Road to Avonlea Episode Rating Graph

""Rollings Reliable"" is sponsoring an essay contest to honour the mothers of the town. When Sara decides that Aunt Hetty should be her subject for the contest a scornful Sally Potts and Felicity tell her only a ""real"" mother could be entered in the contest. Having found out that Sally and Felicity share a birth date, and were delivered by the same doctor, a mischievious Sara tells them they were switched at birth. Both girls and their mothers agonize over this and learn that it is ""who raises the child, and not who gives birth"" that makes a woman a mother. Felicity enters Sara's discarded essay in the competition and Hetty wins.

A new minister comes to Avonlea; Rev. Elliott. However, many of the townspeople are put off by his use of humor during sermons. Hetty, in particular, is put off by his son Booth's forwardness in asking Sara to dance a new dance, the Ragtime, with him. Janet is the only one who makes friends with the minister's eccentric wife Viola.

Wally Higgins, an ice skate salesman visiting Avonlea decides that Hetty is the perfect woman for him, she has the perfect sized feet. Wellington Campbell decides that part of the King property is his. Now Hetty works to keep both her freedom and her land. Felicity expects Gus to take her to the skating party and he has yet to ask her to go with him, but he is too proud to admit that he has no skates. When he confides this to Sara, she gives him a pair, but Gus doesn't know how to skate!

Janet King's Great-Aunt Eliza comes for a visit, and sets the King household on it's ear, as Janet tries to please her guest, while she herself is feeling quite unwell. Alec finds out that playing cricket, is not as easy as it used to be when he was a younger man. Felicity decides that she is now ""grown up"" at age 12 1/2 and develops a crush on a visiting rival cricket player. Mooning over David Hawes, Felicity longs to receive her ""first kiss"". Sara and Felix make a new friend, Gus Pike, a young sailor, recently arrived in Avonlea and looking for work. Alec offers his barn for Gus to stay in, and also some work until the cannery begins hiring. It is wise Great Aunt Eliza who realizes why Janet is feeling unwell, it is announced that the family will soon have a new baby. Felicity finally gets her kiss and the family is never the same after Gus Pike enters their lives.

Avonlea is hosting the annual drama competition and Hetty plans to win.She makes a wager with Eleanor McHugh,betting a secret family recipe.Asking Janet to play the lead role,She callously recasts the role when the opportunity arises,giving the part to Isabelle Carrington,famous stage actress.However it turns out that Isabelle's refusal to play the part as originally written (by Hetty of course)forces Hetty to fire her only one day before the competition is set to begin. So Hetty must beg Janet to retake the lead role in time to save the play.

aka ""Another Point of View"" Alec is elected to the school board, and Hetty feels that she is being unfairly criticized so she quits her job as schoolmistress in Avonlea. Her replacement is Alistair Dimple, an impoverished actor, pretending to be a teacher. Alistair inspires the students to learn by doing role-playing and, in turn, inspires Hefty to write a book about the island. Alec finds out Dimples ""identity"", but keeps quiet as Avonlea school battles it out for the History Championship competition against rival Carmody.

To make ends meet, Simon Tremayne takes Hetty as his ""silent"" partner in the hotel. Hetty thinks she can make money by holding a Valentine dance; but a health inspector almost closes the hotel down when he finds a 100 year old bird, dead, in the ice house. Arthur wants to dance with Felicity, who has agreed to go to the dance with Gus, who is being pursued by Chef Pierre's French niece, Suzette.

John Hodgeson, a candidate for Prime Minister, stays at the White Sands with his daughter. Adeline takes a liking to Felix. Alec considers a life in politics after John's encouragement.

Sisters Janet and Abilgail, and Olivia and Hetty, spend the day at an auction, and the men, Jasper, Alec and Felix, all go ice fishing. Before the afternoon is over the women are not on speaking terms. Alec, Gus and Jasper try to deal with questions from Felix on ""life"" and ""women and men, together"". Gus talks to Jasper about what it feels like to be in love. The day ends with the women out looking for Abigail's son Lucky, whom they believe is out lost in a snow storm and the men go looking for the women. A joyous reunion takes place in the woods, before they all retire to the King Farm for warmth and renewed feeling for each other, and Jasper makes a toast, to friends...and relations.

