Pretty Little Liars

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria

Season One Recap

Pretty Little Liars is a guilty pleasure of mine. I've watched since the pilot episode, and I admit, it hooked me. Now in its second season, I thought I'd try something a little different and do some reviews here on RU. I doubt many (or any) of you guys have watched the show, but hey, read along, share your thoughts, join me in my trivial quest to both promote and critique the show starting with Season Two reviews.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, here's the basic gist. Five high school best friends - Alison, Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily - are torn apart after the unsolved murder of Alison. She was the queen bee of the group, the one that united them through a pact of secret sharing and secret keeping. One year after Alison's death, the girls have drifted apart, but a certain anonymous individual calling himself (or herself) "A" begins to harass the surviving girls. "A" knows things about them that no one besides Alison could ever have known - their dirty secrets, their shameful desires, and the group's most regrettable mistake of accidentally blinding another girl named Jenna. "A" essentially blackmails the girls, forcing them to perpetuate their own lies and secrets, and making them perform various tasks that suit "A"'s twisted sense of sadism.

Mixed in with the over-arching story, each girl has her own unique plotline. Aria is in a secret relationship with her much older English teacher. Spencer is a perfectionist from a perfectionist family, often butting heads with her older sister Melissa. Hanna, once the chubby girl no one noticed, is now the most popular girl in school after Alison's death. Emily struggles with her budding sexuality and lesbianism. The whole show is a bit of a dirty pleasure, going for risque shocks somewhat likened to a high school Desperate Housewives, but what I enjoy is that it has much more heart. The girls all stand on relatively equal foundations in terms of characterization and appeal, the chemistry between them is fun and watchable, and despite how sleezy some of these plotlines sound on paper (statutory relationships, lesbian flings) - there's a sense of charm and likeability to the characters that supersedes the sleeze, making the girls into real people worthy of your investment.

Season one had some pretty significant stumbling points - lack of cohesion amongst the writers was one. Each episode introduced a new plotline, a new suspect as to who might be "A", a new suspect as to who killed Alison, and a new love interest for one of the girls. It was all just an uphill climb with nothing solid for the viewers to hang on to. And the ultimate tragic flaw of the series is undoubtedly how poorly treated the writers are handling suspect number one - the one character probably at the top of everyone's list of being "A" (I won't say who this character is). Even since the pilot, it's been such a logical guess, almost painfully obvious, yet this is the ONLY character the writers have not depicted as a suspect. Nearly a dozen characters have been implicated or involved in some sort of red herring, yet not this one person. Simply by omission, the writers are making it painfully obvious. I very much hope that I am wrong, but after a full season of skirting the issue, it seems an inevitably correct guess.

Despite this major flaw, the appeal of the characters and their respective plotlines does hold the show together and make it worth watching. If the ultimate reveal is (most undoubtedly) going to be a letdown, at least the journey and development to that point has been fulfilling. The second half of season one already made a number of corrections to the overall format. Focus on one "A" suspect at a time, focus on one killer suspect at a time, limit the number of love interests, and milk the sideplots out for longer. Not to mention the writers' brilliant move through the use of flashbacks in painting Alison as having been more devious than any of the girls had imagined - a manipulator, a liar, possibly even a murderer herself. All these steps redeemed season one quite a bit, and by the finale I had no doubts that I'd continue to watch into season two.

Overall, I'd give the season A- but I wouldn't set that grade in stone. I'd have to go back and rank the episodes individually to be sure.

2.1 It's Alive (A-)
2.2 The Goodbye Look (B+)
2.3 My Name Is Trouble (A+)
2.4 Blind Dates (A)
2.5 The Devil You Know (A)
2.6 Never Letting Go (B-)
2.7 Surface Tension (A-)
2.8 Save the Date (A)
2.9 Picture This (A)
2.10 Touched by an "A"-ngel (A-)
2.11 I Must Confess (B+)
2.12 Over My Dead Body (A+)
2.13 The First Secret (A+)
2.14 Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares (A)
2.15 A Hot Piece of "A" (B+)
2.16 Let the Water Hold Me Down (B-)
2.17 The Blonde Leading the Blind (A)
2.18 A Kiss Before Lying (A)
2.19 The Naked Truth (A-)
2.20 CTRL:A (A)
2.21 Breaking the Code (A-)
2.22 Father Knows Best (B+)
2.23 Eye of the Beholder (A-)
2.24 If These Dolls Could Talk (A)
2.25 unmAsked (A)
Overall Season Average: A-

[Johno]

I always wanted to check this show out, I'm a huge Lucy Hale fan. How is she in PLL?

