Anne with an E

[ladytrentham]

Not to mention in the second series Megan Fellowes' hair almost glowed in the dark.

[Deleted]

I tried to like this version, I really did.

I loved the realistic/historically accurate setting. I was ok with the darker tone and hints of abuse. I could even handle the modern day values sprinkled in.

But I just didn't care for the way it portrays Anne's character. Running outside in her underwear? Sex talk with the girls at recess?

Acting like a crazy person, talking and singing to herself while walking on a ridge pole when she was staying home from school was the final straw for me. Anne is supposed to be a dreamy, artistic type of girl, not bizarre or truly strange.

[Deleted]

As mentioned before, I loved season 1 and I look forward to season 2. I’ve decided to see it as new Anne content, not as an adaption of the books. Yes, some of the changes that can be seen in the trailer do seem slightly jarring but I’m curious where they’re taking this.

[Deleted]

So, despite my disparaging remarks about Season 1, I marathoned Season 2 today. I had the day off and it was too hot to do anything outside.

I'm very ambivalent. Some things I really, really liked, and others I HATED. In general, non spoilery talk, I really don't like the actress who plays Anne. She really overdoes it, and while part of that is some poorly written dialogue, some is just her chewing the scenery. Anne comes across as having a mental disorder or like she's taking hallucinogens. My favorite performance of the show remains that of Marilla. Hers is a different take on the character than that of the 80s series, and yet neither is too far from the original.

Now, for spoilers:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}1) The grifter stuff was AWFUL. What a waste of three episodes.
2) There was a lot of homosexuality back in the day, apparently. Mr. Phillips the closeted homosexual, Cole, and Miss Josephine? And speaking of Cole, I didn't like him at first, but he grew on me. And Mr. Phillips gets left at the altar by Prissy...interesting choice.
3) Miss Stacy! She's here, and she's awesome! And she hated Anne at first, lol. Can't say I blame her.
4) Not sure where they're going with Billy Andrews. He's such an over-the-top teenage bully bad guy, and yet I think they're hinting at him liking Anne. That's consistent with the books, he proposes in the books, but he's not a major character.
5) I love Bash. Hope we see a lot more of him in the future.

So. Lots of material to work with if there is a Season 3. I kind of hope they recast the leads as their characters get older. Anne is so, so bad. Like, bad school play bad.

[kostgard]

I had the same experience - off work yesterday and ended up bingeing the whole season.

Overall, I still really like the show. It is charming and lovely. But my worries about Anne being too “woke” at times proved to be valid (more on that in spoilers). The show’s strongpoint is definitely the cast. I agree that Marilla is wonderful. I also really like this version of the Lyndes and this Diana. The 1980s Diana was a little too dumb at times. I think this Gilbert is everything he should be. I disagree about the actress playing Anne - I think the deal is more with the writing than the performance, because she’s had some moments that she plays very well. I just think this Anne is more broken and damaged than in past versions. My one complaint is that we are at a point where she needs to grow up a little. She should have figured out some social norms by now and wouldn’t just be blurting out inappropriate stuff like a toddler the way she sometimes does this season. At points I wondered what Gilbert saw in her because he is miles more mature than she is.

On the spoilered parts:

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}- COMPLETELY agree about the grifters. That should have ended after one episode. The season didn’t really pick up until that was over. And there’s no way in hell Marilla would not explicitly tell Anne she needs to stay the hell out of the borders’ rooms.

- Also enjoyed Bash. I hope they get another season and we see more of him and Mary with Gilbert,

- The gay characters is where the show got too “woke” for me. Not the characters themselves - they were fine. Rather Anne’s reaction was too modern. I can buy Anne being so swept up in the “tragical” romance of Aunt Jo and her partner that gender didn’t matter to her, but the marriage equality speech she delivers afterwards was too much. I was also fine with Cole and him coming out to Anne and her accepting him, but her telling him “Thank you for telling me” was way too anachronistic and too obviously the show telegraphing to a modern audience how to react to your friend coming out to you. And I was okay with Mr Phillips being gay (he read as gay to me in the 1980s version too). His self-loathing would explain why he’s such an asshole to all his students. But Prissy leaving him at the altar was too much. I like the feminist vibe of the show, but the ladies being able to have their cake and eat it too is not realistic. It would have been better to have her marry him with Anne sadly knowing that her marriage will never be genuine. Same with Diana - her mother should continue to pressure her to learn to be the perfect homemaker and nothing else. That would have been expected of her at the time.

I liked Miss Stacy and the fact that she didn’t like Anne at first, but she IS Anne in 10 years and it felt a little on the nose. Like, they almost even look alike. I do hope she helps Anne grow up if we get a season three.

And I did like that the show had answers to some of my objections - like Aunt Jo’s very queer party that Diana’s priggish parents were originally going to attend. When Cole pointed out that it would have gone over like a lead balloon with them, Aunt Jo was basically like, “I’m old and out of fucks to give” which I bought. I wish they had also mentioned that her wealth also grants her a lot of freedom. Her openness would not be tolerated in someone not rich.

I also liked that they brought some things in from the book, like Anne dyeing her hair and a much more accurate depiction of how short it was cut. Not the cute bob she got in the 1980s version.

A lot of gorgeous scenery, some truly distractingly bad green screens in places. That fox was beautiful.

[ladytrentham]

I tried today and got about halfway through the first episode. It reminds me vividly of the damage Michael Landon did to the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. (Loved the first TV movie and the first few episodes of the first season--then it just turned into Bonanza With Braids and I hated it.) I get the impression this group of producers is riding roughshod over Lucy Maud Montgomery in the same way.

However, I have a sinus headache that may be coloring my opinion. I'll try again later.

[ladytrentham]

Just started episode two. Holy cow! The bad CGI! Ships are supposed to move even at anchor!

[Deleted]

I think the actresses who play Miss Stacy and Mrs Barry could totally play adult versions of Anne and Diana :-)

[kostgard]

Whaaaat? This is the Instagram for the actor who plays Mr. Phillips.

Take off that terrible wig and moustache and...not what I expected.

Interview with the showrunner about Aunt Jo's party and her plans for season three

On the season three stuff (spoilered just in case):

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}Yay to the time jump. One of my complaints about season two was that Anne needs to grow up. Boo to love triangles. At least not one with Anne and Jerry and Gil. I liked the brother/sister vibe Anne and Jerry kinda developed. I'm fine with Jerry being hot for Diana (especially since if Diana is also interested her mother's head would explode over her daughter being hot for a farm hand) and maybe Anne feels weird about her pseudo-brother being hot for her best friend, but no triangles there, no annoying jealousy between Anne and Diana, please.

[Deleted]

Holy crap! And he's 26?!? It's amazing how old-timey clothes and facial hair can age you.