Alec, Felix, and Jasper on the ice-fishing trip

1. In "Friends and Relations", Felix bets Sara that he knows something that she doesn't. At the end of the episode Sara says she won because she knew "what men and women do." Actually, if you recall, she was LOST IN THE WOODS with Felicity. Who came to her rescue and led her back to the house? I believe it was Felix who knew the way. Felix won.

Klepto-Felicity showing off one of Sara's dresses at Kingsport Ladies College in "High Society" and then wearing the same dress almost a year later in "Felicity's Grand Design."

2. In "High Society," Sara lends Felicity several dresses from Paris in order to impress the girls at Kingsport Ladies College. Felicity never returns the dresses and, as the careful viewer will notice, for several YEARS klepto-Felicity continues to wear them. What's up with that?

3. As avid Avonlea fans will remember in "The Return of Gus Pike" (hurrah!) Gus discovers that his mother is indeed alive. At the end of the episode, they board the ill-fated Maid of Calais (after Gus proposes for, what, the fifth time?). When Gus is re-discovered in "Return to Me," they mention that three people were saved, (Jimmy, being one of them) and yet Gus' mom was not mentioned. Perhaps that is why he was so incredibly depressed. You'd think they would mention this.

4. Does anyone know exactly what accent Gus has? It is incredibly charming, but we can't place it. Maybe Scottish? We know that he traveled around in a ship for most of his young life, ("I've traveled, Felicity. I've seen things...") and that he was born on Prince Edward Island, but that sure doesn't account for his accent. Any opinions?  Andrea has written to tell us that Gus' accent is Acadian-a mix of Irish (Celtic) and Canandian (American).  Kerry wants to be Acadian.

M.I.A.

5. Whatever happened to Peter and Andrew? They dumped them both pretty quickly and never mention them again. Now Peter, we understand, is just a hired-hand, but for goodness sakes, Andrew is family! Of course, it is Christon's opinion that Andrew is a dork, but still. We believe that Alec convienently "forgets" about Andrew and his father, Roger. Why, you ask? Because when they were young boys, Alec ruthlessly (okay, accidently) pushes Roger into a well, which cripples him (Roger) for life.

6. This one in our pet peeve. Any good Gus and Felicity fan would know that the first time Gus and Felicity saw each other was in "How Kissing Was Discovered.". Felix and Sara met Gus at the fishing stream where Gus was charming the fish with his fiddle. Felix took Gus home with him to the King Farm to see if Alec had any work for Gus. Felicity had been mooning about growing up, and was chasing Felix who had been reading her diary. The first time Felicity sees Gus is after she has wrestled her little brother to the ground in a very ladylike manner. You'll rememeber in "So Dear to my Heart," when Gus is in the hospital that Felicity says that the first time she saw him was when he ran into the schoolhouse barefoot and smoking that "awful pipe." Wrong! They had even shared their first kiss by that time!

7. Again in "So Dear to my Heart," we notice that the chairs at the hotel in Charleston that Felicity and Hetty were staying at look shockingly similar to the chairs at the prestigious White Sands Hotel on Prince Edward Island.

8. Before Felicity heads off to a dance in "How Kissing Was Discovered," her hair is down. But when she makes her grand entrance into the ballroom, her hair is up. We figure either it's a blooper, or she must have been incredibly talented to fix her hair while riding the horse.

9. In "So Dear To My Heart" the astute viewer will notice that Gus smiles when Felicity begins to walk down the aisle. We're wondering how he saw her as he is supposed to be blind.

10.  Mrs. Lester makes the comment to Mr. Lester, in "Lonely Hearts" that they have "eight mouths to feed and one in the oven."  When they get to the house, we count four children-Wiley, Nat, Becky, and the baby.  Count Mr. and Mrs. Lester and you have six!  Where are the two missing Lesters? 

