Bertha Marilla Blythe

[flordidian]

https://open.spotify.com/album/1riuDnT5HZgg6LskajNzld?si=Lml3i2-YTBi168_d5NUhBg

Anyone else listening to this album on repeat? I don’t like that “Oh My Diana” departs from the book, but I’m pretty happy with the rest of it.

[flordidian]

Memories of abuse at Shubenacadie Residential School linger 50 years later

For those of you interested in Ka’Kwet’s storyline, this is a really interesting, and short, article on the Shubenacadie residential school where Native children from Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia were taken.

While not in the book, this is an interesting reality which was occurring at the same time. The books focused on the difficulty of being an orphan and a girl, but there were other struggles going on at the same time.

The residential schools weren’t closed in Canada until 1996. Similar boarding schools lasted even longer in the United States, some still existing, although widely condemned now.

Article on US schools:

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16516865&t=1582931941123

[flordidian]

Is AWAE Season 3 like the book: Episode 1

Like the Book

1. Tone

To my utmost surprise, Season 3 of AWAE departed from the sad lonesome tone of the previous seasons, a tone which the creators made known was a proud departure from the book, and instead matched the tone chosen by L.M. Montgomery. While I wonder what caused this change, I can’t deny I enjoyed it. The season starts with the teens hanging out and playing hockey. In fact, the entire episode felt like it was part of the early 20th century slice of life genre Montgomery had written in. It was happy and light and true to the book.

2. Newspaper

About half of the episode is dedicated to the school newspaper. While there was no school newspaper in the book, Anne and the gang do put together a town newspaper in Anne of Avonlea. As it appears the AWAE writers knew a cancellation was imminent, it is not surprising they chose to bring this fun storyline from the second book to an earlier part of Anne’s life. The dynamic of the teens on the newspaper staff and their total seriousness of what really isn’t that incredible of a paper is incredibly accurate to L.M. Montgomery’s writing.

3. Ruby Doesn’t Understand Anne

In Episode 1, Ruby remarks that she never knows what Anne is talking about. I LOVED that line. It comes straight from the book. The whole birthday party for Anne was very reminiscent of the novel. The girls’ dynamic in this season finally matches that in the book. Aka, they actually like each other now. Anyways, there was something wonderful about how the scene paralleled the scene in Anne of Avonlea where the girls hang out and Ruby utters the same line.

Not Like the Book

1. Courting at 16

In Episode 1, Mrs. Pye pressures Josie to get engaged at 16. In the book, none of the girls even talk about getting engaged until they are 18. Even then, Diana gets engaged at 18 and her mother, who is considered the moral backbone of the town, forbids her from getting married until 21 because any younger than that would be too young. Now, I don’t know whether marriage at 16 is historically accurate, but the fact the L.M. Montgomery actually lived during the time period she wrote about and chose not to have her characters marry before 18 is telling. Maybe she was reflecting reality or maybe she was making a statement. Regardless, I was rather frustrated by this part. It was certainly not true to the book. 

2. Ruby and Gilbert

In the book, Gilbert and Ruby date for most of Queens. And then SHE isn’t sure if she is into HIM. The book shows Ruby as powerful and widely pursued. Plus, through her relationship with Gilbert, Ruby learns an important lesson: just because a dude’s hot doesn’t mean he isn’t a giant nerd. Meanwhile, in AWAE, Ruby pines over Gilbert for the third season in a row and is pretty much rejected. It’s sad. Ruby is essentially reduced to a delusional girl obsessed with a boy instead of the popular girl who could get any boy she wanted that she was in the book. 

Conclusion: Much more like the book than season 1 and 2. While season 1 had more scenes taken straight from the first book, the first episode of season 3 better matches the feel of the book and the dynamic of the characters. The departures are frustrating for me, but, frankly, not that important to the book. 

What did you think of Episode 1 of AWAE? Did you think it was like the book?

[flordidian]

Let’s do this.

