Anne of the Future: Speculation

[Anothermi]

So, this seems to be the only place suitable for discussion/speculation on the next season.

I'm a bit worried that Anne's disastrous adventure of the sinking Lily Maid (recreating a section of Tennyson's poem Lancelot and Elaine) is not going to make this version. I loved that escapade. But as of Season 1 finale, Gilbert and Anne have called a truce where as this boat event happened when Gilbert saved Anne from the sinking boat and she was mortified and still not talking to him (IIRC).

Is this kind of story too naff for today's audiences? I can put up with modernizing the language used by young people as it has changed a lot and it's nicer to see yourself reflected in a story (as a younger person) than to wonder why they're using such stilted language. But some of these odd, romantic, literary adventures were my favourites.

[OtterMommy]

While most of us are familiar with the books, the show has its own twists and turns.  Please post your speculation here.

[Stine]

I was wondering about that myself, Anothermi. It's one of my favourite of Anne's escapades as well, and I hope they include it at some point! Maybe it could somehow be the reveal of Gilbert's big return to Avonlea after some time away? (Although I hope he's not out of the picture too long!)

[Keener]

18 minutes ago, Stine said:

I was wondering about that myself, Anothermi. It's one of my favourite of Anne's escapades as well, and I hope they include it at some point! Maybe it could somehow be the reveal of Gilbert's big return to Avonlea after some time away? (Although I hope he's not out of the picture too long!)

I just wonder how are they going to manage having Gilbert living on his own. It seems wholly implausible. 

[SeanC]

2 hours ago, Keener said:

I just wonder how are they going to manage having Gilbert living on his own. It seems wholly implausible. 

He's a couple of years older than Anne.  Roving around doing physical labour at that age, as he appears set on doing, was far from uncommon at the time.

4 hours ago, Anothermi said:

I'm a bit worried that Anne's disastrous adventure of the sinking Lily Maid (recreating a section of Tennyson's poem Lancelot and Elaine) is not going to make this version.

At least thus far the show has included pretty much all the memorable setpieces from the book as it moves through, so I would expect to see it eventually, though one assumes the context will be different.

Assuming, as well, that they do more invented material, I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of the supporting characters outside of their interactions with Anne.

[Camera One]

3 hours ago, Keener said:

I just wonder how are they going to manage having Gilbert living on his own. It seems wholly implausible. 

I was wondering the same thing.  He's not really that much older than Anne.  Who was taking care of their farm when they were in Alberta?  You can't just let the fields get overgrown.  Even if he didn't want to be a farmer, did his father have a lot of savings?  How much could you earn on the docks?  I wonder if they'll show us the Oliver Twist-level conditions there in Season 2, with an event that prompts Gilbert to realize the value of education.  I doubt he would be gone for long in a second season.

5 hours ago, Anothermi said:

I'm a bit worried that Anne's disastrous adventure of the sinking Lily Maid (recreating a section of Tennyson's poem Lancelot and Elaine) is not going to make this version. I loved that escapade. But as of Season 1 finale, Gilbert and Anne have called a truce where as this boat event happened when Gilbert saved Anne from the sinking boat and she was mortified and still not talking to him (IIRC).

Is this kind of story too naff for today's audiences? I can put up with modernizing the language used by young people as it has changed a lot and it's nicer to see yourself reflected in a story (as a younger person) than to wonder why they're using such stilted language. But some of these odd, romantic, literary adventures were my favourites.

They're only halfway through the first Anne book, so I'm positive they will build an episode around that.  

The truce has happened much earlier than in the books (I'm assuming even this limited book talk should go in this thread now, since new Netflix viewers could get spoiled if season finale plot points are mentioned in the Book thread).  I forsee that there will be other disagreements and obstacles in the Anne/Gilbert relationship now, in lieu of the extended feud over Carrots.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Camera One

[Misslindsey]

I just hope it gets a second season, so we can hopefully see some of the other big moments from the books.

[Camera One]

30 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

I just hope it gets a second season, so we can hopefully see some of the other big moments from the books.

I hope so.  I'm curious about the appetite for period drama in the US.  I know "Downton Abbey" was a success but that was partly due to the glamor and opulence portrayed.  There hasn't been a successful Victorian era period drama on network television for so long.  Hopefully, the viewership on Netflix is slightly different.  Would families watch this show?  What age children would be suitable?  Nothing is too explicit, but it's also not completely child friendly.

