S05.E24: I'm A Good Girl, I Am

[Preity]

We're obviously not going to agree on that, which is fine. I was bullied by a girl in school when I was young - not as badly as Alison did though and it didn't go on for very long - and her friends weng along with it like Hanna and the others did. It doesn't feel any better to have people giggling about a mean comment someone made about you. The big difference between Alison and the girls is that they actually later on made an effort to get to know Mona better, they apologised and you could tell they meant it. They're not like Alison, that much is obvious, but Alison brought out the worst in them. There have been quite a few comments by people on the show about how they behaved when Alison was there and they have felt ashamed of it at times. And a 16 year old, even if she is super smart, is still a teenager and everything seems to be 10 times worse when you'e a teenager.

[raytch]

I am with you all the way. I think just because they were passive about the bullying, makes them in part (if not fully) responsible.

Maybe not legally, but morally, they had the power to change a certain situation more than once, and they repeatedly chose not to. Because they obviously didn't better, but it was their choice. 

 

Alison bullied Mona into bullying her. It's a vicious cycle that can't end unless someone takes the power and does something different with it.

 

This is a quote from the review of the Xmas episode, which I think sums this up beautifully.

 

[...] mostly the story is about how we bully each other and ourselves into certain shapes, and then we think the shapes are what we are.

 

So for e.g., Alison bullied Mona into becoming a crazy wizard, and then Mona secretly bullied her into faking her own death, which she was down for because her mom bullied her so bad she wants to destroy the world, but now Alison is back and they had a bully war that ended up with one of them dead and probably everybody dead.

 

Edited March 20, 2015 by raytch

[raytch]

Someone earlier said that they weren't convinced with Mona's motives for being A. The whole "you stole her from me".

 

I thought it was very understandable. The show has established a very strong relationship between Hannah and Mona since the early seasons. Mona loved Hanna so much that she almost wanted to eat her up (remember all the Caleb incidents?). Which is very common between teenage girls to feel this way about their best friends. I'm sure we all had at least this one friend who we genuinely loved, thought was so cool that we wanted to spend as much tie as possible with them.

One of my favorite episodes from this season was the one about Hannah discovering that Mona was trying to turn her into Ali, like real life non threatening doll she could dress up and play with. It was very disturbing. But with Mona's hyperadrenalized reality she genuinely thought that she was helping Hanna.

 

Again, this is another example of bullying. As Mona bullied Hannah into becoming her real life Ali doll, by making her think that she was becoming herself. When Hanna shut Mona out, she was so hurt that she decided to punish them all. 

Edited March 20, 2015 by raytch

[insubordination]

The ep was OK, but felt a bit off for some reason. Maybe because the trial being in its 'second month' threw me. So the girls have been sitting in the courtroom all of that time and not going to school?

 

I can't believe Aria told Ezra to take her brother to chick pea cabin. It's interesting that they used the set again to remind us of how creepy Ezra was. He's been giving some creepy looks in the last few eps. The archer is probably just Andrew/random minion. I still think they keep throwing out a lot of twin hints though.

 

I thought the Hastings were wealthy, but they often feel the need to rent that little house to random guys,  Melissa needs a housemate, and Spencer can't even afford a skirt.

 

I didn't get into the episode until the last few minutes.  I know the show is about the girls, but I hate that they can't put all the required actors in one episode (Alison's family were out for food?).  Has Ella been there all along or was it a visit? Where is Mr Montgomery?

 

The comments on another thread about Caleb/Hannah being more like brother/sister are interesting because they do lack passion. I think the actor who plays Caleb has been playing the role differently. Has he been directed to? Maybe it's because of Ravenswood or maybe because of his new hair.

 

Whatever happened to that Travis dude? I'm sure they'll role him out for a red herring.

 

Hanna seemed depressed/defeated. She said that Mike was 'just a kid' because I'm sure she doesn't feel like one.  Hannah always seems to put other people's needs above her own. I have such a soft spot for the girl.

 

I was glad they put in the lighter moment of Emily's reaction to Spencer's kissing shenanigans.

 

Spencer and Toby...sigh! They'd already split them up. Why?

 

They could have ended the season here, so it's such a treat to get one more episode.

Edited March 20, 2015 by insubordination

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

@Jack Shaftoe I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but you are a VERY smart poster and raise VERY good points I find myself having a hard time disagreeing with.