[Nick]

Jun 23, 2011 18:42:41 GMT -5 Johno said:

I always wanted to check this show out

Looks like there is only one blonde. You might not like it.

[Johno]

Jun 23, 2011 19:14:33 GMT -5 Nick said:

Jun 23, 2011 18:42:41 GMT -5 Johno said:

I always wanted to check this show out

Looks like there is only one blonde. You might not like it.

Haha the blonde's actually not my favorite, looks-wise, out of the bunch, which is a shocker.

Also, I'm in for the plot - not the chicks. (...maybe)

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Jun 23, 2011 18:42:41 GMT -5 Johno said:

I always wanted to check this show out, I'm a huge Lucy Hale fan. How is she in PLL?

She's probably the best actress on the show, and they kind of advertized her as the lead, but really I'd say she's the least compelling character out of the 4 girls. I don't dislike her character, but there are quite a few people who do.

[Sam Winchester]

...Blake.

Let's do a PLL fan club. Not like I watch this show. Consistently. No. That'd be silly

[Johno]

Jun 23, 2011 20:00:06 GMT -5 Blake (HDLYR) said:

Jun 23, 2011 18:42:41 GMT -5 Johno said:

I always wanted to check this show out, I'm a huge Lucy Hale fan. How is she in PLL?

She's probably the best actress on the show, and they kind of advertized her as the lead, but really I'd say she's the least compelling character out of the 4 girls. I don't dislike her character, but there are quite a few people who do.

Glad to hear that she's the best actress, I really like her. Can't wait to start watching this. Will get the Season 1 set ASAP.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.1 It's Alive A-

Spoiler Warning: If by any chance, reading my review for season one has interested you in watching the show, just know that the remaining reviews will have spoilers up to the season one finale

The premiere kicks off mere seconds after the season one ending, and the following scenes deal with the direct aftermath of Ian's death. Not only is his body missing, and the girls are accused of lying to both authorities and their own families, but it's possible he's not quite as "dead" as they had hoped. Despite "A"'s role in rescuing Spencer and disposing of Ian, his/her "frenemy" status between the girls is no more improved than it was in season one. If anything, "A" is still up to his/her old games, and tormenting the girls is actually even easier than ever.

If anything, the status quo from season one doesn't seem to have changed very much. I was very much hoping the writers would sit down over the hiatus, really dissect the elements of the show that do and don't work, and find ways to be innovative. That doesn't quite seem to be the case. "A" is still the naggingly villainous "A" from season one. The finale had painted a picture that "A" could potentially become a sort of anti-hero for the show, someone who is both obsessed with humbling the girls while also deep down concerned for their well being, yet that idea seemed irrelevant in this episode. "A" is still calling the shots and exerting control.

Aria is still mixed up in the needless "can I trust you?" plotline with Ezra... Spencer is still caught up with Toby as her forbidden love interest... and while Emily and Toby have a nice scene, her dealings with her mother and the move to Texas haven't changed a bit. The only noticeable exception so far is Hanna, who lashes out nicely on Mona for destroying Caleb's love letter, changing the status quo of at least one relationship in her life. I also appreciate the increased focus on Mona, which I hope continues (not because I like the character, or the actress, but because she desperately needs it), and the return of Noel and Caleb was appreciated too. Noel was a surprisingly delightful and dastardly villain in season one, while Caleb was one of the more compelling love interests.

There's a strong solid plotline going with Annabeth Gish's character as the girl's group therapist, Anne Sullivan, and I particularly loved seeing their desperate need to want to spill their secrets to this woman. Glad to see she's going to be a recurring character. Jenna and Garrett had a brief scene implying the return of Alison's brother, Jason, as well as some previously unmentioned mystery in his past. It wasn't enough to carry much weight, yet something to look forward to.