[PRgal]

8 hours ago, Camera One said:

I hope so.  I'm curious about the appetite for period drama in the US.  I know "Downton Abbey" was a success but that was partly due to the glamor and opulence portrayed.  There hasn't been a successful Victorian era period drama on network television for so long.  Hopefully, the viewership on Netflix is slightly different.  Would families watch this show?  What age children would be suitable?  Nothing is too explicit, but it's also not completely child friendly.

Does Victoria count? 

If they want to portray the feminist aspect of Anne, I SURE HOPE there is a second season.  Other than the woman in the shop/Matthew's childhood girlfriend, which other woman has a job (that would have been more common in that era)?  A second season means Miss Stacy will show up.  She was an important figure for Anne in the books. 

[satrunrose]

I'm hoping for the green hair episode to show up! As to the second season, a solid netflix showing will certainly help, but it isn't unheard of for a joint Canada - US production to continue in Canada if it doesn't take off down South. I think that's what happened with "Saving Hope", for one.

I'm also hoping to see Miss Stacey and, to a lesser extent, the Allen's.

Edited May 3, 2017 by satrunrose

[Camera One]

5 minutes ago, satrunrose said:

As to the second season, a solid netflix showing will certainly help, but it isn't unheard of for a joint Canada - US production to continue in Canada if it doesn't take off down South. I think that's what happened with "Saving Hope", for one.

I hope so.  Though this production costs way more than a usual show, so the production quality might drop.  Would someone would Moira's standing be satisfied writing for a Canada-only show?

[Keener]

18 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

I just hope it gets a second season, so we can hopefully see some of the other big moments from the books.

Supposedly, someone on tumblr tweeted out something about the show to CBC and CBC liked and replied something akin to "stay tuned for season 2 to find out!" Amybeth Mcnulty has been coy about it all, but I would bet money it's got a season 2. CBC has paid out for lesser shows and for much longer (Heartland is *still* on? When Calls the Heart? etc.) I suspect they're just waiting on Netflix's numbers to justify the expenditure to the Canadian government. Additionally they also probably want Netflix to confirm its partnership so they can say to the government "Hey Netflix is giving us x$ to subsidize filming..." While I don't know exact ratings numbers for CBC, the advertising message has been pretty clear since the first episode: it seems even they were shocked by how well it did nationally. I suspect the Netflix binging numbers will be even bigger. 

With regards to Saving Hope, it got big money from international audiences. But it's a CTV show, not a government agency like CBC. So CTV can afford to spend a little in the short term for long term gain. CBC needs to prove out of the gates it's making money off the programming. 

For Gilbert's return, I think he'll show up around the boat scene. Isn't that really the next "big" Gilbert moment chronologically anyway? 

A thought occurred to me: what if the two henchmen realize that GG is not useful to them, and try to hit up the Barry residence. Diana definitely appears wealthy, so they could take Diana hostage or something similar. 

[Anothermi]

2 hours ago, Keener said:

Diana definitely appears wealthy, so they could take Diana hostage or something similar.

NOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo.......

[Camera One]

3 hours ago, Keener said:

A thought occurred to me: what if the two henchmen realize that GG is not useful to them, and try to hit up the Barry residence. Diana definitely appears wealthy, so they could take Diana hostage or something similar. 

Ha, you're beginning to think like Moira.  

Anne crawls in through a back window and rescues her because she went through something similar at the orphanage.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Camera One

[SeanC]

I commented in the Episode 7 thread that, assuming the guys are there to carry out some other job (rather than just lying low, as I had originally assumed), it'd make more sense for them to settle on robbing the Barrys, since they seem to have stuff that'd be worth stealing (though hostage-taking seems less likely).

That's actually one of the more quiet but notable alterations to the setting.  In the books I don't think Diana's family is ever indicated to be anything other than an ordinary farming operation, but in the show they seem to be pretty clearly painted as rich by local standards.  Their clothes are much nicer than what other people wear, and Diana was talking about her mother wanting her to go to school in France back in episode 5.

[Camera One]

I actually thought they lost some of the potential "realism" of the time by choosing to do that.  Diana couldn't afford music lessons without Aunt Josephine.  Moreover, one of the sadder parts of the book was when Diana wasn't allowed to go to Queen's by her parents, so was excluded from the Queen's class.  That could have shown how some girls were expected to simply get married and start a family.

[SeanC]

Well, finishing school isn't exactly meant to be a gateway to a career.

[Camera One]

No.  But it's doubtful that was a common occurrence for most PEI farm families.