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OUR FAVOURITE EPISODES

Janet at the auction at the White Sands Hotel gazingly longingly at a music box she wants to buy

1. "Friends and Relations" or as Christon likes to call it, "The Ice Fishing episode." In this episode, each character is at his best. Everyone has a light-hearted role. You have the Sara and Felix bet about who knows more. Felix asks Gus, Alec, and finally Jasper to explain what men and women do. Each reaction is priceless. Alec and Jasper reminisce about their schoolhood days. Jasper comes close to cursing. The ladies go auction hunting and Janet embarrasses everyone (especially her sister, Abigail, whom we don't care for much). The romance between Gus and Felicity begins to bud (he asks Alec how old Mrs. King was when they started courting. When Alec answers, Felix makes a connection that "Gus, Felicity's 15!" Gus and Felicity hug at the end). Jasper states that being in love is a lot like being sick. The women are brutally honest about their feelings concerning each other. The women become lost in a blizzard and Olivia finds herself in charge. Lucky is just plain annoying. And of course Olivia squeals "It's Jasper!" The heart-warming ending makes this episode one of the classics that we watch over and over.

3. "Momento Mori" Although this episode does not include Gus, it is a classic. It features Hetty and memories of her childhood. She begins to come to grips with her life, learning to appreciate the small joys in life. Kerry has noticed that her flashbacks include an occasional scene of Anne and Diana from Anne of Green Gables."

4. "The Great Race" This episode features Felix, Alec, Janet, Mr. Pettibone, and a little bit of Mr. Tremayne It's unusual in that Gus, Felicity, and Sara aren't even mentioned. Felix wants to enter the Avonlea steeplechase against Janet's wishes. Alec backs Felix, but Felix soon encounters a setback and is scared to even get near a horse. In the end he conquers his fears and helps Janet overcome her own.

Click here to hear the "Lonely Hearts" theme

5. "Lonely Hearts" This is the opener to the sixth season. It's plot revolves around a bachelor auction at the White Sands Hotel. Romantic relationships blossom between Mr. Pettibone and Miss Stacey, Felix and Izzy, Hetty and Mr. Tremayne, and even Rachel Lynde and Chef Pierre. One of the more priceless moments of the episode is when Janet outbids Izzy for Felix's picnic basket. Christon says this episode will make you chortle.

6. "The Return of Gus Pike" is not the light-hearted Avonlea that you would normally expect-it's actually kind of dark. At the beginning of the episode Felicity is struggling at medical school. Gus grapples with issues from his past and discovers that his mother is alive and that Capt'n Crane is really his father. Gus and Felicity work closely together throughout the episode and it ends with Felicity wearing his ruby ring while waving goodbye to Gus and his mother. In an almost Gusless season, this was a breath of fresh air.

7. "Sister of the Bride" Hetty turns Olivia and Jasper's small family wedding into an Avonlea ordeal. Christon loves the scene when Hetty rips the oversized wedding dress off of the weeping Olivia as Alec quickly turns his back.

8. "Tug of War" This episode is one of Kerry's favorites-not Christon's. I just love the way the families completely clash-the Kings being so traditional and the Dales almost new-ageish. I think it is funny how everyone gets sick.

9. "How Kissing Was Discovered" This is when Gus makes his grand debut. Felicity can't wait to grow up. Felix is the typical little brother and Sara is the goody-goody (as always). A foreshadowing of what is to come when Gus gives Felicity her first kiss and exclaims, "It's better than kissing my dog!"

10. "So Dear to my Heart" How can we even begin to describe this one? This episode includes the bittersweet departure of Stuart (who had even begun to win over two of the staunchest Gus Pike fans). Felicity brings the blind Gus back to Avonlea after he is thought to be dead. One of Kerry's favorite moments is when he steps off the train and Alec hugs him saying, "It's good to have you home, son." Hetty's toast the wedding reception seems to be aimed not only at the wedding guests, but also at Avonlea viewers everywhere. It makes one long to stay in the sweet town of Avonlea.

