Pretty Little Liars

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Jul 13, 2011 21:02:18 GMT -5 Johno said:

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.

Yeah man, season two has really impressed me so far. Usually any time I find something to complain about, like any sort of storytelling decision, the writers prove in the next episode or two that there was a reason behind it. That's not something that was very common in season one. So it's been a surprising and awesome change.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

2.6 Never Letting Go B-

I gotta hand it to the writers, so far this season any time I have qualms about a particular direction in the story, my concern is usually addressed in the next episode or two. This kind of quick response is not something I grew to expect during season one, so I’ve definitely had more faith in the writing team this season. The web-feature this week focused on the writers room – it explained how they have weeks of story mapping before a single script is even started. That’s pretty common on television series, but it really looks like the extensive planning was taken more seriously this year.
Tying into this episode, I do have some reservations about some writing decisions that were made. I’m trying to hold off for an episode or two to see if there is a sense of payoff, but right now it’s a little hard to critique it as such.

Starting with the very first scene, I was very troubled to see the girls discussing (what I thought to be) obvious answers learned in the previous episode, yet they were asking questions like they hadn’t quite figured it out yet. Why would they still be wondering if Ian was the one who killed Alison? “A” made that perfectly clear (to me at least) that Ian was not the killer. And why are they so hesitant to label “A” as a suspect? “A” should be suspect number one! It renders the lesson learned at the end of an effective story arc completely moot.
In addition to that, we’re given a mostly transitional episode while the new story arc begins to take shape. We’re not quite sure what that is going to be, but from the looks of it, Jason will play a huge role. His and Alison’s mother, Jessica (another recast), returns to town and there’s certainly a bit of hostile history between her and Spencer’s dad. And whatever that hostility may be, Jason plays a direct role.

Collectively, the plot deals with the girls putting on a fashion show in memory of Alison. There’s not much to it other than a chance for “A” to crash the party, for a few TreSemme product placements, and a chance for the girls to show off some skimpy outfits (not complaining about the last one).

Sideplots: Aria probably has my favorite bit of material. She’s actively seeking out ways to spend more time with Jason while not letting on to her true feelings of infatuation. She has her fair amount of concerns, however, such as the rather suspicious coincidence that Jason doesn’t remember the day his sister died. After learning that Ian wasn’t the killer, no doubt she would have some questions about Jason. He’s quite aware of her ulterior motive in spending time with him, and it causes some interesting distrust between them. Just a few episodes these two have been interacting and I already find them ten times more interesting than Aria-Ezra.

Hanna deals with her father, having returned to Rosewood to spend more time with Ashley, and Hanna pressures him to admit to his true feelings. I always like that Hanna is this very blunt realist and doesn’t mind blurting out her true feelings. She’s not quite riddled with all that inner angst that the other girls possess, so in the end she’s pretty fun to watch.

Spencer and Emily are probably tied, their two sideplots not really explored in depth. Spencer is the first to learn about the tension between her father and Jessica DiLaurentis, and she’s given a direct mandate by her father to stay away from Jason. Elsewhere, she gets some scenes where she and Toby are completely smitten with each other, and I thought the scenes where she deals with Mona’s crazy antics at the fashion show were very funny.

Emily grows concerned as Samara randomly shows up to the fashion show with a random date, a new girl named Quinn, thus giving me another reason to roll my eyes at this character. Emily and her mother are still on pretty good terms, and it seems for the time being that Emily won’t have to move to Texas during the school year.

Again, mostly just a transitional episode as the new story arc begins to take shape. There wasn’t much to dislike in the episode, yet at the same time nothing really drew me in. And the cliffhanger at the end? – “A” is seen buying some boots online. Um… what?

[Kurai]

As much as I may have previously proclaimed my love for this show, after having just watched the season premier I couldn't help but find myself somewhat disappointed. Nothing has seemed to have changed, and the sad little "We are not allowed to see each other ever again!" montage just didn't carry the weight it needed (knowing full well these girls have drifted apart once in the past and the fact that they don't particularly seem to -need- one another... in fact they're only really friends now out of convenience). The best part of the episode was, for me, Hanna and the guy-who-loves-her having an emotional moment.

I'm also getting less and less excited by the last scene of every episode always being some sort of "twist" being enacted by A. I mean seriously... The plot of this show is way convoluted as is, and they never seem to give any answers, or at least, when they do, the answers are so meh and overshadowed by the current omg-what-the-hell-is-going-on plot point.