[spokenfromtheheartandsoul]

may I just bring up that one of the best things in the Anne of Green Gables books was how my mans Gilbert Blythe was literally DYING of typhoid fever (no exaggeration like people were outright saying there was no hope for him and that he wouldn’t make it) and on top of that he’s sad because Anne rejected him like 2 or 3 years ago and he thinks Anne is going to marry some other random dude and then he gets this letter from a friend of Anne’s that’s like “hey Gil, all those rumors are false btw and also, Anne rejected that other guy and so uh maybe give it another go buddy?” and Gilbert just is like oh??? Anne is Not Engaged????? you don’t say???????? and this boy just ups and makes a “”“miraculous”“” recovery (did I mention he’d been GRAVELY ILL) and in the meantime on the other side of town Anne is having an existential crisis and stays up the whole night kneeling by her window in agony because she just got news about Gilbert being gravely ill and she thinks that she might have lost him forever and it’s only thEN she realizes oh man I’ve been in love with this guy for years and now he’s going to DIE and anyways my point is that I really appreciate AWAE for staying true to how goddamn DRAMATIC Anne and Gilbert’s characters are from the original books when it came to professing their feelings for one another at the last possible minute

[shirbertshitposts]

I think there is a lot of potential for someone to adapt the later books in the Anne of Green Gables series (like Anne’s House of Dreams —Rainbow Valley). The series could be split between early 20th century medical drama by following Gilbert’s Doctor career and the drama that Anne is consumed with via the town gossip and the children. And of course peppered throughout would be really wholesome moments of the Blythes being one big chaotic loving family.

What this series could include:

- Anne’s wild adventures in matchmaking (at one point she goes to such great lengths to set up a couple she throws a party at her house that gets so out of hand people end of breaking blythe family heirlooms)

-Gilbert’s life as a doctor. The books don’t give us much detail on who he treats and why they require his services, but i think this leaves open an exciting possibility for someone adapting the series to develop storylines around medical practices that were common at the time. Medical history is pretty fascinating

-Town drama. THERE IS SO MUCH. And quite a bit could be expanded upon. For example there is one lady who keeps buying lacey night gowns and pretending to be sick so that Gilbert will go over to see her, which Gilbert is not amused by but Anne and Susan Baker think it’s kind of funny

-the children’s chaos. Anne and Gilbert have six kids and they all get into their fair share of trouble. It can be quite funny at times and would be interesting to see since no adaptations go far enough in the timeline to feature all their kids

-Anne’s foreword thinking takes on motherhood (for the time period) absolutely gives me life. At one point in the books it mentions that Anne read a medical journal by some dude that said mothers shouldn’t kiss their sons goodnight because it will make them soft or something and she said the hell with this toxic masculinity this man knows nothing. i will show my little boys as much affection and comfort as my girls because all children deserve love and comfort

- Anne and Diana being wine moms when they reunite. If i am remembering correctly they drink courant again when they reunite as a nod to their first tea party together and they talk all about their families

-anne’s poetical son walter blythe. A lot of other people in the town think walter is too much into poetry but anne is like NO THATS MY BOY and i would love to see anne encouraging her poet son since we know that she always loved poetry as a kid too but was hardly ever allowed to indulge in it

- the whole absolute wild rollercoaster of emotions the last chapter Anne of Ingleside is where Anne thinks Gilbert doesn’t love her anymore and she is really tired and stressed and begins to feel unhappy with her life. Then they meet up with christine stewart in their anniversary and she is flirting with Gilbert a bunch and Anne thinks well rip my marriage BUT THEN when they get home Gilbert sweeps her off her feet and reveals that he has been really stressed lately about some dying patient but its all good now and while they were at the party the very special anniversary gift that he ordered for her weeks ago finally arrived but he was so nervous it wasn’t going to arrive on time so he didn’t mention it and also that he has noticed they were both quite stressed lately so he has planned like a second honeymoon for them in london around the same time as a doctors conference. Anne is all like omg you still love me? And gilbert is like hell yeah never stopped

-speaking of anne and gilbert’s trip to london...they just leave all their kids with marilla during this time, so i would love to see marilla to lovingly lose her mind while watching all her grandkids for weeks. And in a show adaptation this could be contrasted with whatever is going down at the medical conference in london that anne and gilbert are at

-also there is so much opportunity for comedy amongst the drama like in the books gilbert and anne come home late one night and gilbert breaks through a kitchen window to get inside his own home

-and as far as wholesome family moments go i would love see the christmas where Gilbert dresses up as Santa to tell their kids stories and pass out presents

[dryad-dreams-deactivated2020012]

If this can be done in my lifetime, I would be so grateful.

[flordidian]

Oh my goodness! I love this so much.