Aside from the few things previously mentioned, I can't say there's many other new elements introduced to the show. While you could say the parental intervention to keep the girls from seeing each other might seem like a significant change, it can't possibly last long. There's nothing necessarily bad about this episode - in fact none of the production value, mystery, or writing has lessened in quality - but the hiatus had left me wanting something a little more substantial all around.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.2 The Goodbye Look B+

Jason officially returns to Rosewood, setting up in the old DeLaurentis house like some sort of Bruce Wayne-type bachelor locking up his mysteries in a mansion. I was surprised to see that the actor was recast, as the previous one captured Jason's antagonistic obscurity rather well, but the new actor does seem capable of handling the role too. We aren't privy to many answers as to what Jason is up to, but the girls, "A", and Jenna all seem intrigued by his return so this looks to be the beginning signs of a big season two plotline. The flashbacks with Alison offer hints that there is an actual incriminating bit of evidence locked away in the house.

Speaking of incriminating evidence, "A" manages to steal Ian's videos off Emily's laptop. We're still not sure what "A"'s motivations are in relation to Ian, but regardless the girls lose their strongest leverage in coming clean. Aria gets attacked inside Spencer's house - and the reveal that it may have been Ian himself, on the hunt for Spencer, was rather chilling.

Sideplots: Emily is scouted by a Danby swim coach, potentially giving her a (coincidental) reason to stay in Rosewood rather than move to Texas. I'm not sure why the writers insist on setting up a relationship between Emily and Samara, other than a reason to keep Claire Holt on the show. Out of Maya, Paige, and Samara - Samara has been my least favorite of Emily's love interests. She just seems so know-it-all and virtually flawless - aka boring.

Hanna deals with the return of her father, peeved at the fact that he only shows up when Hanna is in trouble. Mona pops in from time to time, trying to work her way back into Hanna's good graces.

Spencer lays low for a bit, mostly showcasing a bit of sympathy for Toby's plight as the town outcast. She puts on a front of trying to bond with the grieving, depressed Melissa, yet her ulterior motive of prying for more information into Ian's whereabouts is quite apparent.

Aria gets the most focus in the third act as Ezra prepares to depart the high school and start his new job at Hollis College. I don't know if the writers really believe that changing Ezra's occupation will suddenly make his wildly inappropriate relationship with a high schooler any more justifiable - it's not like he can come over to dinner with her folks now just because he's no longer her teacher - but perhaps that isn't their intention at all. Regardless, it's just kind of a back and forth game between these two - should we or shouldn't we - and ultimately their situation locks up in a bit of a standstill. There's nothing quite new in store for Aria this season, yet, which is a shame since she hasn't ever been the most developed character. I will say that Ezra's farewell speech to the class (directed subliminally to Aria) was rather sweet, somewhat pretentiously literate as is typical with him, but sweet nonetheless.

Sideplots weren't very interesting this time around, progress was lacking. Anne's introduction in the premiere was forgotten momentarily, and it makes me wonder if the lack of cohesion between writers from episode to episode is the same as it's always been. After two episodes, there are two things I'm looking for, for signs that the writers have learned from their past mistakes and intend to develop story arcs rather than continuously start new plotlines - developing Anne and her influence over the girls, and developing the Jason mystery. If those two things can happen, I'll have much more faith in season two.

[Johno]

I did a bad thing. I watched last night's episode. Juicy stuff, but I have no idea what's going on.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Bad Johno. Did it at least make you want to watch Season 1?

[Johno]

Yes, I'm very curious to know what the hell's going on, because I didn't understand the importance of the blind chick or why the girls were spying on Spencer's sister in the bushes.

Overall, an enjoyable watch. The writing is pretty sharp, kept me interested. So yeah, I definitely want to check it out now.

[Lie]

I've seen the first eight episodes now and I don't really know what to think of it. It's not the worst thing I've seen, but I don't think it's that good either. It was with some hesitation I started watching it, because I absolutely hate teen shows. Can't stand One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, 90210 and pretty much every show on The CW except Supernatural. I thought Pretty Little Liars were just like them, but they threw in a murder mystery into the pot and did something different.

