'Anne with an E' Season 3 will see a shift in aesthetics, diverse characters and a coming-of-age storyline, teases Helen Johns
The first two seasons of Netflix's 'Anne with an E' has managed to impress not only all the fans of the 'Anne of Green Gables' book series but also those who were ignorant about this beautiful universe.
After over a year's wait, season three of the heartwarming series is premiering in its parent network of Canada's CBC on Sunday, September 22, and even though we do not know of its Netflix premiere date, we can rest assured it is coming soon.
The trailer for the upcoming season promises that 'Anne with an E' will continue to embody the heart and spirit of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel, but the story arcs will deviate significantly from the original stories in the novels.
This season is going to be important in Anne's life, seeing as she is turning 16 and finding out more about her heritage and past.
As actress Helen Johns, who brilliantly portrays Mrs Eliza Barry on the show tells MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), "Anne turns 16 this season, which is a milestone, particularly when you consider that within this period, people 'came of age' at a younger time."
"Obviously the other characters have grown in age too, and we see them all trying to establish and evolve themselves as young adults." Johns also says that season three, unlike seasons one and two were shot over spring and summer, which makes the aesthetics of the series quite different.
Speaking of the new characters who will also shake things up at Avonlea in the upcoming season, an excited Johns says, "Dalmar [Abuzeid] and Cara [Ricketts], who play Bash and Mary, are returning and season three sees the introduction of a camp of members of the Mi'kmaq nation."
This definitely causes a bit of a stir in the community, given how the First Nations storyline was really important to Moira Walley-Beckett, the creator of the show.
"It wasn't in the original novels, but the Mi'kmaq people were indigenous to Canada's Prince Edward Island. The scripts and the new actors brought into the show are all brilliant," Johns shares.
Thanks to the shift in age, the now teenagers of the show will not only question the things around them but will also make their parents question their own ideologies and ideals.
For the Barrys, it will be especially difficult to unquestioningly hold on to their beliefs after the experiences Diana (Dalila Bela) has at Aunt Josephine's (Deborah Grover) amazing party.
"It's safe to say that, like Anne, Diana is trying to figure out her place in the world. It's a fairly turbulent time for all of us," says Johns.
She adds that her own character starts questioning herself because of this. "I think that while Eliza comes across as strict, perhaps even righteous, season two allowed us to see her questioning herself a great deal. Realizing that her assumptions about what is right for her daughters may have some flaws."
Eliza's parenting philosophy historically has involved trying to teach decorum and understanding one's place in society. Anne's style is somewhat wilder than that, which is what has caused quite the friction between her and her daughter's best friend.
While they will probably never see exactly eye to eye, it will be hard for Eliza to resist her completely especially with the intelligence Anne keeps exhibiting, says Johns.
We did see Anne getting Diana drunk, which she may never be able to forget. That being said, "Even within season one, Eliza's views about Anne had started to shift. She realized after Anne saved Minnie May (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) from croup that there was more to her than meets the eye."
Johns adds, "More worldly wisdom. More 'smarts' than in season two, while at first what she saw in Anne was impudence, it really was Anne whose mind was first able to process that the whole town was being led astray. I think that was pretty humbling."
You can watch season three of 'Anne with an E' in Canada on CBC starting Sunday, September 22, while fans of the show world over can watch it on Netflix a while later.