[flordidian]

What posts should I make about Season 3 AWAE when it comes out?

Which of the following would you like me to do?

1. Post analyzing how much of book content and/or spirit of the book is present in each episode.

2. Post reviewing the show or each episode as a TV series separate from the book.

3. Post comparing season to past seasons.

4. Post comparing season to past adaptations.

5. Post of top 10 favorite parts.

Also, should I post right away or wait a week or 2 to avoid spoiling it for anyone?

If you have any other post ideas, I would love to hear them.

[flordidian]

Favorite Anne with an E Scenes

Yes, I usually talk about the books. But, in honor of season 3 approaching (albeit at its own slow pace) I thought I’d spend a post on this. You may notice a pattern...

1. “You alright miss?”

When I first watched Anne with an E, I was impatiently waiting for Gilbert to appear. All the townsfolk were being all mean and I was like, unless they plan to abandon the book entirely, Gilbert is not going to put up with that. The minute he came on screen, I was like, yass. This is Gilbert. This is what I’ve been waiting for.

2. Gilbert totally loses it with Mr. Phillips

I’ll admit, Season 2 disappointed me. Very little of season 2 was from the books, and I LOVE the books. Having said that, this original scene was priceless. When you read the book, you just wish someone would tell Mr. Phillips off, but they never do! (They do fire him, but it’s not the same.) So when Gilbert comes on the scene and pulls out the sass: FINALLY. What catharsis!

3. Gilbert is totally awkward around Anne: Ruby’s House Addition

AWAE does the Gilbert and Anne’s dynamic so well. I love this moment because Gilbert comes down to help adorable Ruby, who is totally enamored with him, but he looks to Anne for approval. I don’t know, there is something so cute about someone so confident being insecure around the person they like.

4. Sebastian teaches privlidged white boy about racism

I really liked the Sebastian parts of AWAE 2. I would totally watch Sebastian with an S. I liked the conversations between Sebastian and Gilbert about race because it reminded me of my conversations (I’m the white privlidged one) with my best friend in college (Mexican American/Native American). I can personally testify that as a white girl in a decently wealthy family it is easy to take my privilege for granted. I thought the show did I good job of explaining that without being too in-your-face about it.

5. Gilbert’s fight with Billy

I know, I know, violence is WRONG and all that...but that hardly stops me from cheering everytime I watch Gilbert hit Billy in season 1. The dude is a jerk who is never penalized for his behavior. When Gilbert essentially defeats him, it feels like justice.

6. Anne Shirley Cuthbert

Season 1, Episode 2 is one of my least favorite AWAE episodes. But, I love the moment when she takes their name. I have just started to take Decedent’s Estates (Will, Trusts, and Estate Planning Class) and I can tell you that even nowadays, if she hadn’t been formally adopted (aka what happened in the book) Anne wouldn’t have been able to inherit anything from the Cuthberts (that’s according to US law...I’m not sure what Canada’s Law was at the time. We tend to have similar laws because we both based our legal systems off England.) It is such a powerful moment because it marks the shift between the Cuthberts taking her in to be their laborer as they originally intended and the Cuthberts taking her in to be part of their family, no strings attached.

7. Sebastian’s wedding

This whole thing was so cute! Sebastian is one of my favorite characters, so it was super satisfying to see him so happy. Plus, I really liked the adorable exchange between Anne and Gilbert afterwards.

8. Anne learns about her menstral cycle

This part was very relatable. Periods are awful. It was fun watching Anne, who is so honest, express the same displeasure I feel every 3.5 weeks. Additionally, it was interesting to consider how women dealt with their periods 100 years ago.

9. Gilbert is totally awkward around Anne: Gilbert’s Dad Knows All Edition

I have rewatched this scene so many times. I love that Gilbert’s dad knows who Anne is and totally knows his son is crushing on her. I also enjoy the look on Gilbert’s face when he sees Anne; he is just so happy she came by to help him out (even if Mr. Phillips forced her to).

10. “Anyway”

This episode is such a mess. I almost didn’t watch season 2 because of it. However, the Gilbert-Anne scene saved it. They have really good chemistry and so much is said in this scene even though little is actually said.

What do you think? What are your favorite scenes to rewatch in AWAE?

