To me this was the best episode of the new Anne. It delivered quite the emotionally punch but also moved the needle a tiny bit in the Anne and Gilbert love story.
The emotional heart of this episode is the people of Avonlea supporting Mary as she learns that she is dying of sepsis and doesn't have long to live.
At the top of the episode, Mary is still bedridden and doesn't seem to be getting better. Also not healing well is the cut she sustained in the last episode after an argument with her son. Mary and Bash fear what she is might be contagious so they send baby Delphine to Green Gables where Matthew, Marilla and Anne dote on her.
Gilbert goes to Charlottetown to fetch Dr. Ward who cancels his next day appointments to see Mary once he hears her symptoms. As mentioned above, the news isn't good. Mary has sepsis - mostly likely due to her cut getting infected - and there is nothing that can be done. We learn that Mary has only one to two weeks to live.
Bash is unable to tell his wife the news of her death sentence so it falls to Gilbert to tell her. Mary immediately wants Delphine to return home so Gilbert goes to fetch her from Green Gables. Marilla and Matthew take the baby in the carriage ahead of Anne and Gilbert who elect to walk back to his house.
During the walk, Gilbert questions his decision to become a doctor as he felt he did a very poor job in telling Mary the news of her diagnosis. But Anne tells Gilbert that he will be a great doctor because he cares and will continue to care for his patients. Anne then engulfs Gilbert in a hug that her reciprocates as he lets all of this emotions go. This was a very sweet and tender moment between the two.
When they return to the Blythe homestead, Mary asks Gilbert to find Elijah to tell him of the news of her health. Before he leaves, Mary tells Gilbert to make sure that he marries for love.
Gilbert journeys to the bog in Charlottetown only to be told that Elijah left for America and is probably in New York right now. However, in reality, the bartender was covering for Elijah who doesn't believe that there was a family emergency that requires him to contact home. But Gilbert doesn't leave Charlottetown empty-handed as he brings home Constance and Jocelyn, two Mary's closest friends from her days that laundromat.
While Gilbert is away, Mary asks Anne how did she turn out the say she did - kind and compassionate - after being orphaned at a similar age as Delphine. Anne responds that it was her belief that her parents loved her and reassures Mary that Delphine will be loved as she grows up. But Mary still worries that Delphine won't know her and how much she loves her. Anne encourages Mary to write a letter to her daughter telling her how much she loves her and that it will make all the difference in the world to her when she grows up. Mary attempts to write the letter to Delphine but has to stop to comfort Bash. Mary tells Bash that he will make an amazing father and will raise their daughter right. Mary encourages Bash to lean on the Avonlea community as his support system. She also tells Bash that Delphine will go to school and get as much education as she wants including university. Bash tells Mary that has already started saving for her education.
As well, Anne asks the Barry family to host the Easter celebration in their backyard as that would mean the world to Mary.
Elsewhere in Avonlea, news hits that a residential school will be opening up in Halifax and I think the superintendent asks citizen like Rachel Lynde to place ads about it and get the First Nations in the community to go to the school. At Easter service, Rachel sees Ka'kwet and her father come and deliver Gilbert's hockey stick and she uses this as an opportunity to show the residential school flyer. Ka'kwet is excited at the opportunity of going to school but her parents are weary. Everyone tries to get Ka'kwet and her family to think it is a good thing to go this residential school to learn English and western culture but as we all know this is an extremely bad thing and I am afraid to see what horrors lie ahead for Ka'kwet. I am pretty sure that the show will accurately depict the horrors of residential schools.
At the Easter celebration at the Barry's, Mary arrives in a lovely Easter bonnet made by Anne and little Delphine gets a crown of flowers. Minnie May tells Constance, Jocelyn, Marilla and Rachel that she looks like a chocolate candy bar. At first people are speechless at what Minnie May said but then all later agree that Delphine is the sweetest baby ever. Whoever plays baby Delphine deserves a Canadian Screen Award because their reaction was the cutest thing.
Mary starts to read her favourite Easter passage but is unable to finish so Marilla finishes. Later, all assemble starts to sing a hymn to Mary. Mary is content to be surrounded by those that love her as we see the a kite floating against a sunny sky.
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