Anne – Remorse Is the Poison of Life

By: Miranda Sajdak

As in the prior episodes of Anne, this one tackles a new element to the story while having some fun callbacks and references to the book and improving upon the prior episodes. This truly is a series that gets better in each installment and it’s refreshing to see that unfold.

Episode Six opens with a familiar storyline: Minnie May’s illness. Anne (Amybeth McNulty) is awakened by Diana Barry (Dalila Bela) and learns that her younger sister, Minnie May, is sick with the croup. Marilla is out of town, on a visit to see the Canadian Premier speak, and Matthew (R.H. Thomson) heads out to fetch a doctor – but only Anne is close enough and learned enough to help in this immediate emergency. Using her knowledge of how to care for sick children – after all, she cared for many in the past – she grabs a bottle of ipecac (an expectorant) and rushes over to the Barry’s home to try to help Minnie May (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). On the way out she and Diana note how much they’ve missed each other, to remind us that they’re forbidden to speak, due to Mrs. Barry’s (Helen Johns) dislike of Anne following the raspberry cordial incident.

Nevertheless, Anne heads to Diana’s, where she discovers Diana’s Aunt Josephine (Deborah Grover) there from out of town. Aunt Josephine has no idea how to care for a sick child and seems bewildered and frustrated by Anne’s experience as well as her take-charge attitude. Anne is never one to let an adult get in her way; however, and she does take charge by first making sure Minnie May is comfortable – steaming to try to loosen the phlegm, followed by getting some cool air in the room and building up the fire. Anne even tries an old wives’ tale and puts raw onion in Minnie May’s socks to try to bring down the fever. But it seems it’s the cold air and Anne’s ingenuity that saves the day as Minnie May eventually coughs enough to loosen the phlegm in her throat and, with the help of Anne, Diana and Josephine, coughs enough to clear her lungs and head back to rest. Matthew and the doctor arrive far too late to help at all and end up praising Anne’s resourcefulness. On the way home, Anne reflects on the beautiful day and how glad she is that Mrs. Hammond had twins, something she never thought she’d be thankful for.

Back home, Marilla (Geraldine James) learns of Anne’s success both from Matthew and later from Mrs. Barry, who comes to visit in gratitude. Mrs. Barry decides to allow Anne and Diana to see each other again and it’s a great moment of relief when the two friends reunite, once Anne learns she’s permitted to be with her best friend again.

Diana is not the only friend Anne spends time with this episode. She gets a few moments with Ruby (Kyla Matthews) and makes a new friend in Mrs. Josephine Barry, who ends up impressed by Anne’s insight when saving Minnie May.

But their friendship takes some time to develop. First of all, in a bigger subplot, Gilbert (Lucas Jade Zumann) gets hit with some devastating news. We see him early in the episode talking to his father, who reminisces about how wonderful it is to travel. As we remember from earlier episodes, Gilbert’s father is sick and it’s in this one that he finally succumbs to his illness. His death is a tragedy and Gilbert stoically works his way through it. Prior to his death, Anne realizes for the first time that Gilbert will become an orphan when his father dies and she’s struck by a sense that they might actually have something in common for once. After the funeral, Anne tries to strike up a conversation with Gilbert about being an orphan, but it doesn’t go well as he feels she’s centering herself in the midst of his tragedy – and he truly wants to be alone. It’s nice to see the two spar over something other than school and gives both actors a moment to dig deeper into their characters.

The funeral also provides some insight into Marilla’s character and a nice throwback to an earlier episode. Here we see a flashback to Marilla as a young girl, as she spends time with Mr. Blythe. It’s clear the two are flirting and Marilla obviously misses him. She, more than the other adults, seems to struggle the most with his passing and it’s another good moment to see her character grow over the course of the episode, as she comes face to face with what might have been. We also see that Mr. Blythe gave her the ribbon she later gifted to Anne when she first moved to Green Gables.

Gilbert also struggles with his father’s death and it seems he’s perhaps in a bit of denial. We don’t get to see him cry, but the show does provide us with a metaphor for tears in a melting snowflake caught in his hand, which ties in nicely to the beautiful nature landscapes we’ve been surrounded by throughout the show. Aside from his anger at Anne, Gilbert is reticent with Matthew who offers to help tend the land until he decides what to do with it, though it’s clear Gilbert doesn’t want to farm the land as he’s never wanted to be a farmer. The other schoolboys ask Gilbert to return to school so they can finally compete with Anne again and he suggests they try to brush up on the books instead, reminding them that she’s actually smart and sticking up for her again. When the boys taunt him, he gets in a fight, taking out his sorrow by beating up a bully that ends up feeling a little more brutal than the classic Gilbert – but also a realistic reaction to losing a parent.

His softer side comes out later when he encounters Marilla at his father’s grave and the two have a chat. She wonders what her life would have been like if she’d gone traveling with Mr. Blythe and Gilbert’s surprised to learn that his father asked her to go away. Gilbert and Marilla have an interesting relationship and it’s one that would be fun to see grow.

The other subplot relationship in this episode is Anne and Josephine Barry, as we learn that the elder Mrs. Barry is in town due to the death of her “companion.” This story becomes more fascinating as the episode goes on as this viewer guessed – but didn’t confirm until late in the episode – that Josephine Barry, in this adaptation, might not be straight. It’s a smart touch in an update as there isn’t much to be said for the LGBT community in the original books. But, of course, there would have been queer people living in that era and there’s no reason not to incorporate them here given the other plot changes. Josephine Barry’s story aligns with Anne’s nicely as Anne struggles with burgeoning feelings for Gilbert. She denies them and spends most of the episode debating what her future will be and whether she should ever marry. She’s certain she doesn’t want romance of that nature, though she does want to be a bride. Josephine suggests she might pursue her career goals and get a white dress to wear whenever she likes. Anne says she looks up to Josephine as a role model and it’s encouraging to see her branch out into admiring different types of people as she grows up.

Anne and Aunt Josephine also connect over their interest in literature, as Josephine happens to be reading Jane Eyre – one of Anne’s favorite novels. Without spoiling the ending, Anne manages to engage Aunt Jo in a conversation about how much she enjoys the book and Josephine promises to tell Anne what she thinks when she gets to the ending. This is a great reference to a novel that has clearly inspired much of this adaptation of Anne. Though nature plays a part in the L.M. Montgomery novels, it’s also clear that the visuals here are referencing Jane Eyre and we’ve heard the book remarked upon in earlier episodes. The writing, too, takes its cue from a number of early feminist works and Jane Eyre is just one of many that could serve as references for the producers. That said, it’s clear they’re focused on Bronte’s work, as even the episode titles are references to lines of dialogue from Jane Eyre. It would be fascinating to see this develop over future seasons, as it’s possible for the writers to continue referencing that novel or other gothic romance classics.

Beyond those plots and subplots, we are also introduced to a cliffhanger ending, brought on by Matthew’s visit to the general store. He’s asked to settle up his account there, and when he pays, he learns a ship has recently gone down – perhaps with some items he ordered on it, or perhaps with some money he needs? We’ll have to wait till the final episode to find out for sure, but Matthew certainly seems in a panic over the sinking of the ship and he learns there was no insurance – so everything aboard was lost. This moment parallels Matthew’s loss in the original book series, as he lost money at a bank that went under, but that reference from Montgomery led to a tragic moment which we hope we don’t have to revisit so soon in this show. Nonetheless, there’s plenty of potential in the final episode and we look forward to seeing and reviewing it as this show moves forward. Thus far, this has been a gripping retelling, with some great additions and nice adapted beats and the finale is sure to be just as exciting as the prior episodes have been to date.