Struggling Against the Perception of Facts

***Struggling Against the Perception of Facts*** is the eighth episode of the second season of *Anne*. It premiered on Netflix on July 6, 2018.

## Synopsis

With a wedding on the horizon, Anne wonders what kind of bride she'd like to be. Marilla sees an oculist, and Bash meets a friendly face in "The Bog".

## Plot

The episode begins with Anne, Diana and Ruby discussing marriage proposals in their clubhouse, with Ruby describing her sister's proposal. While she and Diana find it romantic, Anne disagrees, continuing Anne's recurring observations of marriage being focused on goods and logistics rather than romance. The girls then talk about their classmate, Prissy, and her expected engagement to their teacher, Mr. Philips. Each of them takes turns imagining their own proposal speech. Meanwhile, Mr. Phillips is seen on one knee, holding an engagement ring and discussing his future plans. We see that he is not speaking to Prissy, but rather to Mr. Andrews, who seems unimpressed by Mr. Philips. Mr. Andrews calls Prissy into the room, allowing her to accept the proposal from Mr. Philips.

In the morning, Marilla is preparing for a visit to Charlottetown to visit an oculist see an oculist to address her severe headaches, accompanied by Rachel Lynde. Anne goes upstairs to get Marilla's shawl, but is distracted by a bridal veil which she finds in the same trunk. Anne gives Marilla a surprise to open on her journey.

At home, Gilbert is studying at the breakfast table while Bash complains of tooth pain. After enough nagging, Gilbert gives in and helps Bash pull the tooth using a door and string. Unfortunately, this leads to an infection which rapidly gets worse. When Bash goes into town to the general store, he is refused service by the prejudiced store owner, Clayton. Out of options, Bash goes to the schoolhouse to find Gilbert. At this point, he has developed a fever, and Gilbert leaves school early to take him to his father's former doctor in Charlottetown.

Bash and Gilbert face prejudice at the train station, where Bash is refused a seat on the train by a white conductor, despite having a valid ticket. One of the porters, a black man named Isaac, mentions that there might be room with the cargo, but Bash insists that he be seated in a main train car. Marilla and Rachel overhear this argument as they are on the same train, and Marilla steps in, pretending that they were all traveling together. Bash is allowed on the train, although he still faces prejudice from other passengers. On the train, Rachel apologized to Bash for their initial interaction at the Christmas pantomime, where she thought Bash was a hired worker. She remarks that Avonlea has "never been home to" a person of color, though she has a difficult time knowing how to verbalize their differences. Marilla and Gilbert chat on the train, discussing his travels with his father and his aspiration to become a doctor. Opening Anne's surprise gift, Marilla wonders what passion Anne might follow in the future. Gilbert remarks that she is a very passionate person, and they share the tarts Anne made for the journey.

Back in the schoolhouse, Prissy and Mr. Philips have a private conversation in which he tells he needs her to forfeit her plans for college to fulfill her duties as a wife. At the same time, Anne and her female friends talk about the tradition of a trousseau at lunch. Anne disagrees with the tradition of collecting linens and dresses, wanting books instead. As the day progresses, Mr. Phillips' hostility towards Cole escalates after they share an uncomfortable moment in the school's storage room. Cole begins to suspect that Mr. Phillips is gay. Billy Andrews continues to bully Cole, pushing him over and teasing him by taking his clay. Billy throws it and hits the window, breaking it. Cole is blamed, but since his family cannot afford to replace the window, Mr. Phillips pulls a switch out from his desk and threatens him with corporal punishment. At this moment, Cole stands up to Mr. Phillips and refuses to hold out his palm before leaving the school. During this tense moment, Prissy's face shows concern about her fiancee's cruelty and unfairness.

At the oculist, Marilla is given reading glasses to help with eye strain. She wonders if there could be a more serious issue, but the oculist recommends that for now she try the glasses along with a diet that will help her eyes until she comes back to see him for a follow-up. Gilbert and Bash visit Dr. Ward, who examines Bash. Though Bash initially protests getting help there rather than The Bog, he consents to getting sutures and medicine for his infection. When Dr. Ward picks up a needle, Gilbert sees it and faints. After treating Bash, the doctor tends to Gilbert with smelling salts and helps him up. When Bash comments on Gilbert's career goals, Dr. Ward and Gilbert make a plan for Gilbert to begin learning under his direction. Gilbert stays with Dr. Ward, planning to meet up with Bash in The Bog afterward.

