Unpopular Opinions

[Jack Shaftoe]

This is the thread where to post if you have the burning desire to share things like how much you love Aria's fashion style. So here goes.

- I have zero sympathy for Alison. I don't love to hate her either. I just think they should have kept her dead and given whoever killed her a medal for performing a great service to society. I don't care why she acts the way she does and I wouldn't change her mind about her even if it turns out that her mother, father, brother, grandmother and pet iguana abused her. Same goes for Mona. She was very entertaining until they revealed she was A, after that she should have been killed off. She is around to spout cryptic hints and vague threats... we already a dozen other characters who do that. And I am so tired of female characters who are supposedly wicked smart but their primary goal seems to be becoming the Queen Bee in high school.

- I am not in the least sad they didn't stick with "Ezra is evil" as people expected for most of Season 4B. If you ask me, they need to write out the idiot, not expand his role. And the popular notion that Ian Harding is much better at playing evil characters is to me pure wishful thinking. Also I don't like the character because he is boring and has way too much screen time. Him being a creep only bothers me because the rest of the characters ignore it and I don't really agree that he is worse in terms of harm he is done to people than Alison or Mona.

- The mystery element of this show was crap from the very start. The reason I enjoy PLL much less now than I used to is because the characterization is now much worse than it was before and much of this is because they had to prolong the stupid mystery by making everyone act like an utter moron. You keep killing characters off anyway, just have A caught and come up with a new mystery.

- Paige is awesome and she has never tried to drown Emily. So tired of this ridiculous accusation. Same for the often expressed notion that the liars blinded Jenna. No, Alison blinded Jenna. The Liars are guilty as hell for covering this up but as for the blinding itself - nope.

- Ashley Benson doesn't get nearly enough praise for her acting.

- The whole Radley thing is stupid.

- I find Tanner rather annoying.

[Carie]

I agree with you on a number of these points. I also don't have sympathy for Alison. She's an entitled, privileged mean girl who doesn't have respect for anyone. She doesn't care about how her actions affect other people, she only cares about herself. I honestly think she has some kind of disorder. The girl should be checked into Radley.

I would cry tears of joy if Ian Harding was written off the show. He sticks out like a sore thumb. When they try to integrate him with the liars, it just fails. He's a predator and should be shipped off to jail where he belongs for committing statutory rape with a student.

I haven't gone back and rewatched past seasons, so correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Paige hold Emily under the water? That's what I call trying to drown someone.

Ashley Benson IS fantastic. Both she and Hanna are underrated. I don't know why the liars always act like Hanna is the stupid one; she's the one figuring things out half the time.

Tanner is extremely annoying. I'm not sure if it's the actor that bothers me or the character, but I can't stand her.

[Cranberry]

Drowning is dying from being submerged under/inhaling water. Unless Paige was literally trying to murder Emily (and I don't believe she was), she didn't try to drown her.

 

I think that Hanna is the smartest of the liars... she has the most street smarts and the best self-preservation instincts, anyway.

[FurryFury]

I'd prefer if the show dropped the mystery angle at all and continue as a simple teen drama. At this point, the mystery makes no sense and feels contrived as hell, plus is stunts character development and stretches credibility beyond all limits.

 

I don't care about Caleb and Hanna. I mean, he's better than most, if not all, of the Liars' love interests, but he's still kinda boring, and the actors don't have much chemistry. I preferred Hanna as single (hell, I prefer all Liars single).

[lorikauai]

Paige was just trying to scare Emily by holding her underwater. She wasn't going to kill her. Heck my twin brother did this to me several times when we were kids. I wouldn't call it attempted murder. I would call it being an asshole.

 

I could not care less if any of the love interests died. None of them are that interesting or endearing.

 

Alison is the worst. Just kill her for real already.

 

I watch this show for the mystery but the writers really suck at it. They need to complete arcs and start new ones. Instead they have a jumbled mess that makes zero sense. Instead of solving anything they just make A's antics more over-the-top and even less believable.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Alison is the worst. Just kill her for real already.

 

How were any of the PLLs ever friends with this girl ?  Alison manipulates each one of them for her own needs, and treats them has disposable pawns.  I agree, they need to dispose of Ali, help capture the domestic terrorist know as 'A' ASAP (the FBI and Homeland Security should be showing up soon to put him/her in custody), and then just move on with their lives already.

[scarletregina]

I feel like it's an unpopular opinion to hate Paige. Whether it was attempted drowning or not, it was abuse. But then, everyone in this town is in a relationship with their abuser. At least Paige acknowledges what she did and apologizes for it - so I suppose that makes her better than others. 

 

Heck, even Mona with Hanna - Hanna used to bully Mona along with the rest of the girls. Same with Lucas. We should rename this show "Pretty Little Abusers." That would apply to everyone. Except for the parrot.

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

Heck, even Mona with Hanna - Hanna used to bully Mona along with the rest of the girls. Same with Lucas.

 

We haven't seen any flashbacks of the Liars bullying anyone, actually, so I don't see why we should assume they have done anything of the sort before Alison disappeared. Alison seemed quite happy to bully people on her own without forcing her minions to follow her lead. Which doesn't really make a lot of sense, mind you, but then again neither does the Liars being friends with her in the first place, so...

[mercfan3]

I like Aria. I like Ezra much more since his reveal. (As an interesting character..like Jenna. I still can't stand them together. Because gross and because boring. But that's not unpopular.) 

 

Troian's acting is overrated. She's fantastic when she's supposed to be over dramatic..but when she's not, she's way over the top. Benson and Hale are stronger actresses all around, and Sasha's significantly better than all of them. (that's not to say she's bad, but she's not amazing. I actually think the acting from the main cast is pretty decent.)

 

I give the PLL writers/directors the benefit of the doubt. I could be wrong, and this ends up being really stupid, but the writers and directors do a lot of "smart" things throughout episodes (like with camera angles and such)..that I"m willing to see where the whole story goes before judging the mystery element. 

[scarletregina]

We haven't seen any flashbacks of the Liars bullying anyone, actually, so I don't see why we should assume they have done anything of the sort before Alison disappeared. Alison seemed quite happy to bully people on her own without forcing her minions to follow her lead. Which doesn't really make a lot of sense, mind you, but then again neither does the Liars being friends with her in the first place, so...

In the episode where they were all locked in at the school this was addressed. Emily (I think?) even apologizes to Mona for her part in bullying her. I don't believe the girls would have bullied anyone without Alison's leadership, but that doesn't change what they did or the times they remained silent when she verbally abused other people in their presence. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

Emily apologized for not stopping Alison bully Mona. I for one wouldn't call that "taking part". Doing nothing to stop the bully is far from commendable, obviously, but rather different than actually bullying people yourself. And that's all we have seen the Liars being guilty of - not stopping Alison.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Jack Shaftoe

[DigitalCount]

• There are times when I enjoy Aria's crazy outfits aesthetically, like I can see what is being conveyed and I like it.

I don't think Byron is that bad, just desperate and faced with sub-par options after making a huge mistake. And frankly he's barely a blip in comparison with most of these guys.

Speaking of, I think this show's portrayal of men is somewhat troubling. When you can count the number of actually good men on one finger, it's saying something. This is part of the reason I would have a problem with a "shocking reveal" that Toby was victimizing Jenna.

I...really don't see the supposedly great friendship between the girls that would be ruined if Aria was A. I think all of the Liars are pretty self-absorbed, though less so than at the beginning. They just seem like a normal kinda-sorta clique.

This show is actively rather than passively terrible now, although maybe that's not such an unpopular opinion?

[joelene]

I want crazy Meredith to come back. Unpopular?

[sneakyviewer]

I want crazy Meredith to come back. Unpopular?

I totally agree. Bringing her back would be so much fun....

[Bort]

I want crazy Meredith to come back. Unpopular?

Isn't she coming out on that 12 Monkeys tv adaption? I think she's too busy.

[hcs]

I love UO forums..

I adore Hanna and think Ashley Benson is the most talented of all the actresses on the show.

Spencer is my least favorite of the liars.. 

find Ali boring as a victim

[bettername2come]

I miss Ravenswood. 

[cuddlingcrowley]

I adore Hanna and think Ashley Benson is the most talented of all the actresses on the show.

 

 

Same!

 

I pretty much think Caleb is an honorary liar (despite the fact I don't dig Haleb) and Paige is surprisingly useful from time to time but I find the overdramatic group shots of the liars and all their "bed buddies", like the one at the end of tonight's episode and the one from the 100th episode, cheesy as hell and I really wish they stuck to one, máx. two love interests per scene.

 

I believe they're trying to make a juxtaposition with how the girls used to stand alone before A's latest wreckage which is fine, we get it, I don't need to see it over and over again.

Edited August 27, 2014 by cuddlingcrowley

[larapu2000]

I don't see what's so great about Holly Marie Combs.  I mean, I get she was on that witch show (which I refused to watch due to my hatred of Alyssa Milano, Brenda Walsh, and Marilyn Manson's ex-girlfriend).  I think she's an okay actor.  I just think she's the worst actor out of the moms.

 

I don't think Toby is hot.  I don't even care about the fact that he might have abs.  Something about his nose/lips combination weirds me out.  Like Benedict Cumberbatch.

 

I never liked Mona until she was helping the Liars last night.  Ever.  Like not even loved to hate.  I think it stems from the first time she said "glamping."

 

I want Maya back.  Only so we can make more old lady jokes about her.

[Preity]

I absolutely hated Maya and everything about her. She was always pushing Emily and putting pressure on her which really annoyed the hell out of me. I was really happy when she was sent of to True North the first time around and even more happy when she was found dead. Although I found Emily really annoying afterwards. I get the grieving, but I never found Maya to be someone to grieve over. To me she was always that character just brought on to the show to bring Emily out of the closet.
Then I also hated the whole Nate story arc. That was useless and even more Maya drama. Luckily for me both stories ended in death, so there's no more to be told there.

 

I agree that Ella is the weakest Mom. Partly I think it's due to the writing and the way her character is supposed to be, but partly also because I think Holly has a sort of "don't really care" kind of acting. I thought so on charmed as well sometimes. I think she could be a great actress, but I also think there is no way for her to show it on PLL.

[Chaos Theory]

I am not sure if this is. An unpopular opinion but i don't outright hate Ezria. I would actually like the pairing if it was on any other show. Hell it would even work on The Fosters another ABC Family show. It just does not work for me on PLL. They were actually kinda cute on the fAtsl finale but they were being cute while everyone else was being axe murdered.

[RedInk]

I think sleeping with a dirty cop to prevent your daughter from getting a misdemeanor *and* involving your daughter in your criminal enterprises (stealing money from an old lady's safe-deposit box) = pretty bad mom. But everyone seems to think that Ashley is the best one. 

ETA: I like her as a character. I'd like to hang out with her, and drink her wine, and hear all about that minister that the show forgot. But Pam Fields is hands-down the only good mom.

Edited August 28, 2014 by RedInk

[Sakura12]

People call Ashley a good mom because she's around when her daughter needs her, knows when her daughter is hiding something or lying and will do anything to protect her daughter which includes sleeping with a cop to get an arrest of shoplifting off her record and stealing from an old lady to keep her daughter in the life she's used too. But most of all Ashley is home unlike everyone else's absentee parents who are gone for weeks and months at a time. I think Spencer sees her creepy parents once a month. 

 

For my unpopular opinion, I've discussed in the 5x12 thread. I hate the one that always messes up basic math, history or science or doesn't even know what the SAT's are called is secretly a genius that can get into Ivy League schools trope. I know Hanna's not stupid, so don't get on me for that, but she's nowhere near being so super smart that she can get into the same schools as someone like Spencer or Mona. Who not only have been shown to be super intelligent, excel at school and have multiple extra curricular credits and internships to their name including at one point Captain of the Academic Decathlon team. Those are the people that the "brainiac" schools look at. Not a person that scored well on one test. 

[lorikauai]

I would sleep with Wilden to keep my kids out of jail. Just throwing that out there.

My unpopular opinion is that I like Sydney. I liked the actress in The Carrie Diaries and even Camp Rock 2 (I watched with my daughter, don't judge) so I am happy to see her and her huge mouth again and hope she gets something fun to do.

[mercfan3]

I like Sydney too. 

 

Another unpopular opinion, I didn't mind Maya either. And I really liked Samara. I just liked that there was one normal person that one of the girls was involved with. 

[ladyrott]

I like Sydney too.  I knew she was up to something when she showed up and having her be Jenna's new minion (and twin!  EEK!) just makes me like her more.  I wish she and Jenna would turn up again.

[cuddlingcrowley]

I would sleep with Wilden to keep my kids out of jail. Just throwing that out there.

 

 

Yes, I would also make the sacrifice of sleeping with Wilden. I don't even have children and don't really intend to have them but I would endure that hardship. For science. He was one of the very few male characters on this show that I thought was hot.

 

 

My unpopular opinion is that I like Sydney. I liked the actress in The Carrie Diaries and even Camp Rock 2 (I watched with my daughter, don't judge) so I am happy to see her and her huge mouth again and hope she gets something fun to do.

 

 

Same! 

 

 

I agree that Ella is the weakest Mom. Partly I think it's due to the writing and the way her character is supposed to be, but partly also because I think Holly has a sort of "don't really care" kind of acting. I thought so on charmed as well sometimes. I think she could be a great actress, but I also think there is no way for her to show it on PLL.

 

 

I so know what you mean about that "don't really care" kind of acting. To be fair, in Charmed, I think that sort of worked otherwise Piper's character would have been incredibly charmless (I'm so sorry about that pun) and she has held that back a little on Pretty Little liars which I appreciate. But yeah, I also agree that Ella is the weakest Mom by far. She wasn't always though but she has been absolutely terrible lately.

 

I don't see what's so great about Holly Marie Combs.  I mean, I get she was on that witch show (which I refused to watch due to my hatred of Alyssa Milano, Brenda Walsh, and Marilyn Manson's ex-girlfriend).  I think she's an okay actor.  I just think she's the worst actor out of the moms.

 

 

I can only speak for myself, but Charmed went on for for-frigging-ever and if you stuck with it, even if you weren't a huge fan of it, you probably have some lingering fondness for the actress. I know I do even though her character has been making me cringe and Piper wasn't really my favorite. To be fair though, I think Lucy Hale and Holly Marie Combs have great chemistry and really work off each other well. I just wish Ella wasn't absolutely terrible at giving relationship advice.

 

My unpopular opinion is that I find both Toby and Caleb remarkably unnapealing and I see almost no chemistry between them and the girls. I loathe Ezria on principle because they're a teacher/student relationship that should have been hot and scandalous and not one so tame that it looks like they're two 12 year olds dating for the first time BUT I think they're the canon couple with most chemistry (which isn't saying much) and that look best together. I also have grown to accept that they're pretty much perfect for each other. But to do that I had to completely kill any and all hope there's anything remotely redeemable about Aria but they sure are perfect together.

Edited August 29, 2014 by cuddlingcrowley

[krimimimi]

I'd probably sleep with Wilden, too. *sigh* (and our only "kids" are four-legged, so...)

 

Which may totally undermine my unpopular theory as biased, but here goes - I always liked the idea that Wilden had a crush on Ashley and that she actually had the power in that dynamic, even if she didn't realize it. I believe a lot of the time people assume there are these limits imposed on what they can and can't do that are actually non-existent or entirely of their own making. (Her: "I can't reject him for Hanna's sake." vs. His: "She likes me! She likes me! *swoon*" because, let's face it, Ashley and wine are kinda swoon-worthy.) So I thought it made a more interesting storyline if they both used each other and both came away from it feeling used. That notion sort of fizzled with the moustache twirler he later morphed into, but I don't feel that's where things had to go with his character from the outset.

 

Along similar lines, I've also always like the idea that the tape of Jenna and Toby was just a recording of a sex game and not what the PLL have taken it for. I'd be plenty mortified if threatened with the publication of a sex tape, so I could buy Jenna's discomfort even if that's "all" it was. But I'd like to thank DigitalCount for pointing out that that would be yet another evil dude in Rosewood, and I think in all honesty, if they went that route now, it would leave me dissatisfied because of it. I'd really love to see some faith in the Y chromosome restored. Not that the women fair all that much better, but still.

 

Which is part of why I adore Caleb, and Hanna and Caleb as a couple.

 

I like healthy(ish), happy relationships. I like happy couples with no annoying drama. (I know, wrong genre.) And I liked Samara, too, because of it. There's so much to be said in favor of milquetoast...

 

Paige I go back and forth on, but I think that's down to some back and forth scripting. But so help me, when she started designing their future dorm room, I started checking for the location of the emergency exits. With someone else, I might have found it cute, but with her I get more of a "controlling" vibe. (Not at all sure if that's fair, and I'd welcome dissenting opinions/examples. I feel like I'm too down on her character.) OTOH, that's pretty much what she did with her "override" of Em's wishes when Paige gave Ali's address to the police. There can be a fine line between doing the right thing in a situation, even against your partner's wishes, and deciding your opinion is the only one that counts. For me, she seems to come down on the wrong side of that too often.

 

Sadly, I hate Toby and Spoby with a passion, but I suspect it's down to KA and his acting. Loathe. Plus the whole "he's on the A team" debacle helped not a whit. So I guess I don't look at him and think "half of a happy couple," which Caleb has going for him in my book.

 

Don't like Sydney. Not fond of her acting style. But I did like her as Jenna's "twin." I don't always think TS is the greatest actress, or even particularly good tbh, but she has moments as Jenna where she just shines, and I could see the Sydney character profiting from similar scenes.

[cuddlingcrowley]

I go back and forth with Paige a lot too. Overall, I think she's a great girlfriend for Emily right now. Certainly way better than Maya ever was both as a love interest and as a fleshed out character in her own right, but i don't see them going for the long haul.

 

That said, I don't love Paige and sometimes she can really annoy the crap out of me and I often wish she was gone mostly because I get bored really quickly with love interests which really doesn't go well with watching a show where all love interests are the same since season 1. Which I guess is another unpopular opinion: I supposed I miss the days where we at least got Wren and Jason to shake things up.

 

Sadly, I hate Toby and Spoby with a passion, but I suspect it's down to KA and his acting. Loathe. Plus the whole "he's on the A team" debacle helped not a whit. So I guess I don't look at him and think "half of a happy couple," which Caleb has going for him in my book.

 

Yep.

Edited August 29, 2014 by cuddlingcrowley

[Sakura12]

Caleb bores me, I don't hate him like I hate Ezra but he's just kind of there for me. While they are the most normal couple on the show I really don't see any romantic chemistry between Hanna and him. 

 

TS isn't the greatest actor, but she plays shady and cryptic well which is all she needs for Jenna. I also think we've haven't seen the whole story with Jenna and Toby (don't think we'll get to either) there still seems like there is something missing. Unless Jenna's really got a magical vagina, why does Toby keep running back to her? They've only been step-siblings for about 3 years, 1 of which Toby hasn't even lived at the house with her. So there would be no reason for Toby to keep worrying about the safety of his rapist even when she has an attraction to exploding houses. 

 

For me shipping is the least interesting thing about this show. I think the only purpose it serves now is to drag the storylines out. They throw in what they think are cute shipping scenes so they don't have to tell the actual story. 

[MissL]

 

I don't think Toby is hot.  I don't even care about the fact that he might have abs.  Something about his nose/lips combination weirds me out.  Like Benedict Cumberbatch.

 

WEll you had me totally agreeing with you until you got to the Batch. I LOVE him. But then again I love amazing deep/rich voices, good acting and intellect. None of which Toby or the actor who plays him portrays at all. Now I feel mean because he's just a kid and Benedict has years of experience on him but really, the acting, it is awful.

 

Unpopular opinion. I find Paige and Emily boring and completely confusing.  I get that Ems is very pretty and awesome but at this point Paige comes off as a bit of a doormat or crazy for continuing to take her back. Just....boring....I fast forward them and Ezrah and Aria. If they have alot of scenes PLL just FLIES by.

[Mabinogia]

My unpopular opinion is an oldie, but goodie. Well, probably not good to most but here goes...I loved Paige's original hairstyle. Hate Paige, but did like that pageboy cut. I don't really hate her, not like I hate Toby, I just don't get the appeal of her at all (or the actress, but I've not really seen her in anything else so who knows).

 

I used to find Ella one of the better parents but man has she gone downhill fast. I still think Ashley is the best mom. I mean, she pimped herself out to protect her child! That might be kind of fucked up but at least she was actively trying to help her child. Does Ella even know what is going on in Aria's life? And Emily's dad is hands down the best parent...hell, the best adult on the show. (that's not an unpopular opinion though, but I do think it should be said anyway).

 

And I secretly ship Spencer and Caleb. Ever since they worked together on whatever it was that time and their chemistry was, for me, off the charts.

[Mabinogia]

See, I don't remember what Pam did that makes everyone think she saw through Ali's story. I thought I was paying attention but I can't think of anything that made me think she wasn't buying it.

[lorikauai]

Hanna noticed Pam was suspicious of Ali and told Emily so. Plus Pam directly told Emily not to trust Ali and to be careful that she doesn't drag Em down with her.

I think Emily is bad at choosing relationships in general. Even Maya kind of tried to separate her from her family and friends, discouraging her from being on the swim team and causing strife with her mom when Pam was really trying to get along.

[Mabinogia]

thanks. Totally blanked on that stuff. Maybe I was just too amused by drunk Hanna to notice anything else in that scene. Or I was trying to figure out why Pam had a mini bar on her porch lol

[kiddo82]

I like Aria. It's a shame that so much of the character revolves around her relationship with Ezra because on her own or as part of the mystery, I like her as much as I like Spencer and that's saying something.

[mercfan3]

I think Pam didn't buy it because she knew people at the Police station didn't buy it. Not because she could tell Ali was full of it. 

[Oholibamah]

I like Aria. It's a shame that so much of the character revolves around her relationship with Ezra

 

This. It blows my mind watching such a vibrant, magnetic actress like LH completely shrink away to a plank of wood in their scenes together. There is absolutely zero chemistry between them, and I find her character insufferable when she's with, or talking about, Ezra.

 

But otherwise I think she's great, and I even love her wardrobe. But she is still miles and miles below the other three girls, which is interesting considering I got into the show because of LH.

[superman1204]

This. It blows my mind watching such a vibrant, magnetic actress like LH completely shrink away to a plank of wood in their scenes together. There is absolutely zero chemistry between them, and I find her character insufferable when she's with, or talking about, Ezra.

 

But otherwise I think she's great, and I even love her wardrobe. But she is still miles and miles below the other three girls, which is interesting considering I got into the show because of LH.

This, and this to the original post.  There's also the fact that Aria is generally considered the most popular character in the books.  Obviously the writers have tried to make the characters their own, but they managed to take a character who is creative, relatable, and quirky, and make her almost completely insufferable. 

 

Probably my favorite thing Aria has done all season was when she volunteered at Radley.  Those two or three episodes reminded me I like the character if she would do something not pertaining to her relationship with Ezra.

[Cranberry]

I also started watching PLL because of Lucy (I loved Privileged and was so disappointed when it got canceled). Hanna and Spencer quickly became my favorites, though. I like Aria a lot when she's away from Ezra, but she's with him most of the time, so.

[mjgchick]

I have an unpopular opinion. I don't think Toby is a bad boyfriend for what he did. He's stupid for joining the not so A team but I don't think he did it to spite Spencer or the Liars. I don't think Spencer losing her damn mind means he didn't care for her.

 

Ezra is not as creepy as people say he is. I still hate him and his relationship with Aria but if anything I find Ezra pathetic than creepy.

 

I don't think Shay and Sasha have any chemistry whats so ever. Sasha had way more chemistry in that scene where Spencer and Ali were dancing than she's ever had with Shay.

 

I to don't mind the freaky clothes Aria wears. I think Lucy actually makes them work for the character.

 

I don't blame Ali for how Mona turned out. Ali is a heinius person but Mona running Hanna over with her car was all on her. Mona wasn't even crazy. She pretended to be insane just to get off. I also don't think the Liars were responsible for all the stuff Ali did to her victims. Her blackmailing a rape victim because she hurt his rapist that eventually sent him to prison is all on Ali. The only thing the Liars are responsible for was the fact they allowed Toby to go to Juvy.

