Mary Anne Saves the Day

Book #4, Graphix #3,  Netflix S1 E4

Original Book - Writer: Ann M.Martin

Graphix Book - Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Netflix Series - Director: Lucia Aniello, Writer: Lyle Friedman

Basic plot

After a fight with the club, Mary Anne ends up making a new friend Dawn, who has just moved to Stoneybrook. By handling a medical emergency calmly while babysitting Mary Anne impresses her father and he eases up on some of his rules.The BSC are also impressed and the girls make up.

Things that are kept the same

• Mary Anne is feeling babyish compared to her other friends, she is tired of having her hair in braids and nursery characters decorating her room (including a Humpty Dumpty picture). She doesn't know how to talk to her father about this.
  
• When one of the BSC takes a job without offering it to others, this starts a big fight.
• Mary Anne ends up sitting on her own at lunchtime the next day, but Dawn Schafer a new girl, who recently moved from California sits with her.
• They soon become close friends and they find out Mary Anne's dad and Dawn's mum dated in high school.
• Kristy is a bit jealous of Mary Anne's new friendship. It's the first time Mary Anne has made a friend without Kristy.
• During their fight Kristy sits with the Shillaber twins and Claudia and Stacey sit with their friends.
  
• While Mary Anne is babysitting her charge becomes sick with a high temperature. She acts calmly and gets her to the hospital and remembers to leave message with the parents.
  
• Her father is impressed with her actions and this gives her the courage to talk to him about giving her more freedom.
  
• The BSC make up from their fight.
  

Things from other books 

• Nothing stood out to me as specific to other books.
  

Things that are changed 

• A change in the Graphix is Stacey is the first one to babysit Jenny Prezzioso, rather than Mary Anne babysitting her both times.
• In the Netflix series it is not Jenny, Mary Anne babysits, but a transgender girl, Bailey. 
• Bailey's mother works with Richard Spier and asks for Mary Anne specifically this is what causes the fight in the Netflix series, when Mary Anne tells Richard the girls were mean to her, he rings their parents and gets them grounded.
• In the books and graphix Kristy takes job to babysit Lucy Newton without offering it and the whole BSC have a falling out, none of them are talking to each other. In the Netflix series the other 3 girls are friends it's just Mary Anne they are fighting with because of the grounding.
• Some differences with Dawn's background in the Netflix series is she is Hispanic, she doesn't have a younger brother, Jeff, and her parents split because her father is gay.
• Also her mother's maiden name being Porter, the Netflix series made the fun choice to make her related to the Brewer's neighbour Ms. Esme Porter.
• Esme Porter is a spiritualist so Karen's witch theories aren't too far off.
• In the books Dawn and Mary Anne have a fight when Dawn finds out MA has been using her to make Kristy jealous. In the books Mary Anne cries in her room after but in the Graphix she visits her mother's grave.
  

 Final Thoughts

I really like Mary Anne's relationship with her dad in the Netflix series, and how some of his strictness is more of a misunderstanding, like the braids in Mary Anne's hair are just because that's all her mother taught him to do (also a nice reference to him being a white dad not knowing how else to style black hair). Also deserving a mention is both the graphix and the Netflix series do a great visualisation of Richard and Sharon's lovestruck re-meeting.

Interesting in the books and graphix Mary Anne has a fear that the other girls will make up and they will exclude her, which is what does happen in the Netflix series (in that she is the only one the others are fighting with). This is a good move on the Netflix series with the addition of the grounding, because on a re-read of the book the girls fight was ridiculous especially how petty they get about it, particularly Kristy. She won't even talk to MA when they are babysitting the Pikes together.

Timeline

Original Series	Graphix	Netflix Series
1. Kristy’s Great Idea         Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club. Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas.   Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.	1. Kristy’s Great Idea Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas. Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.	1.     Kristy’s Great Idea  Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey form the Babysitters Club 1st appearance of Logan Bruno (not named until episode 2)
2.  Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school.	2. The Truth about Stacey The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency. Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits.  1st appearance of Mallory Pike Stacey makes up with her New York friend Laine.	2. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls Kristy babysits the Brewers for the first time. Claudia has a crush on Trevor Sandbourne. Claudia struggles academically in school. The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency.
3.    The Truth about Stacey The BSC find out about rivals - The Babysitters Agency. Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits. 1st appearance of Mallory Pike Stacey makes up with her New York friend Laine.	3. Mary Anne Saves the Day 1st appearance of Dawn Schafer. Mary Anne and Dawn find out their parents dated in high school. Dawn joins the BSC.	3. The Truth about Stacey Kristy has the idea for Kid-Kits Stacey meets and has a crush on Sam Thomas.   Stacey tells the club she has diabetes.
4.    Mary Anne Saves the Day 1st appearance of Dawn Schafer. Mary Anne and Dawn find out their parents dated in high school. Dawn joins the BSC.	4. Claudia and Mean Janine Will be discussed in later post	4. Mary Anne Saves the Day 1st appearance of Dawn Schafer. Mary Anne and Dawn find out their parents dated in high school.