Edited March 20, 2015 by GiulianoLanzilli

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

The big difference between Alison and the girls is that they actually later on made an effort to get to know Mona better, they apologised and you could tell they meant it.

 

For my money the big difference is that Alison enjoys hurting people, the Liars do not. She is actively malicious, they are not. And yes, weakness of character and going with the flow has led to millions and millions of people participating in all kinds of atrocities over the course of human history but hurting people just for the sake of hurting them is worse morally, IMO. Considering that A monitors the Liars 24/7 you would think he or she would have realized by now that they are not like Alison all.

 

 

There have been quite a few comments by people on the show about how they behaved when Alison was there and they have felt ashamed of it at times.

 

Lucas and Paige clearly did not put the Liars and Alison in the same category and I don't really recall any of Alison's victims saying anything more damning about what the Liars used to do than "You didn't try to stop her". This is probably because the writers do not want the protagonists to be seen as too unlikable and doesn't really fit with what we know of Alison's character (you would expect her to relish manipulating her minions into doing all kinds of horrible things) but still that is what we have been shown.

 

 

Maybe not legally, but morally, they had the power to change a certain situation more than once, and they repeatedly chose not to.

 

Did they really have that power, though? It's not like Alison thought their opinion was worth anything.

 

 

When Hanna shut Mona out, she was so hurt that she decided to punish them all.

 

As I mentioned a few posts back, she decided to start harassing them before Hanna had so much as spoken with Aria in the pilot. And it must have been just as obvious to Mona as it was to the viewers that the A-stuff was driving the Liars closer and Hanna away from her, so she could have taken steps to prevent that at any time. In short, I hope she lied about this motive because she wasn't that deluded, IMO.

 

 

@Jack Shaftoe I've been meaning to tell you this for a while now, but you are a VERY smart poster and raise VERY good points I find myself having a hard time disagreeing with.

 

Thanks for the kind words!

[raytch]

Did they really have that power, though? It's not like Alison thought their opinion was worth anything.

 

 

Call me an idealist, but I think they had the power. It's just that it meant that they would lose Alison's friendship if they stood up to her and called her on her bullshit.

Which is something they did when she came back this season and they saw that she could still be a sadistic manipulating bitch. 

In their defense tho, they were 16 at the time and were simply intimated by Ali.

 

As I mentioned a few posts back, she decided to start harassing them before Hanna had so much as spoken with Aria in the pilot. And it must have been just as obvious to Mona as it was to the viewers that the A-stuff was driving the Liars closer and Hanna away from her, so she could have taken steps to prevent that at any time. In short, I hope she lied about this motive because she wasn't that deluded, IMO.

 

I think she started the whole thing because she thought the girls not standing up to Ali meant they were as guilty.

Could it be that Big A tracked down Mona and proposed to her the idea of the texts and harassment? Maybe that's why she convinced Ali to fake her death in the first place? In that case it would make sense that when she was admitted to Radley, the VO said "Don't they know this is exactly how we want it for now?" and then at the end with whoever was sitting in her room "I did everything you asked for".

 

Also, you asked me how I knew the EzrA reveal was diverted.

I don't exactly know for sure. But it was such a slow build up, that it seemed like they were heading for the big final answer. What makes me think that even more, is the fact that by episode 5 this season, Ezra and Aria were fooling around again. They redeemed him so fast and I can't think of any other reason than the Ezria shippers. 

Edited March 20, 2015 by raytch

[Perfect Xero]

The comments on another thread about Caleb/Hannah being more like brother/sister are interesting because they do lack passion. I think the actor who plays Caleb has been playing the role differently. Has he been directed to? Maybe it's because of Ravenswood or maybe because of his new hair.

I think it's interesting that people feel this way, because I think the show has been trying to draw a deliberate parallel between not just Ali and Hanna this season, but also Hanna/Caleb and Ali/Jason.

 

Caleb's spent the entire season doing everything he can to help Hanna and supporting her, Ali has been shown numerous times trying to contact Jason only for him to refuse to visit her or take her calls.

 

Caleb is also able to be super supportive of Hanna while also being BFFs with Spencer, but when Jason goes along with Spencer it gets Ali arrested and put on trial for murder.

 

When Jason and Ali finally do meet last episode, Ali tells him that he needs to protect himself and get the hell out of town. Later in the same episode Hanna tells Caleb the exact same thing.

