Thread by @lainasparetime

What do y'all think of doing a little #LainaWatchesAnne thread?

I did a thread on this adaptation's first 10 episodes which you can check out here if you need to catch up. lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/2021/06/04/ann…

Turns out, though, Project Green Gables is actually the adaptation to adapt Anne of Avonlea alone. Every other adaptation combines it with Anne of the Island and/or Anne of Windy Poplars, or skips it completely.

So let's do a short recap of the first season to catch up!

#LainaWatchesAnne As a reminder, this version has Anne be a foster kid. Anne's red hair is now natural hair, and puffed sleeves are now a sleeveless dress.

Anne has made friends with Diana and gone to her first party at Charlie Sloane's house (instead of a church picnic).

#LainaWatchesAnne Oh, and Mr Phillips is a creep.

Episode 11 talks about how Anne came to live with the Cuthberts, and it's a great modernized but on-book scene, including the "we expected a boy" thing.

#LainaWatchesAnne Apparently the foster home told Anne they were willing to take her in until she was 18 (she's 17 now) but the Cuthberts were told they were getting a 17 year old boy for TWO WEEKS. Emergency foster care, basically.

Somebody fucked up.

#LainaWatchesAnne They even include Mrs Blewett and Anne says she looked like "a homeschool teacher" and I cracked up. I can picture it exactly.

She apparently has TEN kids and basically wants Anne for a nanny which.

#LainaWatchesAnne I think Anne being Black in this kind of changes that dynamic from the book. Like a white woman foster a Black teen girl SOLELY to be her childcare... that's a yikes.

Anne points out she's heard that happens a lot, too, which I'm sure it does, and yeah. Yikes.

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 2 is called "Dicks Will Be Dicks" which I love so much

It's our first Gilbert Blythe episode! Aka "Gilbert Goddamn Blythe".

Apparently he spent a year in England, and he's back. Anne is not impressed at all.

#LainaWatchesAnne This is when we get to the hair scene, which obviously has some different connotations. I'm gonna quote a bit heavily here

Anne: "He didn't just touch [her hair]. He ran his eager little white boy hands through it and said, 'Oh, it feels just like our dog!'"

#LainaWatchesAnne Anne cursed him out, rightfully, and smashed his iPad over his head.

Diana thinks this was all hilarious but Anne is (again, RIGHTFULLY) furious.

#LainaWatchesAnne She points out how disrespectful it is to touch someone when they don't want it period, let alone to touch a Black person's hair without consen, and especially "to call them an animal because of the texture of it".

#LainaWatchesAnne Diana says he tried to take the blame and Anne says it's still unfair SHE got detention. Diana also says he teases everyone, but has only apologized to Anne.

#LainaWatchesAnne Diana is really wrong here. Gilbert freaking microaggressioned Anne and SHE got in trouble???

Anne: "Diana, it's dehumanizing. It's different and you know it."

#LainaWatchesAnne I do want to point out that I think how they wrote Diana here is delberate to point out the difference.

Diana, again, is white. So I think they're using her here as a white person who "means well" but still says something kind of shitty.

#LainaWatchesAnne Also, Mr Phillips is probably racist (surprise) and Anne declares she's quitting school.

Diana says she can't quit and Anne is like, fine, but she' never talking to "that white boy again". Fair.

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 13 is Anne and Diana having a sleepover and they do a best friends tag. (Remember, this is Anne's youtube channel we're watching.)

Look, cordial! Or, raspberry juice, but close enough. No one gets drunk.

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 14 is Anne reciting a LM Montgomery poem (cute touch) and talking about why she likes poetry. Cool but not exciting for this thread lol

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 15 is another sleepover, this time at Diana's house. It's been like 2 weeks since the last one.

They also went to a concert in Carmody so they're kinda wired. It's cute.

#LainaWatchesAnne Cut to them giggling uncontrollably in the dark - they absolutely just jumped on Aunt Josephine in the guest room.

Piano lessons are kept, even! And Anne takes the blame. Nice.

Aunt Jo seems to like Anne, lucky. I like this!!

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 16 is Anne freaking out at am because they watched a horror movie (Diana loves them) and now she's scared of Green Gables. It's basically the Haunted Woods chapter!! Very clever.

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 17 has Ruby!! They do a tag about "first times". She's very cute.

Ruby also recommends Anne get baby-sitting jobs in Avonlea since she has a lot of experience with kids, which is a nice touch.

#LainaWatchesAnne Ruby talks about slutshaming a bit which, yes, thank you!! Down with shaming Ruby for liking boys. Or anyone obviously but I love Ruby.

Also I cackle about 2015 Youtube where "a hundred years long" is a 7 minute video.

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 18 - oh my god. Mr Phillips and Prissy Andrews "got caught". We're not really sure doing WHAT/there's no proof but the principal found out.

General consensus is they were in a "relationship" and he's very fired.

#LainaWatchesAnne Prissy is apparently 18 but Anne points out it's still illegal and an abuse of power. Nicely handled, honestly.

So now we have Miss Stacey!! Anne definitely comes off as having a bit of a crush describing her, lol. But in an appropriate way!

#LainaWatchesAnne Like it's fine for students to have crushes on teachers. It's not fine for teachers to reciprocate!

And there's gonna be a Christmas concert! Anne's going to be in the choir and Jane is giving a speech on gender equality. Anne's also performing a poem she wrote

#LainaWatchesAnne Episode 19 - Anne and Diana decide to bake a cake but Diana's mother and Marilla both banned them from their kitchens so they're doing it in a guesthouse on the Barry property (subtle way to show class difference, nice).

It goes well.

#LainaWatchesAnne And 20 is a Q&A and Anne call me basic for liking Earl Grey tea.

I'm offended.

There's nothing plot here except Anne really likes Kiera Knightley, and we all know What That Means.

#LainaWatchesAnne Oh, and Miss Stacey is Indian so that's a cool touch. It's nice that Anne has a bond with another woman of colour, especially because Avonlea's really, really white.

#LainaWatchesAnne That's all we're going to do today! We'll continue season one (Green Gables) on Thursday

If you enjoyed this thread, please RT it so other people can find it, and if you wish to support me in these trying basic tea times, my kofi is open ko-fi.com/A0602GN

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