 

This show is not the best written, directed or acted show on tv but by no means do I think it's one of the worst. I find the writing for Ali so fascinating when it comes to her psychology. Is she a sociopath/psychopath or does she have ASPD? Or is she that bored with life? lol

[paulvdb]

I've seen several people mention that they don't like Paige. I do like her. Or more accurately, I like Lindsey Shaw. I've liked her ever since I first saw her as Moze in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. And also in her other roles in Aliens in America and 10 Things I Hate About You. As for the character of Paige, sometimes I like her and sometimes I don't like her.

[mjgchick]

I love the Paige character. But like the other characters she does get annoying. Every character on this show has made me side eye them or want to bang my head on my desk. But I honestly don't get the hate for Paige at all. She did something awful towards Emily and was the only one who apologized for it. It took Mona a lot longer to apologize to Hanna for trying to kill her. Toby, still waiting for him to apologize to Hanna, Lucas, Emily and Paige.

[Preity]

I really like Paige because of that character development. She was mean to Emily at first, but she apologized and she has changed. She sorted out her feelings, she opened up to her parents and at least when around Emily shows her vulnerable side. She became a stronger person in a lot of ways, like Emily did. And I like her for that. She can be really annoying at times though

[lorikauai]

I completely agree. I hated the first half of the season. I think Ali ruined it for me. I loved the Ali flashbacks in previous seasons but I think her character was only appealing when used sparingly.

[FozzyBear]

My UO is I have never liked Emily. She is my least favorite liar. At least Aria is kind of amusing, but Emily just bugs. It's funny because I know she's supposed to be the nice once, but something about the way the actress playes her always reads as self-involved bitch to me.

[Mabinogia]

My problem with Ali isn't that she came back. I was very excited to see her back and the dynamic she would have with everyone. My problem is they are trying to make her the victim. What I liked best about Ali was that she was an unapologetic bitch. I am fine with them explaining why she was that way, she had a nutcase for a mother but I feel like they are changing her to being a misunderstood survivor. For some reason I like that in both Jenna and Mona but not in Ali. I wanted Ali to just be a wonderful little sociopath.

[beetlesoda]

Unpopular opinion here I actually like Ali. I agree I wasn't a fan of the whole victim scared little girl thing they had going earlier on but I like what they're doing with her now. The whole shady, still manipulative, does things for reasons you never understand and really is her own worst enemy, I'm just fascinated by what is going on in her head. I would never want her to be 100% good but I also wouldn't mind if she wasn't 100% bad. I also think she's one of the few characters on the show that no one ever lets you forget her past and she's getting what she deserves one can argue which is is interesting on a show that has a pedaphile that's been stalking a group of girls to write a book but that's cool

 

Oh and I don't like Celeb. Blame Ravenswood.

Edited January 10, 2015 by beetlesoda

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I just feel like the writers don't know what to do anymore with her.

 

Are you suggesting there was a point in which they knew what to do with Alison? I mean, after her miraculous return. Because it sure doesn't look that way to me. She makes the rest of the characters look like paragons of consistent writing (and they are anything but). And her presence leads to ridiculous (even by this show's standards) things like Mona's "army", Emison, etc.

 

 

And there's how they seemed to ruin Ashley Marin. By having her believe all of Alison's story and just.. I don't know. It bugged me with how open and loving and believing Ashley was to Alison. Why it upset me was that than Pam, Emily's mom knew the story was fake. If all the parents were believing it, I could buy it. But Ashley who is normally so good at catching on didn't catch on that the story was fake made me upset.

 

Yes, way back in season two Ashley was telling Veronica and Ella how the problems of their daughters began when they met Alison, not when she disappeared and now she thinks Alison is so precious. I don't buy it. She also missed the early, extremely obvious stages of Hanna's alcoholism spell.

[mercfan3]

Pam knew it because of what she heard at the police station. 

 

I think if one of your daughter's friends was presumed dead, and she returned and said she had been kidnapped, most parents would be supportive of that friend. Ali knows how to manipulate, and she would be a sympathetic figure to most adults. 

 

For whatever reason, people on these forums forget that Ali is a teenager. She was 14 when she disappeared. So sure, she was a mean girl. But she's still a child.