On the myriad of movies and TV shows available on Netflix, Anne With An E is not a popular one that comes to mind. However, as an active Netflix binger and professional couch potato, here’s my review of the different aspects of this particular TV show.
- Characters
Characters are one of the most important factors in any piece of entertainment, whether it would be a movie, TV show, book etc. This TV show is based off the classic novel, Anne of Green Gables and is centred around the main character, Anne. In this show, Anne is back in yet another screen reprise of the somehow loved role, despite her interesting attitude and moral compass. Although Anne is supposed to be the star of the show, I believe that the notorious Gilbert Blythe passes off as a better character, in terms of maturity, personality, and attitude. However, nobody can argue with the fact that the casting director definitely chose the right people to fill these roles as Amybeth McNulty and Lucas J. Zumann both fill these roles as the main characters. Along with the classic characters like Anne, Gilbert, Diana, Marilla, and Matthew come new characters that the show decided to introduce. Some of these are Jerry (the farmhand), Cole (introduced in the second season), and Sebastian (also introduced in season two). Overall, the range of characters is pretty good, despite the fact that in order to keep it historically accurate, most of the characters are white. Out of all the characters, my personal favourites are Gilbert (for his maturity), Jerry (for his sense of humor), and Diana (for her loyalty).
2. Plot
Overall, the plot is, well, interesting. But not in like an engaging way, as in the way that there are some episodes that are really interesting and others that are, questionable… For example, for the first few episodes of season 1, it was mostly setting up the story, which was fine. In the third episode, it got more interesting. However, personally, the first two episodes were redundant for me because I’ve already read the book. On the other hand, if you’re new to Anne of Green Gables and the plot, I would definitely recommend watching the first two episodes. Overall, I showed this to my older brother, someone who’s never read Anne of Green Gables, and although he thought the introduction was helpful, he though that overall, the series was more of a narration through her life rather than a drama, like Riverdale. However, it is like Riverdale in the sense that both of these TV shows takes a light-hearted and innocent piece of literature and turns it into something, well, less innocent. The plot becomes more engaging as you go into the dark flashbacks of Anne’s past, at least for me, and the plot became more engaging in the middle of season two where something relatively big happened to Avonlea. Overall, I would say that this show is good for just mindless watching and a good story, but not if you want anything with drama, thriller etc.
3. Aesthetic
Anne With An E really redeems itself with the overall aesthetic of the show. The show is set in the small town of Avonlea, which gives really great vintage vibes, with the aesthetically pleasing landscape shots and wardrobe. All the props are quite historically accurate and have a very natural and organic feel to it. In addition to that, I personally find the neutral and creamy palette of the show extremely satisfying, along with the mix of pastel flowers and greenery. If I was to choose an aesthetic for my life from a TV show, I would definitely choose this one. The soundtrack of this TV show has a very cheerful tone, which matches the whimsical aspects of this show.
Because there’s way too many aspects of this show to talk about in one blog post, I’m going to end my Anne With An E. Continuing my habit that I started yesterday, I’m going to add an Anne With An E aesthetic mood board. See you guys in my next post!
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