 

This episode, Jason is mentioned in name only as "getting food" but Caleb is getting a witness to testify and getting shot at by Robin Hood.

 

It's like they've put Caleb in the supportive "brother" role for Hanna to highlight the strained relationship between Ali and Jason.

[cuddlingcrowley]

The comments on another thread about Caleb/Hannah being more like brother/sister are interesting because they do lack passion. I think the actor who plays Caleb has been playing the role differently. Has he been directed to? Maybe it's because of Ravenswood or maybe because of his new hair.

 

It's like they've put Caleb in the supportive "brother" role for Hanna to highlight the strained relationship between Ali and Jason.

 

 

 

Wow, I just had a whiplash realizing I'm not the only one getting the brother/sister vibe from Hanna and Caleb. I didn't catch the parallel between Ali/Jason and Hanna/Caleb, tho, well done.

 

I don't think Caleb and Hanna ever had great chemistry. I even shipped Spoby back when it first started and Ezria has decent chemistry, if you turn off your brain, but I've never got into Caleb and Hanna, even though they're, by far, the most functional couple on this show, because they have what I call "negative chemistry" where they often come off more like family members than anything romantic.

 

I did notice there was an effort from the narrative, for a while there, to depict them as having the "hot and heavy" type of relationship. That seems to have stopped. I can't even remember the last time we've seen them kiss. Now, watching them kiss is hardly gonna solve my chemistry problem so I'm not complaining but I wonder what's going on in the writers' heads.

 

Are they headed for an amicable break up? Doubtful, especially after even Spoby has been ressurected from the ashes.

 

Are the writers secure in this relationship/feel it's been established enough that they can survive a handful of episodes with very little romantic interaction between them and they've chosen to focus on other stuff for now?

 

Are the writers as bored as I am with Haleb and would rather write him interacting with Spencer/Emily/anyone else but don't wanna do anything too drastic like breaking Haleb up, in order to breath some much need fresh air in these character's interactions?  

 

Who knows. After Spoby got back together, I have next to no hope left to see any of these couples breaking up for good. I've put up with them for 5 seasons, what's two more?

Edited March 21, 2015 by cuddlingcrowley

[mercfan3]

Honestly, I think Hanna and Caleb have and have always had more chemistry than any of the other couples. The only difference between hem and the others is that they are in a healthy stable relationship..which will lack drama. (The small problem, of course, is that Spencer and Caleb have more chemistry than any two actors on the show.)

This season, Caleb was just injected into the plot. He's the fifth liar in some ways..(except not really in other ways because he keeps insisting they stop lying.) 

[superman1204]

Who knows. After Spoby got back together, I have next to no hope left to see any of these couples breaking up for good. I've put up with them for 5 seasons, what's two more?

With the exception of Paige and Emily, which really annoys me.  I get that Paily was not the healthiest relationship in the world, but at least there was some balance.   Paige would be a dick, Emily would call her on being a dick, and Paige would say she was sorry and stop being a dick.  It wasn't perfect, but it was fair better than either Spoby, where Spencer dealt with a rough patch in their relationship by cheating on Toby twice, and Ezria, which is basically an ethical train wreck.  I feel like the only reason the relationship ended was because Lindsey Shaw wanted to leave the show.*  I just hate that casting availability it what determines how long a relationship lasts on this show.

 

*In all fairness the writers might want to have something happen between Emily and Alison, but I don't think that would have required sending Paige to California.

[lion10]

Man, Afterellen is taking forever to write the recap of this episode. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

Please stop saying Haleb and Spoby, these names make my eyes bleed. The only portmanteau couple name I like using is Ezria because adding extra z's in the middle comes so naturally. :)

 

 

I feel like the only reason the relationship ended was because Lindsey Shaw wanted to leave the show.*

 

Have they confirmed that it has ended for good? Because characters leave and come back from Out of Town for no apparent reason all the time on this show.

 

 

Are the writers secure in this relationship/feel it's been established enough that they can survive a handful of episodes with very little romantic interaction between them and they've chosen to focus on other stuff for now?

 

Yes? Why wouldn't they feel that?

 

 

Call me an idealist, but I think they had the power. It's just that it meant that they would lose Alison's friendship if they stood up to her and called her on her bullshit.

 

But since they they have called her BS and she hasn't exactly changed, at least not prior to her experiences in jail, if you buy her new-found remorse.

