Anne With An E: Season 3, Episode 5 “I Am Fearless And Therefore Powerful” – Recap, Review (with Spoilers)

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers. Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

Lack of sex education makes an upcoming dance tricky, as does Sebastian relying on two older women to take care of a child.

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Network
CBC, Netflix
Director(s)		Paul Fox
Writer(s)		Naledi Jackson
Air Date (CBC)		10/20/2019
Introduced This Episode
Charlie	Jacob Horsley
Aluk	Brandon Oakes

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Recap

This Is Too Much: Rachel, Marilla, Sebastian

Delphine is only a few months old, is teething, and being that Rachel and Marilla are past 50, dealing with a child screaming all day, trying to play with it, and then take care of their duties at home, it is too much. So, Rachel, being the sometimes callous woman she is, she recommends Sebastian remarry or give up Delphine for adoption. Being that neither option is something he’d want to do, he instead sends a letter to his mother Hazel. Perhaps hoping, after years of taking care of others, she may be able to take care of her own.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How old is Marilla, Rachel, and Hazel, at this point?

The Birds, The Bees, And Someone Being The Bee’s Knees: Charlie, Anne, Jerry, Diana, Ruby, Gilbert, Muriel

Being that sex education was non-existent in the 1800s for girls, of course there is a lot of misinformation. Be it Ruby’s belief touching can cause pregnancy or Charlie telling Anne that a woman with too much on her mind, a wild imagination that is, will become barren. All of this scares the girls, and while Gilbert, in a rather uncomfortable moment, tries to ease the girls’ anxieties, as does Muriel, they can only do so much.

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After all, Gilbert is a teenager, and he didn’t really study sex but being a general practitioner. So while aware of what happens after a woman is pregnant and helping to deliver a baby, the process of getting pregnant might be as unknown to him as the girls. Just, with him being a boy, he doesn’t get toxic and ridiculous warnings about pregnancy.

But, on the positive side to things, Jerry and Diana are making progress. He gets out early from work to walk with her, shares his Frankenstein book, and she even makes a handkerchief for him. Though with there being around 120 days before she is off to Paris, it appears Diana is going to enjoy Jerry’s attention while she can. While hiding what is going on from Anne, by the way.

Though, after dancing with Gilbert, Anne might be in her own world. For something awakened in her during that dance, and Gilbert as well, as they touched hands, really looked at each other, and didn’t trade quips. With only the sound of music, they appeared to have found a way to forget their banter and just be with one another and perhaps see one another as more than a friend.

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. How much is Diana’s interest in Jerry about rebellion?

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4/6/1899: Gilbert, Sebastian, William, Eliza, Anne

With Mary’s death only being a few months, around 2 or so, naturally everyone is still mourning. So, between Anne and Gilbert, they come up with an obituary for Mary and, with Sebastian’s permission, post it. This becomes the talk of the town after Sunday church, but most notably Eliza and William, Diana’s parents, find themselves talking about it. Mostly Eliza, due to feeling guilty about rejecting Mary’s various invitations. So, to compensate, they speak on perhaps including the apples of the Gilbert/Sebastian household in their exports.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

Attraction – yes, it’s important. But love… that’s what truly matters.
— Sebastian

Other Noteworthy Facts, Moments, and Random Thoughts

• What are the chances Matthew thinks Anne did Jerry’s handkerchief?

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Review

Highlights

Anne & Gilbert

While they both remain at the point of being unwilling to admit their feelings, we found them experiencing another crack in their armor. For just the way Gilbert was looking at Anne during that dance, with a bit of devilish charm, it had her stunned and looking at Gilbert in ways she tries to avoid. But, one thing not asked is what does this mean for Ruby and Winifred? We know Ruby doesn’t stand a chance, but Gilbert has had dates with Winifred and has invited her over. Though, with Gilbert, shyly, talking to Bash about his feelings of attraction, does this mean Winifred was a passing thing pursued out of convenience?

Jerry and Diana

This has been a long time coming but is finally happening! And what makes them cute is they are from completely different worlds, yet Diana is enchanted by his. Also, as much as Diana is going through a bit of a rebellion phase, it seems clear that Jerry is more of a choice of attraction than to get a reaction.

Which is probably why she is hiding what is happening from Anne. Being that Diana’s life is so controlled by her parents, with Anne being the little bit of an escape she has, being with Jerry means another source of expressing her autonomy. One which Anne may not approve of since she is still uncomfortable with being attracted to people or the thought of someone being attracted to her. Add in Diana being gone in around 4 months, she doesn’t want anything to drive her and Anne apart.

A Reminder That Sex Education Has Come A Long Way

Can you imagine a world so conservative that teenage girls believe touching someone could get them pregnant? Fun fact, in certain places, this still exists. However, in the late 1800s, there wasn’t any real means to counteract that thought. Schools didn’t teach about sex, and, as shown by Ms. Stacy, at most your instructor may skirt around it just so that you don’t have an anxiety attack. However, due to social norms and religious beliefs, doing anything beyond that could have you considered a pervert, unfit to be around children, and beyond.

So let’s be glad there are options now. Even if, for many, that other option is the misinformation or way too much information, the internet can provide.

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Anne Exposing Gilbert, And The Others, To the Mi’kmaq

One of the keys to making people less ignorant is exposing them, early on, to how diverse the world is. In the case of Anne with an E, it is showing how the Mi’kmaq people, and in extension the rest of the indigenous nations, may live differently, but that doesn’t mean they are savages or out of touch. As shown by the medicine woman and Aluk, Ka’kwet’s dad, they can be around people who aren’t from their nation, dress in clothes, just less boring than the intruders, and have medicine, among other practices.

Heck, considering what Gilbert learned about honey, it forced him to realize, contemplating his time with Dr. Ward, his mentor doesn’t know everything. On top of that, while a kind and more open man than others, he also is willingly ignorant to different ways of doing things. But, thanks to Anne, it seems learning the use of honey in the Mi’kmaq nation has renewed Gilbert’s passion for medicine. It’s just not he’ll focus on the research than the patients.

Mary’s Obituary

I still find Mary’s death unnecessary, but I’m glad her absence isn’t being swept under the rug. Also, that obituary had me tearing up.

Sebastian Understanding Elijah

But perhaps the big benefit of her death is the possibility of Hazel coming around, and Sebastian maybe getting to understand how Elijah feels. After all, Hazel didn’t really get a chance to raise Sebastian. So him seeing her loving and attentive to Delphine, it might help him understand why Elijah acted so aversely to Delphine and Mary’s new family. For while Sebastian may not get the feeling of being replaced, he can experience the mindset of someone getting what wasn’t afforded to you due to the circumstances of your youth.

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