[Miss Dee]

We haven't gotten to Queens classes yet, so that might still be a possibility. No doubt in this show we'd see more of how that would impact Diana.

As for the riches...how do we know the Barry family isn't leaning heavily on Aunt Josephine for some of this?

[Camera One]

This Aunt Josephine is much nicer, so that is a distinct possibility.

[PRgal]

I think the Barrys want something better for Diana, thus sending her to finishing school.  They don't want her to marry a farmer, but rather, maybe someone in business.  She could end up in Halifax, or even Montreal (which a Parisian finishing school would help).  If they were okay with academic learning, a school like my alma mater (in Toronto), founded in 1867, would have been good.  But that's not what the Barrys are after, so no BSS or a similar type of school for her!

[Stine]

I will say that as much as I liked this first season, one of my hopes for a second season is that there can be at least one episode that doesn't include a scene with Anne in tears. It's not that Amybeth McNulty doesn't do a good job with them, because she does, but Green Gables, even in this grittier version, should be a haven for Anne, and I just want to see her happy for at least one full episode! 

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Stine said:

I will say that as much as I liked this first season, one of my hopes for a second season is that there can be at least one episode that doesn't include a scene with Anne in tears. It's not that Amybeth McNulty doesn't do a good job with them, because she does, but Green Gables, even in this grittier version, should be a haven for Anne, and I just want to see her happy for at least one full episode! 

Seriously I get that they are going with the she finally has a family so these hardships aren't as bad as her previous life but her life still sucks and she doesn't even get many fun moments, like getting to go to the dance in her dress of puffed sleeves, etc.

[mbutterfly]

I am uncertain whether later seasons will take us into Anne of Avonlea, or Anne of the Island. Do we know? I wish they would go clear through Rilla with a slightly middle-aged Anne and Gilbert during WW I. 

[Camera One]

3 minutes ago, mbutterfly said:

I am uncertain whether later seasons will take us into Anne of Avonlea, or Anne of the Island. Do we know? I wish they would go clear through Rilla with a slightly middle-aged Anne and Gilbert during WW I. 

No, we don't know exactly.  The writers says she has about 35 episodes thought out in her head.  She has said she thinks the first book goes too fast, so she might just be focusing on "Anne of Green Gables".  I seriously doubt she has any interest in showing Anne as a mother and raising a family, given the feminist slant of the show.  The actors in 5 years wouldn't be age-appropriate to portray that aspect of Anne's life anyway.

[mbutterfly]

3 minutes ago, Camera One said:

No, we don't know exactly.  The writers says she has about 35 episodes thought out in her head.  She has said she thinks the first book goes too fast, so she might just be focusing on "Anne of Green Gables".  I seriously doubt she has any interest in showing Anne's life anyway. 

I know. It would just be fun. They could do it like The Queen older actors. But I see your point about the feminist slant. 

[KFC]

Given the showrunner's history of wacky storylines, if we did see Anne as a wife and mother, I have no doubt she'd be juggling some side business like an illegal speakeasy and the escalating competition between her and Jake Griffiths while Rilla secretly battles an addiction to raspberry cordial and smoking in the outhouse with one of the Pyes.

[mbutterfly]

Oh Lordy! 

[Miss Dee]

So...in other words: almost as bad as Anne of Green Gables The Continuing Story.

This writer might be used to dark and twisty, but *somebody* on this show knows this novel series inside and out, so I'm inclined to trust. For now.

[Roseanna]

On ‎3‎.‎5‎.‎2017 at 7:33 AM, Camera One said:

Who was taking care of their farm when they were in Alberta?  You can't just let the fields get overgrown.  

It's no problem. A neighbour could rent the fields.  

[Miss Dee]

Mr. Barry does just that in Anne of Avonlea, actually.

[Camera One]

For sure, the solution is easy but it was not mentioned at all.  If a show wants to do more realism, it needs to provide some details, instead of simply surprise that Gilbert left town just when Anne was going to talk to him.  Though neighborly help and arrangements doesn't seem to be as prevalent in *this* Avonlea, where some people don't seem very familiar with who the Cuthberts are.

[dogandcat]

I truly don't get why they have turned Gilbert from Anne's charming popular classmate and academic rival into a tragic orphan who has to leave Avonlea to go work as a child labourer. I get wanting to give him his own storyline but they could have done that without completely changing his character.  And why would he even return to Avonlea since Moira Walley-Beckett has inexplicably killed off his whole family?

Also don't get why Jane Andrews doesn't exist in this version yet they found the time to turn her brother Billy into a one dimensional villain. 

