'Anne With an E' Episode 1 review: New characters, romances and blissful life at Avonlea take center stage as Anne yearns to belong
Fans of ‘Anne with an E’ are still heartbroken about the fact that the beloved CBC/Netflix series has been canceled after Season 3 aired in Canada. However, the rest of us have Season 3 to look forward to, which will premiere on January 3, 2020, on Netflix. All the episodes of the upcoming season will be dropped on the first Friday of 2020 and we will be doing episode reviews for every single one of them.
Spoiler alert for Season 3 Episode 1 of 'Anne with an E'
The first episode of the new and seemingly final season of the series paints a beautiful picture of what life in Avonlea is like, where things have gone back to normal after the entire town was nearly looted by two goons. Anne (Amybeth McNulty) is back to being a carefree self but she is burdened by the knowledge that she may never know where she comes from, who her birth family is.
However, she has seemingly made her peace with it, just as much as she has made peace with the fact she may forever be married to adventure because she is too oblivious to Gilbert's (Lucas Jade Zumann) affections for her. However, the rest of her peers are refusing to see things that way and are employing various tactics to catch the attention of their potential beaus. Quite a few of them have coupled up and have plans to get married as well, but despite having a relentless admirer, Anne's bosom friend Diana (Dalila Bela) is unable to reciprocate because she knows the reputation of her family precedes her and that they will object to the relationship.
In many ways, the first episode juxtaposes Diana's predicament of having a long line of prominent family members with Anne's heartbreak over not knowing where she comes from. The journey of these two young women promises to be propelled by the awareness of their respective relationships with their families. The first episode has definitely set the stage for this, even as we see the introduction of a new seemingly prominent character.
Twelve-year-old actress Kiawenti:io Tarbell, a Mohawk from Akwesasne, has been cast as Ka’kwet, Anne’s new friend in the series, and much like the other characters that were previously introduced she too will be part of huge storylines. We have seen how the arrival of a free-spirited and independent teacher, a gay classmate and a Trinidadian sailor influenced the mindset of the people in Avonlea and we cannot wait to see how it happens in Season 3 with the close association of this young aboriginal girl with Anne.
Another big storyline that has been set up in Season 3's premiere episode if that of Anne searching for her lineage and finding out where she belongs. Season 3 of 'Anne with an E' will focus heavily on this journey and we are excited to on this journey with her.
Season 3 of 'Anne with an E' is available to stream on Netflix starting January 3.
