S02.10 The Growing Good of the World

[OtterMommy]

Quote

Anne rallies her friends to save Miss Stacy in the wake of a disastrous incident. Bash gets an unexpected gift, and Cole makes a surprising choice.

 

[Itsamemario]

Anyone finished watching? The ending was cute. I wonder how they plan to continue Anne and Gilbert's romance. I HOPE they don't put too much drama in with Ruby Gillis and I wonder if they will include Anne's future fiance. 

[Kostgard]

I worked from home and ended up bingeing the whole thing (though I should probably watch again, as I was also working and missed some bits/details).

On the one hand, I find this series charming and delightful and the cast is excellent. They do a great job of showing how Anne would be both endearing and annoying. I love this version of the Lyndes so much and how they are totally into each other (explaining how they had so many kids).  I also love that this Diana is not a dolt. Leave that to Ruby.

On the other hand, they sometimes push the “woke” thing a bit too far and it feels very anachronistic. Distractingly so. I can buy that Anne is okay with Aunt Jo being gay - especially after reading the inscriptions they wrote each other in their books. I can totally buy Anne getting swept up in the romance - so much that the sex of the parties involved doesn’t matter as much as the “tragical” romance of it all. But her marriage equality speech in the wake of the discovery took it too far and it didn’t feel organic. Same with Cole coming out to her - I can buy him choosing fellow “freak” Anne to trust with the info, and that she would continue to accept him, but Anne telling him “Thank you for telling me” just felt too 2018 to me.

I like that they made Miss Stacy younger than in the 1980s version, and I like even that she did not warm up to Anne right away, but again, it felt just a smidge too far that she’s basically Anne in 10 years (to the point where they almost look alike), and she landed in hot water way too soon (though that ties to my complaint that they spent way too long on the grifters and should have spent that time with the Avonlea regulars. That totally could have been wrapped up in one episode. It felt like the season really started to get going only after that was finally over). Mr. Phillips gay? Sure. That would explain why he’s such an asshole. He takes his self-loathing out on everyone else. Prissy leaving him at the altar? Smidge too far. More realistic for that period that she’d find herself stuck married to a closeted man.

Gorgeous scenery, yet also some distractly bad green screen at points. Glad they touched on some stuff from the books (Anne dying her hair, etc). Liked we got some of the competitive rivalry between Anne and Gil, and like that it stemmed from Anne being envious of Gil for having a direction in life while she still felt adrift, rather than her still holding a grudge from one incident. And that was one gorgeous fox. I’m glad no one caught him.

[meatball77]

I loved the entire season (except for the grifters plot, that was stupid).  I think they've done a good job with Avonlea beyond what we have in the books even if it is a little too Degrassi in the Victorian era at times. . . .

[monakane]

On 7/7/2018 at 11:47 AM, Kostgard said:

On the other hand, they sometimes push the “woke” thing a bit too far and it feels very anachronistic. Distractingly so. I can buy that Anne is okay with Aunt Jo being gay - especially after reading the inscriptions they wrote each other in their books. I can totally buy Anne getting swept up in the romance - so much that the sex of the parties involved doesn’t matter as much as the “tragical” romance of it all. But her marriage equality speech in the wake of the discovery took it too far and it didn’t feel organic. Same with Cole coming out to her - I can buy him choosing fellow “freak” Anne to trust with the info, and that she would continue to accept him, but Anne telling him “Thank you for telling me” just felt too 2018 to me

I agree.  I liked that they introduced gay characters and I know Anne would accept them, but I wished they made the story more realistic to the times.

[DB in CMH]

I'm enjoying this way more than any of the previous incarnations. I really like the way they're mining Marilla and Matthews pasts to show how they became the way they did. It's also pretty funny in places.

[iMonrey]

I'm glad they didn't finish the season on a cliff hanger like they did with the first season. Other than that, while there were parts I enjoyed, on the whole I didn't care for this season very much. 

Quote

On the other hand, they sometimes push the “woke” thing a bit too far and it feels very anachronistic. Distractingly so. I can buy that Anne is okay with Aunt Jo being gay - especially after reading the inscriptions they wrote each other in their books. I can totally buy Anne getting swept up in the romance - so much that the sex of the parties involved doesn’t matter as much as the “tragical” romance of it all. But her marriage equality speech in the wake of the discovery took it too far and it didn’t feel organic. Same with Cole coming out to her - I can buy him choosing fellow “freak” Anne to trust with the info, and that she would continue to accept him, but Anne telling him “Thank you for telling me” just felt too 2018 to me.