I like the whole "A" thing and all the mysteries, but they still have that teen drama I hate to watch on screen. So I think I'll keep watching and see if things get better, but I'm not a PLL-fan as of yet.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

It's definitely a teen show like those on the CW, so you're right that you do kind of have to have a "taste" for the genre in order to enjoy it. Personally I do. I love a nice lightweight show that doesn't take too much brain power to enjoy. I'm a big fan of summer shows in general - this just happens to be one of my favorites of the bunch.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.3 My Name Is Trouble A+

This episode addressed the exact concerns I voiced in my last review. I stated I was looking for two things: further development in Anne's influence over the girls, and emphasis on the Jason mystery. While Anne was absent in this episode, the Jason mystery took center stage. Everything is still a disorienting question mark, but the pieces are all gelling together with a sense of continuity not common on this show. I was afraid this season would repeat several stylistic flaws of the first season, but it really does seem like the writers have an endgame in mind now, and they are gradually revealing the big picture piece by piece. I think I overlooked the implication from last episode that Jason has been housing and protecting Ian. Currently we get the impression that the two of them, and Melissa, are all in cahoots, covering for Ian's death as well as their underhanded role in Alison's murder. The flashback was very cryptic and somewhat disturbing, implying something much more sinister than just Alison butting heads with Jason over their grandmother's will, but it had me on the hook and I immediately wanted to know more. Bringing Wren back onto the scene to assist these three completely threw me for a loop - I can't possibly imagine his role in the ordeal. I'm cautious about the decision, but regardless, I'm intrigued.

As for the girls, they're still coping with the parental mandate that they spend less time together. I haven't been a huge fan of this idea, as I've always found the main story and the girls themselves are more entertaining when they are together rather than apart. But here I will say the sideplots really did justice to each of the characters, and I didn't mind that the "group" story was fairly brief.

Sideplots: Hanna observes her mother and father becoming close again, and we get the impression that she feels the same is possible between her and Caleb. I love that this was never explicitly stated in the episode, so we are somewhat forced to view the whole situation through Lucas' eyes. It's obvious that he doesn't trust Hanna after she broke his heart, but Hanna possesses that clever mix of sincerity and deviousness that is strong enough to win him over to her side. Aside from all that, I thought Hanna had some of her funniest material to date - loved her reaction to Emily's underhanded plan with the Danby letter.

Tying into Emily, she was probably the odd man out in this episode, but she still had some great material. Her typically sweet conservativeness gave way to a more cunning side as she planned to trick her way out of the move to Texas. It made perfect sense that she wouldn't go through with the plan in the end. I will say this was one of my favorite "A" moments, when he/she totally pulls the trump card on Emily in one of the most clever bits of manipulation so far.

Spencer continues to spy on Melissa, linking her connection to both Ian and Jason. I will say Spencer has always been one for rash decisions - in this case pawning Melissa's wedding ring to buy a truck for Toby. I really wish this character trait was addressed better by the writers. Spencer is not a stupid girl, but she does a whole lot of stupid things and rarely pays a deep enough price for them, in my opinion. The writers need to make sure Spencer's actions produce the full weight of drama that is expected, rather than just skipping along to the next plot. Despite my sense of caution in trusting the writers, I highly enjoyed the "jump rope" story shared between Spencer and Melissa. What I thought was going to be a sweet moment between them turned into a much more tragic bit of heartbreak. The audience has always been led to believe that these two characters love each other more than they will ever state, but it makes perfect sense in the light of Ian's disappearance that now is certainly not the time for Melissa to take Spencer's side on anything. Brilliant move.

Aria gets a rare moment to shine, and I highly appreciated it. I figured her trotting off to Hollis College for an elective class was going to be another disappointing way for her to keep up the back and forth struggles of dating Ezra. So I'm glad to see there was much more in store for her. I love this idea that Aria and Jenna may become linked this season (I hope the writers keep this up!), and the scene with the lamp was absolutely one of the most haunting things on the show so far. An awesome performance by both actresses, great directing, cinematography, and genius writing - everything came together for this scene in a tremendous payoff.

