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Featured: A Review of Anne With an E – Seasons 1 & 2

Trailer of Anne With an E

Uploaded by: Netflix

The Synopsis of the Show

So basically Netflix describes Anne With an E as:

Anne With an E : “A plucky orphan whose passions run deep finds an unlikely home with a spinster and her soft-spoken bachelor brother. Based on “Anne of Green Gables.”

A little more of a detailed plot synopsis (spoiler-free) is:

This Show is based on Anne of Green Gables, a book I read many many years ago. I remember liking the book when I read it, even though I do not remember any of the details of what happened in it. At the start of this show, Anne is 13, an orphan with an dark past, and after a series of misunderstandings she gets adopted by an old brother-sister pair. Despite her trauma, she is an optimistic person, and is also very intelligent and imaginative,  to the point where she makes people uncomfortable with her unconventional mannerisms. The series focuses on her and how she learns and grows, all the while broadening the horizons of the townspeople around her.

The Good Points of the Show

The Character Interactions

The best part of Anne With an E is definitely the fascinating interplay and development of the the interpersonal relationships between the characters. The strength of this show lies in the fact that it spends time developing all the characters, from the least important to the main lead. This makes the show feel much more alive and meaningful as well as real. Each character has their own story arc and they grow and change as we go through the show. It makes the watcher much more involved and sympathetic to their struggles, to the point where one feels empathy even for the villains.

The Protagonist

Surprisingly, this is one show I adored even though I disliked the main character a lot at the beginning. She comes off as obnoxious and unlikable, being both awkward and a chatterbox. However the more you watch her the more you come to understand and appreciate her personality. She can be exasperatingly childish at times, however, since she is a child it does not seem disingenuous.

The way the audience comes to appreciate her is mirrored in the reactions of the cast, so that Anne With an E feels more engrossing and real. Whenever anyone in the show meets Anne, their reactions are believable, and something the audience had also felt, thus we feel much more involved and understanding. Anne’s awkward charm is endearing and the actress does a brilliant job of portraying her. By the end of the first season, Anne had firmly won me over and it felt like I was a friend of her’s.

Other

The side characters are each interesting in their own way, making you appreciate and understand their viewpoints. The plot of Anne With an E is somewhat childish and too idealistic at times, however, since it was based off of a children’s story, it is excusable and for me it didn’t take away from the entertainment value of the show. I love the setting, Green Gables and the surrounding areas are gorgeous. The attention to detail regarding the set up of the background is exquisite.

The Bad Parts

The main complaint I have about Anne With an E,  is how much time it wastes on unnecessary and uninteresting shots. Yes I do mean shots rather than scenes, the show will spend 5 five seconds just panning over scenery, or leading up to a character entrance, that really could have just been shortened to a second. This slows down and interrupts the pace of the show unnecessarily and has often made me want to skip scenes.

Again, the plot is at times very cheesy and childish, taking away from the engrossing realism and surrealism of the show. The viewer must employ suspension of disbelief quite heavily at these times, but overall it is just a minor concern and not something which ruins your enjoyment of the show.

Overall Thoughts

Despite some low points Anne With an E made me empathize with the characters, and made me laugh and cry a lot. I highly recommend you give this a go, cause though it is a show based on a children’s book, it has surprising depth and character.

I rate this show a solid 8.5/10.

If you liked this review, try reading my review of Jessica Jones Season 1.


Disclaimer:

This review is the Author’s opinion, the author does not claim anything stated here as fact. If you disagree with anything written in this article please do not hesitate to sound of in the comments down below. However, please keep in mind that the author is not liable for any information stated in this post. It is purely opinion.

Anne With an E and all of its materials are owned by its producers. We are merely using some of them in this post to illustrate a point (fair use). If you wish for your materials to be taken down please contact us and we will remove them immediately

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5 Comments

  1. I love Anne of Green Gables, so was excited for another adaptation! I only managed to see the first two episodes and they were enjoyable, though I was surprised by some of the drama the producers seemed to think they needed to add. Anne of Green Gables may just be a story of a girl coming of age, but it’s still a great story. No chase scenes needed!

    • Comment by post author

      Oh, see I didn’t really know that since it’s been an age since I read those books, I liked them at the time but i was about fourteen so i don’t remember much. So when i watched the show, I didn’t really compare it against the books, however I do see where you’re coming from.

  2. Wow, I’d never heard of this show. That’s perhaps my biggest struggle in the multiple-streaming-services age…there’s so much out there and I miss a lot of it! However, this sounds like a lot of fun and I appreciate what you said about it willing to be childish at times, as it is based on a children’s book. I’m glad I read this so it’s on my radar now.

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