11. "Hearts and Flowers" Gus is pleased to make Felicity the first girl to be asked to the Valentine's Dance. Arthur is back from vet school, and is displeased that Felicity already has a date. We get a little cool Gus vs. Arthur action going. (We all naturally cheer for Gus.) Suzette, Chef Pierre's niece, makes a one-time appearance (Kerry says "Thank goodness. She called Gus 'Goose.'" Christon does get a charge when Suzette accidently pushes Gus into a bathtub.) Gus and Felix scheme to get Suzette and Arthur together, but the plan backfires. Felix ends up with Suzette. Gus and Arthur end-up keeping each other company while sitting on the sidelines at the dance.

12. "Felicity's Perfect Beau" Yet another Gus vs. Arthur episode. This time the stakes are higher-marriage. Felicity at first thought it would be exciting to have "two men fighting over you." She soon discovers that it's harder than she anticipated. She becomes reduced to comparing her suitors to fruit. Even though she doesn't agree to marry Gus yet ("If in two years time...I'm counting on it"), it is promising that at the end of the episode, Arthur moodily rides off to a snow-covered horizon while Felicity races back to the lighthouse with Gus.

13. "Love May Be Blind, But the Neighbors Ain't" Felix and Izzy's romance comes to the forefront. Felix feels peer pressure to advance his relationship with Izzy, but Izzy isn't ready. Felix lets his friends believe that things have gone farther with Izzy than they really have. When Izzy hears of this, watch out. Felix tries to patch things up at the Presbyterian youth picnic/canoe outing, and ends up embarrassing Izzy even more. Special note-Felicity accepts Stuarts ring.

14. "The Last Hurrah" What doesn't happen in this episode? Olivia mourns the fact that she and Jasper can't have another baby, but hit the jackpot when a Olivia befriends a young lady raising a baby by herself. She lives with the Dales for a brief while, discovers that they are great parents, then skips out leaving the baby with them. As if the Dales don't have enough on their plate, the cannery gets struck by lightening and burns to the ground. Things don't look good for the economy of Avonlea without their biggest source of revenue. Meanwhile, Stuart has received a message from Felicity simply stating "Coming home." The Avonlea folk have no idea that Gus is coming with her.

1. "Do your duty as a gentleman and a Presbyterian"-Hetty to Angus McCorkadale to persuade him to let Gus go to school. This quote to has great sentimental value because we are Presbyterians (PCA).

1. In the episodes "When She Was Bad She Was Horrid" parts 1&2, Sara's 'twin' was aptly name Jo PITTS. These two episodes were just that-the pitts.

Morgan, Izzy, and Felix taunting Felicity and Gus

2. Anyone wonder why they just left us hanging about Felix and Izzy? At least the writers could have mentioned the situation in the last episode. All we get is a raised eyebrow from Felix when Izzy comes down the aisle in Felicity's wedding. And while we're on the subject, why the heck was Izzy even one of Felicity's bridesmaids? The only time we ever see them communicate was when Izzy and her cohorts teased Felicity and Gus in "Felicity's Grand Design." Shelly has written and told us that Izzy and Felicity do speak in "A Fox Tale." This is one of the eight we haven't seen.

3. Anyone tried reading the books the Avonlea series is based on? You know, The Story Girl and The Golden Road? When I (Christon) began reading The Story Girl I almost quit when I realized that Gus Pike wasn't a character in the books! Wasn't he an improvement! Kudos to the writers of the series for creating Gus.

4. Who wins the squeal award- Janet or Abigail in "Friends and Relations" when they are wandering in the forest looking for Lucky/Robert? Christon's brother always has to leave the room when this scene plays. Turning the volume down is recommended.

5. Does is bother anyone else that Felix's navy uniform doesn't fit him in "So Dear My Heart?" Kerry claims that every time we watch this episode Christon bemoans, "Why couldn't they get a uniform to fit Felix?" And while we're on this episode, let's just give a thumbs-down to Janet and Sara's hats. And Kerry really dislikes the bridesmaids dresses. On a more positive note, we do like Felicity's dress and her bouquet. Kerry also wants to add that she is very touched that Mr. Tremayne is at the wedding. After Hetty's toast (which you can read at your leisure at the end of our page), Kerry thinks it's sweet when Felix kisses Felicity.

