For Better or for Worse: Seasons 1 and 2 (2 disc box set)

 

 

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I've been a fan of the "For Better or For Worse comic strip for years. I was intrigued when I found out that there had been a TV series based on this strip that aired in Canada. I'm glad I ordered it. It's terrific.The strip, and the TV series, center around the Patterson family of suburban Toronto. Elly, wife and mother, is the glue that holds the family together. Her husband, John, is a dentist, family man, and avid lover of model trains. There are three children; Michael, Elizabeth, and April. Mike is the oldest and became a writer. Elizabeth, or as Mike calls her, "Lizard breath", is teaching in a school not far from home after spending a year teaching indiginous children in a small northern Ontario town. April just turned 16 and is every bit the typical teen. For those who read the strip, you know the rest. For those who don't, now is the time to do so. The TV series brings the family, albeit animated, to life. Lynn Johnston, creator of the show and strip, opens each episode with a little hint about the theme of the vignettes to be seen each time. These can be funny, insightful, and in one case, actually made this 58 year old man cry. That was one called "Farley's Day". Farley was a sheepdog that was the beloved pet of the Pattersons. He was special for another reason: he saved April's life when she was just 4 years old. It seems she went down to the river that runs near the Patterson home with a toy boat that she wanted to sail. She fell into the water and would have drowned had Farley not jumped into the river and held her head above the water until help arrived. Farley's son, Edgar, ran back to the house and barked until they followed him. John pulled April out of the water. An exhausted Farley laid down on the river bank...and died. He gave his life to save hers. Farley was buried by a tree on the river bank, and each year the Pattersons celebrate his life on the anniversary of his saving April. It was very touching, indeed.Sometimes it's hard to remember that this is just a comic strip. Lynn Johnston is a master of reality. The strip is not locked in time; the kids grow up, Elly and John deal with middle age, Elly's father suffers a stroke and deals with the aftermath along with his second wife, Iris. Mike and wife Deanna and their kids are burned out of their apartment and move in with Elly and John. The list goes on. You feel as though you know these people. They are definitely a family you should get to know.

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