In any period drama, the story cannot get by without a few romances along the way. Anne With An E is no different. While most of these relationships are just school-ground crushes, they still are core parts of the show. It really helps show the childlike heart of it all. Anyway, with so many people in danger of diseases, fire, and other small-town perils, romance goes a long way to brighten everything up.
With all the joy most of these couples bring, it’s time to stack them against each other to see who has the best romance in the show. After all, gossip is pretty serious in a place like Avonlea and Mrs. Lynde truly needs some good relationships to gossip about. Here are the 10 Best Couples, Ranked.
Prissy And Mr. Phillips
While the scandalous relationship between Prissy and Mr. Phillips took over the girls’ gossip in the first two seasons, the actual coupling wasn’t very good. Mr. Phillips was a closeted gay man who was using the young and impressionable Prissy to keep up appearances. After all, he was a young, eligible man who hadn’t courted anyone. The worst part, though, is that he really didn’t care about her, no matter how much she loved him.
Lucky for Prissy, she flaked out on the wedding at the last moment. Instead, she went to college and left him at the altar. The ending of the relationship was far more satisfying than its existence.
Winnie And Gilbert
This is a new couple, and it really disrupts a fan favorite pairing. While Gilbert and Anne have been flirting since childhood, and marry in the books, Gilbert does seem to have a crush on the young nurse, Winnie. He meets her while apprenticing for the doctor in Charlottetown. Cute and quirky, Winnie is a pretty, intelligent girl. However, she isn’t Anne.
The pair barely know each other and have only gone on one date, but they are cute together. Even if they stand in the way of Gilbert and Anne right now, it would be ridiculous to deny that they still have lovely chemistry.
Josie And Billy
Josie and Billy may not be great people, but they at least seem kind to each other. Billy walks Josie home and flirts with her, and Josie is the only girl that pays attention to Billy. They are a handsome pair together and seem to actually enjoy each other’s company (even if Jane hates it).
The true flaw of their relationship is that they both are mean bullies. Having the pair team up means that they both might be bullies for the rest of their lives, and will probably raise bullies, too. Even their cute crushes on each other doesn’t make that better.
Eliza And William Barry
The Barrys aren’t perfect parents nor are they a perfect couple. They argue about money, they disagree on the girls’ futures, they struggle to communicate… Sometimes it begs the question of what they ever saw in one another. William doesn’t respect the work Eliza does to make a home for them, and Eliza punishes William and the girls when she’s upset.
Both adults really need to get their acts together, as people and as a couple. Their redemption is that, at the end of the day, despite any dramatics they come together as a couple and a family. That’s worth something.
Diana And Moody
Adorably, Moody was Diana’s first kiss ever. When Josie invited everyone to her kissing party, they were paired and Moody raved that Diana was beautiful and her lips were soft. Ever-proper Diana seemed flustered, but flattered.
By season 3, Moody is actively pursuing Diana, despite the fact her family would never let her be with him. Actually, that’s exactly why Diana keeps pushing him away. It’s clear she likes him and he likes her, but his clumsy sensitivity doesn’t make up for his social stature. Her parents never would let her marry a minister’s son. Hopefully the pair can find a away around that. The star-crossed lovers aspect of this coupling only makes them more endearing.
Jeanie And Matthew
Even though Jeanie and Matthew have been avoiding their feelings for years, their childhood crushes on one another are so sweet that they survived into old age. They may not want to be too serious, but they take walks together and enjoy one another’s company.
This pair may lean towards the platonic, but all the fans saw that button collection. With two in there from Matthew, there is still a serious affection between the two. If only he hadn’t quit school to start farming, who knows where their relationship could have gone? For now, fans will have to settle for the sweet moments they get.
Anne And Gilbert
Many fans may be annoyed with how low this couple is, but it’s entirely biased by how little romantic feelings they’ve actually shared. Any readers of the books know that scholarly Anne and Gilbert are meant to be together. However, right now they are just childhood neighbors who have shared tragedies.
Sure, they might have crushes on one another, but their friendship is far more emphasized than any courtship. Yet, that is. Maybe by the end of season 3, Anne and Gilbert will top the list, but not quite yet.
Rachel And Thomas Lynde
Rachel may be the town’s gossip, and Thomas may be the town’s gluttonous goof, but these two are so in love with one another that it makes up for it. They may be ignorant at times, but they are community leaders who generally mean well. Between their work with the Christmas pageant, the church, and every other event, they are involved in everything.
And despite all that busy-work (and an infamous 10 children), Rachel and Thomas madly adore each other. In every scene they’re in together, they are kissing, flirting, and working together like it’s as easy as breathing. They are the kind of elderly couple people can only dream of being.
Mary And Bash
If Anne With An E was even more romantical to believe in love at first sight, it would be when Bash met Mary. Walking into her laundry shop, he was enamored the second he saw her. Then when she started talking, sassy and friendly all at once? He was doomed.
Bash and Mary fell in love over a few short weeks, working on the farm and meeting in The Bog. However, they fit each other perfectly. They created a perfect little family in Avonlea and were happy to be hard-working people side by side. Losing Mary will be the hardest thing Bash will ever do. Every fan’s heart aches, watching season 3 unfold around this happy little family that deserves to be happy so much longer.
Honorable Mention: Ruby And The Idea Of Gilbert
Ruby Gillis has been madly in love with Gilbert Blythe all her life. Has she spoken more than a few words to him? Of course not, but she’s dreamy all the same. She puts his name in all her stories, mentions him all the time, and swoons when he merely treats her politely.
While Ruby’s affections are one-sided and nothing will ever come of them, she deserves an honorable mention. She loves Gilbert through anything. Fans only hope her heart isn’t too broken when he falls in love with Anne.
Josephine And Gertrude
The truest, best romantic couple in Anne With An E is, by far, Aunt Josephine Barry and her wife “in her own way”, Gertrude. When Anne and friends visit her in the city, they find out that Gertrude wasn’t just Josephine’s friend. They built a life around their house and a community around their love. They adored the arts and each other and it was all they ever needed.
In a world that shunned people like them, they finally gave each other a home. Their romance was so pure and lovable that even fans, who never met Gertrude, are heartbroken by losing her. Even though she’s gone, though, Josephine will do anything in her power to make sure her Gertrude is never forgotten. How could anyone, with a soulmate like that?
