Emily of New Moon Episode 2 - The Pride of the Murrays

Summary

In an attempt to catch Emily’s cat “Saucy Sal”, the vase in her aunt’s house gets broken and causes Elizabeth to see what all the commotion was about. Seeing what happened to the vase, as well as the fact that Emily has Saucy Sal with her, she accuses Emily of intentionally sneaking in her cat to the house. Emily tries to explain that she didn’t know that Saucy Sal went with them, but her aunt refuses to believe her. Elizabeth tells her to get rid of the cat, and Emily says that she won’t be able to do that because it has been with her ever since she was a child. Jimmy comes in the nick of time, and tells Elizabeth that he was the one who brought the cat to the house, seeing that it would be useful in getting ride of the mice in their place (which will cause quite some damage in the cheese they process / manufacture). Elizabeth didn’t have much choice but to tolerate the presence of Saucy Sal, and Jimmy tells her that there’s nothing for her to be worried about since he will be taking care of it. As for the broken vase, Elizabeth simply tells her to clean up the mess.

The boy who was with Emily admires her for her courage to stand up against Elizabeth, and introduces himself as Perry. Perry tells her that comes to New Moon everyday to help out in farming, and was really happy to know that Emily will be staying in the house from then on. Dinnertime comes, and Elizabeth briefs Emily with regards to her responsilibities in New Moon - wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning, bring the cows to the meadows, help out Laura in cleaning up after their meal. Elizabeth further tells Emily that they don’t have any maids to do laundry or wash the dishes since one must do what he/she can by herself, it’s a pride of the Murrays, she says.

Noticing that candles are used throughout the house, Emily asks whether they’d want to use if lamps are used around the house. Elizabeth explains that this kind of lifestyle (using candles) that they had has a history of a hundred years, starting from Hugh Murray. As such, she doesn’t have any intention of changing this family tradition. Jimmy tells her that candles are also great since the shadows it brings out is such a sight, and Emily smiles in agreement. Laura tells her that she’ll be attending school now, and Elizabeth says that it’s necessary for her to receive formal education. Emily’s eyes gleam in happiness at the thought of going to school, but her joy and happiness suddenly turned into feelings of anxiousness as her aunt Elizabeth tells her that she’ll be sleeping with her.

Emily was hesitant to sleep at first, because she never thought that she would be sharing the same bed with her aunt. Elizabeth explains that Emily will be under her supervision, until she becomes accustomed to being a Murray. In the uncomfortable situation Emily was in, she asks her aunt if her mom also slept together with her, just like the same situation as her. Elizabeth tells her that her mom Juliet sleeps in her own room, and Emily asks if she could go and visit that room the next day. She avoids the question and simply tells Emily that no one has gone to that room ever since her father Douglas took her mom away. Elizabeth had a hard time sleeping, since the “Ice Queen” is with her. That night, Emily dreams about the time when she was writing about the braid her mother made with her hair when she was little. She kept that a secret from her father, but he easily read her thoughts, and comments on how her braid is just like how her mother did it before. Emily was filled with thoughts of her father that night, and wasn’t able to wake up at the time her aunt Elizabeth told her to.

She gets a scolding from Elizabeth, and tells her she will have to get rid of the pigtail that she has (regarding it as not neat). Emily utterly refuses to do so, since that braid means a lot to her. Her stubborness leads to her punishment of getting locked up in some room to reflect on her actions (until the time Elizabeth returns from shopping). With the eery feeling that all the things inside the room is giving Emily, she shouts and demands someone to let her out of the room (and says that she doesn’t want to become a Murray, and would rather to go back to her old home). She manages to break out of the window and climb down the tree, and both Jimmy and Perry saw this brave yet dangerous feat she did. They were surprised when Emily mentioned about wanting to leave New Moon, and wanting to uplift her spirit, they invite her to the place where they make butter and cream.

Emily gets to taste the cream they made, and comments on how delicious it is. Saucy Sal also gets to taste some of it, and was also delighted to have eaten something that delicious. After that, Jimmy takes her to to the garden he takes pride of. Emily was surprised that Jimmy was the one taking care of this beautiful garden, and as she was looking at the plants, she was able to meet Mrs.Wind again. She follows her inside the garden (or rather, the “forest-like” garden), and stumbles upon a pond where she a fountain of fairies. She strolls along the other parts of the garden, and sees these three trees as “Three princesses”. The sight of yet another tree makes her see it as a “bed of the forest princess”, as Jimmy puts it. It seems that Jimmy is able to see things in these beauty of nature, just like Emily does. Jimmy says, “The color of the wind that the blue sky imparts to us”… and Emily continues it by saying, “and also the faraway dream it brings us”

