User blog:LilyLacreag/Youth Is the Season of Hope: A Review

A year has passed and here we are again – watching new episodes of Anne with an E and writing down our thoughts. Since this season premiered at once on Netflix, I don’t have the luxury of watching week by week, always having 7 days for watching, sorting out my thoughts and then posting my review here on Wiki. I was thinking whether I should write just one review for the whole season or write one for every episode. Since I know only a little of what will happen in the later episodes and my watching experience hasn’t been spoiled yet, I chose the latter option. This way I will cover the series more thoroughly, with a fresh and open mind, not knowing what will happen later. And now… let’s begin!

The season premiere didn’t disappoint me. I didn’t know what to expect, with some of the crew members gone (namely my favourite cinematographer Bobby Shore) and without any idea what will happen next after Season 1’s finale. To sum up the events of this episode:

Approximately 8 months passed since the events shown in the last episode (which takes place in December, around Christmas) and it’s harvest time. The school hasn’t started yet, thus Anne has time to explore and enjoy the last days of holidays. The new boarders (Nate and Mr. Dunlop) are still living at Green Gables, minding their own business and bonding with the Cuthberts in their own ways. Nate’s presence in the house makes Marilla distracted and confused, while Anne borrows a book about minerals and geology from him. After being criticized by Jerry for doing “something boring that isn’t work”, she decides to start teaching him the alphabet.

Meanwhile, Gilbert sails onboard a ship heading from Charlottetown and works around the engines and furnaces. There he meets Bash, a black man, and the two start to bond. In Avonlea, the Cuthberts (with Mr. Dunlop’s help) harvest their crop, bake some scones and head to the beach to spend there some time as a family. The Story Club holds another meeting, and the girls decide to send some of their stories to aunt Josephine. Anne mentions writing a letter to Gilbert, although she doesn’t know where he is. In a series of flashbacks, we see why reading is so important for Anne, how she was treated and punished in the orphanage and how she discovered Jane Eyre.

Most importantly, Nate tries to lure the locals into his evil scheme. Gradually, he convinces Mr. Barry, Anne, and other residents that there is gold in Avonlea. Pretending to be a geologist who is working for some company, he tells the others that he faces a moral dilemma – he doesn’t want to tell his company about the newly-found gold as he means well and wants the best for the community. The public assembly convinces him to quit his job and take a chance on the gold. Nate tells them that they only need to send a sample of their soil to the New York City (paying a 150 dollar fee) and obtain a certificate after examining the samples. The whole Avonlea is excited with a prospect of making a fortune. In the final scenes, Anne steals a sheet of paper from Nate’s room and discovers an impress tool with a New York address. However, Nate finds out that his stuff was misplaced and sets a trap for any potential thief.

Well, there is no need to compare the events of this episode with the novel. This episode is 100% original material by Moira Walley-Beckett and all I can do now is discuss the themes and storylines featured in this episode.

1. Boarders – I was curious how exactly would these two change the lives of the Cuthberts. It was clear that they would pretend not to know each other and they would be secretly plotting how to deceive either only the Cuthberts or perhaps the whole village. The cover story works quite well for the naïve and trusting people of Avonlea. We don’t know what Mr. Dunlop does in Avonlea (or maybe I missed this info), but Nate pretends to be a geologist. With his equipment and tools… yes, I can see why they believed him. Don’t forget, it’s the 1890s and the gold rush is understandable for people of this era. Maybe the gold in Avonlea storyline is not what we would expect to happen (based on what we know from the books) and maybe it’s too much for the series to be believable. We’ll see in the later episodes. After all, weird things used to happen in Road to Avonlea’s Avonlea all the time.

What seemed odd was the timing. Since it’s harvest time and Anne is supposed to go to school any time soon, it’s likely late August. The boarders came to Green Gables in December. The small village community of Avonlea had eight months to get to know them and yet Mr. Barry doesn’t know Nate. Yet the Cuthberts and Anne are trying to bond with them like it’s been only 8 days, not 8 months. (The producers likely wanted the audience to get to know the boarders along with the Cuthberts, but the time jump isn't helping.)

I have to admit that Nate can be quite convincing with playing out his story in front of Anne, Mr. Barry, Marilla… We as the audience have the advantage of hearing that intense music which tells us that he is in fact up to no good. But there is no background music in real life and Marilla and Anne don't know – besides, he has this charm around him, which makes Anne be friendly and curious and Marilla to be a bit confused.

However, although he is a good actor when he is carrying out his plan, he cannot hide his irritation when it comes to Anne’s chattering and curiosity. While he considers her to be nosy, Mr. Dunlop seems to like her (“she is not so bad”). He can be seen helping the Cuthberts with the chores and he seems to enjoy it – as he is singing both at harvest and while baking some scones with Anne (and telling her about his history). It is not hard to believe him that he really wants to stay in Avonlea – but does he? What are these two really up to? (Well, apart from apparently planning to deceive the locals, sending them fake New York certificates and running away with 150 dollars.)