Totally agree. It's one thing to try to introduce these concepts into material that never would have included them when originally published. But they did not feel realistic for the times, at all. I just do not buy, for one second, that Aunt Josephine would invite children to an openly gay party. I don't care how progressive she is or how unconcerned she is about her image or reputation. This was a very serious issue back in the late 1800s - as Cole himself pointed out, homosexuality was illegal. Aunt Josephine isn't senile - why on earth would she be so open with children? That's ridiculous. I don't care how much she likes them or trusts them it's not realistic for the time period. I also agree about Anne's reaction to Cole, saying "thank you for sharing that with me." Way too 2018. It just didn't work for me. The whole Mr. Phillips arc also felt very cliche. 

The whole season just felt off because of this stuff. I don't know if there are plans for a third season, and I hate to say it, but I really don't care.

[dmc]

On 7/7/2018 at 11:47 AM, Kostgard said:

I worked from home and ended up bingeing the whole thing (though I should probably watch again, as I was also working and missed some bits/details).

On the one hand, I find this series charming and delightful and the cast is excellent. They do a great job of showing how Anne would be both endearing and annoying. I love this version of the Lyndes so much and how they are totally into each other (explaining how they had so many kids).  I also love that this Diana is not a dolt. Leave that to Ruby.

On the other hand, they sometimes push the “woke” thing a bit too far and it feels very anachronistic. Distractingly so. I can buy that Anne is okay with Aunt Jo being gay - especially after reading the inscriptions they wrote each other in their books. I can totally buy Anne getting swept up in the romance - so much that the sex of the parties involved doesn’t matter as much as the “tragical” romance of it all. But her marriage equality speech in the wake of the discovery took it too far and it didn’t feel organic. Same with Cole coming out to her - I can buy him choosing fellow “freak” Anne to trust with the info, and that she would continue to accept him, but Anne telling him “Thank you for telling me” just felt too 2018 to me.

I like that they made Miss Stacy younger than in the 1980s version, and I like even that she did not warm up to Anne right away, but again, it felt just a smidge too far that she’s basically Anne in 10 years (to the point where they almost look alike), and she landed in hot water way too soon (though that ties to my complaint that they spent way too long on the grifters and should have spent that time with the Avonlea regulars. That totally could have been wrapped up in one episode. It felt like the season really started to get going only after that was finally over). Mr. Phillips gay? Sure. That would explain why he’s such an asshole. He takes his self-loathing out on everyone else. Prissy leaving him at the altar? Smidge too far. More realistic for that period that she’d find herself stuck married to a closeted man.

Gorgeous scenery, yet also some distractly bad green screen at points. Glad they touched on some stuff from the books (Anne dying her hair, etc). Liked we got some of the competitive rivalry between Anne and Gil, and like that it stemmed from Anne being envious of Gil for having a direction in life while she still felt adrift, rather than her still holding a grudge from one incident. And that was one gorgeous fox. I’m glad no one caught him.

My issue is  I am not crazy about the new Anne.  Meghan Follows made her incessant chatter charming.  

[betha]

On 7/29/2018 at 7:13 AM, dmc said:

My issue is  I am not crazy about the new Anne.  Meghan Follows made her incessant chatter charming

I don’t mind the new Anne, but she comes off very young/immature, unlike Meghan Follows, whose Anne seemed older and more thoughtful. If I were the show I would wait a few years before having Gilbert show any romantic interest. It seems really unrealistic in this version, just because she seems so much younger than him.

[dmc]

1 hour ago, betha said:

I don’t mind the new Anne, but she comes off very young/immature, unlike Meghan Follows, whose Anne seemed older and more thoughtful. If I were the show I would wait a few years before having Gilbert show any romantic interest. It seems really unrealistic in this version, just because she seems so much younger than him.

Agreed 

[Kostgard]

On 8/3/2018 at 4:40 PM, betha said:

I don’t mind the new Anne, but she comes off very young/immature, unlike Meghan Follows, whose Anne seemed older and more thoughtful. If I were the show I would wait a few years before having Gilbert show any romantic interest. It seems really unrealistic in this version, just because she seems so much younger than him.