In the end, one of my favorite episodes of the entire series, and definitely a sign of good things to come in season two. I really hope this level of quality carries on throughout the season, as this episode hit all the right beats. Dark, dramatic, and a great mix of everything I love about this show.

[Kurai]

I love this show =D

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.4 Blind Dates A

The group plot was even thinner here than the previous episode. It really picked up steam in the final act, but generally the sideplots with the girls dominated the hour.

Sideplots: Hanna gets the most focus. First with the double-date (not a blind date as indicated in the title*) with Caleb, Lucas, and Danielle. There wasn't much to it, just a nice moment between each of the characters, a bit of light-hearted fun. The real substance of the story came between Hanna and Anne, as the solo-session therapy leads Hanna to finally come to terms with Alison. Hanna was always the most verbally abused by Alison, so it's no surprise that Hanna would feel such negative feelings about her. In many ways she's the first to admit that she doesn't need Alison, nor does she feel guilty for not missing her. Knowing how obsessive "A" is, however, he/she will do anything in their power to make Hanna regret her progression toward maturity. Ashley Benson is not the greatest actor in the world, but she handled the material pretty well - especially the actual interaction with imaginary Alison.
Speaking of "A" and Anne, there was a really good web-feature for the show last week that gave some insight into upcoming episodes this season. "A" has become threatened by Anne and the ease with which she can get the girls to open up to her - this jealousy culminates in the vandalism of Anne's office. Anne, in many ways, is a foil to "A" and that drives "A" crazy. I still think Anne needs a bit more development in her personality traits, maybe more screen time where we can get to know her a bit better, but they're definitely on the right track. I asked for more Anne, and slowly, we're getting it.

Aria's story is spread a bit thin. We're not sure where the focus lies. Is it her mother taking Ezra's old job at the high school? (Not sure why that would be troubling to Aria.) Is it her father and mother overcoming their trial separation last season, restoring balance in the home? Or is it Mike, with his mysterious whereabouts and rebelliousness? I always find Aria a bit holier-than-thou when it comes to speaking to Mike, but the kid is quite a handful of immaturity and annoyingness. Aria even gets a scene with Jason, and while it's rather pointless, it at least serves as a brief reminder that Jason is still a major player this season.

Emily is the odd man out for two episodes in a row, which is a bit troublesome. So far there's not much going for her other than the Danby lie. I still find Samara to be highly annoying and this episode did not help mend that view at all. I'm enjoying the momentary truce between Emily and her mom, Pam, but it's all completely contextual. No doubt as soon as Pam finds out the truth about Danby, she will be much more compelled to revert back to bad terms with Emily.

As for Spencer, at first I thought we were going to see the direct consequences of her selling Melissa's ring, a concern I addressed in my last review. Alas, as expected, the full dramatic weight of that poor decision only lasted for about one scene. Instead, the bulk of the episode focuses on Spencer's involvement with Wren, which leads up to the main group plot appearing in the final act. Wren is the best lead the girls have had so far in learning about Ian, and they're given some amount of confirmation that the person staying in the DiLaurentis house is not him. Instead, Wren assists them in following Melissa to Ian's hideout, where he has shockingly killed himself and left a confession letter about killing Alison. Or so it seems... A nice little visual clue reveals that "A" was indeed the person who staged Ian's suicide. It seems "A" has grown increasingly more violent and erratic this season, which can be fun for sure, but I'm also curious to see how this impacts the ultimate reveal of "A" and his/her love/hate relationship with the girls.

*Just a random side note, the episode titles on this show are pretty unimpressive. Most of the time I don't even get what they mean. And here, I figured it was going to focus on Jenna with the word "blind" in the title. I guess I overestimated the amount of cleverness behind it.

Solid episode. Hanna, Spencer, and the brief group story at the end carried the episode very well. A very similar format to last week's strong installment, so the season seems to be hitting its stride.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

*added a few screencaps

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.5 The Devil You Know A

This episode was an unexpected powerhouse of answers to several long-standing mysteries. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the huge amount of reveals, but I must say I'm very pleased with the direction taken here.

