Anne Shirley

Episode 20

That's two episodes in as many weeks that Anne Shirley has made me cry. I've been dreading both Ruby's death and Gilbert's proposal ever since it became clear that the series would be adapting Anne of the Island as two of my least favorite moments from the novel. While it's obvious why Ruby's passing is so painful, things are less clear with Gilbert. It's not that I don't feel bad for him, because he's clearly hurting, having bided his time as long as he possibly could bear to. But my tears are for Anne and for everyone's reactions to her pain. Everyone seems to assume that she's sad because she rejected the proposal of a man who loves her and whom they all believe is her destined other half, but I don't think that's what's gnawing at her heart. In my mind, Anne is hurt by what she sees as a friend's betrayal. She knew Gilbert was harboring warmer feelings for her, but she hoped that he would realize that they weren't reciprocated and that he'd value what they did have over what they didn't. To her, Gilbert's proposal is a betrayal of their friendship, a friendship she had to be convinced to give a chance in the first place.

Phil may be right when she says that Anne's idea of love is strictly from fiction. But she also thinks that Anne can't recognize it when it's staring her in the face, and I don't think that's necessarily true. Anne may not be in love with Gilbert right now. She's still grieving her friend and focusing on her education; romance outside of book covers isn't something she's ready for. Anne's allowed to think that she'll never be in love with Gilbert; she doesn't owe him her heart any more than she owes her friends a yes to his proposal. It's a horrible place to be, to know your own mind and heart in the moment and have no one believe you or understand why you feel the way you do. And even if Anne does change her heart later, that doesn't invalidate what she feels now, and very few people are hearing that.

Thank goodness for cats, right? Because Rusty seems to be the only one who's really fully on Anne's side right now. Frankly, Rusty makes the episode for me, and not just because I like cats. Rusty is a near-perfect depiction of how some people get cats – he picks his person, won't take no for an answer, and makes himself at home. Of my current seven cats, I got three this way: Carmine, Kathryn, and Oliver, all basically just moved in. And Rusty's scrawny body, ear-piercing yowl, and tattered ear all complete the picture. He's been around the block a few times, and he's decided that those housecats have it good. With typical feline determination, he sets out to get that for himself, and who could blame him? And clearly, he's got very good taste, choosing Anne.

The details that go into Rusty's portion of the episode are wonderful, particularly the way Aunt Jimsie sits back and lets the cats all figure themselves out. But I'd be lying if I said that I didn't really appreciate the way Rusty (adorably sleeping in Anne's hat) sat up and growled at Gilbert. He's plainly got Anne's best interests at heart, or at least has her back. (Maybe he can keep her away from that spot? That's two unwanted proposals for that bench!)

We're flying along through the source material again, with this episode bringing us up to chapter twenty-three. I don't love all the choices made here (although I'm glad Aunt Jimsie's doubts about Phil's sanity are left in); surely there was a more subtle way to show Dora and Davy growing, although that's always been tough for this series. With forty-one chapters in the book and four episodes left, it's not entirely reassuring, but if they can keep plumbing the emotional depths like they have for these past two weeks, I think I'll be able to forgive them.

Rating:

Anne Shirley is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays.