As stated before, one of the regular themes of Peanuts, both the strips and the specials, is unrequited love, something that every major human character, save for Schroeder, suffers from. To one extent or another, the theme was explored in previous specials such as It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, You're in Love, Charlie Brown, and Play It Again, Charlie Brown. For Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, the third holiday special in 15 months, Charles Schultz used the holiday to once again highlight how nearly everyone longed for someone who either seemed utterly oblivious to the other's affection or couldn't care less about it.
The special primarily focuses on two non-couples. Linus, who is the only major character who has not had their crush be the subject of a special already, longs for Miss Othmar, his teacher, happily interpreting every mention of his name and request from her as proof that a fully-grown woman has fallen for an elementary school boy the way he has for her. Of course, even though we don't actually get to see Miss Othmar or hear her voice (beyond the usual trombone sound that represents the dialogue of all adults), it's still clear that these potentially highly-illegal signs of affections are all in Linus's head. Happily letting his delusions carry him away, Linus heads to the store to buy a big heart-shaped box of candy, to present to her to show his love for her once and for all.
Naturally, Sally sees Linus with the box of candy, and quickly becomes convinced that her "sweet babboo" has bought the candy for her. She spends most of the rest of the special happily waiting to be presented with the box, coming up with excuse after excuse as to why Linus is not giving her the candy, at least until it becomes painfully obvious even to her that the box is not for her.
The third major storyline involves Charlie Brown, though surprisingly, it's not about him pining for the Little Red-Haired Girl (she isn't even mentioned until very late in the special). Instead, perpetual optimist Charlie Brown becomes convinced, for some reason, that he's going to be showered with valentines at the school's party, and brings a briefcase along to hold them all. Naturally, things do not progress that way at all.
Lucy, of course, pines away from Schroeder, which was already the subject of Play It Again, Charlie Brown four years earlier. Schultz chooses not to rehash that for the most part, dealing with that storyline in only one scene, where Lucy violently demonstrates the heartbreak of a lost love on Schroeder's piano. She only has one other major scene in the special, when she attends Snoopy's puppet show. Snoopy being Snoopy, he of course has gone all out for the show, setting up a ticket booth, a concession stand, and an usher station, while having Charlie Brown narrate. The scene is pretty much filler, with no real connection to the rest of the special and barely even fitting the Valentine's theme, but it's highly amusing, as Lucy comes to quickly realize that the puppet show is interactive, as she gets to suffer from the same calamities the puppets suffer from (rain, mud, avalanche). Snoopy, also, has a relatively minor part. In addition the puppet show, he plays Cupid in the cold open, demonstrates his prowess at making homemade Valentine cards, and also is on hand late in the special.
Everything comes to a head at the Valentine's Day party at school, as Linus is crushed to discover that Miss Othmar has left with her (presumably adult) boyfriend before he even gets to give her the candy (given that she seems to leave while the party is in full swing, I hope that there were other teachers there...and why was she leaving before the school day was even over?). Sally is crushed when she finally realizes that Linus did not buy the candy for her, and Charlie Brown, as always, finds his optimism was completely misplaced. Given that we already knew that Linus's and Sally's stories were destined to end in heartbreak, it's Charlie Brown's anguish after realizing that not one single classmate had given him a Valentine's that really stings. Of course, we already knew that was going to be the outcome as well, but at least that story had some hope that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't turn out like it would.
This story does have a coda the next day when Violet, feeling guilty, tries to foist off one of the valentine's she got onto Charlie Brown, with her name crossed out and replaced with his. Even though Schroeder reacts angerly on Charlie Brown's behalf, Charlie Brown still eagerly accepts it, happy that, as cheap and lazy and conscience-abating the act was, it still meant that Violet (who was accompanied by Lucy, Freida, and, oddly, Sally) cared enough about him to make even that small gesture.
Even with that, it's hard to deny that Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is probably the most downbeat special yet. Its idea of a happy ending is having Charlie Brown seize on Violet's gesture and run with it, predicting that he'll get three briefcases full of valentines the next year. Still, even if it doesn't exactly end on a truly optimistic note, this may be the best of the three mid-70s holiday specials, even if it has become the most obscure.
Next week: Charlie Brown enters a motocross race in You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown.
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