 

 

They redeemed him so fast and I can't think of any other reason than the Ezria shippers.

 

Well, yes, of course the reason was pandering to the shippers. That's the only reason Ezra has stayed in the show past season 1A, after all. I just don't think his "redemption" happened due to fan pressure in the middle of the storyline, I think it was planned that way in the first place. Ditto for Toby. I bet the writers still think those twists were really clever.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe

[Preity]

Even if they officially confirmed Paige and Emily were over for good, we all know that wouldn't really mean anything.

Personally I hate the word Ezria even more than the others, it's so unnatural to pronounce. Spoby is almost as bad, the only one half way decent is Haleb, at least that sounds like a real name, a freaky one, but there are plenty of those...

I don't mind the change in Hanna and Calebs relationship. Given everything that has been going on with them I wouldn't expect them to act any other way. I don't think the writers are delibratey drawing a parallel between those two and Jason and Alison. Jason and Ali have their own dynamics, their relationship has always been difficult. I also don't think the writers are that clever or expect the audience to be clever enough to pick up on those sort of things.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Preity

[hanemspar]

Even if they officially confirmed Paige and Emily were over for good, we all know that wouldn't really mean anything.

Personally I hate the word Ezria even more than the others, it's so unnatural to pronounce. Spoby is almost as bad, the only one half way decent is Haleb, at least that sounds like a real name, a freaky one, but there are plenty of those...

I don't mind the change in Hanna and Calebs relationship. Given everything that has been going on with them I wouldn't expect them to act any other way. I don't think the writers are delibratey drawing a parallel between those two and Jason and Alison. Jason and Ali have their own dynamics, their relationship has always been difficult. I also don't think the writers are that clever or expect the audience to be clever enough to pick up on those sort of things.

I really disliked the nicknames the couples were given because they were so contrived.  On the other hand, it does save time from typing out Hanna and Caleb and Spencer and Toby, etc.  :-)

 

I disagree about Hanna and Caleb in that I think they have the healthiest, closest and just plain fun relationship of the bunch. I would think that with everything that was going on, they would turn to each other even more and become closer.  A physical relationship (I'm just talking about a hug and kiss here) makes sense in light of all that has happened and how they've shared everything.  Hanna was wonderful (!) about listening to Caleb's pretty out there story about Ravenswood and helped him come to grips with what happened.  Now Caleb's being wonderful about Hanna's predicament and I think that indicates a growing relationship.  I just wonder about the apparent lack of chemistry. Maybe I'm just being an overzealous romantic (but darn it,  I still want a kiss in there!  :D  )   I think I read that Ms. King said that things would really heat up between Hanna and Caleb soon.  She was answering a fan's question.

 

I agree that, going by the content of the shows to date, the writers just wouldn't have the brains to intend to write such an interesting idea about Caleb and Hanna vs. Jason and Ali.  I appreciate the poster here who thought it out and came to that conclusion, though.  I don't see it that way since the boy/girl relationship and the brother/sister relationship are like comparing apples and oranges to me, but I'm impressed with anyone who works through a scenario and comes up with a theory that he/she can back up intelligently.  Logic  and this show seem generally mutually exclusive.

 

While I'm thinking about Ravenswood, what do you think was the significance of the lightning bugs at Caleb's house at the end of the episode where he tells Hanna everything and finally can sleep without being drunk?  Will the come up again or were they just a plot device to plug that movie?

[Preity]

I really disliked the nicknames the couples were given because they were so contrived. On the other hand, it does save time from typing out Hanna and Caleb and Spencer and Toby, etc. :-)

While I'm thinking about Ravenswood, what do you think was the significance of the lightning bugs at Caleb's house at the end of the episode where he tells Hanna everything and finally can sleep without being drunk? Will the come up again or were they just a plot device to plug that movie?

That' so true.

I think it was just something to end Ravenswood. A farewell of some sort. The whole thing was weird and while I thought Ravenswood was an okay show, I really didn't want the whole supernatural thing on this show. So I really hope they don't go back to it. And I don't think they will, they have enough material to work with.

[hanemspar]

That' so true.

I think it was just something to end Ravenswood. A farewell of some sort. The whole thing was weird and while I thought Ravenswood was an okay show, I really didn't want the whole supernatural thing on this show. So I really hope they don't go back to it. And I don't think they will, they have enough material to work with.