Jasper returns from England to find that Olivia has taken in Lottie, a young woman recently fired from the Carmody cannery, and her baby. Meanwhile, Eulalie Bugle and Archie Gillis are campaigning for Avonlea to amalgamate with Carmody, a situation that Alec, Bert Potts, and Stuart fight vigorously with a counter-campaign. An emotional address by Jasper seals a victory for the anti-amalgamation activists, but their luck soon changes when the Dale Cannery is struck by lightning and burns to the ground. Faced with no job, Lottie leaves her baby with the Dales and disappears.

The King family finds out that Cecily has TB and the townsfolk try to avoid contact with the King family.

Andrew King's father, Roger, returns from the jungles of Brazil and a doting Hetty heaps praise on him. She even plans a reception in his honour, at King Farm and placing Janet in charge. Alec, the elder brother and heir to the family farm, is put in a bad light, when he loans money from the family trust to a neighbor in need. This not only puts a strain on Alec and Roger's relationship, but their sons, Felix and Andrew are also affected, as they argue over Grandfather King's fishing basket. Fists fly, lessons are learned and fences are mended between the siblings.

Felicity is invited to Kingsport Ladies College, because of her academic excellence. Once there,she is intimidated by the other girl's worldliness, so she lies and pretends that she is Sara's rich sister, using the story's of Sara's life. Gus, worries that he is losing Felicity, and decides that if ""good manners and breeding "" are important, he is going to get them. Sara and Pierre further Gus's education. Felicity has to face her parents with her lies, and learns a lesson in humility.

Dora and Davy Keith come to live at Green Gables, with Marilla, a distant relative, after their parents die. Only a temporary arrangement, until a uncle could be located, Marilla is faced with the prospect of turning two children over to an orphanage or losing the friendship of Rachel Lynde, because Davy has proven to be a handful. Rachel makes matters worse beacause she is suffering from a tooth ache, but refuses to go to the doctor...and then there is that naughty pig.

Archie Gillis challenges Alec King, by refusing many who want to play ice hockey, a place on the Avonlea team. Alec starts a team of his own with the 'misfits' that Archie refused. With the help of Miss Stacy and Peg Bowen, after Alec sprains his back and can't play, the 'Misfits' show Archie Gillis and his 'Avengers' a thing or two. Back at King Farm, Janet is in need of help when the baby arrives sooner than expected, and Sara is there to help after the capable Felicity passes out.

Now 16, Felicity, decides that a romantic evening with Gus is what their relationship needs. She schemes to empty the house so she and Gus can dine alone. Gus has no idea that they are to dine alone. Alec and Janet return home, from dinner at the White Sands, and although the situation that the two young lovebirds are caught in is totally innocent, Gus is banished. Sara tries to help, but it only makes matters worse. Gus faces Alec, man to man, and asks for permission to ""See, Felicity, in the open, and with your blessin'"". Alec agrees.

aka ""Vows of Silence"" The new minister in town, gives a 'hell-fire-and-brimstone' sermon which convinces the children that the world is coming to an end. The adults have no idea that the children have taken the sermon so seriously. The children go to the lighthouse, prepared to confess their sins, and hope this will save the world. A lunar eclipse convinces them the end is nigh...and Felix's confession almost makes Felicity put an end to him.

It is a dark and stormy night when Gus falls under the spell of beautiful Amanda Stone, much to Felicity's chagrin. Robert Rutherford arrives in Avonlea, on Amanda's very heels, and claims the gems Amanda left in safe keeping with Gus are stolen. Gus, smitten with Amanda, refuses to believe Rutherford's claims, however Felicity smells a rat in fine french perfume. The town's people hear about Gus's gems and begin to treat him differently. Then a series of events causes Gus and Felix to be thrown in jail and Gus sets out to find the truth.

