The story of Anne Shirley has been told and retold since the 1908 publishing of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s novel, Anne Of Green Gables. The CBC and Netflix production Anne With An E is the latest adaptation of Anne’s adventures in Avonlea, and the series finale left fans hoping for the announcement of a fourth season.
Anne With An E has been praised by critics and audiences for its willingness to tackle sensitive universal topics, including identity, social justice, the status quo, prejudice, and mental health. The importance of friendship and family and the hardships that come with them are at the core of the story, as well. Here’s a look at which Anne With An E episodes are ranked in the top and bottom five on IMDb
Worst: I Am No Bird, And No Net Ensnares Me - 8.8/10
A misunderstanding tears the Cuthberts and Anne apart when Marilla accuses her of stealing her precious broach. Matthew chases after Anne, who flees from Green Gables. Anne boards a ferry to Halifax and revisits the traumatic orphanage she spent part of her childhood in, but Matthew arrives too late to catch her.
Matthew suffers an injury on his journey to find Anne but eventually finds her reciting poetry for funds at a train station in Charlottetown. Anne is humiliated at the church picnic and runs off, and she and Marilla reconcile.
Best: A Dense And Frightful Darkness - 9.4/10
Anne comes to terms with her feelings for Gilbert, who is to propose to Winifred, and writes him a letter confessing, but he never receives it. Sebastian’s mother disapproves of her son’s high-risk lifestyle in Green Gables. She is convinced that Sebastian is in danger and will lose his home once Gilbert leaves for Paris.
Ka’kwet’s experience at the residential school has twisted her personality and instilled in her a hatred of her own indigenous culture. Her camp is intruded and she is taken away again as she tries to warn her people that hunters are planning to take more children. Ka’kwet’s parents ask the Cuthberts to help bring her home.
Worst: The Painful Eagerness Of Unfed Hope - 8.7/10
Gilbert and Sebastian arrive in Port of Spain, where Gilbert helps deliver a breech baby and, for the first time, considers the medical field for his future career. Mr. Barry makes the sudden decision to test the Barry family’s land for gold without consulting his wife. Mrs. Barry worries about financial insecurity and insists that Diana and Minnie May move on from childhood and start becoming ladies.
Anne discovers that Matthew’s past acquaintance, Jeannie, has been writing him letters. Hoping to kindle a romance, Anne poses as Matthew and replies to the woman’s letters.
Best: I Am Fearless And Therefore Powerful - 9.4/10
After Mary’s death, Rachel and Marilla care for Delphine while Sebastian works, but Sebastian writes to his mother for additional help when Rachel suggests that he remarry or put the baby up for adoption. The teenagers have a dance practice at school after Miss Stacy assures that touching hands won’t get anyone pregnant. Anne and Gilbert share an Elizabeth and Darcy moment on the dance floor.
Jerry and Diana’s secret relationship grows, and they exchange a handkerchief and a copy of Frankenstein. Anne and Gilbert write an obituary for Mary, and the Barrys take notice of it. They feel guilty about their interactions with the Lacroix family before Mary’s death and offer to include Gilbert and Sebastian’s apples in their exports.
Worst: Youth Is The Season Of Hope - 8.7/10
Months have passed since Nate and Mr. Dunlop began staying at Green Gables, and harvest season has arrived. Marilla is becoming uncomfortable with the boarders in the house. Anne borrows Nate’s geology book and starts teaching Jerry the alphabet.
Gilbert is working out at sea and becomes closer with a black man on the ship named Sebastian. Anne and her friends hold a Story Club meeting and decide to send their writing Aunt Josephine. Nate deviously convinces Anne and other Avonlea residents that there is a gold fortune under their feet.
Best: A Strong Effort Of The Spirit Of Good - 9.4/10
Prissy boldly requests a bigger role in the family business, which is to be passed on to Billy, but her father declines. Jerry and Diana’s relationship hits a rough patch and Jerry turns to Anne for advice. Anne thinks the girl he’s talking about sounds horrible and is using him, not knowing he’s talking about Diana. The girls get into a fight that ends with Anne thinking she isn’t good enough for Diana and the latter ripping off her friendship necklace.
Anne’s progressive article about women’s rights has caused an uproar, sparking a conversation about censorship and jeopardizing Josie’s reputation. Anne, Gilbert, and the other teenagers organize a free speech protest. The schoolhouse printing press is removed in response.
Worst: Memory Has As Many Moods As The Temper - 8.6/10
Gilbert returns to school with his mind set on becoming a doctor. Marilla falls ill and reflects on her mother’s degrading health when she and Matthew were children. She comes to terms with how Michael's death permanently affected their lives and how Anne turned them around.
Anne, Cole, and Diana attend Aunt Josephine’s eye-opening soirée. Anne and Aunt Josephine bond over the power of literature. Cole learns about sculpting, realizes that he might be gay, and opens up to Aunt Josephine. Diana is shown that her parents have kept her sheltered from the real world and focused on what they wanted her whole life.
Best: What Can Stop The Determined Heart - 9.5/10
Ka’kwet’s parents are asked to consider sending their daughter to a boarding school. Mary is diagnosed with sepsis and is running out of time. Gilbert begins second-guessing his medical career because of how hard it was to deliver the news about Mary’s condition. Anne assures him that his empathy makes him fit for the profession.
Gilbert sets off to find Mary’s son, Elijah. The Cuthberts help care for baby Delphine. The Barrys host an Easter party with Mary as the guest of honor, and the party is a sentimental farewell to Mary’s character.
Worst: Signs Are Small Measurable Things, But Interpretations Are Illimitable - 8.6/10
A new artistic student named Cole arrives at the schoolhouse. The ship that Gilbert and Sebastian work on docks in Sebastian's home country, Trinidad. Gilbert witnesses racial prejudice for the first time and meets his friend’s mother, who is more welcoming to him than her own son because of his skin color.
Gold fever has swept across Avonlea, and Nate and Mr. Dunlop have convinced the town to pay for soil testing. Marilla and Matthew don’t fall into the trap and, instead, declare that testing for gold will be up to Anne when she inherits the farm.
Best: The Better Feeling Of My Heart - 9.7/10
Anne and her friends await exam results with hope for admittance to Queen’s College, and Gilbert breaks off his relationship with Winifred. He asks Miss Stacy for help getting into the University of Toronto instead of studying in Paris. Sebastian opens the farm up to Elijah so they can build the relationship Mary would’ve wanted them to have.
Matthew and Marilla retrieve an heirloom given to Anne’s mother to fulfill Anne’s wish of knowing where she came from. Diana encounters Gilbert on the train and scolds him for his naivety to Anne’s feelings. He turns back to chase after Anne, and the two kiss and exchange their true feelings. Diana reveals that her parents are allowing her to attend Queen’s college with Anne instead of finishing school. Anne rides off toward the journey ahead in a carriage with Matthew and Marilla.