TV SHOW: Anne With an E (Season 1)

REVIEW

(7/10)

At first, I was super weirded out by how different this was from the book.

The first episode had nothing to do with the first pages of 'Anne of Green Gables' and I found that infuriating, especially because Anne went back to the orphanage and had this whole ridiculous fight with Marila. I didn’t like how the producers started out the show by bullying Shirley and portraying her as the traumatized orphan that stands out everywhere she goes. That’s the exact opposite of what happens in Montgomery’s book: despite having red hair, Anne conquers everyone’s hearts. She befriends most of the children of Avonlea without any trouble despite her strong personality. She’s not haunted by ghosts of her past. In fact, she's sweet, lively, lovely and most times as happy as one can be.

However, as the show went on, I realized it was gaining a life of its own. To truly enjoy it, I had to look at it as something separate from the book because Moira Walley-Beckett wanted to tell a different story.

L. M. Montgomery was a feminist and she tackled misogynism, inspiring women to follow their own dreams. However, Moira takes it up a few notches: the producer wants to talk about the problems that existed then but still continue now. Racism, homophobia, misogynism, nationalism, bullying and prejudice are just a few of the social issues we can see portrayed in this TV show. So, if you read the books and are thinking of giving this show a go, I recommend you dive in with a clear mind and zero expectations. Even though there are some similarities, many important bits weren’t adapted (*cough* Matthew *cough*) and many more were invented.

My favourite episode was definitely episode 5 when Anne gets her first period. Walley-Beckett got all my respect after this because she was not scared of showing this completely normal thing on women's lives. I think it was one of the first shows that talked about this topic instead of avoiding it as cinema and television do.

This episode was the turning point for me, the moment when I realized I was in love with this show and never wanted it to end (spoiler alert: it has now been cancelled, after season 3).