Emily of New Moon

I must say that this is one of my favorite shows on TV. Whether or not the show follows the story presented in the books, which I haven't read, this is a far better young adult option than 99% of anything I've seen on Nickelodian or even Disney.

In the show the life of a young writer is portrayed with dead-eye accuracy. Maybe not the way adults perceive these "dark and disturbing" plot lines, but nevertheless accurately. The life of a writer is not the same as the life of a non writer and I would recommend this show to ANY child or even young adult in less than a heartbeat, knowing that it will encourage them to be themselves, despite the undying efforts of Aunt Elizabeth types who squash dreams like bugs. Or fall victim to The Aunt Laura's spaghetti backbone. Their use of archetypal characters and imagery is phenomenal- nothing like it on TV these days. I wish Netflix would get more than the first 2 seasons. I discovered this show late, whenever the US made the switch to all digital broadcast.

After having enjoyed Kevin Sullivan's foray into the works of L.M. Montgomery, I was interested to see what Salter Street Films would do. The Emily series is the darker, more realistic vision of life Rural Prince Edward Island and much closer to the life Montgomery herself lead. While the series captures that darker element, there are moments of light and color that make the series charming and delightful. The performance of the regular actors in the series were all very well done. Stephen McHattie, who plays Cousin Joe, was especially a standout for me because I'm used to seeing him play heavies and bad guys. The actress playing the lead character is certainly well cast. She is almost a little too intense.

It would be interesting if the producers did an update movie with the same cast based on the last book in the Emily series. It would be a great closer for a series that didn't last too long.

I have to say, that I have only recently begun to watch Emily and have fallen in love with all of the characters over again. Although the books are truly amazing pieces of literature, I must admit that the actors portraying the beloved characters are what drew me into watching the show. I am truly amazed at the raw talent coming from Canada and an glad to see that many of these great performers are being recognized. I would also like to say, that although the television show does take some liberties and has added story lines and details that were not in the novels the stories do draw you into the trials and tribulations of the community of Blair Water and the family, and extended family, of New Moon.

I caught an episode of this show on satellite cable and was just horrified. Having read and truly loved the books as a child, I was at first very excited to see that there was apparently some interest in producing a film/television version, but in comparison with the books the characters and stories presented in the TV series are completely unrecognizable and also came across as a little bizarre. It's even more disappointing considering what a beautiful job was done creating the "Anne..." films (the first two, anyway). The "Emily" series could make just as wonderful a transition but was, in this case, handled very VERY badly.

Even though the episodes became pretty far-fetched as time went on, I really looked forward to Emily each week. To me Chris Dedrick's beautiful theme song alone, with the waves rolling in behind the credits, was worth watching. Every week I got a chuckle out of the caterer's name rolling by--Grilled Cheese, Etc. After the first few episodes I charged out and purchased the Emily paperbacks, to relive my girlhood. I never cared much for the Anne books, but Jane of Lantern Hill, Emily, and The Blue Castle (wish they'd make a series on that one!) were my favorites. Thought the actresses/actors were great and often wonder what some of those younger kids are doing now. This week I've been "rewatching" my Emily tapes in the evenings, as I can find very little worth watching on TV. I'm 72 years old. Thank you.