 

I also agree. I get that this Anne is more damaged than the Meghan Follows version, but she really should be growing up now. There were times when I wondered why Gilbert was interested in her because he is just miles more mature.

I read an interview with the show runner where she said if they get a third season there might be a little bit of a time jump. I really hope Anne grows up a bit if they return to the story a few years later.

[CrazyDog]

I enjoyed the season. I love the friendship with Bash and Gilbert, and I buy Anne and Gilbert's chemistry. She is still Anne, but she did seem to settle in and mature a bit over this season. My main quibble with the last couple of episodes is how rushed the Bash story line was. But I'm glad he is sticking around (the actor is so amazingly charismatic, and yes, hot) - I assume he and his wife will move in with Gilbert? I don't love that they seem to imply that her son might become a problem.

I'm glad Miss Stacy and Anne finally bonded and school can become a better place for stories and actual learning in the future. Their initial interactions were beyond awkward.

Yay for Cole moving in with Aunt Jo, though even back then, could his family drag him back to the farm if they wanted?

Love this cast, and the scenery.

[Llywela]

11 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I enjoyed the season. I love the friendship with Bash and Gilbert, and I buy Anne and Gilbert's chemistry. She is still Anne, but she did seem to settle in and mature a bit over this season. My main quibble with the last couple of episodes is how rushed the Bash story line was. But I'm glad he is sticking around (the actor is so amazingly charismatic, and yes, hot) - I assume he and his wife will move in with Gilbert? I don't love that they seem to imply that her son might become a problem.

I'm glad Miss Stacy and Anne finally bonded and school can become a better place for stories and actual learning in the future. Their initial interactions were beyond awkward.

Yay for Cole moving in with Aunt Jo, though even back then, could his family drag him back to the farm if they wanted?

Love this cast, and the scenery.

I agree. I have a hard time reconciling the show with the novels, as there are so many changes, but if I think of them as two entirely separate things I can enjoy the show for its own sake and appreciate what they are doing to widen its internal universe and flesh out the characters.

I really like Bash, so I'm also happy he is sticking around. It bothered me all season that his face looked familiar and I couldn't figure out why, since I've never seen anything else he's been in. Eventually I figured out that he reminds me of a guy I used to work with! Something about the shape of the face and the beard. Funny how that happens. It's been bothering me that the show made Gilbert an orphan, which is pretty far from his book storyline, so I'm glad they've given him a new family.

Ruby is really cute and it pains me to remember how her story ends. Can't but be glad that the years covered within the first book are being stretched out over multiple seasons here, even if the fleshing out does go a bit wildly astray sometimes.

[Brn2bwild]

I generally liked this season, and thought the actor who played Cole did an impressive job.  That said, his character bugged me in that his introduction felt like something out of Little House on the Prairie the TV show: "Hey look, it's So-n-So, a character who's been here all along!  No, really!"  As if this nice, sensitive boy wouldn't have stood out immediately during Season One, when Anne was being tormented by the other boys at school.

[ruby24]

On 7/7/2018 at 12:46 AM, Itsamemario said:

Anyone finished watching? The ending was cute. I wonder how they plan to continue Anne and Gilbert's romance. I HOPE they don't put too much drama in with Ruby Gillis and I wonder if they will include Anne's future fiance. 

I'm wondering about this too. I'm guessing they'll probably introduce the other guy first, but honestly if I were them, I think they should cut that character entirely and just put Anne and Gilbert together next season, maybe a few episodes in or by the middle. I feel like waiting entire seasons to put the obvious couple together on TV is (thankfully) becoming a thing of the past these days, and I know they're young, but at this point it's been two seasons already with the build-up. 

It'd be irritating to drag it out even longer. But I feel like the most likely thing they'll do is introduce the new love interest and have Anne be into him for most of Season 3, only to finally realize it's Gilbert by the end of the season.

The producer said next season Anne will be 16 and it's a season of "romantic complications," so here's what I think is likely to happen:

I think they'll have Gilbert confess his feelings to her at the beginning of the next season, she'll reject him and go for whatever new guy it is they bring in (not sure if they'll actually have her be engaged to him like in the books), then Gilbert's illness will happen near season's end, then Anne realizes she loves him and they get together in the finale.

