Anne Shirley

Episode 11

If there's one truth about being a first-year teacher, it's that you always want students like Paul Irving but end up with students like Anthony Pye. If there's a second truth, it's that nothing compares with the awkwardness of a first class. Anne's first days as Miss Shirley of Avonlea School are nothing if not relatable, from the collection of students in the seats to her struggles trying to balance classroom management and actual teaching, and to be honest, I expected this episode, the first to cover book two in L. M. Montgomery's series, Anne of Avonlea, to spend more time at school and less on the A.V.I.S. (That's “Avonlea Village Improvement Society” when it's at home.) But Anne Shirley flipped my expectations, going in the exact opposite direction with this episode, and I can't say I'm upset about it. The first ten episodes kept Anne's circle fairly small, even more so because all of the church bits were trimmed or cut out entirely, and Aunt Josephine was excised. (Yes, I'm still bitter.) It makes sense to expand Anne's world because now she's a working woman, functionally an adult, and the expectations for her socially have changed.

One of those changes seems doomed to disappoint Diana. She and Jane are perfectly delighted that Anne and Gilbert are now close friends, and Diana, at least, would very much like to see them turn their relationship even warmer. Unfortunately for her, Anne has zero interest in Gilbert as a beau right now, although it feels safe to say that his feelings are quite the opposite. Gilbert may not be exactly pining over Anne anymore – after all, he gets to interact with her regularly – but the way he looks at her says it all, especially at the end of the episode, where a line he says aloud to her in the novel instead becomes a silent thought. I don't mind, and I think it works better for modern viewers, because said aloud, we could wonder why on earth Anne hasn't picked up on his feelings for her. Thought to himself, however, shows that he's being patient with her, waiting for her to be ready to hear it.

Between the school scenes and Anne and Diana canvassing the town for subscribers to A.V.I.S., this episode excels in bringing to life Montgomery's ability to write a realistic depiction of Northeastern small-town life. New England or the Maritimes, the same characters populate these places, as evidenced by my own experiences growing up one hundred years after Anne. It's hard to make the transition from child to adult in a place where everyone remembers the most embarrassing things you did (that slate break will haunt Anne forever) or where you keep doing silly things like selling the neighbor's cow. Anne's desire to be taken seriously is stymied by her past, and she's very well aware of it, as she tells Gilbert and Jane. They're starting as adults in new towns where nobody knows them. Anne doesn't have that luxury, and although she's thrilled to remain at Green Gables with Marilla, a part of her probably feels sad that she didn't get the chance to go farther. And neighbors like Miss Eliza, reminding her of why she chose to stay, probably doesn't help.

But like taking a gap year between high school and college, Anne and Gilbert teaching for a bit allows them to think about what they want to do. Anne, like Miss Rumphius (from the picture book of the same name by Barbara Cooney), wants to make the world more beautiful. And Gilbert wants to become a doctor so that he can help people, which amply shows how much he's grown up since the days of the “carrots” remark. They're still growing up, which is why I'm choosing to believe that the art kept the girls' hair down, something that by all rights should have stopped the moment they went into the workforce. (Josie's skirts are also way too short for her age.) It's a visual reminder that they aren't adults just yet.

This episode covers the first seven chapters of Anne of Avonlea, which is cause for concern. It does better at acknowledging what it's skipping (like the Cow Incident), but it's also a substantial increase in the pace. I understand why they likely want to go up through book three, Anne of the Island, but I wish we could have gotten three separate cours at least, one per novel. But I'll still take what I can get.

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Anne Shirley is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.