This is a solid first season episode of Road To Avonlea, which concentrates more on Felicity than the children as a group, and involves some important growth for her character. The subplot is a little underdeveloped, but it gets the point across and, realistically, there's not a lot of extra time in the episode to do more with it. Alec is cementing his character as an honest man who will do the right thing even when it would be advantageous to do otherwise. Good has been done here.
Last Friday night we watched the Road To Avonlea episode Felicity's Challenge. In it, the town is preparing for the Harvest Festival and the children are all readying themselves for the costume competition which always takes place at it. Felicity, who is a skilled seamstress, has won several times in the past and expects to do the same this year. She's also agreed to help shy and awkward Clemmie Ray with her milk maid costume. Unfortunately, local mean girls Sally Potts and Jane Spry, who constantly mock Clemmie, chivvy Felicity into betting that she can make Clemmie into a success at the festival. Sarah warns her against making the wager, saying that she will hurt Clemmie Ray, but Felicity is led astray by her need to be popular. She convinces herself that the bet is harmless, and that, in any case, she's just going to make sure that Clemmie has a good time. She talks Clemmie- who looks up to her- into giving up her milk maid costume and wearing a princess one which is too tight, doesn't suit Clemmie, and that she feels self conscious in. Felicity also tries to school the painfully shy Clemmie in the art of making small talk... needless to say, things don't go well at the festival, much to the malicious delight of Sally and Jane. Meanwhile in the B plot, politician Judson Parker is in Avonlea. He's running for office in the upcoming provincial election and figures that the festival is a good place to drum up some support. He does this by schmoozing with the local wives, hoping to have them influence their husbands' votes (women's suffrage isn't a thing yet) and by flattering and offering political- and financial- favours to some of the men in town. He also offers a big prize for the costume competition and gets himself made the judge of it. At the Festival, Parker attempts to smooth talk Alec who, as a respected local farm owner, has a lot of sway on public opinion. Alec is having none of it and bluntly tells Parker that he's not voting for him; he also has a few choice words about Judson's shifty methods. Furious at Alec, Parker awards the costume prize to Jane Spry, whose father has agreed to support him in return for a "loan". Felicity, who had been confidant that she was going to win, blames her father- not entirely unjustly- for her loss and lashes out at him before running off to the coatroom to cry. While there, Jane and Sally come in to gloat, and Clemmie overhears, learning about the bet Felicity made. Feeling hurt and betrayed, Clemmie leaves. Realizing too late that what she'd done was indefensible, Felicity goes to Rose Cottage and pours out the woeful tale to Sarah, who had refused to attend due to her outrage about their treatment of Clemmie Ray. Sarah refrains from saying I-told-you-so, but remarks that she can't understand why Felicity risked her friendship with sweet, loyal Clemmie to try to win approval from stuck up, spiteful Sally and Jane: "You don't even like them." A chastened Felicity admits that she has a desperate need to be liked and popular, to the point where she hurt Clemmie trying to achieve that. She seeks out Clemmie the following day and humbly apologises to her, having realised that popularity isn't worth sacrificing genuine friendship. Clemmie immediately forgives her like the sweet natured girl she is. Also realizing that popularity is not worth sacrificing your principles, Felicity goes to Alec and apologises to him as well, telling him that she's glad that he did the right thing, even if it meant that she lost. This is a solid first season episode of Road To Avonlea, which concentrates more on Felicity than the children as a group, and involves some important growth for her character. The subplot is a little underdeveloped, but it gets the point across and, realistically, there's not a lot of extra time in the episode to do more with it. Alec is cementing his character as an honest man who will do the right thing even when it would be advantageous to do otherwise. Good has been done here.
Comments
|
About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
All
Archives
May 2024
Fun SitesOdds & Ends |