Gus' return to Avonlea stuns the King Family and forces Felicity to make a decision between her childhood sweetheart, Gus and the kindly banker, Stuart. In the meantime, Jasper and Olivia have decided to leave Avonlea, after the disastrous Dale Cannery fire and Hetty is furious. Felix makes a decision that stuns his family, especially his mother Janet, and a certain familiar character makes her prodigal return to Avonlea for Felicity's wedding day.

Felix must decide where his future lies; the farm or the hotel. The choice is too difficult and Felix rebels. He is too tired to work well at either the farm or hotel; and gives up his job. Alec, seeing how unhappy Felix is, urges him to resume working at the hotel. Felix befriends a millionaire, who teaches him the importance of Fathers and Sons and how to ""talk"" to his father.

A wealthy American developer tries to modernize Avonlea and reinvent it in the style of a town he built in Pennsylvania. Opinions in the town are mixed; Clara Potts and Olivia take up the case for modernization but Hetty is firmly against it. Meanwhile, Sarah convinces her trust fund (by impersonating Hetty over the telephone) to buy an Edison motion picture camera and send it to Jasper Dale, under the impression that he is to do experiments in frame rate with it for the Edison company. Eventually, Hetty decides to use footage Jasper filmed with his camera to show a visual record of Avonlea, as part of an emotional appeal against the radical rebuilding of the town.

Gus gets Felix a job at the White Sands Hotel, as Simon Tremayne's assistant. The job goes to Felix's head, and causes a riff with Gus. He reveals that the new owner once worked for royalty; the same Duke who just happens to be visiting Carmody. Hetty is determined to get the Duke to come to the Founders Day Banquet and to have the King Family honoured as Avonlea's 'Founding Family'---of course, it isn't quite the Kings---

The family is planning a 50th birthday party for Hetty. Her publisher, no longer wants ""Romance"" novels from her. Muriel Stacey returns to town and takes over the general store. When Hetty succumbs to appendicitis, her out look on life changes. She decides to write about what she knows; her childhood and the beauty of the island. This episode is Heather Conkie's shining moment as a writer for 'Avonlea', as we are given insight to the young Hetty King

Back in Avonlea, Jo Pitts is wreaking havoc with Hetty, who believes that ""Sara"" has become deranged. When Jo decides she has had enough of Hetty, she decides to drown her. Sara and Gus escape the gang of theives, who are run by Abe Pike, and sail back to Avonlea just in time to stop Jo from robbing the town blind. Gus offers the King women some advice on how to handle Jo, and she is offered a home with Sara and Hetty at Rose Cottage. However, Jo decides to take her fate into her own hands and leaves town.

Bored with everyday life, the King cousins decide to create their own newspaper. This helps to keep them entertained and goes quite well, until the children's ""made up"" advice column (Madame X) gets mixed up with the Avonlea Chronicles real news. Olivia, working as a reporter for the Chronicle, and temporarily acting as editor, is hard put to defend herself for the column mix-up. Then, the Chronicle office is robbed and it is up to Jasper Dale to catch the thief and exonerate Olivia. Favourite quote: ""Snoring is boring."" ~Madame X

Blair Stanley, Sara's father, has been acquitted of fraud and he wants Sara to come home to Montreal. He returns to the island and comes up against Hetty King, who refuses to let Sara go. Aunt Hetty resents Blair Stanley 'taking' her younger sister Ruth away from the family and then 'letting' her die, because of their fast city life-style. Sara in heartbroken, afraid of losing the family she has grown to love and losing her fathers love, because she wants to stay in Avonlea. Trying to reason with Hetty and Blair leaves her further frustrated, and so Sara runs away and hides, hoping to unite the families. Instead it sparks more antagonism. When she is finally found, Sara defiantly argues with Blair, and not paying attention to where she is walking, loses her footing and falls from the top loft of the barn. Hetty & Blair, frightened of almost losing Sara, decide to talk over their differences and call a truce to their fighting. Sara is allowed to stay on the island.

Sara returns to Montreal, to live with her father, but a tragic accident causes her return to the island. Once only motherless, Sara finds her self suddenly orphaned and searching for answers. A traveling circus is in Avonlea and Peter takes her, hoping to cheer her up. Instead, Sara decides to visit the fortune teller, who claims to communicate with the deceased. Sara's life is placed in danger and it is Uncle Alec who saves the day.

When a famous song writing team come to the White Sands hotel; Hetty wants no part of them until she learns that they are ""intimates of the King o England"". They are to be the stars of her musical at the hotel. When Felix tries to interest them in Uncle Jaspers ""recording device"" they are more impressed with Alec's singing than they are the electronics. Alec has a chance to go to sing on Broadway or remain in Avlonlea.

The son of a wealthy businesswoman pays a visit to the White Sands hotel without informing his mother. At the same time an antiques dealer charms the Avonlea townspeople into letting him ""appraise"" their valuables. When he makes off with them, the wealthy scion is nowhere to be found, so it is believed that he has been kidnapped. Soon, a detective turns up to find out the whereabouts of both men, though at first only Sara knows the twisted truth about what really has happened.

Alec's childhood friend, Emmett, returns to Avonlea with a new young bride and an infant. He asks Alec for help, as his farm has done poorly and he needs to fish for food for the winter. On a shipping expedition, their ship sinks and Emmett dies. Alec feeling responsible, tries to run Emmett's farm and his own. Evelyn, the clinging widow, causes problems between Janet and Alec and sets the whole town gossiping.

Content to stay on at Rose Cottage, with her Aunt's Hetty & Olivia, Sara makes friends with Jasper Dale, 'The Awkward Man' of Avonlea. In the meantime, the school board has decided to hold a 'magic lantern' show and use the proceeds for the school library fund. The man they hire to do this show is in actuality a confidence man, who Sara inadvertently helps skip town with the money. Sara wants to put on a show to replace the missing funds and asks the help of the shy Jasper, who is an inventor and owns a 'magic lantern'. Sara gives a heartfelt recitation of ""The Little Match Girl"", and she is forever known as ""The Story Girl"", in Avonlea.

Janet has time on her hands for the first time in her life. Felicity, Daniel and Cecily are all away from home. Felix is busy at the hotel, Alec's time is taken up by the farm and his lodge. When she sees a chance to earn ""extra"" money, Janet jumps at the chance; but all of the money makers end up costing Janet more than she makes. Janet must find a way out of her problem without telling Alec; the owner of the company she is dealing with makes threats, and Alec comes to her rescue.

Clive and Muriel decide to be married, until Izzy's hostile behavior convinces Muriel to cancel the wedding plans. Davy is tricked out of the money his classmates saved to buy their teacher a wedding gift. Dora and Wiley Lester help him get the money back. Arthur convinces Izzy that having Muriel in their lives will make things better. Hetty has taken over Clive and Muriel's wedding plans; but they surprise all by taking the Pettibone children with them and having a quick ceremony in Carmody.

Janet King's sister, Abigail, and Great Aunt Eliza return to Avonlea, turning Janet's world upside down. Janet hints to Abigail, that there may be a wedding in the spring and shows her a dress pattern she wants to make. After several remarks Abigail made to Cecily are told to Alec, he thinks Janet is pining for the engagement ring he was never able to afford. Alec is determined to get Janet a ring and takes her wedding band to ""size"" the new ring; Janet thinks she lost her band and tries to get a replacement

The Dominion Day picnic finds Felix in jeopardy of losing Izzy's friendship and Jasper trying to tell Olivia he has been offered a teaching position in England. The boys in town are all making eyes at Hannah Hubble while the girls look on with growing irritaion.

The adults are away from King Farm when a solar eclipse is to take place. Cecily accidentally destroys money meant for charity and must replace it. Felix comes up with the scheme of renting out the farm house as a hotel; to replace the money and to show Simon Tremayne that he would make a good assistant manager at the hotel. Jasper's cousin Selina becomes infatuated with one of the guests, an Italian professor. When Janet arrives home, the place is in chaos.

Just as Simon Tremayne receives an offer to buy out the White Sands hotel by a buyer who wants to modernize it, Hetty learns that the school is to be closed down and its students sent to school in Carmody. Her devastation is tempered by her blossoming romance with Simon; she soon accepts his proposal of marriage. However, pressure on both of them to fight off the idea of losing their respective jobs (Hetty calls for a comparative test between the students of Avonlea Public School and those of the Carmody School) makes them realize that, though they may love each other, they are too career-oriented to be married to one another.

Cecily comes home from the sanitarium with such high hopes, but Janet and Alec are afraid that she might have a relapse and treat her as if she is still ill. The towns people are worried and refuse to let Cecily return to school. Aunt Eliza convinces Alec and Janet that treating Cecily as if she is well, is they only way that everyone's life can get back to normal. Felicity is dealing with her choice to leave medical school, and eagerly awaiting Gus's return; with plans to go ahead with their marriage. Felicity is devastated when she learns that Gus's ship has gone down, with all hands lost at sea. Gus is presumed dead.

Felicity continues to mourn a year after she learns that Gus' ship was lost at sea. While attending a town meeting, she is maneuvered into excepting a position on a committee to assess the old Lloyd mansion. Upon examining the house, the committee discovers four orphans living there. Stuart McRae, a new banker, supports Felicity's idea that the house should be converted into a fondling home. The project, along with Stuart's affections, promises to help Felicity get over her loss of Gus.

aka ""The Ties That Bind"" Hetty takes over the plans for Olivia and Jasper's wedding, changing the small intimate ceremony they planned into a three-ring-circus. Jasper & Olivia want to elope; Janet is forced to do all of the work; the wedding ring is lost; the wedding gown arrives three times too big; and Hetty and Olivia are not speaking to each other. Here comes the bride...

Sara and Felix are desperate for a science project for school, when they find perfect one in Jasper's work room. Aunt Eliza surprises everyone with a visit. Since it is cold, and lambing time, the visit is not welcome. Janet and Alec, tired and worn out, make some unkind remarks about Eliza and she runs away. The science project warms up a frozen Eliza, a cold barn and keeps the new born lambs warm, as well. [I guess this disproves my favourite quote of the episode, eh Felix?]

"Old Lady Lloyd" is believed to be a very wealthy woman, but she is actually living in poverty in her mansion. Sara befriends Miss Lloyd and wants to help her. Sylvia Gray, a friend of Olivia's visiting Avonlea, is the daughter of Miss Lloyd's former beau, who Miss Lloyd has never forgiven. Young Miss Gray has a magnificent singing voice, and Miss Lloyd, after a long conversation with Peg Bowen, walks through a thunder storm to get her cousin, with whom she has not spoken in years, to finance the young woman's career. The lesson is about forgiveness.

The children are enthralled went a missionary visits Avonlea. Sara is distressed that Peter, the hired boy, has ""no religion"" and sets about getting him to go to church. Peter comes down with influenza and the children come to realize how precious life is. Hetty and Olivia start to treat him less like hired help and more like family; Peter goes to school with the King children.

The Kings find a man in thier barn and give him work, but is he all that he seems?

Felicity has completed her first year of medical school, and passes with flying colors. Dr. Snow offers her a job for the summer, and Felicity learns the ""human side"" of medicine rather than the "" text book"" side of it, and it is a real eye opener! When Dr. Snow and Felicity are unable to save Felicity's friend, Colleen Pritcharts, life during child birth Felicity re-examines her plans to become a doctor and awaits the return of Gus.

Jasper Dale is studying bats, and Olivia feels inadequate by not being able to help with his work. A woman scientist comes to help and is smitten with Jasper. Hetty tutors Olivia in science, but it seems that Jasper loves her for her special skills, and not for the scientific knowledge she gains. Sydney Carver, the scientist leaves after ""making a fool of herself"" over Jasper.