Yes, that was my take, too.  It seemed like a sweet end to that story with the souls of the ghosts he freed saying goodbye.  At least that's how I read it. The problem is that the most obscure, forgotten references/events will suddenly crop up and bewilder all of us.  Maybe the leaders of the lightning bugs will turn out to be in league with Big A and attack the girls in the doll house.  Stranger things have happened on PLL.

[mac123x]

I'm so glad that the season finale is going to be next week, because this is getting so fucking stupid.  It's pretty obvious that the attack on Mike was Andrew, and has nothing to do with the A plot.  He's a crazy stalker jealous of Ezra, mistakenly shot at Mike thinking he was Ezra driving Ezra's car.  When he realized he had the wrong target he maced Mike, tied him up and ran off.

 

I wanted to punch Tanner in the mouth the way she talked to Ezra and Caleb.

 

This show has gotten so stupid I'm looking forward to it not being on the air for a few months.

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

Would someone please explain to me what Ali's lawyer meant by saying that Kendra was picking up NPR through her cavity fillings? If it was a joke it went completely over my head, I'm afraid :/

 

Besides, am I the only one who's totally confused about Ali's little sob story about archery at summer camp? How could she have talked her bunkmate into shooting the arrows for her?? Wasn't there like an umpire who saw that wasn't Alison? Did her friend dress up as her (on a show of twins, aliases and dopplegangers I wouldn't rule that out)? Or... if said person sunk the arrows before Alison even picked up the bow, wouldn't everybody have noticed that they were already on the target???

It doesn't make A SINGLE LICK OF SENSE!!!! Care to enlighten me? o.O

Edited March 23, 2015 by GiulianoLanzilli

[Mabinogia]

I agree, StarsFallen, I used to get soooo excited when the show was about to come on. It was, drop everything PLL is on, don't even think about calling me during that hour. Now, I watch it almost out of obligation, like, I've come this far, I have to see it through to the end. Don't get me wrong, I still love the girls, and I love watching them interact, but I have no interest at all in the storyline, so much so that I can't answer GiulianoLanzilli's questions because I was barely paying attention. I heard something about archery and cheating but not a single detail. I have no idea how one cheats at archery.

 

I had high hopes for Tanner when she first showed up. It seemed like RPD was finally getting a competent, non-pervy cop and while she does remain non-pervy, she is just as shady as all the rest, but I do love when she trashes Toby's ten second long cop career because, really? I still can't wrap my head around how a guy who just got out of juvy a couple years ago is now a cop with a high school student as a girlfriend. This show makes no sense at all.

[cuddlingcrowley]

 

Please stop saying Haleb and Spoby, these names make my eyes bleed. The only portmanteau couple name I like using is Ezria because adding extra z's in the middle comes so naturally. :)

 

I really disliked the nicknames the couples were given because they were so contrived.  On the other hand, it does save time from typing out Hanna and Caleb and Spencer and Toby, etc.  :-)

 

 

 

I always think ship names are indiscriminately bad so, I'm never especially bothered by any, no matter how bad it is, if that makes any sense. They do save a lot of time when writting about them and I can't find in me to spend more effort on them, than the minimally possibly,so sorry, you guys.

 

 

Yes? Why wouldn't they feel that?

 

 

Uh, that was me genuinely wondering where the writers' heads are at while writting for Haleb. I didn't make a judgement about the possibility I raised.

 

I haven't liked where the show was going for a while. Contrasting the last two seasons with the first couple, I remember being so excited for this show! Seriously the winter finale where Spencer almost died on the church bell tower is still awesome.  I don't know when this show lost it's way but it is so annoying.

 

 

I believe MK is a good writer and the worst part is that I believe she had every ability to create something truly brilliant but she sold out, as simple as that. The show lost some of its magic to me, personally, after 3-B and the TobiAs resolution. I feel like MK compromised the story severely by pandering to the shippers and she did it again with Ezra. There's distinctly uncomfortable difference between how Ezra and Toby where handled by the narrative, for their misdeeds, and how Alison has been.

 

I still like the show, occasionally even love it, but the above bothers me a lot.

 

Also, this show should never have gone beyond 5 seasons. By deciding to make it go on for longer, MK made a choice between quality and quantity and again the show suffered. 

[mercfan3]

I don't think Tanner is shady. I think Tanner thinks the girls are shady, and won't listen to them because of the way they behave and A's job at framing them. 

 

And I agree about MK. Which is why I think the ending will tie up a lot and be decent. And I'd also stick up for her in that I think ABCfamily tied her hands a few times. (I remember Troian saying they couldn't go where they wanted to with Toby because of the network, for example.)

[AmandaPanda]

Also, this show should never have gone beyond 5 seasons. By deciding to make it go on for longer, MK made a choice between quality and quantity and again the show suffered. 

 

I don't think that MK made it go longer. That was definitely an ABC Family call. PLL is their flagship show. Until they can get something in place that could replace PLL in terms of popularity, they're going to milk it for as long as it will go. I definitely agree that the show should have ended after five seasons, but I don't place the blame on MK for that decision.

[cuddlingcrowley]

And I agree about MK. Which is why I think the ending will tie up a lot and be decent. And I'd also stick up for her in that I think ABCfamily tied her hands a few times. (I remember Troian saying they couldn't go where they wanted to with Toby because of the network, for example.)

 

 

 

I don't think that MK made it go longer. That was definitely an ABC Family call. PLL is their flagship show. Until they can get something in place that could replace PLL in terms of popularity, they're going to milk it for as long as it will go. I definitely agree that the show should have ended after five seasons, but I don't place the blame on MK for that decision.

 

 

Yeah, I definitely agree ABC family is partly to blame. The way the show handled TobiAs was definitely on them. I'm pissed at MK for falling in the same trap with Ezra though. What was she thinking??

 

In regards to the duration of the show, I don't know how much the network is to blame, since I'm not entirely sure how these things work, but surely the showrunner has the ultimate say in how long a show runs for? I know a few cases where they made that decision. But maybe that changes from network to network. 

 

I too have faith we're heading to a satisfying ending.

 

(I bitch about the show running for longer than it should, but I don't know what I'm gonna do when it's gone. It's the only show I still watch as it airs AND it has been with me since I became an adult. Through college, graduation, first jobs. Maybe two more seasons really won't be so bad...yes, i'm a softie )

Edited March 23, 2015 by cuddlingcrowley

[mercfan3]

Yea, as much as the story would have had less filler if it wasn't as long. I'm glad it's going for seven seasons. I'd miss it if this was it. 

[lorikauai]

Yes, it's hard to get excited about the finales now that we've had so many reveals that ended up being fake or disappointing. I've long ago given up the idea that there will be any sort of logical or satisfying resolution. When the show was first on I would watch episodes twice and analyze clues. Now it seems pointless and I even fast forward scenes. I am just watching to see it through. It still has its moments but it is mostly just silly.

[lion10]

I wonder what the new cash cow for ABC Family will be? Is it gonna be that new Sara Shepard series about the five girls.

[Preity]

I used to stay up until 2 in the morning to watch the show live, even if I had to go to work the next morning, just because I HAD to know what happened. Now I just watch it on wednesdays. I watched the first two seasons probably like 6 times, but from season 3 onwards it became like a different story. Still a pretty great one, but it feels like every episode someone gets killed, something gets blown up or something else really unrealistic happens... If they spent less money on all those special effects they could have more regular characters on the show. I still wouldn't miss an episode, but it's not like I get all fidgety anymore if I have to wait a while to watch it.

I have no idea how an archery tournament works, I just imagined Ali somehow convinced her bunk mate into cheating, but I don't really care how she did it. That one's pretty low on my list of things I'd like to know.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Preity

[eXiled]

 

Yeah, I definitely agree ABC family is partly to blame. The way the show handled TobiAs was definitely on them. I'm pissed at MK for falling in the same trap with Ezra though. What was she thinking??

This is why since TobiAs' turn, I've only ever watched the first three episodes of a season, skipped the rest, and then watched the last three episodes. I got tired of being yanked around.

 

Over the weekend I marathoned the show on Netflix. I got so wrapped up in how cute the Liars are (sometimes I watch just for hair and wardrobe!) and forgot that the episodes are usually nothing more than red herrings and fake-outs.

 

I hope Tueday's reveAl changes the way I watch the show, bringing me back into it full time. Seriously, I'm not a kid with limited attention abilities (in fact, I'm FIRMLY out of PLL's age demo) but my patience has worn so thin at this point.

 

I want a real reveal. I want it to blow me away. I want it to make sense. I want the reveal to stick this time.

