Valentine's Day: For Better or For Worse: A Valentine from the Heart

Valentine's Day The Flashback

       I have been enjoying writing about "For Better or For Worse" animated specials, and thankfully there's another holiday to use to talk about a holiday special this one being Valentine's Day.  This special came out in 1993.

      This is "A Valentine From the Heart"

   It starts with pizza, which has already shown this special understands love already.  Michael and his friends are having Pizza  and they are talking about a dance, they want to do but can't at a school because the principal is not happy with a past incident.  Michael convinces his mother if he can have a party at his house. Which she allows. (wow cool)

Yeah I need my right to party! 

      Also Brad from the Halloween special is back, and he's still creepy. Also, this special shows takes place a little later than special because Michael is fifteen.(Which fits with the comics aging in real time)  It cuts to Brad who earlier helped  Elizabeth at the grocery store when she was knocked over. While Michael's parents are talking about how great and carefree it is to be 15, we see Brad taking care of his over worked mother. I like how it contrasts so well.

   Elly and John are a great couple and they're loving shows well in this special. The party is about to start.  I wasn't expecting a song sung by Liz, like it comes out of nowhere. She wants to have a valentine. The party seems to be going well until, Brad shows up.  Michael lets him stay as long as he's not trouble.  He does try to talk this girl named Allison but she wants nothing to do with him.  When someone bumps into him , he pushes back a little hard and causes a mess and gets kicked out of the party.

 

     After the party, they lament about Brad.  Later Brad's mother comes by and she says Brad hasn't come home.  Brad calls Allison from a bus station and he's leaving to Vancouver  because she did say she wanted him to disappear. (He took it literally)

       Everyone goes to catch up, while Brad is on a  bus, all sad. They call to him  on the bus and cause people's trip to get delayed. He's quiet and hugs his mother and takes him back to the house. Liz gives Brad her valentine, since she's the boy who she saw earlier. Which I think makes him turn around a little bit.

    It ends with Pizza and Brad shows up and he joins Michael and his friends.

    There's a good great use of visual work for this special. They show us how Brad's life is without any thing he or his mother saying anything, they used a contrast of Elly and John's words to Brad's segment.  They were saying that fifteen year olds have it easy and there's Brad not having an easy life.
 
   The things about these specials is how they stay in the realism and do it well. Liz's subplot plays well into the main plot and everything comes together nicely.  Much like the Halloween special, Valentine's day is used as plot device, but how it uses it here to show kindness as a kind of love more than just romantic love.  It's not something you see much especially for Valentine's Day where the focus always seems to be romantic.  It's a good special with some great heart to it that really has it 's own charm.

 That's our look back tune in next time when we send Valentine's.