Sara Stanley is a wealthy child sent to stay with distant relatives on Prince Edward Island, when her father is accused of embezzlement. She finds the life on the small island a challenge, and getting to know her mother's family is not much easier. At first Sara resents being in Avonlea. Her mother's sister, Hetty King, resents Sara's Nanny Louisa and sends her back to Montreal. Sara is left to live with her Aunt's Hetty and Olivia in Rose Cottage. My favourite quote: ""As the eldest in the family, I'm used to making unpopular decisions."" ~ Hetty King.

With the 'romance' of Felicity and Gus progressing, Sara is feeling left out. Then Zak Morgan, and his ""Wild West Show"" come to town and Sara loses her heart. Hetty and Olivia are very concerned that Sara is getting into a dangerous situation. Sara rodeo rides to impress Zak, and asks if she can join his show. Zak agrees, but when the time comes and the show leaves town Sara is left behind.

Janet King's sister, Abigail (Aunt 'Crabigail') Ward, is a fussy old maid, who lives in a spotlessly clean house. When her old beau, Malcolm McEwan comes back, rich, from the Yukon; he sets about wooing Abigail. At first she accepts, but the big man leaves such a mess, is so demonstrative, and buys her so many gifts that Abigail panics and returns his ring. Sara and Felicity are in raptures over the romance, and when they find out Malcolm is leaving town, they tell Abigail. She covers herself with Malcolm's gifts, and with Sara and Felicity holding on for dear life, races after the stage and begs Malcolm to return. Favourite quote: ""Let Mr. MacEwan drive the buggy home."" ~Sara to Abigail (after a wild buggy ride)

Edwin Clark, an old beau of Olivia's has returned to Avonlea, intent on winning her hand. Hetty had chased him off years before, but as he returns wealthy and successful, Hetty no longer objects. Sara thinks Olivia is better suited to shy and awkward Jasper Dale, and encourages him to pay court to her. Olivia is torn between a former love and a new love, however her decision on who would be the best man to wed becomes quite clear, when she sees how the two men react to the emergency that occurs when a small boy falls down an abandoned well. My favourite quote: ""Ain't that the pistol""~Jasper Dale

Davy finds that school is not to his liking, and decides not to go. Hetty thinks making him get a job will teach him to appreciate school. Jasper teaches Davy all about running the cannery. He and Jasper bond, and become friends. Hetty is worried that Davy will never return to school, until Jasper shows Davy how education will improve his life and his job. Davy goes back to school with a new attitude.

An impoverished Polish countess visits the White Sands for her son's wedding, as does Pierre's mother, whose daughter is the bride. However, there's a twist when it is revealed that Pierre has been telling his mother he owns the White Sands.

Felix wants to enter the steeplechase; but Janet is afraid he'll get hurt. He trains for the race without her knowledge and is injured. Janet and Felix, face their fears; and he enters the race. Clive Pettibone wants to prove to his son that he is still as good a rider as he used to be and also enters the race. Who will win???

As penance for a careless accident he caused, Hetty orders Davey (he and Dora who Hetty is looking after for the afternoon) to perform three good deeds. The first is directed toward Jasper. Davey is the cause of yet another accident in Jasper's laboratory, but one that helps Jasper create a new unbreakable ceramic-like material. Olivia thinks that Jasper should patent it and use it for widespread purposes. The only person who Jasper believes could assist financially and with business expertise is his black-sheep cousin Jeremiah Dale - he being the black sheep because he went into business. However Jasper does not want to ask as he has not spoken to Jeremiah in over twenty years since Jeremiah made his life miserable when they were growing up. Looking remarkably similar to each other, Jeremiah used to pretend to be Jasper while wreaking havoc. Without telling Jasper, Olivia decides to ask Jeremiah on Jasper's behalf, a move which doesn't sit well with Jasper. Olivia, Jasper and Jeremiah have to reconcile their feelings if there is any chance of Jasper's invention making a mark in the world. Jeremiah's plans are to seek investments of $8,000 to make the business fly. But Jasper and Olivia have no idea what Jeremiah's exploits have been in the past twenty years. Those exploits ultimately direct the success or failure for Jasper, Olivia and the investors of what Jeremiah has coined "Jasperon Incorporated".