The myth-arc has so much advancement that it's hard to pick where to begin. Here's what we learn in this episode:

--Ian has been dead for weeks and "A" staged the text messages to Melissa, Ian's "suicide", and the confession letter.
--Now that the town is fully convinced that Ian was Alison's killer, "A" throws the girls for a loop: Ian did NOT kill Alison. We finally know that as a 100% indisputable fact.
--Jason was "A"'s first victim. Due to his drug-filled stupor, he doesn't remember the night Alison died. "A" has always led him to believe that he was the one who killed his sister, and he suffers a severe case of survivor's guilt. But now that Ian's confession has spread throughout the news, he has finally found some closure and the blame has been lifted from his shoulders. It should be quite a shock when he learns what the girls have learned: Ian didn't kill her. I'm sure Jason will go right back to blaming himself again.

The web-feature this week shed some light on Jason. I'm really enjoying the idea that he was "A"'s first victim, so that's pretty cool. We're also given a bit of insight that he will cause a rift between the girls down the line. Aria has developed an apparent attraction to him (a continuation of what I mistakenly labelled a "pointless" scene in the previous episode). I find Emily's judgemental attitude in calling Jason a "freak" as very out of character - she was always the biggest proponent for defending Toby, the original town freak. So I'm not sure what to make of the writing there, but I do like the idea that the two central group-plots - Jason and Anne - are developing two very differing results. Anne will unite the girls, Jason will tear them apart. Looking forward to seeing this play out.

Sideplots: Emily picks up some slack by charging head-first into investigating "A". I was so glad someone finally put forth the effort into doing this. The writers have been delaying the hunt for "A" for so long, so it's great to see one of the girls finally making some strides forward in the investigation. I was a little confused by the re-introduction of one of the most obscure characters from season one and how he tied into Garrett and Jenna, and I'm still not quite sure what role they play in the story. But aside from that, Emily has begun to lead the charge and she seems to have the best understanding of "A"'s motives.

Following an episode with a lot of Hanna, she gets a bit of down time here. She pits herself against Caleb's scumbag foster mom in a goofy way only Hanna can pull off, but the end result is sweet enough for her and Caleb. They're finally back together as we knew they should be. Hanna's mom, Ashley, seemed a bit crammed into the episode, especially with the scene where she talks about her horrible father - surprisingly well written scene, just kind of unexpected for the character.

Aria tackles a couple different subjects, but they end up tying into each other pretty well. First she learns what Mike has been up to - he was the one who has been robbing houses across town and the one who attacked her inside Spencer's house. This gives Aria a moment to bond with Jason as he agrees to keep Mike's illegal activities under wraps. And while she and Ezra struggle with their usual secretive difficulties elsewhere, there's a strong implication that Jason can provide the open comfort that a secret relationship with Ezra can't provide.

Lastly, Spencer has a surprisingly deep story. While traditionally she has led the group effort in finding answers and investigating "A", here she turns over the reins to Emily. They even butt heads over it as Spencer just seems to "give up". Spencer begins to realize that "A" is always going to be there, harassing the girls and causing them to be obsessive over their pasts, she even brilliantly words it as such: "A" is causing them to be stuck in time as life passes them by. In turn, Spencer retreats back into the arms of her family, seeking to make amends with Melissa whom she has wronged and the somewhat distant relationship with her mother. Her profound realization is cut short, however, as "A" worms his/her way back into Spencer's life, brutally crushing all her hopes at finding closure. Ultimately Spencer is thrown right back in the thick of the battle, this time right by Emily's side.

Overall, a really powerful installment that sets many season one plotlines to rest. The Ian arc seems effectively finished, and the girls are now finally aware of the obvious fact that finding "A" is the same thing as finding Alison's true killer. From the looks of it, the hunt for "A" can truly begin.

[Johno]

Awesome review, yo.

With every review of the show you write, I get more interested in catching up... What I've seen has impressed me so far, I just need to catch up. Once I finish rewatching the LUX DVD's, I'll put PLL on my Netflix queue.