We celebrate Emma Approved with our favourite 10 episodes. Spoiler: It isn’t all Emma/Knightley swooning.
Hypable’s resident Emma Approved fans Marama Whyte and Donya Abramo have each chosen their five favourite episodes (with only minimal fighting over the episode with the Emma/Knightley kiss). Make sure to tell us your favourite Emma Approved episode in the comments.
Episode 1: ‘I am Emma Woodhouse’
The episode that started it all. Barely coming down from the high of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the newest venture from Pemberley Digital. But from the moment Sotomura’s Emma appeared on my screen, I knew I was hooked. She was a wonderfully modern interpretation of the Emma that I’ve come to love, slowly, through most adaptions — and if I hadn’t fallen for the series through her own virtues (and pitfalls), the first exchange between Emma and Knightley would have sealed it. The banter and conversation between them was easy, and loaded with just the right amount of tension, which boded well for the rest of the series. – Donya Abramo
Episode 8: ‘Being a Great Friend’
This episode doesn’t really pack an emotional punch, like most of the others I’ve chosen, but there’s something about the little “gloating” moment between Emma and Knightley that just gets me every time. I find myself coming back to watch the charades scene more often than I can count. “And you have really shiny hair, and great teeth,” never fails to have me descending into fits of laughter. It also gave us a bit more of a tease as to Frank Churchill’s character, as his real gift shows up at the Emma Approved offices. Not quite the thoughtful, food-related one that Emma passed on to her best friend under the guise of being from Frank. Instead, he chooses a flashy and expensive piece of jewelry. It also poses the very foreboding question at the end that echoes through the rest of the series. What is more important to Emma, being a great friend, or a great matchmaker? – Donya Abramo
Episode 24: ‘Vingt-et-un’
I enjoyed the first 23 episodes of Emma Approved a lot – but episode 24 was the one that sealed the deal for me. For the first time we are shown Emma in a truly vulnerable state, when her perky, perfect facade completely falls. This episode demonstrated that this show was going to do more than present another GIF-able OTP couple for Tumblr fans to salivate over; it gave me hope that one of my favourite books was in truly safe hands. The two sides of this episode are as important as each other for Emma’s development and the overall story arc. Emma is totally blindsided by Elton’s confession (played wonderfully by Paul Stuart), and for all of her intelligence, her naivety is exposed when she realises that she doesn’t know Elton as well as she assumed. Simultaneously, we as the audience see that Alex knows Emma much better than she herself realises. It is a difficult thing to get right, but the three cast members found the perfect balance. – Marama Whyte
Episode 47: ‘Plus One, Minus One’
The gang was all together for the final drama in the Elton wedding saga. Emotions were heightened, and each character was almost an exaggerated version of themselves – Emma was clever and cutting, Alex chivalrous, Harriet completely clueless, and Elton at his meanest and pettiest as he tried to stop Harriet from attending the party. The possibility of a relationship between Alex and Harriet was nicely set up without clobbering the audience with it, while the strength of Alex and Emma’s friendship continued to shine. Elton was a fantastic character (to hate), and this episode gave him the exit he deserved. And Emma’s celebration that the happy couple would be together, “For better or worse, until they die,” remains one of the best delivered lines of the series. – Marama Whyte
Episode 64: ‘Boxx Hill’
Heartbreaking though this episode is, it serves as the catalyst for the final stretch of the series, and it was executed to near perfection. The tension that was fraught between Emma, Jane, and Alex, exacerbated by Frank’s careful manipulations, came to an explosive head that had been a long time coming. This was an episode that had you holding your breath until the final seconds trickled by. Sotomura played Emma’s shell-shocked reactions to Jane’s resignation beautifully, and watching her crumble under the barrage of Alex’s “home truths” made me tear up just as much as Emma did. You feel for all of the characters involved in the Boxx Hill disaster, and though Emma is by no means innocent in her behaviour, her broken and tearful chasing of Alex at the end of the episode is painful. Emma is a difficult character to toe the line with, and it can be so easy to make her entirely unsympathetic, but this episode truly highlights her flaws in a very human and real way. – Donya Abramo
On page 2: Five more of our favourite ‘Emma Approved’ episodes
Episode 68: ‘The Boy Is Mine’
In a reverse of the standard dynamic displayed over the course of the season, Harriet was on her way up while Emma dropped down. After turning to Emma for advice on, well, everything, it was refreshing to see Harriet’s newfound confidence – even if it was for all the wrong reasons. Harriet had taken on everything that Emma had taught her, but possibly too well. Emma’s realisation of her own feelings for Knightley is always one of my favourite parts of any Emma adaptation, and Sotomura plays it here perfectly. Her mistakes regarding Elton and Frank have all led her to this single moment, and it is the one that truly matters. If you weren’t sold on the Emma/Knightley relationship by this point, the look on Sotomura’s face at the close of the episode will have you hooked. – Marama Whyte
Episode 70: ‘At Last’
As someone with a particular fondness for Emma in most forms, this episode was one I’d been anticipating since the series began. There isn’t an adaption that hasn’t managed to get me all choked up at their variation of the “if I loved you less, I could talk about it more” confession, and Emma Approved certainly wasn’t the exception. My emotions were running high from the moment Alex appeared in the doorway, all the way through to their kiss. The throwback to the beginning of the series was a beautiful touch too, with Alex bringing flowers for Emma, and the resulting “flowers are romantic” likely brought a quivering lip to even the most hardened hearts. As most people who follow my twitter can attest to, I regressed into a sub-vocal version of myself during this episode, using keysmash to communicate. If that isn’t a sure sign of investment in Emma and Alex’s relationship, I’m not sure what is. – Donya Abramo
Episode 71: ‘A Little Less Conversation’
Sure, part of the joy of this episode was seeing Alex and Emma finally relax with each other and be the adorable couple we were all waiting for. But I love this episode for a slightly less popular reason – the return of Frank Churchill. Emma Approved‘s Frank was a complex character who was wonderfully brought to the screen by Stephen Chang. His treatment of Emma could, and should, be criticised, and if Emma had been in love with him rather than Alex, I am sure we would take more issue with it. But in “A Little Less Conversation,” we can finally see Frank and Emma interact simply as friends, without the subterfuge and confusion. Surprise! Their similarities make them a perfect pair (of friends), and I was relieved to see that although Emma was happy to forgive him, she was still quick to hold him to account for his actions against herself, and Jane. – Marama Whyte
Episode 72: ‘After All’
Finales are hard. Adaptations like Emma Approved have an advantage in that they have a designated end point – the final page in the book that they are constantly working towards. That said, it can be difficult for a finale to both satisfy the requirements of the story, and of the fan base. Emma Approved managed to do both. The sweet ending to Harriet and Martin’s storyline completed the plot, with an added bonus of involving the fans (who helped to fold all of those paper cranes at Vidcon). Enough resolution was given to Alex and Emma’s relationship for it to feel satisfactory, while still leaving open an option for further development, if the show is brought back. We might not like that the series is over, but if this ends up being the last we see of Emma and her team, it was a nice way to say goodbye. – Marama Whyte
Bonus content: ‘Martin’s Crane Video’
Okay, so. This wasn’t an episode in the strictest sense, but it still falls under the Emma Approved umbrella, so I’m making it count. Martin’s confession of his feelings through this video for Harriet was so heartfelt and romantic, anyone would be hard pressed to refuse him. Even the smallest of episodes has a ripple effect in this series, and this one comes back in a big way by the end, so seeing the origins of that huge, finale moment… Well, that puts this right up there in my favourite “episodes” of the entire series. The finale of Emma Approved wouldn’t have packed nearly as much of an emotional wallop if not for this. You can’t help but root for Martin following this clip, even though it doesn’t immediately work out in his favour… – Donya Abramo