2. Gilbert – Gilbert was last seen in Charlottetown. Now he is working on a ship sailing somewhere south. Near the furnace, he meets Bash, a black man who (unlike Gilbert) works there because he must. Gilbert’s rather cheery and carefree nature upsets Bash who reminds the former that he should appreciate his privileges – Gil is white and has many options in his future. The sail is just an adventure for him, not a necessity for his survival. While Gilbert is a tourist, Bash is a prisoner of the ship. We’ll see how the relationship between these two would evolve.

3. Anne and her boys – Well, after 8 months since we last saw her, Anne is still the same girl. This word is important. She is still just a girl. And we can see it in her relationship with Nate. One would expect a girl of her age to develop a crush on him, but all she wants is to be his friend. She doesn’t give up, even after he shouts at her. It is easier for her to bond with Mr. Dunlop who seems to genuinely like her. The two of them sing while baking scones, she later gives him an apron and offers that she will be his little sister.

Anne and Jerry are still not the best of friends, but the former hostility seems to be gone. Jerry reminds her that unlike her, he cannot go to school and he cannot read and write. It was lovely to see Anne not responding with anger, but choosing a kind and adult reaction – to teach Jerry these things herself. This can be a foreshadowing of her future career as a teacher. And for a person who likes learning new things (you can notice her interest in a geology book), she is likely to share her knowledge and have a genuine desire to teach the others.

When it comes to Anne and Gilbert... Their storyline differs from a book as they are not supposed to be close friends at this point. At the Story Club meeting, Anne decides to write a letter to Gilbert and she is determined to find his address. Ruby and Diana are surprised that Anne is in contact with him and that she cares for him that much.

4. Marilla – I have to mention the boarders once more. Marilla seems to be a bit distracted by Nate’s presence. Anne is still too young and apparently, someone has to fall for him. She is a bit confused when he sees her washing her hair (which is a private and intimate moment for her), and then again when she walks into his room and finds him half-naked. Marilla may be a determined and no-nonsense woman, the speaker of the family, but this is a new situation for her. She may be 60 years old, but when you think about it, in the conservative Victorian era, she had no chance to see a half-naked, rather charming young man. Apart from Matthew, perhaps, but he is her brother. Her relationship with John Blythe never went that far and she simply never went through this girly confusion as she remained unmarried. Maybe this storyline will quickly disappear and is there just to emphasize the change in Marilla’s nature.

Nate is not the only one who challenges Marilla’s old way of life. Anne still has an impact on her, which can be seen on the beach. Marilla as a proper lady doesn’t want to go to the sea, but we can see how she hesitates and fears when Anne is drowning. Later, she seems to enjoy sitting carefree on the beach and feeling the sand on her skin. Plus, she gives Jerry a whole basket of scones for his family.

5. Flashbacks – The orphanage girls are back! While she is teaching Jerry, we learn why Anne loves reading and believes that it can save your life. I felt sorry for Anne as she was unfairly punished, and even more when they tore some pages from the copy of Jane Eyre. Now we understand the real importance of that novel in Anne’s life.

6. Old faces – Ruby appears only in a few scenes, but she is still the cute and childish Ruby I grew to love in Season 1. Rachel Lynde has become one of my favourite characters in the AoGG universes over the years and I loved the scenes featuring this lady. Especially the brilliant cut when she promised to keep Anne and Nate’s secret and then literally calling a public assembly of the whole village to discuss Nate’s situation. After all, “I don’t charge for my advice, even though it’s worth a fortune.” 

Mr. Andrews finally speaks! And Mr. Barry faces a dilemma. He is a gentleman and a bit ambitious man who realizes that even though he has everything he could wish for (I mean, we see the luxurious and elegant interior of his house and we know that he has a beautiful wife and two daughters), he could do something that matters. To Mrs. Barry’s quiet disapproval, he supports the gold rush and offers to provide financial help for those planning to send their samples and had them tested.

The new cinematographer, Jackson Parrell, didn’t disappoint me, even though I had been sad when I learned that Bobby Shore left the crew. The opening shot of Anne and her window convinced me that he is just as good, perhaps even better. The whole scene of climbing the tree and meeting the forest orchestra instantly became one of my favourites – the cinematography was brilliant and the atmosphere just magical and friendly. It was also lovely to see the Cuthberts and their trip to the beach. Anne’s excitement passes on Matthew and they both enjoy the cold sea water. After she nearly drowns, Matthew decides to teach her how to swim. The whole scene is just so pure, showing the beauty of everyday life, the importance of family, and leaving a sudden sense of nostalgia – at least in my case.

Overall, I liked this episode. Although it had nothing to do with the novel, it was interesting to see our beloved characters in these situations and observe their behaviour and choices. I cannot wait to see and review the remaining 9!

8.5/10