diluted waters.
Distance has worn the strip's previous dynamic thin. We're in the twilight of the final resolutions.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: The strip is ending in 2007, and the last few years have been heavy on the drama.
This was news to me. I've been poking around on the For Better or Worse website, and am not finding any references to it. Could you post a link (I'm not doubting that you're right, but I'm curious to read about it for myself)?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :