marinaalexis

I tried to convince myself of this for a long, long time, because I really don't like passing judgment on people I don't know. But when it comes down to it, this was the equivalent of a sophomore in high school dating someone old enough to have a graduate degree. It really doesn't matter how mature Sasha was - she was still, essentially, a child when they went public with their relationship, and undoubtedly a child when they met. There is a gigantic developmental difference between a teenager and someone in their mid-twenties. It's predatory no matter which way you look at it, and it's obvious that he was grooming her from a fairly young age. Her parents also seem to have always been totally and oddly fine with it, to the extent that they even took him on family vacations with them. There are actually pictures that they took of their fifteen year old daughter lying in a bikini next to this grown man. It's extremely disturbing, probably more so to me as an educator. It's just not something I can justify or try to explain away, even from the little I know.

"Fun" fact, on the subject of Sasha's husband, for those who might not know: They met when Sasha was 12 and Hudson was between 18 and 19, and started publicly dating (though it's clear they were together even earlier) when she was 16 and he was 23.

Yes, I just saw that lol! Anything to appease the shippers. It's not like we actually saw Emily eagerly divorcing Alison and Ali proceeding to move on with no remorse or anything. Of course the shippers are going to lord this over the rest of the fanbase as proof of an Emison endgame, but personally, I don't consider anything Marlene puts on her twitter to be anything more than silly fanservice, same as those ridiculous texting conversations they used to post. Possibly (yet another) controversial opinion, but I've always perceived Sofia as a little full of herself, so I'm not overly surprised that she hasn't posted anything. I wonder the same thing about the cast - I sure hope they've known for a while and have planned not to return. It would really suck if they'd had to pass up opportunities for long-term projects because they didn't know if they would still have contractual obligations to TP. I truly agree with you that I think TP would have really come into its own in season 2. It had a rocky start finding it's footing and figuring out a good balance between remaining in the PLL world and becoming its own thing, but the last few episodes really seemed to start evening out. And the finale really set the stage for a great, solid mystery. It's really shameful that the network couldn't give it a fighting chance. They made so many huge mistakes in their promotion, it's like they gave up on it before it even really began.

Oh, she's totally going to do it. "That was the plan all along guyssss!! #Emisonforever" The part I bolded is what really gets me, too. I saw people online whining about this show to no end, but...it's PLL. It's a Freeform show. What did people expect? It is such an unbelievable bummer that the PLL world is forever closed on such an unresolved note. And although I'm sure they partially expected the cancellation, it also sucks that Janel and Sasha, who have played these roles for nearly a decade now, didn't get to say a proper goodbye to their characters.

It definitely wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it did have a lot of potential, in my opinion, and I think the finale really left the door open for a great second season. It's really a shame that the network wasn't willing to give it a second chance, but seems more than happy to renew other shows for third, fourth seasons that have similar ratings. With the lack of promotion and international availability, Freeform really didn't give this show much of a chance from the start. Perhaps an unpopular opinion (and one I would never dare express on any social media), but my one silver lining is that at least the PLL universe ended with Emison officially broken up and not even anywhere near reuniting. I'm sure the shippers are taking that just remarkably well. 😉

Don't think this is necessarily going to come as a huge surprise to anyone, but... https://deadline.com/2019/09/pretty-little-liars-the-perfectionists-canceled-after-one-season-freeform-1202746884/

I'm sorry, but I just can't get behind that one bit. I've already explained why they couldn't just leave. Kelly's lawsuit was even thrown out because Lifetime's lawyers were able to have all evidence from the show made inadmissible in court. And I'm not sure what magical editing you think was going on here, but I saw with my own eyes Abby screaming that Chloe is a sneak and a snake, and I saw with my own eyes that child holding herself as she sobbed in the hallway. What kind of editing made that happen? They somehow took separate snippets of Abby saying each individual word, edited them together, and edited the footage so it looked like her mouth was moving in the exact same way? And I've said it once and I'll say it again - I don't care how "well known" the kids became from the show. That means absolutely nothing in the face of years of mistreatment and it's completely irrelevant, I have no idea why you keep bringing it up. Abby Lee Miller has been a child abuser for years, and I am beyond sick of the constant justifications and denial surrounding her disgusting mistreatment of all of those children.

No. There is no one more at fault for abusing children than the child abuser themselves - and in my opinion, Abby was indeed a child abuser. It's also important to remember that it wasn't as easy for the parents to just pack up and leave at any time like they could at a regular dance studio. TV contracts are extremely iron-clad to ensure that cast members can't just bow out for better projects. Any of those families would have likely been completely financially ruined if they'd broken their contract early. Of course it's easy to say that you would put your child's well-being above any amount of money, but when that child and your others are at risk of losing everything if you leave...it's a much harder call to make. I do judge the parents who did nothing to limit their children's exposure to Abby though, absolutely. Christi definitely made a lot of questionable decisions, but I have to respect her for pulling Chloe out of the studio in season 3 and having her around Abby as little as possible (only for filming).

I have to say that I have a really hard time with this mentality because I do not believe for one second that fame or opportunity makes up for the emotional and verbal abuse that those kids suffered at the hands of Abby. I know what you mean about the editing, but when it comes down to it, Abby did call Paige stupid. She did refuse to call Chloe by name. She did scream at Chloe that she was a sneak and a snake. And I can't bring myself to watch scenes like this and believe that it was fake or the kids knew she didn't mean any of it (whether or not she really did mean it is beside the point). Those tears and anxiety attacks were real, and a child's emotional well-being should never be the price of some good opportunities in show business. I also think it's important to bring up, regarding the part of your post that I highlighted, that in fact the opposite was often true. The show was based around Abby being a tough, harsh teacher, but she was also its cash cow. There were at least several known times that the show was edited to make things look better than they really were. Case in point: Abby yelling at Christi to get Chloe's eye fixed was edited out, as was Abby screaming in Chloe's face that she would destroy her. I find it hard to believe that those were the only two instances, either.

Here's a deleted scene from the episode that confirms what we've all known since at least 2013:

It really is jarring to see the soloists placing so low. One major thing is that there often are winning solos from the ALDC, but for some reason they're choosing to cut them. Lilly had a beautiful solo during this competition that won 1st...and we didn't get to see it. That's happened quite a few times this season, with ALDC dancers placing first with cut solos. I have no idea why Lifetime is editing it this way.

I don't believe the reason(s) have ever been stated, but I like to think (wishfully) that it's at least in part because she and/or Melissa realized that Abby was emotionally abusive and codependent to a disturbing degree toward Maddie from the time she was eight years old. Melissa has also made vague claims on social media about Abby having done something to Mackenzie, which is likely essentially holding her early "Mack Z" music hostage. There has also been a lot of speculation that Melissa was involved with some of Abby's less-than-legal endeavors, and cut the cord to distance herself from Abby's legal troubles. Either way, I believe that Maddie's success is due to Lifetime and the show, not Abby herself, and I don't blame her for refusing to acknowledge Abby. The way that woman treated that little girl was strange and emotionally unhealthy.

Right around the time that JoJo became a huge superstar, and Maddie stopped acknowledging Abby's existence (for good reason, I might add), I imagine.

JoJo and Jess actually left the team because JoJo got offered a contract with Nickelodeon. The ballet duet tantrum was a storyline that was concocted for the show to make their departure more dramatic. It was all completely set-up. (I don't mean to defend Jess in any way, for the record. Remembering the way she and Jill treated Brynn in season 6 still makes my skin crawl.)

We're just going to have to agree to disagree then. Apparently I'm in the minority, but although lyrical clearly wasn't Mackenzie's strong suit, I would not in any universe say that the routine was "awful."