So I'm thinking it'll be kept KINDA closer to how it went in the books (at least compared to everything else on this show), just a little more sped up. 

If I were them I wouldn't do it that way, I'd just cut out that other love interest character altogether and have them explore being in love and how to be a couple in this era with Anne's progressive attitudes or something. (For example, maybe she doesn't want to get married right away and they have to wait for each other while Gilbert's in medical school and how hard that is, or even just dealing with how to reconcile their different personality types in a relationship, with her adventurousness and his more serious, sober nature), but I really think the most likely option is probably the former. I mean, Gilbert having that illness in the books is kind of the perfect narrative device to finally trigger Anne's feelings, I could easily see them keeping that.

Although, I do have to say I could go for Anne and Gilbert having more scenes together period, romantic or not. I kinda think that needs to start happening at this point, especially since she does consider him a close friend for a long time before rejecting and then finally accepting him in the books. On the show I think it's a little too "from afar" at this point. They should interact more.

Edited August 20, 2018 by ruby24

[Camera One]

It took me awhile to get motivated to watch this season (I watched the first 15 minutes of the first episode to begin with, then stopped for awhile).  But once I got going, I did finish the season in three days, so it was fairly engaging.  

I'm glad this season didn't end in a contrived cliffhanger like last season, but this finale felt a little anti-climatic after the melodrama of the penultimate episode.

In real life, I'm not sure kids holding potato light bulbs would have saved Miss Stacey's job.  She sure didn't endear herself by showing up in the motorcycle halfway through looking like Amelia Earhart.  As I said in the last episode, I don't see how she was hired in the first place.  I found it a little hard to reconcile the "dark and gritty" concept of the show with this type of pollyanna resolution.  

A couple of things felt unearned.  One was Billy Andrews deciding not to shoot the fox.  I was curious what his "progressive mother" thought of his night of destruction.  Was it obvious that it was clear Billy precipitated Cole's reaction, as Miss Stacey claimed?   Mr. Andrews would easily have dispelled the rumor that Miss Stacey was a "trollop".  Back then, many schoolteachers actually roomed with the families of the students, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for a student's father to provide transportation to the teacher.

Another unearned aspect of this arc was we didn't see enough of Miss Stacey's teaching to be convinced she was actually a good teacher.  I don't recall her actually teaching what type of nails were needed to create the electrical circuit with a potato since Moody broke the light bulb almost immediately after the lesson began.  

It was still very weird to see an Adult Anne as Miss Stacey.  If this were a different show, Anne travelled back in time and took on a fake name so she could teach herself.  I did like the scene with Anne and her adult self on the log beside the destroyed hideaway.

While I liked seeing Marilla stand up for Miss Stacey, there were so many anachronistic lines in this episode.  The worst was probably Miss Stacey and Anne's speeches at the town hall meeting which came straight out of a modern conference for educators extolling the trends of 21st century learning.

I was glad Anne apologized for being obnoxious and Gilbert admitted he was a jerk to Sebastian, but it felt contrived to make the main characters that way for one episode, just so they could recognize their mistakes in the next.  At least Gilbert's behavior made a bit more sense in the context of his sudden need to become a doctor tomorrow since apparently this incarnation is super impatient.

Sebastian's romance was sort of cute, but again, not very realistic.  Would a single woman really be inviting a man to stay with her, even in the progressive Bog?  Sebastian was so handy he could do repairs around her house, but he couldn't put up a fence?  But wait!  Gilbert couldn't put a fence either!  Signing over half the deed over to Sebastian was kind of overkill.  I was expecting a cliffhanger, so at the wedding, I half expected the bride's son to take out a gun and starting shooting.

Overall, this season was a decent diversion.  There were moments I really liked, but also some aspects I really disliked.  I'm glad there will be a third season since the cast does a great job when they portray storylines that are true to the spirit of the books, which unfortunately is only part of the time.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Camera One

[vaudree]

On ‎2018‎-‎08‎-‎17 at 4:00 AM, Llywela said:

I really like Bash, so I'm also happy he is sticking around. It bothered me all season that his face looked familiar and I couldn't figure out why, since I've never seen anything else he's been in. 

