User blog comment:Eikakou/Anne (2017) episode 5 - Tightly Knotted to a Similar String review/@comment-4934571-20170421005214

The CBC archive is a great mystery to me. One week it works perfectly, the next two weeks not so much. Error 2 is very annoying issue and I know it is mainly caused by me trying to pretend that I am from Canada. However, I am really really stubborn and persistent and I managed to make it work - I was just clicking on the video really quickly and furiously. Also, I changed the definition from HD to the lowest one and apparently it helped.

So... episode 5! Only 2 episodes (?) are left and I feel bad because I just love this series! I don't want it to end to soon – I believe there will be Season 2 and more seasons to come, it's Netflix after all. But 7 episodes is just not enough!

When I read the plot summary for this episode, I was really curious how the creators handled and adapted the issue without making the series a bit controversial. And I was sure that our discussion here will be very interesting because there is no way we can talk about Anne's first period without mentioning our own experience, am I right?

Tightly Knotted to a Similar String starts with a spelling bee competition. While some students are successful (Anne and Gil), the others are not lucky enough and misspell their words. Mr. Phillips is very mean and annoying in this scene, he calls Moody a butcher of beauty just because of a mistake he made. Anne and Gilbert make it to the final round and we can see that Anne doesn't feel well, but yet she manages to concentrate. It is Gilbert who loses the game when he makes mistake in the word engagement. Now this scene has a lot of different meanings. Mr. Phillips openly flirts with Prissy and with that word he may imply his serious interest in her. It may also foreshadow Anne and Gilbert's future relationship. And finally, Gilbert later tells Anne he should've added an e, which is a clear reference to the way she emphasises the spelling of her name.

Anne wakes up in the middle of the night, most likely in a great pain and finds out that her bed sheets are covered in blood. The only thing I can say is poor poor Anne! I remember getting my first period when I was 13 and a similar thing happened to me – I woke up in the morning in a puddle of blood. I was shocked and I started crying, but unlike Anne I knew exactly what was going on. Anne doesn't have a clue and she honestly believes she is dying. She doesn't know anything about periods – Mrs. Hammond told her about the pet mouse, but I don't think she mentioned bleeding every month (but she had many children just like Rachel, so...) Anne doesn't want to cause Marilla any troubles, that's why she tries to wash her bed sheets in the sink – unfortunately, she uses hot water (it doesn't help, Anne, dearie). Marilla comes down and Anne apologizes for betting on a bad horse as she is ill and dying.

Marilla explains her the whole situation and Anne's reaction is just on point (every month for years –well, I tried to calculate how many times will I have to go through it again after getting my first period, that's why I completely understand her). Matthew comes there as well, but Marilla chases him out. It is questionable how much he knows, but he sees the bloody bed sheets in the sink and crying Anne and it is enough for him to go to the barn in the middle of the night – taking his hat with him.

After Marilla explains everything to her, Anne tells the girls about her new experience during the lunch break. They have their own stories to tell and each one of them has a slightly different point of view. Josie got her first period 3 months ago and she feels more mature now. She also believes the boys take her now more seriously – this makes me wonder. How can they tell? Anne didn't have a clue about what was happening, the girls consider it to be unmentionable, they don't seem to have biology at school... How do the boys know about it? And even if they do know... how can they tell that Josie got her first period? Tillie and Diana got it a year before and Diana's father started opening doors for her right after it. Tillie believes it is a taboo and inappropriate to talk about. I already mentioned in my previous reviews that Ruby is very childish. She is again the baby of the group because she is the last one who hasn't got her period yet and she believes there may be something wrong with her. (Again, the same thing happened to me. I was the last one in our class without having period and I was afraid if there's something wrong with me.) Anne tries to be positive about it, Marilla told her it's God's plan after all. However, the girls mention an old story about a girl who bled through her dress at school and everyone saw it. Anne's mind is distracted when Mr. Phillips asks her a question about the Maritimes. She is in pain, she cannot concentrate and she is likely afraid that she will bleed through too. After school, Gilbert (who doesn't have a clue about what's going on right now in the world of young women) tries to be nice and genuinely wants to help her.

However, Gilbert has his own worries and his backstory is expanded in this episode. We see that he lives with his father and takes care of him (Mr. Blythe doesn't feel very well and there is a wheelchair in his room). He prepares breakfast for both of them and packs his lunch, chops wood, pays the bills (they pay Mrs. Kincannon, a hired lady who takes care of Mr. Blythe), spends time with his father and reads him from his favourite book. And yet he manages to be one of the best students. It seems like his mother is dead and they are on their own. Without Mr. Blythe being able to walk properly and doing his work around the house, everything is on Gilbert's shoulders. Just like Anne, Gilbert doesn't have a perfect life and he is forced to grow up way too soon.

Marilla visits Rachel and helps her with preparing preserves. They discuss their own experience and are glad they don't have to deal with it any more. Rachel even says she'd be rather pregnant than menstruating – which totally explains why she has 10 children. She seems to have a happy marriage and a good relationship with her husband, Thomas. After all those years they seem to love each other.