After a tense day at school, Anne goes to the clubhouse where she finds Cole working with clay. He vows that he will never go back to school, and shares his suspicion that Mr. Philips is gay. In this conversation, he also reveals to Anne that he is "the same as Josephine Barry", coming out as gay to Anne. She is grateful for his trust in her, and they promise to help each other follow their creative passions and become platonic life partners should they never find romantic partners.

After Marilla's appointment, she and Rachel walk down the street in Charlottetown. Rachel winks at a man, revealing her more playful side (in addition to a comment about her lack of sleep on their honeymoon earlier). They pass a pawn shop with Marilla's broach and Matthew's pocketwatch in the window. Marilla regrets aloud that their precious family items were lost in their financial troubles. Rachel offers to help Marilla get the items back, and they enter the pawnshop despite being intimidated by the owner, who Anne had remarked was a tough negotiator.

In The Bog, Bash runs into Isaac, who experienced repercussions from his boss after their earlier conflict at the train station. He blames it on Bash, punching him and causing him to fall into the mud. Bash then seeks out a place to get his clothes cleaned, where he meets Mary. As he attempts to flirt with her, she and the other laundry women initially tease him. Gilbert finds Bash at the laundry and tells him there are no more trains for the day, and Mary offers her extra room for them for the night.

In the Andrews' home, Prissy's mother gives her the family bridal veil, but also expresses her sadness that Prissy will not go to college and be able to experience freedoms she could not have. At home, Anne discusses her thoughts on marriage with Matthew while they make dinner. She expresses that she wants a marriage that will honor her individuality and capability as a partner. Later that night, her curiosity about the veil from Marilla's closet leads her to play with it and wear it in her room, where she accidentally tears it. As nighttime falls in Charlottetown, Gilbert teases Bash for his obvious flirtation with Mary, and Marilla tries on her glasses when she can't sleep due to Rachel's snoring.

Upon her return home, Marilla finds her torn veil and immediately admits that the tore it. Marilla tells Anne the veil and most of the contents of the trousseau belong to Anne since she never married. She expresses her hope that Anne can become a bride someday, and also shows Anne her reclaimed broach. They share a sweet parent-daughter moment. In the barn, Marilla returns Matthew's pocketwatch, which had originally belonged to their brother Michael. She discovers that it wasn't sold in their previous financial troubles, but was actually used to buy Matthew's train fare to get Anne after she was sent away after to her fight with Marilla earlier in the show. Matthew remarks that it was worth potentially losing his watch forever if it meant getting Anne back.

Before Prissy's wedding to Mr. Phillips, Anne stumbles over her words, hoping that Prissy can one day achieve her dreams. After walking down the aisle and having her veil uncovered by her fiancee at the altar, Prissy's facial expression changes from excitement to hesitation. She looks out at the people in the church, lastly her mother, before dropping her flowers and running back down the aisle, out the door and into the snow. The other school girls run after her, while her mother subtly shows her happiness at Prissy's choice. Prissy falls in the snow, with the other girls close behind, and they find her laughing with joy before they all get up, playing in the snow and dancing around her.

## Cast

* Geraldine James as Marilla Cuthbert
* R.H. Thomson as Matthew Cuthbert
* Dalmar Abuzeid as Sebastian Lacroix
* Lucas Jade Zumann as Gilbert Blythe
* Corrine Koslo as Rachel Lynde
* Dalila Bela as Diana Barry
* Cory Gruter-Andrew as Cole Mackenzie

Recurring Cast* Stephen Tracey as Mr. Phillips
* Ella Jonas Farlinget as Prissy Andrews
* Kyla Matthews as Ruby Gillis
* Miranda McKeon as Josie Pye
* Lia Pappas-Kemps as Jane Andrews
* Glanna Walters as Tillie Boulter
* Christian Martyn as Billy Andrews
* Janet Porter as Mrs. Andrews
* David Ingram as Mr. Andrews
* Trenna Keating as Mrs. Pye
* Dan Lett as Clayton
* Cara Ricketts as Mary

Guest Cast* Milton Barnes as Isaac
* Brian Paul as Dr. Ward
* Nicky Lawrence as Jocelyn
* Robert Clarke as Oculist
* Tim Post as Conductor
* Philip Williams as Thomas Lynde
* Helen Johns as Mrs. Eliza Barry
* Jonathan Holms as Mr. William Barry
* Luke Marty as Younger Gentleman
* Sheronna Osbourne as Black Woman
* Brian Tree as Minister
* Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Minnie May Barry
* Kyla Meagher as Billy's pal #1
* Daimen Landori-Hoffman as Billy's Pal #2
* Jacob Ursomarzo as Moody Spurgeon
* Jacob Horsley as Charlie Sloane
* Will Conlon as White Man