forworse (forworse) wrote in binky_betsy,
forworse
forworse
binky_betsy

On Connie

With the various discussions about real-time Elly's sanity, I wondered a little about the psychology of Connie, in particular her relationship with Elly.  She was intended to be a shrill feminist counterpart to Elly but morphed into an insecure single mother, desperate for a relationship.  According to her Who's Who, she met Elly at university when Connie was scared of big city Toronto but was taken under the wing of Vancouver-raised Elly, but more tellingly, it was John who spoke to a doctor friend of his and helped secure a job interview for her when she fled her disapproving mother's house with baby Lawrence, so, like Gord and Tracey, maybe Connie is expected to feel a sense of obligation to the Pattersons.  Then she found a house on the same street as Elly and John and, when she married the now-deleted character of Pete Landry, her co-worker, I guess he moved in and must have socialized with the Pattersons.

From the strips we learn that Connie changed everything for Pete, dyeing her hair red (to help tell her apart from brunette Elly and blonde Annie?), becoming a gourmet cook, taking up all his interests, so that speaks volumes about her self-confidence, as did her attempts to place a personal ad or try to meet single men without appearing too desperate.  Elly was her sounding board for all of this, but didn't always offer constructive advice; rather, she watched Connie go through her on-off relationship with Ted and even conspired to set up Connie and Phil.

I find it interesting, therefore, to note that Connie didn't manage to have a successful relationship until she'd moved 1200 miles away from Elly's influence.  What does that say about Connie, Elly and their friendship?

[Side note: Connie's biography in Who's Who says, "When Elly quit university at the end of second year to marry John and support him through his final year of dentistry...", answering that question.]
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