[carrotsofavonlea]

The fact Gilbert still calls her "Anne-girl" after they've been married with 6 kids makes me emo

[flordidian]

😍

[royalcordelia]

Have you seen interviews with Kevin Sullivan? They wanted to make more of the books into more miniseries but he said he didn't really like them (!?!?!?) And that's why they went way off book for the third one. He wanted to tell his own stories

WHAT!?

I tend to stay away from interviews bc seeing the actors as themselves ruins the illusion for me. Kevin Sullivan’s films and I have a love-hate relationship. I’ve said it before, but the second and third movies feel like thorough fanfictions. I can enjoy them and love them, but it’s not the story I fell in love with. 

Also, if he didn’t like the novels, he shouldn’t have filmed the other movies. Period. If he can’t see their appeal - their tender voice, their heartwarming stories - then he should’ve picked another story to tell. Or better yet, just write your story, dude. 

At any rate, he killed Gilbert off in the 4th movie, so he’s been dead to me. 

[flordidian]

This is exactly how I feel! I tried watching the Sullivan commentaries or interviews and he makes me so mad. Anne of the Island is the most relatable book I’ve ever read and yet he thought Montgomery’s only tolerable Anne book after Anne of Green Gables was Anne of Windy Poplars???

It is so frustrating that he complained that Montgomery allegedly only wrote more than one Anne book to make money and because the book was popular while he was literally doing that.

[flordidian]

Anne Book Characters in a Word

1. Anne - Adventurous

2. Gilbert - Gifted

3. Diana - Devoted

4. Marilla - Mannered

5. Matthew - Magnanimous

6. Ruby - Romantic

7. Jane - Just

8. Miss Stacy - Selfless

9. Rachel - Rumourous

10. Charlie - Childish

11. Moody - Mischevious

12. Josie - Judgemental

13. Aunt Josephine - Jaded

14. Mrs. Barry - Bossy

15. Mrs. Allen - Affectionate

What do y’all think? Any additions? (If I get enough, I’ll post a second list.)

[flordidian]

This Ron Hicks painting has such Gilbert/Anne energy. I imagine this is them whilst engaged in Anne of Windy Poplars.

[marihico]

[flordidian]

“Please Don’t Change This”: The Parts of the Anne Books I Like to See in Every Adaptation

1. Anne as Her Own Woman

Anne of Green Gables was rather modern for its time. L.M. Montgomery wrote a female character who was independent. Anne has her own opinions and is not easily swayed. And, although she gets married, Anne does not need to; Anne gets enough of an education to support herself financially. Anne’s individuality and independence are important traits Montgomery gave her. If an adaptation (and some of the older ones have) changes this, I think they lose a lot of the point of the books.

2. Gilbert as Perfect Beau

Okay, so this is less because it is important and more because Gilbert is my ultimate literary crush. I would one hundred percent be willing to marry him if he was real. So, I get annoyed at the adaptations when they change him (which they all do). The Gilbert of the book is only there to support and love Anne. Consequently, he almost never gets mad at Anne (or even disagrees with her). Gilbert constantly does stuff only for Anne. Often the adaptations change Gilbert to make him more cheeky and adversarial, but that does not fit the books. This becomes particularly obvious when adaptations give Gilbert other characters’ lines in order to achieve said cheekiness and adversarialness.

3. “Twack” Scene and Boat Scene

I get super sad if an adaptation cuts or majorly changes my two favorite scenes: Anne hitting Gilbert over the head with the slate and Gilbert rescuing Anne. I could make some argument about how these scenes has some important thematic purpose, but the truth is, I just love them. That’s it. Hopefully, AWAE will put the boat scene in, though I am very worried they won’t.

4. Anne as Romantic and Intelligent

Other than Anne’s independence, which I think of as a separate thing, I think Anne’s defining traits are her romanticism and her intelligence. If you take one away, the character is not really Anne. A key part of Anne is that she does not see the world they way everyone else does. As a defense mechanism for her sad abusive childhood, Anne imagines away problems or looks at things as beautiful that others would dismiss. This trait makes her special and unique.

5. Prince Edward Island

Some very early adaptations took Anne of Green Gables out of Prince Edward Island. However, Prince Edward Island is a major character in the books. In fact, one of the books is entitled “Anne of the Island”, because the island is such an important part of Anne’s, and the other character’s, identity. 

What elements of the books do you wish adaptations would never change? 