The actor who plays Bash was in Degrassi - he is also, with a slightly more trimmed beard and sans accent Devon in in the new raccoon friendly series Crawford.  I'm piecing it together from different sources since AWAE hasn't aired on the CBC yet, but I question whether it ended on a cliff-hanger.  It did not get renewed as quickly as it did if the ending didn't get people younger than us craving Shirbert.

Also, it ended with Bash and Mary's wedding - and Elijah having to move to some blackwater hamlet where he doesn't know anyone with his mother, this guy he hardly knows claiming to be his new father, and his new white uncle who isn't all that much older than he is.  It is going to be quite the adjustment.  And, if Bash is anything like Devon, expect a pregnancy.  I am curious to find out how Elijah and Mary adjust to small town life.

The other thing that I am curious about is that it has been two seasons and we still haven't learned what Billy's Crabbe and Goyle's names are yet.

The other point is that of course Gilbert knows how to run a farm, he grew up on the farm and it was up and running before his father got sick.  Liked how they didn't make Gilbert look too competent working the ship.  And the fence seems to be a two person job.

I think that season 2 is where Anne gets to be a kid for the first time in her life - she needed that - and where Gilbert gets to grow up a bit.  

[AZChristian]

4 hours ago, vaudree said:

The other thing that I am curious about is that it has been two seasons and we still haven't learned what Billy's Crabbe and Goyle's names are yet.

We got to where we even called Billy "Draco."

[Kostgard]

On 8/27/2018 at 10:58 PM, Camera One said:

It took me awhile to get motivated to watch this season (I watched the first 15 minutes of the first episode to begin with, then stopped for awhile).  But once I got going, I did finish the season in three days, so it was fairly engaging.  

I'm glad this season didn't end in a contrived cliffhanger like last season, but this finale felt a little anti-climatic after the melodrama of the penultimate episode.

In real life, I'm not sure kids holding potato light bulbs would have saved Miss Stacey's job.  She sure didn't endear herself by showing up in the motorcycle halfway through looking like Amelia Earhart.  As I said in the last episode, I don't see how she was hired in the first place.  I found it a little hard to reconcile the "dark and gritty" concept of the show with this type of pollyanna resolution.  

A couple of things felt unearned.  One was Billy Andrews deciding not to shoot the fox.  I was curious what his "progressive mother" thought of his night of destruction.  Was it obvious that it was clear Billy precipitated Cole's reaction, as Miss Stacey claimed?   Mr. Andrews would easily have dispelled the rumor that Miss Stacey was a "trollop".  Back then, many schoolteachers actually roomed with the families of the students, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for a student's father to provide transportation to the teacher.

Another unearned aspect of this arc was we didn't see enough of Miss Stacey's teaching to be convinced she was actually a good teacher.  I don't recall her actually teaching what type of nails were needed to create the electrical circuit with a potato since Moody broke the light bulb almost immediately after the lesson began.  

It was still very weird to see an Adult Anne as Miss Stacey.  If this were a different show, Anne travelled back in time and took on a fake name so she could teach herself.  I did like the scene with Anne and her adult self on the log beside the destroyed hideaway.

While I liked seeing Marilla stand up for Miss Stacey, there were so many anachronistic lines in this episode.  The worst was probably Miss Stacey and Anne's speeches at the town hall meeting which came straight out of a modern conference for educators extolling the trends of 21st century learning.

 

Miss Stacey really, really needed to be around for more than one episode before she landed in trouble so all the kids could rally behind her. I still wish that they had resolved that stupid grifter story line at the beginning of the season in one episode and then handed the time over to Miss Stacey at the end of the season.

On rewatch, the anachronistic dialogue is even more distracting. I just find it so odd considering the show has been meticulous about getting every other detail period-accurate (like making sure the apples and the rest of the food are what was available back then and no one is carrying around the giant apples we have now. And at Aunt Jo's party, the costume designers were instructed to only use materials available during this period). But when it comes to the words coming out of everyone's mouth, it is all very 21st century. I noticed the other day in the episode when Matthew was upset with Anne for writing letters on his behalf to his would-be girlfriend and she was upset because he hadn't forgiven her, Marilla tells Anne to give Matthew time to process his feelings. Would anyone - let alone a woman who lived a rather rural existence - really talk about someone "processing" his feelings? They couldn't write the line as something like, "Just give him some time. He'll come around"?

