“Anne With an E” Review
Anne With an E is a coming-of-age period drama on Netflix that ran for two years following its initial release in 2017. It is a show about an eclectic orphan, Anne, who is brought to Green Gables due to a mistake on the orphanage’s end. The siblings who own the farm, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, were expecting to take in a boy so that they could have an extra set of hands working on the farm. But to their surprise, they instead have a petite fiery redhead (with an equally fiery personality) standing in front of them who is about to turn their world upside down. For better or for worse? That’s exactly what the show explores.
The first season delves into the inner workings of familial relationships. We watch as Marilla, Matthew, and Anne learn to live with each other and experience the ups and downs of learning to accept one another’s flaws and grow into a healthy familial relationship. The second season places a focus on LGBTQ+ representation as well as race issues pertaining to black individuals. Lastly, in the third season we see familial tensions rise to an all time high once again, and we further delve into the topic of race, being exposed to just a small sliver of the issues that Native communities and Black communities had/have to live through.
As I have mentioned countless times throughout this course, the concept of parasocial relationships are embedded in the roots of entertainment, and Anne With an E is no exception. People are drawn to characters that they have an immense connection to, and this show has a wide range of characters that allow for such connections to be made. You may relate to Anne and her being considered an outsider, experiencing that feeling and doubt of never being truly loved, or feeling as though you don’t belong. You may relate to Marilla; a rigid and structured woman who struggles with expressing her affections, but prioritizes those she cares about and instead shows her love in subtle ways. You may relate to Gilbert and his unrealized unrequited love, the confusion and uncertainty about the path of your life, or having to become the primary caretaker for an ill family member. Or maybe you relate to Cole and his journey of discovering his sexuality, finding a passion in life, and figuring out that where you currently reside is not where you’re truly meant to be and it is in actuality stunting your growth as a person. But even if you can’t relate to the character’s situations directly, all these characters are written in such an endearing way. Fans are able to grow so attached to these characters due to these feelings of endearment and still form parasocial relationships with them.
Moreover, these parasocial relationships being formed may be further strengthened due to representation within this show, because as we know, representation is an incredibly powerful thing. Anne With an E is a show that includes all sorts of representations, whether it be representation of individuals or situational representation. This show includes Native representation, Black representation, queer representation, feminist representation, etc. And while the representation is done in an illuminating way, not falling into such harmful stereotypes, it can be argued that this representation stems from a “white savior” plot. While in many of the situations involving violence and discrimination against racial minorities, the white characters are trying to use their privilege as an advantage, some may read the undertones in these scenes as these characters falling into the role of white savior. On the other hand, we also see a representation of a child trying to survive in an orphanage, bringing light to the horrors of the system; its mistreatment and abuse of the children under it (an issue that we still see today). We also see representation of sexual harassment and assault, along with the consequences it has on the women who are victims. Rather than the man being held responsible, it is instead the women that are slandered and shunned, being completely disregarded by a community failing to protect them. Lastly, this show attempts to illustrate the history of Canadian Residential Schools, offering just a peek into the effects it had on the children and their families/communities.
This series is also a prime example of the idea, paradox of tragedy. As an extremely sensitive person, my description of the emotional scale of this show may be a bit uncalibrated; but, I found this show to be a tear-jerker and I was crying pretty much every episode. According to Greek philosophy, we actually find satisfaction in such intense emotions, which is a philosophy that can easily be associated with this show. You witness the ups and downs of the relationships between all the characters; the feelings of regret, shame, anger, sadness, etc. Everyone at some time in their life has definitely gone through situations that warranted such emotions, so you are able to relate to the emotional status of the characters in these instances. There are also multiple portrayals of death in many different contexts, and during each one, you are roped into the tragedy and finding yourself mimicking the feelings of grief and sadness.
All in all, Anne With an E is an incredibly dramatic and emotional visualization of the original novels by L.M. Montgomery. It deals with such complex issues in a modern way all the while not losing the original setting of the late 19th century in rural Canada. It is a great show to watch and gain exposure to lifestyles and themes that you may have never experienced before, or relate to if you have had some experience with the themes of the story.