I had to laugh at the part of the trailer where we have yet another scene of mild mannered Matthew Cuthbert  wildly riding a horse like a Victorian hero.

And despite all my reservations about this adaption I will still watch the new season because I'm a sucker for Anne. :)

Edited June 9, 2018 by dogandcat

[SeanC]

7 hours ago, dogandcat said:

And why would he even return to Avonlea since Moira Walley-Beckett has inexplicably killed off his whole family?

Because it's his hometown and everybody he knows lives there?

[SomeTameGazelle]

11 hours ago, dogandcat said:

Also don't get why Jane Andrews doesn't exist in this version yet they found the time to turn her brother Billy into a one dimensional villain. 

Jane Andrews exists. She just doesn't get any storyline or characterization other than one of a gaggle of Mean Avonlea Girls. I don't remember whether she was more offended or distressed by Anne's comments about her sister Prissy and the show's creepy version of Mr Phillips than any of the other girls, or if it's even indicated that she is Prissy and Billy's sister. 

[Camera One]

I think they did indicate she was Billy's sister.  I had no idea she was Prissy's sister... I assumed that was a cousin.  Well, that shows how Jane Andrews was basically an extra with a name in the series.

The trailer has nothing that I remember from the books.  I expected them to pick at least one more "iconic" moment to adapt in Season 2 and showcase it in the trailer.

Setting a subplot for a character completely separate from everything that's happening can be hit or miss.  

I hope airing months after Netflix won't hurt CBC's advertising revenue.  Despite the show being so loosely based on the books, I hope there will be more seasons and I want CBC to be able to make money off this since they're always financially cash-strapped, even if we have to wait a bit longer for Season 2.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Camera One

[SomeTameGazelle]

3 hours ago, Camera One said:

I think they did indicate she was Billy's sister.  I had no idea she was Prissy's sister... I assumed that was a cousin.  Well, that shows how Jane Andrews was basically an extra with a name in the series.

The trailer has nothing that I remember from the books.  I expected them to pick at least one more "iconic" moment to adapt in Season 2 and showcase it in the trailer.

 

Scanning the books it's not 100% clear whether Prissy is Jane's sister or a cousin. On the one hand Jane's parents are referred to as Mr and Mrs Harmon Andrews which suggests that there is at least one other Mr Andrews in the vicinity. On the other Prissy's father is directly mentioned only once (discussing how much it cost to send her to Queen's) and referred to as Mr Andrews, but in a way that could mean Mr Harmon or someone else. No other Mr Andrews is ever specified though, and it's not impossible that all of the Andrewses mentioned could be in the same family -- even though we never see any of Mrs Lynde's children in the books, she is supposed to have had at least 10 who lived long enough to attend school. Families could be really large.

The original linked trailer was marked "unavailable" when I tried to view it. I found this one instead (not sure if it is the same): cbc trailer which seemed to make it clear why Gilbert had been sent out into the world in the first place --

Spoiler

in order to bring POC into the story. And there is a new boy at school instead who is clearly defined as some kind of outsider . . . I have a lot of thoughts about what function he is supposed to serve, and I have to admit my mind went to wondering whether he is going to be a kind of poetical kindred spirit sort of à la Paul Irving, but  instead of being her student he is a classmate, and maybe also given that this is the same adaptation where Miss Josephine Barry is a lesbian, maybe he is gay?

Jane isn't clearly shown in the trailer -- Diana and Ruby are clearly there, but there is one scene of four girls running in the distance, so maybe the fourth is Jane?

I also didn't see anything that looked like the criminal lodgers who moved into Green Gables at the end of the first season.

Anne's hair looked a bit dark on one side in one of the shots (where she rushes into Marilla's arms) and I wondered if that was supposed to be when it was "dyed green" but otherwise the only thing that seemed to have come from the book was the story club -- at least I assume that was what was going on when they showed Diana and Ruby enthralled in whatever Anne was telling them. Oh -- and I guess there was the school concert, but since it seemed focused on the performance of what I assume was Mr Phillips it didn't occur to me that it would be anything like the book.

Very high production values, though.

Edited June 9, 2018 by SomeTameGazelle

[Camera One]

22 minutes ago, SomeTameGazelle said:

 

  Hide contents

And there is a new boy at school instead who is clearly defined as some kind of outsider . . . I have a lot of thoughts about what function he is supposed to serve, and I have to admit my mind went to wondering whether he is going to be a kind of poetical kindred spirit sort of à la Paul Irving, but  instead of being her student he is a classmate, and maybe also given that this is the same adaptation where Miss Josephine Barry is a lesbian, maybe he is gay?