Do they do this because they are trying to appeal to a young audience? If so, they really shouldn't. They need to trust their audience to be smart enough to understand what is happening without presenting it with a 2018 vocabulary. You can get the same ideas across with period-accurate dialogue and the kids will get it. I hope they figure this out.

 

ETA: On the Pollyanna angle they took with Miss Stacey’s story, this show actually does it a lot in a way that I wish they wouldn’t (again, because it’s pretty anachronistic and kinda weird considering how gritty it generally is). Like Prissy running away from the altar so she doesn’t end up married to a closeted, self-loathing gay man. In that era, women found themselves in crappy situations like that all the time. Or Cole having an easy “out” from his family situation where he could just leave and go live with Aunt Jo. Or Diana’s mother easing up on turning her and Minnie Mae into perfect ladies and the family lets loose and throws leaves as each other. Not that I want it to be gloom and doom for everyone (Anne’s story does have a lot of sweetness to it),  but Anne’s story also reflected that not everyone gets a happy ending.

Edited August 31, 2018 by Kostgard

[kittykat]

On 8/30/2018 at 6:35 AM, AZChristian said:

We got to where we even called Billy "Draco."

I only watch a few shows at a time but I don't think I have hated a character in a long time as much as I've hated Billy.  I was seething with rage as he destroyed the clubhouse and Cole's art.  He is just the epitome of white male privilege and a patriarchal mindset.  He needlessly teases Anne, acts racist towards Bash, irreparably messes up Cole's hand, and then destroys their safe haven.  He not only destroyed Cole's place but Diana, Ruby, even his own sister.  He has no regard for their interests and worst of all he gets off with nary a slap on the wrist because patriarchy.  Woooo he let the fox live, no dice, he's horrible.

 

I did find I liked the season when I finally just treated the show as its own vessel without comparison to source material and the 1985 series.  I like Diana still being a kid but also the voice that grounds Anne at times.  I'm guessing S3 will probably be the final third of the book as Amybeth is sixteen and reaching the age of Anne at the end of the book.

[Camera One]

The showrunner said she had five seasons planned, so I expect they will keep Matthew around until close to the end.  The last part of the book has Anne studying at Queen's, so I don't expect that until the fourth or maybe even the fifth season.  This Anne still has a lot of maturing left to do, plus it works better if the actress looks more college-age.  I doubt they're interested in exploring Anne starting her career since that's pretty much the role of the new Ms. Stacey.

Edited September 14, 2018 by Camera One

[Roseanna]

On ‎7‎.‎7‎.‎2018 at 10:46 AM, Itsamemario said:

 I wonder how they plan to continue Anne and Gilbert's romance.

I liked Cole better. He was really Anne's soul mate. Too bad he isn't available. 

And I never got an impression that Anne wanted to be a teacher. Why not an author?

[Anothermi]

Really late to this episode. Have been enjoying the new take on Anne.  Quite willing to accept the new take on Anne. I found the later books somewhat boring. 

[dubstepford wife]

I know the last post in this thread is like, six months old, but...I marathoned in anticipation of Season 3.

I'm confused about a lot of the characters.  I love the books so much, and so many of the characters are here, but are super different.  The big one for me is actually Billy.  In the books he's not much of a character, but he's kind of a good guy.  He freaking proposes to Anne!  It's played for comedy but the books do make it clear that he has legitimate feelings for her.  But here he's like her #1 tormentor.  So, are they going in the direction of he messes with her because he secretly likes her?  Because he seems *really* sure that he hates her.  It's a heck of a change from the books.  And is the thing with the fox meant to show he's changing, and becoming a better person?  

I love Jerry.  Again, he's in the books, but barely, and I love how they've expanded on him.  He's such a sweet friend to Anne.  

Anne needs to grow up.  She's too old at this point to be blurting out stupid things in class and holding a petty grudge against Gilbert.  I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with the time jump, because if as they say she's going to be 16, then she needs to start acting like it.  And she's supposed to be one of the top students when she and Gil go to university.  I wonder if we'll ever see Phil, or Roy, or Patty's Place, or if Anne with initially reject Gil or anything like that.

[Miss Dee]

I'd LOVE to see the Redmond years! Have we ever seen that televised? I see Phil as looking like Anne Hathaway.