Emily gets to like New Moon now that she has seen the great wonders in the place she is in, but nevertheless she still doesn’t understand why the Murray’s pride and tradition is very important. To make Emily understand this, Jimmy brings her to the place where the “people who loved New Moon” lie. She sees the epitaph of Hugh Murray, her great-grandfather who came from England to New Moon about a hundred years ago. Hugh Murray was the one who built the mansion and the farm in this land that used to be nothing. He was the type of person who is able to achieve what he aims for, seemingly having a flame within himself that never runs out. According to Jimmy, he had the same glimmering eyes as Emily when he was about her age. Jimmy then introduces her mother Jane Murray, who caught an illness when they went to Vancouver before. She was deserted by her doctor, and even by her friends… and Elizabeth was the one welcomed her into their home in New Moon. He tells her of the Murray’s pride of “Keeping the fire in one’s self burning strong (to reach one’s goal), despite whatever hindrances that come their way” Emily asks Jimmy what happened to her mother, and tells her that she recovered and was able to live 20 years more after that. Jimmy says that her mother must be in heaven, thankful for the “Murray’s pride” - “To live one’s life according to what he/she believes in, and continues to thrive forward despite whatever hindrances that comes his/her way”, these are the words of Hugh Murray. And with that, Emily finally understands what the Murray’s pride is. Then Jimmy kiddingly says that in Elizabeth’s case, she takes too much pride in it to the point of being “suffocated / choked” by it :p

Elizabeth and Laura comes back after shopping things for Emily. Perry goes to inform her about this, and hurries her to go inside the house. Emily however decides to face Elizabeth and confesses about what she did (that she escaped from the room and thought about going back to her old home). She asks for her forgiveness, since she didn’t even say any word of thanks to the aunt who accepted her, and says that she is willing to accept whatever punishment she gives her in return for what she did. As for Emily’s punishment, it would be no other than to have her braid cut off.

Just when Elizabeth was about to cut off her hair, she tells her “Even if my hair gets cut, my feelings will never change.” Elizabeth was stunned for a moment because of what Emily said. “Just like how aunt [Elizabeth] loves the Murray family, I also love father very much.”, Emily continues… then utters the very words of Hugh Murray, “To live one’s life according to what he/she believes in, and continues to thrive forward despite whatever hindrances that comes his/her way” Seeing Hugh Murray in Emily, Elizabeth gives up and simply tells her to do as she pleases. She informs Emily that she will be going to school starting the next day, and tells her to hurry and help out Laura in preparing her stuff. This makes young Emily really happy, and hugs Elizabeth to show her thanks. She ends up being the one dragging Laura, excited to prepare her things for school.

With Jimmy and Elizabeth left in the room, Jimmy tells her that Emily seems to possess the “blood of a Murray”. Elizabeth says that that Emily still has a long way to go before she becomes a true Murray. The next day comes and the time for Emily to go to school arrives. She comments on how her dress seems “childish”, but couldn’t do anything about it and goes to school despite that (with her aunt Elizabeth telling her to not forget the manners of a Murray even at school).

The children at the school Emily will be attending seems to have known about the fact that “someone from the [proud and obnoxious] Murray” will be attending their school starting that day. As Emily catches the sight of the school she will be attending, a blonde-girl appears in front of her and suddenly takes away the books she’s carrying. The girl throws her books away and tells her “Leave, young lady. You don’t belong here.”

Thoughts

I was relieved to see that this is a lighthearted series, and not a heavy melodrama like other classical adaptations I know of. At this point, we’ve already began to see aunt Elizabeth soften up to Emily, and we see that the strictness she has is all for a good purpose. Jimmy seemed liked an “angel” who helps out Emily stand up against Elizabeth, and was also the one who made her realize the great things that New Moon has in store for her. I can see that Jimmy’s becoming like a “fatherly figure” for her, and perhaps he will be the one to listen to her problems and help her ease her sadness in the coming episodes… and Perry’s also there to help her out (do I sense some romance blooming? not yet… but we’ll see :3).

Basing from what other people told me, they say that Emily’s situation is just like Pollyanna (also an classical anime adaptation), but I believe that Emily of New Moon has its own charm that separates it from “Pollyanna Monogatari”. I haven’t seen this anime myself, but I think that Emily’s a much headstrong girl than this heroine is… and that what makes me want this show more. I love shows with strong female leads~! ^-^ And in the next episode, it seems that we’re gonna witness some real “fighting action” between Emily and that bully blonde girl (who I can already predict will be her great friend in the later episodes but I’m still anticipating how that will come to happen)