 

Spoiler

In the trailer, he's braiding Anne's hair. 

The press release says: "The second season continues to chart bold new territory, adding new characters and storylines while further exploring themes of identity, prejudice, feminism, bullying, gender parity and empowerment through the lens of its fierce, starry-eyed, irrepressible 14-year-old protagonist."

So I'm guessing that boy is how they'll explore prejudice with regards to gender identity?

[dogandcat]

Thanks for pointing out that Jane does exist after all. Hopefully this season they will remember that she is supposed to be Anne's friend.

Spoiler

I agree about the new boy. My first thought was a Paul Irving type of character and most likely gay. Hopefully it is handled with more subtlety than the ham fisted way they treat feminism.

[SomeTameGazelle]

19 hours ago, dogandcat said:

Thanks for pointing out that Jane does exist after all. Hopefully this season they will remember that she is supposed to be Anne's friend.

  Reveal hidden contents

I agree about the new boy. My first thought was a Paul Irving type of character and most likely gay. Hopefully it is handled with more subtlety than the ham fisted way they treat feminism.

I don't know how optimistic I feel about that. The fourth girl seems just as likely to be Josie Pye. 

Spoiler

And based on last season, when Gilbert was more prominently featured than Diana, I'm resigned to the expectation that the new boy (who is apparently called Cole McKenzie) will get more of a storyline than Jane. 

[luvmylabs]

I have just read the TV Guide article about the return of this show.  The show is now going to use its platform to 'address racism, prejudice and intolerance.'  To that end, Gilbert will set sail on a steamship to earn money.  Along the way he'll venture to exotic ports of call with fascinating people.  At home, Anne and her friends will meet the people of the Bog, a real life enclave of freed slaves on PEI.  If the producer of this program wished to tackle these issues (not addressed, as much as I can remember, in the original books), why not write her own damned story and leave this classic literature alone.  I will not be watching.

[Camera One]

Interview with Moira Walley-Beckett about Season 2. 

Quote

“It has always troubled me that the story of Anne of Green Gables set in Avonlea did not reflect the diversity of Canada and the colourful global world,” says Walley-Beckett, who oversaw a masterclass at the Banff World Media Festival earlier this week. “When I send Gilbert away at the end of Season 1, he is being sent forth to a broader horizon. Within that broader horizon, there is colour and diversity and other cultures and other parts of the world. So that’s happening in Season 2.”

“We explore this season’s topics of bullying, prejudice, racism, diversity, gender parity, sexuality,” Walley-Beckett says. “It’s really challenging material.”

Edited July 3, 2018 by Camera One

[luvmylabs]

On 7/3/2018 at 7:40 PM, Camera One said:

Interview with Moira Walley-Beckett about Season 2. 

Since she had been troubled by those things, why not create a new story instead of tinkering with a classic?  Just saying.

[SomeTameGazelle]

1 hour ago, luvmylabs said:

Since she had been troubled by those things, why not create a new story instead of tinkering with a classic?  Just saying.

Oh, I think I know this one: because the classic has legions of fans already attached who will contribute to your ratings even if it turns out they don't like what you did with it?

[Libby96]

I watched season 1.   I tried to like it because it was Anne, but I really didn't.  When Season 2 came out I just couldn't muster up any enthusiasm and I chose to skip it.  I feel like they have done to Anne what Michael Landon did to Little House by veering wildly from the source material and filling it with anachronistic situations and attitudes.  The difference is that I could actually stomach Little House because it just had some of that classic 70's TV cheesiness and was part of my childhood.  I don't feel compelled to put up with what they have done to Anne.

And just to be even grumpier, I find the actress playing Anne grating.  Megan Follows and book Anne could be annoying yet endearing at the same time.  This girl, not so much.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Libby96

[Wonkabar5]

On 8/4/2018 at 4:24 PM, Libby96 said:

 I feel like they have done to Anne what Michael Landon did to Little House by veering wildly from the source material and filling it with anachronistic situations and attitudes.  The difference is that I could actually stomach Little House because it just had some of that classic 70's TV cheesiness and was part of my childhood.  I don't feel compelled to put up with what they have done to Anne.

Longtime lurker here to agree.  For me the key difference is that I had watched Little House  before I read   the books, so I became attached to the show right away.  

This scenario is exactly the opposite with the Anne series.