[insubordination]

 

Would someone please explain to me what Ali's lawyer meant by saying that Kendra was picking up NPR through her cavity fillings?

I don't remember the line for some reason, but I do remember a 'Gilligan's Island' episode where Gilligan picked up radio stations via his cavity fillings. It's some sort of urban myth I think, though some swear it's possible.

Edited March 23, 2015 by insubordination

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

I don't remember the line for some reason, but I do remember a 'Gilligan's Island' episode where Gilligan picked up radio stations via his cavity fillings. It's some sort of urban myth I think, though some swear it's possible.

I may be dense but I still don't understand how that would make Kendra an unreliable witness. What do radio signals and cavity fillings have to do with testifying in a murder trial? o.O

[lion10]

I may be dense but I still don't understand how that would make Kendra an unreliable witness. What do radio signals and cavity fillings have to do with testifying in a murder trial? o.O

Kendra was on hallucinatory drugs when she saw Ali which seriously hurts her credibility. The lawyer wasn't actually referencing something Kendra said. She was essentially calling Kendra crazy.

[mac123x]

I may be dense but I still don't understand how that would make Kendra an unreliable witness. What do radio signals and cavity fillings have to do with testifying in a murder trial? o.O

 

I'm not sure the lawyer meant that literally, but was basically saying "Kendra was out of her mind on drugs and therefore anything she supposedly witnessed would be unreliable."  Frankly it's the only competent thing the lawyer did this episode.  If Alison's disability was part of her defense strategy, she could have called medical experts to testify that Ali was incapable of tossing Mona around like that.  No reason for Ali to take the stand.

[Jack Shaftoe]

Of all the ridiculous things in this episode this probably takes the biscuit. What kind of an idiot does not call for a medical expert when they need to prove the injury of their client? A 10 year old would have thought of that. I still suspect someone thought he was being real clever by using a trope that people know from a classic work like To Kill A Mockingbird and never realized how stupid his rendition of this trope made everybody involved in this sham of a trial look.

 

 

I watched the first two seasons probably like 6 times, but from season 3 onwards it became like a different story. Still a pretty great one, but it feels like every episode someone gets killed, something gets blown up or something else really unrealistic happens... If they spent less money on all those special effects they could have more regular characters on the show.

 

I agree that season 3 was where the decline started but I the murder attempts annoy me not so much because they waste too much of the show's budget (I doubt they are that expensive) but because they are for the most part completely and utterly unnecessary. Which was more memorable - Hanna being forced to break Lucas's heart (1.14) or A trying and failing to kill the girls for the 17th time? We know A won't succeed in their 18th attempt either. And the more bodies A drop, the more the parents and the police look utterly ridiculous.

 

 

I don't think Tanner is shady. I think Tanner thinks the girls are shady, and won't listen to them because of the way they behave and A's job at framing them.

 

Shady or not, she is just as incompetent as all the other cops in the show. "The person in this video might have been Alison" is not proof of anything. Having Toby help her investigate alone would have been enough for any half-decent lawyer to have the case against any of the Liars dismissed due to clear conflict of interest.

 

 

There's distinctly uncomfortable difference between how Ezra and Toby where handled by the narrative, for their misdeeds, and how Alison has been.

 

Would you prefer them to whitewash everyone instead? Even these writers would find it hard to sweep all the awful things Alison has done under the carpet. Unlike Toby and Ezra who were "bad" for half a season each (in terms of narrative, not chronologically, I know Ezra monitored the girls for research purposes a lot longer), Alison was a sorry excuse for a human being in something like 90% of her screen time prior to S5. But they are clearly following the tried and true approach of having the bad guy accused of something they never did in order to earn them some sympathy, so Alison will probably join the whitewashed club, it will just take a little longer than what it took for those two.

Edited March 23, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe

[insubordination]

 

Shady or not, she is just as incompetent as all the other cops in the show

 

The two new cops (Tanner and that guy who Hanna kissed) probably weren't even told if their characters were shady or not. They both started out good cops. I speculate that the writers don't have a concrete plan and are making stuff up as the season goes along.

 

I just hope the actor who plays 'A' has known that they have been playing that role for a long time. It would really undermine the performance if that knowledge were just sprung on him/her.

 

I once read that Tom Berenger didn't even know that he was playing the bad guy in the movie 'Sliver'. They just tacked on a scene at the end of the movie after audience testing.