6. We certainly wish that we had gotten to hear the conversation between Gus and Felicity in "The Return of Gus Pike." Gus tells Felicity, "We need to talk," and the next thing you know they are walking out of the library and Gus states, "I'm glad we had that talk." How disappointing.

7. Ever notice that everyone seems to refer to Gus as 'Gus Pike?' What's up with that? And what do y'all think 'Gus' is short for? Gustavius, Agustus, Gustav, Asaparagus? After much deliberation, Kerry and I think it's probably just plain Gus.

8. We just really like Alec and Janet. What cool parents. Janet is always so sympathetic to her children, especially in matters of the heart. She really remembers what it was like to be young and in love.

9. Ever since Alec sang "All Through the Night" in "Thursday's Child," it has been one of our favorite lullabies. For your enjoyment, we have researched the first verse of the traditional Welsh Air.-Sleep my child, and peace attend thee, all through the night. Guardian angels God will send thee, All through the nights, Soft the drowsy hours are creeping, Hill and vale in slumber steeping, I my loving vigil keeping, All through the night. The music is arranged by Ruth Shacter.

10. How many times does Gus propose? We think it's three- in "Felicity's Perfect Beau," "Otherwise Engaged,"and "The Return of Gus Pike." Felicity proposes (sort of) to Gus in "So Dear My Heart."

11. Gus gets put in jail a good bit. He was in jail in " A Dark and Stormy Night," and in "The Disappearance." Talk about the innocent being punished.

12. Yet another Gus mention. In "How Kissing Was Discovered," Gus states that being on your own is "Lonely." Sigh. Makes us want to keep him company. >:)

13. Can you believe that Miss Stacey (AKA Mrs. Pettibone) and Hetty are the same age? Must be because Miss Stacey used a special facial cream vs. Hetty's preferred regime of soap and water.

14. Have you ever wondered if Gus and Hetty would have hooked up if they were closer in age? Probably so. As Jasper said in "Friends and Relations," Felicity is a lot like Hetty. Anyway, they certainly had a special bond.

These are the best pictures we could find of Felicity's lovely dresses.

15. We just love the Felicity's dresses in the last season.

16. Gus by firelight in "Return of Gus Pike"...yum!

17. Through our keen observation, we have noticed that some of the characters in Avonlea also played bit parts in Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea:

-Alec was the Reverend Allen (check out the cool sideburns he is sporting as R.A.)

-Hetty was the dramatic guest poetry speaker at the White Sands concert in Anne of Green Gables.

-Olivia was Alice Lawson in the Lawson General Store in Anne of Green Gables.

-Sara's daddy (Blair Stanley) played Diana's dad in (John Barry) Anne of Green Gables.

-Mr. Pettibone was John Blythe (Gilbert's dad) in Anne of Avonlea (this is Kerry's favorite observation).

18.  We give two fashion snaps to Felicity and Sara for those groovy beret/stocking caps with the rather large yarn balls hanging off.  Felicity has a plaid one while Sara sports both a purple one and one with a white and blue design.  Where can we find one of these?

19.  In one of the Jo Pitts episodes, we've noticed that the background fiddle music that plays as Gus and Sara arrive on the mainland is the same music Gus plays in "Aunt Hetty's Ordeal" while the workers socialize around the campfire before the cannery catches fire (for the first time).  

20.  "Chrysanthemum" seems to be the word of choice in Avonlea spelling bees.  Maybe we should spell it out for the not-so-avid Avonlea fan.  Anne spells Gilbert down with this word in Anne of Green Gables and Andrew spells down the school of Avonlea in "The Witch of Avonlea."  Hurrah to Felix for ultimately spelling down the arrogant Andrew in the bee. Note of interest:  Felix spells down the WHOLE county by spelling only two words correctly.  What kind of school system does this county have?

21.  When Peg Bowen leaves the show, Gus Pike takes her place with the foreign accent and providing pithy pieces of wisdom.

