User blog:Eikakou/Anne (CBC series) season 2, episode 4 - The Painful Eagerness of Unfed Hope review

I'm definitely playing catch-up, at least with the reviews. I watched the first two episodes online (after the Sunday airings) because of two different family events, and then the next three on television. (I'm hanging my head a little because it seems that nobody watches stuff on TV if they can just watch it on Netflix. Any who...)

SPOILER WARNING right here. Ready? I think I wrote too much, so grab a oar, we're paddling the canoe upstream.

---

The gold scam is over, but there are still lingering tensions from the grifters affecting our dear friends in Avonlea. It's particularly apparent at the Barry household, as well as Marilla. Gilbert, on the other hand, is about to discover his calling. Maybe.

But first, Anne's first attempt at recreating the Lily Maid scene is a non-starter. Mrs. Barry puts a stop to it as soon as she sees the girls. It's a little sad that she's still very wary of Anne being Diana's friend - she refers to all the other girls (Diana, Ruby, and Jane Andrews in what I think is her first time appearing as part of their group) as "young ladies" without Anne being included. But convincing Mrs. Barry that the Lily Maid recreation is harmless (but is it really? O_o) fun is an uphill battle. Since the Barrys wound up losing most of their savings thanks to the con artists, Mrs. Barry is stressed out and unfortunately taking it out on Diana and Minnie May. "Childhood is over," she tells them. If the girls cannot be finished (that is, attend finishing school to be young ladies fit for society) in France, she's going to do it herself in Avonlea. Diana takes it seriously, even if she's very unhappy about it, but little Minnie May is making faces and eating loudly because all this stuffy balancing a book on your head and eating daintily is no fun at all. Mr. Barry just reads his newspaper and makes unhelpful sarcastic comments.

It all comes to head when Mrs. Barry sees Diana taking out her anger at Minnie May for wetting the bed and repeating the same words she used on her children. It's tear-jerking to hear Minnie May ask why nobody loves each other anymore. Fortunately, Mrs. Barry realizes the tension between herself and her husband is toxic to everyone at home and it's hurting their daughters. She forces him to communicate with her. He's angry and ashamed with himself because he wanted to be someone more important in town and now he looks foolish. But Mrs. Barry tells him that she's blaming him for falling for the gold scam, she just wanted him to include her in important decisions - if he thought it was a good idea, she would have supported him, and if it failed, then they could look stupid together and he wouldn't have to take on that burden himself. There's a lot to unpack here, but I love how Mrs. Barry realizes how negative behavior is directly affecting their kids and how it's going to perpetuate, and she realizes that no matter what, communicating is key to making a relationship succeed. It's also nice that Mr. Barry realizes it's safe to be vulnerable around his wife, that keeping all those negative feelings to himself because he thinks that men have to shoulder their guilt and burdens alone is unhealthy. (But hopefully it doesn't mean he thinks that she's supposed to solve all his emotional issues.) The Barrys do get a happy ending, and yes, Diana can still have her childhood.

While we're still on the gold scam aftermath, Marilla is very shaken by the fact the grifters were in Avonlea because she invited them there as boarders. Rachel is talking about how everyone's purse strings are tighter now, but when Marilla breaks down about how she's responsible for everyone's financial burdens, she reminds her that Marilla and her family were in a bad situation and nobody blames her for doing what she needed when times were desperate. But it does make Marilla very cautious and she scares off a Jewish peddler who is chatting with Anne about his family, still stuck in Europe in a bad situation (it's a heartbreaking story and another reminder of the disenfranchised groups in the world). Anne is shocked because the man was genuinely kind, but Marilla is too scared to let another stranger possibly hurt the people she cares about.

And where is dear old Gilbert? Still in Trinidad and definitely not writing a love letter. Sure, Bash says, sure. Our dynamic duo end up running into a woman in labour (Ruth), thrown out of her brothel, and in terrible pain. She's frightened, running about, and definitely doesn't want the strange pasty kid to touch her. But we see the makings of what kind of medical professional Gilbert could be one day - he assures Ruth (with Bash's help), gets her consent (he asks her before he does anything), and prioritizes doing what needs to be done to make sure Ruth is able to give birth as safely as possible, which includes keeping her informed with every step he's taking (such as the baby being breach and how he's going to reposition the baby). Good job, Gilbert. You were respectful, resourceful, and sensitive to the needs of others, particularly in a time where not many are showing the same kind of respect for everyone (regardless of the person's status, sex, gender, background, etc) as you have. You'll make a fine doctor some day. (Although, was it really necessary for the baby to be in breach? Maybe it's more dramatic, but childbirth isn't easy or perfectly safe even when the baby in a "good" position.)

Anne, in the meantime, decides she needs to play matchmaker for Matthew. Anne hasn't gotten a response to her letter to Gil yet, but Matthew's been getting letters from his friend Jeanie but he not writing back. Perhaps Anne is more in love with the idea of witnessing, nay, facilitating the most romantical story she's ever seen, because she decides she'll be Matthew's Cyrano. Besides, Matthew deserves a chance at love, more than anyone else Anne knows. He's not thrilled with Anne's decision and makes it clear that it's hurtful to meddle with people's relationships and feelings as Anne has. She's devastated with his reaction and tries to apologize, but Matthew doesn't have the words yet for what he wants to say. After clearing things up with an understanding Jeanie, he and Anne make up - Anne realizes that her meddling, even if she had good intentions, Matthew hasn't missed out on love because he has her. This is a great moment because it reflects while there are different forms of love and romantic love isn't greater than all other forms, that the familial love that Matthew has for Anne is just as great and important to him.

A lot of great content going on this episode - from the previews, I thought it was going to be mostly Anne meddling with Matthew and Jeanie, but it was great seeing Mrs. Barry setting up a healthier family situation for the Barrys, as well as Gilbert on his way to being a doctor.

Eikakou (talk) 01:34, October 24, 2018 (UTC)