[charisannaart]

Anne with an “e”

[flordidian]

This is so beautiful!

[flordidian]

5 Ways the Anne book series would Change if set in 2019

1. The mix up

Back in Canada in 1907 it was all cool to adopt a child just so they could work on your farm as a glorified slave. However, nowadays there is a detailed process to adopt a child. There is a home study and documents and not just anyone gets to take a child in. Thus, it would be very difficult for the Cuthberts in 2019 to accidentally adopt a girl instead of a boy. 

Modern version: Transgender.The only way I could see this happening in modern day is if Anne is transgender, born a boy but a considers herself a girl. 

2. Teacher

In Anne of Green Gables, Anne becomes a teacher at 16 after 1 year at Queens College. Nowadays, teachers in Canada have to have a BA in Education (http://www.degrees.ca/education/). Thus, Anne would have had to go to Redmond first before becoming a teacher which would defeated the purpose of her becoming a teacher which was for her to get money for college.

Modern version: Tutoring. Anne could have worked as a tutor and, let’s be real, in retail or fast food as well to pay for college. The events that occur while Anne teaches at the Avonlea school can be translated to tutoring situations. Or, alternatively, Anne can go to Redmond right away and then student teach at the Avonlea school.

3. Tuberculosis

In Anne of the Island, Ruby Gillis dies of consumption, which is an old term for tuberculosis. Nowadays it is rare for a Canadian to die of tuberculosis (https://globalnews.ca/news/4099738/tuberculosis-in-canada-over-1700-people-diagnosed-in-2016/). 

Modern version: Cancer. While tuberculosis remains the number one disease which kills world-wide, in Canada tuberculosis is rare and cancer affects nearly fifty percent of the population. Of that fifty percent, close to a fourth die of cancer (https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/cancer/canadian-cancer-statistics.html). 

4. Waiting to be asked

There are many girls in Anne of Green Gables who patiently wait for men to ask them out. Now, some of these girls (like Ruby) probably would still expect the guy to ask them out in 2019, but some of the girls would not. While I think her mother would disapprove, I think Diana would have asked Fred out since she is not romantic and he is so shy. Anne may cling to her romanticism, but I could see her asking Gilbert out after the whole Roy debacle if she was courageous enough to do it.

Modern version: Girls asking out boys. 

5. Married life

In House of Dreams and the books that follow, Anne is a wife and eventually a mother. She stays home as Gilbert goes out and is a village doctor. However, their lives would be much different today. Nowadays, towns small enough that they need a single doctor are far and few between. Additionally, there is an increase in working moms, which could change Anne’s writing prospects.

Modern version: Gilbert would work in a hospital or doctor’s office. I can see him being a pediatrician or general practice doctor. While Anne and Gilbert probably don’t live in Toronto, they also likely don’t live in a tiny town. They probably live somewhere closer to the size of Victoria. While I think Anne may still be a homemaker, it is likely she has a blog, publishes books on Amazon, and sends her works to editors. There are simply more opportunities for writers, especially female writers, now than there was in the 1900s.

What did I miss? What things do you think would change if Anne was set in 2019?

[flordidian]

Which Anne of Green Gables Adaptation is Most Faithful?

meganfredbapa

So, after reading your comparison of the different adaptations of Gilbert (which was wonderful, btw), I am curious as to which adaptation of Anne you feel is closest to the books?

Sorry for taking so long to answer this! (I think it’s been over a month...yikes).

I think the Sullivan Productions Trilogy is the most faithful, followed by the BBC Anne of Avonlea, and then with Anne of Green Gables (1934) and Anne with an E in a tie for last.

Please note that this is an evaluation of faithfulness to the book and not a reflection on the quality of the adaptations as a TV show or movie.

So, I decided to evaluate most of the adaptations I have seen by the following criteria:

How faithful is the adaptation to the book’s:

1. Characters

2. Tone

3. Message

4. Actual events and story lines

Each category is worth five points for the highest possible score of 20 points.

Anne with an E: 10 out of 20

1. Characters: 3

The characters in Anne with an E in many ways stay faithful to the book; Anne is romantic, Gilbert is intelligent, Marilla is stern, Mr. Phillips is the worst, etc. But, the adaptation also (very deliberately) deviates from the characters of the books. Aunt Josephine is friendly, Diana struggles with imagination, Gilbert is an orphan, and Anne is an activist.

