Emily of New Moon - Season 3

The tragic Maida Flynn returns to collect her child, Little Ollie Murray, abandoned in Blair Water over a year ago. In the time she has been away, the father, Oliver Murray Sr., has perished in the Klondike, leaving his son a considerable amount of gold. Everyone fights over the treasure. Everyone except Maida Flynn who desperately tries to convince Emily and Ilse that she loves Little Ollie more than life itself.

Emily makes a wish for Jimmy to be a man of great wisdom. Instead, a bolt of lightening strikes him, leaving him comatose on the side of the road. Emily is paralyzed with fear thinking that she has wished death upon her beloved cousin. But Jimmy wakens a genius. His life now careens into realms beyond even Emily’s fertile imagination; inventions, honours, worldly acclaim. When he meets Eve, his long lost love, his cup brimmeth over. TO BE CONTINUED...

Jimmy Murray is made Director of the First Institute of Scientific Discovery. He plans to build an automobile, harness electrical energy but most ambitiously, to build a bridge which will connect Prince Edward Island to the Mainland. The world bows to his ingenuity. However, all Jimmy really desires is Eve’s hand in marriage; their love continuing to blossom in spite of Isabel’s objections. The beautiful wedding ends in tragedy. Eve is arrested and sentenced to death for the murder of her father. Only Jimmy can save her.

It’s no secret that Three-toed Alice Miller, Perry’s mother, murdered her husband with an ax ten years ago. Despite teasing from the school children, Perry has long since buried the memory and started a new life. When Aunt Thom arrives in Blair Water, Perry immediately senses trouble. His instinct foreshadows Aunt Thom’s plans to bust Alice Miller out of prison. Emily, Ilse, Teddy and Perry travel with Aunt Thom to an oratory contest in Shrewsbury but before long, Perry is made accomplice to aiding and abetting his mother’s escape. Suddenly, the oratory contest becomes secondary to the emotional battle between a loving Mother and Son who don’t know how to say the words, “I love you.”

The Murray family is horrified when the ship carrying Malcolm Murray is put under quarantine for small pox. Ignoring Dr. Burnley’s warning about the disease, the children sneak Malcolm out of the contaminated area, hidden in a coffin. To the family’s shock, Malcolm has brought with him Robbie Burns, a six year old black boy who’s mother died on board. A mixture of prejudice and ignorance follows the boy as Emily attempts to integrate him into the community. The small pox epidemic swoops down on them and death seems imminent. Panic ensues. The community is terrified of the only possible prevention: vaccination. When Malcolm falls ill, all hope vanishes.

Robbie Burns dies and Blair Water is ravaged by the small pox epidemic. Preparations must be made to save the children. They attempt to leave town but the barricades block them. Dr. Burnley turns his house into a hospital but is hardly able to care for all those who have fallen ill. Emily watches helplessly as her dear friend, Ilse, succumbs, hovering between life and death. Isabel’s attempts to make amends with her father are thrown back in her face when she most needs his forgiveness

Emily writes an anonymous gossip column titled, “KICKING THE CAT.” When people in the community act on Emily and Ilse’s advice concerning matters of the heart, misunderstandings pile on top of misinformation. Mr. Carpenter’s arrival creates even greater turmoil when he and Isabel Murray fall in love.

Emily learns the best way to overcome writer’s block is to write what you see. She begins a dramatic biography entitled, “Confessions of an Adulteress, ” based on Rhoda’s promiscuous mother, Velma Stuart. But it’s Rhoda who succumbs to the charms of Harrison Bowles, the handsome young visitor at New Moon. Emily’s story spirals out of control when Rhoda goes too far and jeopardizes not only her marital prospects but perhaps her entire future.

Malcolm’s bequest, which leaves New Moon to Isabel, Laura, Jimmy and Emily, ignites a family squabble of epic proportions. Isabel refuses to share her inheritance with anyone and does everything within her powers to have the document nullified. Emily sends Malcolm into a seething rage when she cannot agree to the conditions of the bequest. He withdraws into seclusion, tormented by his family’s greed and selfishness. When Isabel takes her vengeance one step too far, Malcolm shocks everyone by showing a side of himself never before revealed.

Emily’s plans to attend school in Shrewsbury with her friends are shattered when Aunt Ruth refuses to provide room and board. Emily is fated to be left behind in Blair Water, never to receive the education she so fiercely desires. Laura Murray is an appropriate shoulder on which to cry when she reveals to Emily that she has left Ian Bowles for the last time. Emily tries to help Laura remain optimistic as the pair contemplate the bleak future. All seems lost when an unlikely ally comes to Emily’s defense, shining a resplendent light on her future. Laura Murray who delights in Emily’s happiness, is faced with a shocking discovery of her own.

Laura Murray’s foray into the world as a single woman in the family way is nothing short of trial by fire. Isabel Murray refuses to support her at New Moon while Laura obstinately refuses to return to Ian Bowles. When Emily finds her employment at a woolen mill, Laura leaves New Moon without telling a soul. At the mill, Laura learns first hand about the industrial working conditions of the 19th Century; sinister employers, cramped living quarters, dangerous working environment with no benefits and meager wages. She endures the daily hardships, working side by side with impoverished young women, relishing her new found freedom for the first time in her life. Her troubles come flooding back when Ian discovers her whereabouts and tries to coerce her back to the Treasure House. Emily and Ilse are frantic with worry when they visit Laura at the mill but find she has vanished into thin air.

What ever happened to Laura Murray? Emily and Ilse consult with Ada Pickett, infamous palm reader, who tells them they are too young to know the truth. Having heard this excuse once too often, the girls fight their frustration by dressing up as old women with the hopes that the truth will somehow reveal itself. A magical twist of fate thrusts the girls into the future as they are transformed into ninety year old versions of themselves. Through their ancient eyes, we see three very different versions of Laura’s fate. The question remains, which one is true?