Because of her period and all those hormones raging in her system, Anne is moody, emotional and rude, she wants to stay in bed all day. Marilla and Matthew want to make her happy. While Marilla suggests Anne should invite Diana for tea, Matthew borrows Anne's brown dress and goes to Carmody to buy her a new one with puffed sleeves. Diana comes to Green Gables and both girls pretend they are well-mannered ladies who run their own households. We learn that Diana can speak French and her mother wants to send her to France to study there. Anne is impressed as French is the most romantic language – she likely cannot speak French, but I believe she understood what Diana was saying. Anne opens a bottle of what she believes is a raspberry cordial, the one she drank in episode 2 when she became a Cuthbert. Unfortunately, it is the infamous currant wine. Both girls (not just Diana) get drunk, run all over the house, wear Marilla's corsets and are genuinely happy they are women and that they'd have bosoms. Mrs. Barry comes over to take Diana back home from the visit and finds both girls in a disgraceful condition. Marilla admits it was only her fault and that Anne had no chance to know about the wine. She tries to persuade Mrs. Barry to punish the girls only for 2 weeks (not for the eternity), but she is not successful. (A little side note – always look on the bright side of life. My aunt once told me that when you have painful cramps, you should drink a shot of vodka or similar liquor and the pain will stop. Worked for her apparently, I've never tried it. But if it's true, Anne might have drunk enough wine for her pain to stop, so... At least something positive!)

Meanwhile, Matthew arrives to Carmody and enters not the general store like in the books, but a fancy boutique. He is very confused and quickly leaves (only to enter the cobbler's and to buy several pairs of boots). Fortunately, he decides to return back to the boutique and meets the owner, his childhood friend, Jeannie. Matthew tells her about Anne and the dress he wants to give her (the ones with air on the sides). Jeannie promises to give him an old friend discount and asks him to stay for tea while Vivien (Vivian?) is taking the measurements for the dress. In the flashback we see that Matthew and Jeannie went to school together and Matthew really liked her (crush or even love?) and often walked her home – he even left her a button as he knew she collected them. However, everything ended when Matthew had to leave school after the death of his brother. When Matthew leaves Carmody, he has another cardiac episode and his health is apparently getting worse. In the evening he asks Marilla if she thinks of Michael, their late brother. Marilla nods and we see close up of the family photos – in one of them there are three children, the Cuthbert siblings.

Mr. Phillips has instructions from Mrs. Barry and forbids Anne and Diana to sit together (Diana now sits with Ruby and Anne with Josie). During the break the girls meet and Anne learns that Eliza won't change her mind. They confess their love for one another and have to part. (Some people are already calling it a lesbian relationship all over the social media. I don't think it's that case, let's leave the gay talk for the next time, this review is already long enough.) The teacher commands Anne to bring Gilbert that day's lessons – he is the best student and Mr. Phillips doesn't want him to fall behind. Anne reluctantly pays a visit to the Blythes. It is not Gilbert who opens the door, but his ill father. Anne sees that Gilbert's life is not a bed of roses and learns that Mr. Blythe knows Marilla and her feisty nature. John seems to like her and Gilbert is happy to see her.

A week after the wine incident, Matthew sends Jerry to Carmody and he returns with a big present for Anne. She is moved and unspeakably happy when she opens the box and finds the dress with puffed sleeves she wanted for so long. Matthew is satisfied with the outcome of his mission and is happy for her. Marilla may not approve, but she smiles when she sees Anne wearing the dress. The episode ends with three of them leaving the house in the buggy and having a good time.

Now it's time for a short analysis. I really loved this episode. The cinematography, music and writing are flawless, as usual. The storylines are very interesting, even though the period issue may be a bit controversial for some viewers. I also loved the expanded backstories of Gilbert and Matthew. When it comes to the latter, I believe that even though Matthew was always shy and quiet, he was not a monk and he might have been in love or liked someone. His counterpart in Ana of California, Emmett Garber, was even married to a woman named Josie (she is an original character to the novel) who was a good friend of his sister Abbie (Marilla). It is only her departure which makes him quiet and rather depressed than shy. If I remember it correctly, Josie had an affair with Mr. Brennan (Cole's/Gilbert's father) and they both left Hadley (Avonlea). That's the reason of bad relationship between the Garbers and the Brennans (specifically, Mrs. Brennan). Anyways, I am glad that we finally know Matthew's history and that his story is in the spotlight. I've already said everything I wanted about poor Anne and there is nothing much to add. Amybeth was fantastic, as always! Marilla's relationship with Anne is getting better, possibly because of the latter's period. They are the only women in the house, they need to stick together. Marilla can relate to Anne's pain and feelings, she is compassionate and tries to help her. She rubs her back and visits her in middle of the night in her bedroom, kisses Anne's forehead and calls her poor little soul. I believe that Mr. Phillips is still an immature child who has a moustache and because of that he feels that he can bully and mortify everyone else. He was really annoying all the time and I wanted to punch him. Jane is not among the girls when they discuss their periods, but apparently she appeared in the episode. Does she still ignore Anne because of the gossip about Prissy? I still have many thoughts, but this review is already long enough. Maybe next time... :)

10/10

(Next episode: Saving Minnie May, appearances of Mary Joe and aunt Josephine, and of course... flashbacks to Marilla's youth and her relationship with John Blythe!)