2. Tone: 1

The tone of Anne with an E is the biggest difference. The show is dark and has an activist bent. In contrast, the book is lighthearted and much more akin to a sitcom. But, again, Anne with an E was created to be different from the books and the tone is one of the main deliberate deviations of the series.

3. Message: 4

Anne with an E deals with LGBTQA struggles and race problems, neither of which appear in the book. However, the conversations about artistry and the feminist message are, albeit less explicitly, in the books. While it is true that Anne with an E has messages not in the books, I feel like they are in the same spirit as the book. The idea of a woman not needing a man was progressive in L.M. Montgomery’s time and the show tries to address progressive issues of our time.

4. Actual Events and Storylines: 2

Okay, season 1 was more of a 3, going on a 4. But season 2 is close to a 1. AWAE was not faithful to the book in terms of storylines at all in season 2. A few examples include: Gilbert leaving Avonlea to work on a ship, gold mining incident, and potato science.

Sullivan Production’s Anne of Green Gables Trilogy: 15 out of 20

(I never saw the 4th one)

1. Characters: 3

If I was just looking at Anne of Green Gables, this would be a 4. But man, the characters do weird things in Avonlea and the Continuing Story. Anne falls in love with an old guy? Anne chases after her husband in Europe when he is trying to serve his country? Gilbert hopes Anne gets her heartbroken? Yikes. But, overall the characters are decently faithful. The spirit of the character is still there even if the character choices are not.

2. Tone: 5

I know. 5 is high. But Sullivan captured the tone really well. The Anne books are light and slice-of-life and happy. Sure, there is the occasional death and some adversity, but mostly it is just normal and cheery. So are Sullivan’s 3 films.

3. Message: 4

Like the books, the Sullivan trilogy does not have a lot of explicit messages. But the ideas of learning to grow up, the importance of being imaginative, and persevering despite your own mistakes are all there. In fact, Sullivan took the feminist part further by letting Anne actually become a published novelist. Thus, I thought these movies deserved a higher score

4. Actual Events and Storylines: 3

Okay, the Anne of Green Gables is a 5, Anne of Avonlea is a 3, and The Continuing Story is a 1. So, I rounded it to a 3. The first movie is almost entirely scenes and storylines from the book. The second movie pulls from the books, just gives the wrong characters the wrong lines and puts things all out of order. Meanwhile, the third movie is only faithful in that Gilbert indeed becomes a doctor and Anne indeed marries him.

BBC’s Anne of Avonlea: 12 out of 20

1. Characters: 2

I’m sorry, but I despise the Gilbert in this. DESPISE. The Anne and Diana don’t help since they are bland as can be. The only reason they got a 2 and not a 1 is because some of the other characters were true to themselves, like Marilla and Josie. But, seriously, ugh.

2. Tone: 3

I mean...it is slice of life. It is not dark, but it is also not really cheery. It is just blah.

3. Message: 3

I’m going to give them a 3 because I am pretty sure there was a message, but I am not positive. I think there was some of that subtle feminism from the books.

4. Actual Events and Storylines: 4

Okay, while the characters were all wrong, they were faithful to the text. There were so many scenes from Anne of Avonlea I had never seen in an adaptation before. They lost one point because they gave Gilbert some mean lines of other characters (which made me so mad), but otherwise they were ridiculously faithful.

Anne of Green Gables (1934): 10 out of 20

1. Characters: 2

These characters cracked me up. Matthew and Marilla were really good, but their Anne and Gilbert were weird. Anne was the epitome of a Hollywood actress’ portrayal of just about anyone in the 1930s. Gilbert had a country accent and was super American. Although entertaining, the characters were not like they were in the book.

2. Tone: 4

The tone was pretty spot-on. It was slice of life, cheery, it went slowly along. They lost a point because of the weird stuff at the end (Gilbert moved and someone was sick and...???)

3. Message: 2

There are two messages I got from this movie: one, it is great to have a handsome popular boy be in love with you (you should marry him for sure) and two, don’t Romeo and Juliet it and impose your grudges on your children. Neither of these are messages of the books.

4. Actual Events and Storylines: 2

I think the train station cherry tree thing was in it and they sort of did the part where Anne was in the river but, otherwise, it was original material. Weird stuff with Anne and Gilbert as star-crossed lovers.