‘Anne With An E’ trends after season 3 premiere as fans demand season 4 for Ka'kwet: ‘Stop saying final’
'Anne with an E' dropped all 10 episodes of season 3 on Netflix on January 3 (except in Canada where it had aired earlier on CBC Gem). There was lots of binge-watching to be done in the first week of the New Year.
Fans screenshotted key moments from the latest season and celebrated with a fan-made poster celebrating its launch. However, even as fans gushed about the new season, the fanfare was tinged with sadness as it was announced earlier that season 3 would be the last one for the beloved show.
Fans have been actively petitioning Netflix for season 4. After crossing 2 million tweets in the earlier #SaveAnnewithanE campaign in November just after the cancellation announcement, #AnnewithanE trended again on January 3 after the season 3 launch.
The season 3 finale has Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty) and Gilbert Blythe (Lucas Jade Zumann) finally declaring their love for each other. But after a few kisses, they have to part ways. After a whole season worth of episodes of near-misses, fans got more of Shirbert-centric frustration rather than the feels.
But even worse was the unfinished story of Ka'kwet (Kiawenti:io Tarbell). She is still trapped in her "school" being tortured as her parents camp close by. Since this storyline was a new addition, which is not there in the original books, fans will never know what creator and executive producer, Moira Walley-Beckett, had planned for Ka'kwet.
A user tweeted: "I love Ka’kwet and her story is so important. It needs to be told and it’s not finished yet. Give us a season 4 for her sake if nothing else #AnneWithAnE".
One user put it well when she tweeted: "I'm not ready to say goodbye to the girls #AnneWithAnE". The show that showed the many highs and lows of female friendship had another fan tweeting: "My heart, I – I just wanted to see them breaking the rules, growing together, going to winter balls and gossiping about suitors and really being there for one another #AnneWithAnE"
Many fans also were angry at Netflix for using the "final season" phrase in their promotional material. One user who loves the show said it best: "We don't want memories, we want the show to continue on as it should. It's not time to say goodbye. We are looking forward to meeting our Anne again. #AnneWithAnE".
Another was curt and to the point: "Stop saying final". To be fair, Netflix has offered fans the option of requesting another season of 'Anne with an E' on their website. Netflix often bases its final decision on viewing numbers and data collected in the first few weeks that a title is live.
This is why watching 'Anne With an E' could resurrect the show for a fourth season despite the cancellation. However, Canadian fans will not be able to participate in saving the show because of the deal Netflix has with CBC about licensing, which means Netflix Canada won't be streaming season 3 for viewers in the country.
U.S. audiences can, however, stream season 3 of 'Anne with an E' right now on Netflix.