22.  The pictures that Oliva and Jasper took in "The Hopechest of Arabella King" are highly amusing.  Especially the picture of the startled 90-ish year-old lady with her 50th quilt.

23.  Hetty certainly is consistent with that tight topknot, though we do notice that it gets looser in the later episodes.

24.  Jackie Burroughs' real voice seems so different than her character, Hetty King.  We can't quite put our finger on it-maybe the way she enunciates.  Any ideas?

25.  We think that it is totally sorry that Anne didn't come home for Marilla's funeral in "Old Friends, Old Wounds."

26.  Even though we didn't start watching Avonlea at the same time, the first episode that we saw was "Stranger in the Night."

1. "When She Was Bad, She Was Horrid" parts 1&2. We don't even remember much about this episode because we disliked it so much the first time had we no desire to watch it ever again. It really was bad and horrid. And as we mentioned before, the 'pitts.' Jo Pitts' accent and dirty face continually got on Christon's nerves. The only upside is that Gus is prominantly featured.

2. "After the Ball is Over" featuring Aunt Eliza feeling her age-90. They bring in this new character, Winnifred, who's just a cranky old bat. Again, we haven't watched this one often. This is the fourth from last episode of the last season, and face it, all we're really concerned about is the immediate King family. Don't waste our time on superfluous folk.

3. Anything featuring Davey. This includes "A Friend in Need," (Davey can't read and the virtuous Sara helps him) "The Midway"(Davey and the Mermaid), and "From Away"(Davey gets mixed-up with hooligans from the Foundling Home). Again, two episodes of the very last season wasted. Davey and Dora are characters that are introduced in the novel Anne of Avonlea (Kerry says "I kinda liked them in the books, though."), but are not in the movie. A good call. Wish they hadn't bothered bringing them in to play in the Avonlea series.

4. "Christmas in June." What a thoroughly depressing, horrible episode. The setting is not even in Avonlea- it's at the TB sanitarium! The new Cecily rears her head- with a new personality to match. Cecily befriends Louie, a fellow TBer, who proceeds to get Cecily into a lot of trouble with the administration. Alec and Janet are called subdue the problem. It's a good thing they throw Louie a Christmas party in June because he doesn't make it to December. Yes, Louie dies at the end of this uplifting episode.

5. "Sara and the Marshal" The normally level-headed Sara falls for a 30ish-year-old circus ringleader. She actually packs up her bags and runs away, but the circus left without her. You see, she developed this sudden horseback riding talent that could bring more money to circus. Just an odd episode-not as bad as the others.

6. "Ahh, Sweet Mystery of Life." Hetty and Mr. Tremayne finally realize that they love each other, but decide that they are too old and set in their ways to make a go of it. Christon get the willies when Hetty and Mr. Tremayne kiss. Ehh. Although Christon doesn't like this one at all, Kerry finds it tolerable.

7.  "Merry Christmas Miss King." The highly anticipated Christmas Episode...oh dear.  Kerry is quite emphatic in her declaration "What a sorry excuse for anything with Avonlea in the title."  First of all, Christon was highly disappointed that Gus did not even make a cameo appearance.  And the plot-a poor rehashing of Momento Mori (which is mentioned in our favorite episodes).  We were anticipating a rousing reunion of the Avonlea gang, but got a sappy story based on Hetty.  The only way we managed to sit through it was thinking that surely, it HAD to get better.  It didn't.

GUEST STARS

1.  Christopher Reeve, ironically enough, was in "A Dark and Stormy Night" as the ruthless Robert Rutherford, a very thieving talented equestrian.

2.  Treat Williams as the Marshal Zak Morgan that Sara falls for in "Sara and the Marshal."

3.  Christopher Lloyd in his award winning role as Alistair Dimple, the fake teacher, in "Facts and Fictions."

4.  Stockard Channing as Viola, in "Enter Prince Charming" and "The Minister's Wife."

5.  Dianne West as Lillian Hepworth, Izzy's aunt, in "Woman of Importance."

WHAT YOU SAY