Thread by @lainasparetime

I was tired and cranky on Tuesday so I didn't do a thread. I'm tired today too, but in less of a way that I feel like I'm going to murder someone, so let's do a #LainaWatchesAnne thread!

#LainaWatchesAnne We open on Anne, Diana, and two girls who have not been given names so far. Runtime limitations really take away from Anne's relationships with other girls who aren't Diana.

Good if you ship Anne/Diana (and don't we all) but I think it's a bit of a shame.

#LainaWatchesAnne The book really shows that Anne is a very friendly, popular girl who gets along well with other girls except Josie Pye. From a girl whose only friend was her own reflection, that's a big deal. Just a bit of shame we don't see that as much.

#LainaWatchesAnne But this is the boat scene! And the girls actually get names here - we've got Ruby and Jane!

#LainaWatchesAnne "Your hair's darker now than just plain old red," Diana lies.

#LainaWatchesAnne Anne agrees to be Elaine basically because no one else wants to do it, lol.

This sounds super weird but for some reason the music in this scene reminds me of the Silent Hill music?

#LainaWatchesAnne So she hops in, they toss a piano cover over her, and they shove her off into the pond. As Anne approaches the bridge, the boat begins to sink... for no real reason?

#LainaWatchesAnne But at least here Anne doesn't just TOSS THE PADDLES AWAY FOR NO REASON like she does in the 1934 movie and the whole thing is actually the girls acting out imaginative play, like in the book. Not just Anne being overdramatic.

I'm very bitter about that still.

#LainaWatchesAnne The bridge looks really good too

#LainaWatchesAnne Anne grabs onto it just in time

#LainaWatchesAnne Diana, Ruby, and Jane run to the other side of the pond, see the empty boat before it sinks completely, and reasonably assume Anne is drowning somewhere in the middle of the pond.

#LainaWatchesAnne Like legit reasonably - Anne has no reason to know how to swim, and her clothes would be really heavy wet. Drowning was a very real concern in this time period. There was a whole movement about the weight of womens' clothing.

See:

#LainaWatchesAnne Ruby's performance is particularly dramatic which is absolutely accurate to her book counterpart.

And hilarious.

#LainaWatchesAnne Now guess who happens to be paddling by?

#LainaWatchesAnne Anne looks ever so happy to see him

#LainaWatchesAnne The interactions here are adorable honestly. Gilbert is so utterly amused by her as he asks, "What in the heck are you doing?"

Like look at his face. He wants to hear how this happened so bad.

#LainaWatchesAnne "Fishing for lake trout," Anne replies loftily. This isn't technically in the book (though fishing for trout is something Anne and Diana are mentioned to do) but it's HILARIOUS and I love it. It's so in character for her.

#LainaWatchesAnne I just love the dynamic. You can tell he wants to ask how she got into this mess so badly, but she's obviously a little embarassed? So he hold his tongue and he doesn't press her, just helps her get off the bridge.

#LainaWatchesAnne Back at the Barry residence, Diana says nobody's home. Ruby wails that "It's too late! She's drowned and we're murderers" and good Lord, look at how red she is.

#LainaWatchesAnne Jane and Diana go to get Matthew while Ruby collapses on this bench. She is hilarious, truly.

#LainaWatchesAnne Gilbert teases Anne that he rescued her while rowing her to shore, which she denies. "Help was on the way," she says, VERY optimistically.

I saw the help, Anne. 30% of it is melting down in the Barry garden.

#LainaWatchesAnne Before Anne can take off, Gilbert stops her - again, this part is so much better than 1934. He catches her wrist to stop her for like two seconds and doesn't yank her around.

#LainaWatchesAnne He tells her he was at the post office to see if the Queen's results had been posted and she congratulates him on coming first.

"Wait a minute, you ninny," he says and says they again tied for first place.

#LainaWatchesAnne Accurate to the book, but now she finds out, but it's very cute how happy he is for her and I get changing it if you want to lean into the romance a little more.

Plus it helps the plot flow a little better.

#LainaWatchesAnne Just as in the book, Gilbert asks if they can be friends. He also flubs his line slightly, which amuses me that they didn't do another take.

#LainaWatchesAnne And as in the book, he apologizes again and she still won't accept it. They expand slightly on why they both feel the way they do - she explicitly says he hurt her feelings, and he says he "only wanted to meet you so much" and expresses genuine regret.

#LainaWatchesAnne I will say aging them up slightly does make a bit of a change. In the book she's been holding the grudge for FIVE YEARS.

#LainaWatchesAnne Oh, and because we need more romance drama she asks why he snubbed her at the Christmas ball. "That was over a year ago," he says.

FIVE. YEARS. I remind you. Anne is petty sometimes in the books.

#LainaWatchesAnne And "I knew exactly what you were thinking, too, Anne Shirley, you and Diana Barry," Gilbert says and I do not understand this line at all. It doesn't seem like something Gilbert Blythe would ever say.

#LainaWatchesAnne This is the issue with cramming elements from the 1934 one in - this adaptation is SO book-faithful that all the things from that version feel out of character and out of place.

#LainaWatchesAnne Anne turns down his offer of friendship and okay, a change I like - she runs off and he tries to stop her to keep talking. In the book, he gets angry back.

Which honestly is valid!

#LainaWatchesAnne But the Gilbert in this adaptation is very mellow and easy going - it plays off how hotheaded Anne is exceptionally well, and the actor playing him does it so well.

And he looks after her all fond like this

#LainaWatchesAnne Moving on from just the last three minutes, Anne runs home and everyone is grateful to see her alive. She also gets to tell Marilla, Matthew, Mrs. Rachel and her friends that she tied for first.

Everyone is so proud and happy.

#LainaWatchesAnne Marilla is almost choking up and Mrs. Rachel even says they're all proud of her. It's very cute and I aww.

#LainaWatchesAnne Sometime later, Gilbert is fishing in this cute little stream while also reading when Marilla drives up to him. He introducs himself and is very polite and the whole thing is very awkward, lol.

#LainaWatchesAnne Marilla kind of gently threatens him, saying Anne has lots of potential but is still very young. This is wholy original, but it DOES seem to have 1934's fingerprints on it.

But I do actually like the addition because the actors handle it so well.

#LainaWatchesAnne And that's about it for today! Tune in next time for a very special event.

Also I'm just going to tooootally casually remind you all it was my birthday on Sunday as I leave this here ko-fi.com/A0602GN