Series Review: Anne With An E

 Hello everyone! I hope your week is going well. It's been good for me. I recently finished watching Anne With An E. It's an amazing show, and so emotional, and I had so many thoughts and feelings about it, so I needed to review it. I've also seen the '80s adaptation with Megan Follows, but it's been years. I need to rewatch it. And I think I like this one better. Anyway, here's what I thought of it.

Anne with An E was created by Moira Walley-Beckett [based on the books by L.M Montgomery], and stars Amybeth McNulty, Geraldine James, R.H Tompson, Dalila Bela, Lucas Jade Zumann, Corrine Koslo, Aymeric Jett Montaz, Kyla Matthews, and Miranda McKeon.

My Thoughts: I think the term adaptation really fits for this show. It stays true to the tone of the books and keeps the most iconic parts of the book [like when Anne accidentally got Diana drunk, her yelling at Mrs. Lynde and hitting Gilbert over the head with her slate, dying her hair green, etc], while adding in a few new ones. So, if what you're looking for is something that's exactly like the book, then you may want to skip this. However, if you're okay with a few changes, or are just looking for something new and interesting to watch, I highly recommend it! 

Also, I've heard some people complain that it's too ''politically correct'' but I don't really think that's true. Gilbert's friend, Bash, his mother, Hazel, and his wife, Mary are black, Miss Stacey is extremely radical and wears pants, Cole and Aunt Jo are gay, and, in Season Three, Anne befriends a Native American girl named Ka'Kwet, as well as the rest of her tribe. None of these things happened in the books. And, yet, every single character on this list has been judged and treated unfairly [except Aunt Jo, and she might have been in the past]. I think they did a great job of adding in some more diversity, while also showing how hard it was for minorities back then. 

Just my personal opinion, though. Okay, now onto the review.

What I Liked:

-The cast!

I mean, I love all of the characters, already, but the showrunners did a fantastic job of picking actors who looked like their characters. And they all did such a great job portraying them, too!

Special mention to Amybeth McNulty. She just embodies Anne perfectly. 

-The characters

 While there are some detestable characters [looking at you, Mr. Phillips and Billy Andrews], I dearly loved most of the characters, and I'm already missing them, and I just finished the show yesterday. Honestly, I liked Gilbert better in the show than in the books. I've just.....never been overly fond of him. I know so many people are, and I think he's a great character and I do like him, I just don't love him. Do you know what I mean?

-The diversity

I mean, I'm not even sure if diversity is the right word. I just like how they touched upon heavier subjects like bullying, sexism, racism, PTSD, and other things like that. Sure, it felt a bit pushy at times, but not too much.

-The aesthetic

Ahhhhhh, this show is gorgeous! The scenery is absolutely incredible, and the outfits were spectacular. I had to stop and pause the show a few times just because everything was so beautiful. It wasn't beautiful in a gaudy or extravengant way either, just a simple kind of beauty, which perfectly fits for Avonlea.

-The overall tone of the series

It's not afraid to be a little dark, but it never goes too far, and, at it's core, it's a very sweet show, and it still keeps the humor and lightheartedness from the book.

Some parts made me laugh out loud, others made me cry. I was very, very, very, very, very, very emotionally invested in it [what, McKayla? You get emotionally invested in stories? I had no idea]. 

See what I mean about the aesthetic?

-This is a small detail, but I loved how all of the teenage characters actually looked like teenagers and were played by teenagers. You'll see when I include pictures for my favorite characters.

-I honestly loved a lot of things about the show, so it's hard for me to narrow things down. 

What I Disliked

-Okay, I'll be honest here.....there really wasn't much I didn't like. 

Oh, no wait, the scene with Anne cracking the slate over Gilbert's head. The one in this show was kind of cringey, which is surprising, because it's such a good show. 

So, yes, there is my single complaint.

My Favorite Characters

I'm not going into too much detail, because it would take too much time.

I mean, of course I loved Anne. As I mentioned in a previous post, she's definitely one of my kindred spirits. Just such a great character.

Diana is definitely one of the best characters. She's so sweet [and, also, her wardrobe is the best].

Gilbert. He's very kind and smart, and I like him a lot.

I couldn't forget Matthew and Marilla, now could I? They're the best.

Ruby Gillis! She's so cute and sweet and dramatic.

Bash is nice, and he's a nice addition to the group. I like him.

Cole. I mean, the writers were torturing him throughout season two, and I felt really bad for him. He deserves to be happy.

Miss Stacey. She's sweet and smart and spirited. Much like Anne, I aspire to be like her.

Aunt Josephine is kind of a favorite of mine in the books, too, and I like her in the show, too. She has some great lines.

So, have you guys seen this show? What did you think about it? 

Until Next Time,