Nothing of real worth ever comes completely without pain.
- Olivia Dale - Road to Avonlea
It was over a decade ago. I was a young teenager in high school when I caught my first glimpse of this other world. I was sitting on the living room floor in front of the television and I watched while on the screen, a young woman opened a copy of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and started reading the first chapter to several boys as they sat upright on their beds. I was mesmerized and a million questions raced through my head. What was this show? What's the story about? Who is this character? Why hadn't I heard of this show before?
Then as quickly as it came it had gone away. I didn't know at the time that I had watched part of one of the last episodes of the series, Road to Avonlea. The Disney Channel had been giving cable subscribers a free preview week, thus giving me the opportunity to see this one episode. I had begged and pleaded with my parents, willingly sacrificing many a small childhood luxury in order to have that which I desired. When they finally broke down and added the channel to our subscription, it was too late. The series had ended and although I waited patiently for months, I never got to see another episode.
Fast forward to 2007. The moment when my inner child rejoiced was when I put the first DVD of the first season on my Netflix queue. I waited with baited breath until it came in the mail and since then I've been on a wonderful journey through the lives of the folks of Avonlea. I felt I owed it to myself to enjoy it with all the youthful vivacity and enthusiasm that my younger self would have done if she had been given the opportunity!
I've been watching this series for a few months, savouring the episodes as I watch them each week. I'm currently on Season 5 and I love how the series grows. My favorite character is Gus Pike, whom I have to say is probably the best romantic male character in all of history (he even rivals Austen's Mr. Darcy).
The advent of the DVD has given me the opportunity to do something I could not do as a child, and for that I'm eternally grateful.
I know exactly what you mean. I first saw the Anne of Green Gables trilogy when I was 15 and hadn't seen an episode of RTA. When I was 17 I randomly searched RTA on youtube, and was immediately hooked on finding out if I could buy the series. I had no idea that it had such a long run, and was dissapointed to find out that the seasons were not all for sale. But miraclously they are now. I can't buy them now( I'm starting college soon) but I will as soon as I am able.
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