Despite my rant, I do still love this show lol Just perhaps a little less ^^/

(P.S. I totally know who A is =D)

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Jul 20, 2011 18:27:40 GMT -5 Kurai said:

As much as I may have previously proclaimed my love for this show, after having just watched the season premier I couldn't help but find myself somewhat disappointed. Nothing has seemed to have changed, and the sad little "We are not allowed to see each other ever again!" montage just didn't carry the weight it needed (knowing full well these girls have drifted apart once in the past and the fact that they don't particularly seem to -need- one another... in fact they're only really friends now out of convenience). The best part of the episode was, for me, Hanna and the guy-who-loves-her having an emotional moment.

I'm also getting less and less excited by the last scene of every episode always being some sort of "twist" being enacted by A. I mean seriously... The plot of this show is way convoluted as is, and they never seem to give any answers, or at least, when they do, the answers are so meh and overshadowed by the current omg-what-the-hell-is-going-on plot point.

Despite my rant, I do still love this show lol Just perhaps a little less ^^/

(P.S. I totally know who A is =D)

I totally agree about the premiere! My feelings were almost identical to yours, and looking back I think I graded it too highly. It definitely seemed like season two had nothing new to offer. All I can say is it does get better starting around the 3rd episode. The writers seem a whole lot more focused this season and they're not clinging to old material or bouncing randomly from plotpoint to plotpoint. Plus you do get some resolution to a big season one arc.

As for the "A" tag scenes at the end, they're still pretty annoying, but at least they're brief, hah.

(PS I do too )

[Kurai]

Orly?

Well, I wikipedia'd the book version anyhoo to find out, but that could change for the adaptation I guess

[Kurai]

Jun 24, 2011 18:01:26 GMT -5 Blake (HDLYR) said:

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.

Just watched episode 2. PLL is still much of the same it has always been, but I am holding out for your promise of it getting better (and plus, I just really want to see how the entire series plays out). But yeah, not the best episode really... You're right about the writers continuously starting new plot lines and seemingly forgetting about the others, but I guess it'll all wrap up eventually lol

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Jason and Ezra

2.7 Surface Tension A-

So this episode put things a little more on track, starting with the opening scene. Lessons I felt the girls should have learned in The Devil You Know were brought to light again, and everyone seems to be agreeing that "A" is now suspect number one. I can only imagine that there was a disconnect between the writers on the previous episode and that's why there seemed to be some disjointed continuity.

Basically there are two styles to any typical PLL episode. One, you've got the focus on the group, the mythology centric, something where the girls are featured collectively and they're working to unravel some portion of the grand mystery. The other, each girl is highlighted as an individual, character driven, a glimpse into her inner conflicts. For me the best episodes are a combination of the two styles, and I'd say this one was slightly leaning in that direction. Aria and Spencer are really tackling both sides of the story - discovering clues, following leads - while also dealing with personal conflicts. Hanna and Emily are chilling on the backburner getting the somewhat intimate scenes, but they're more of an afterthought.

Sideplots: I'll start with Hanna and Emily since they aren't featured as much. Emily moves into Hanna's house, and there's some humorous "odd couple" material in there. Emily, the studious and gracious guest and Hanna, just excited to have a sister with whom she can throw sleepovers. Caleb takes a bold leap of trust and opens up to Hanna, sharing a dark secret from his past, and the two become closer. And Emily seems overly secretive about an injury she has - that can't be good.

Aria gets mixed up in the inevitable love triangle between her, Jason, and Ezra. Jason and Ezra both get coincidentally invited to the Montgomery house party, so Aria gets to deal with all sorts of awkwardness there. I'm actually really glad they played these scenes pretty subtly (and by subtle, I mean they could have been a lot more cliched and eye-rolling than they already were). There's no point in the story where Aria has to make a choice between either guy, so it's nice they didn't rush into that. I actually kind of smirked when Jason and Ezra both got sent on their way home, departing awkwardly together.

Mike gets arrested for continuing to rob houses, and Aria uses Jenna's stolen lamp to make the connection that Jenna and Garrett are in cahoots. This was actually the most disappointing plot development for me. I was excited about it, but I was disappointed by the lack of answer. I confess, I'm confused what role these two play. I understand Jenna's motivation and why the girls would be suspicious of her, but Garrett is still a complete enigma to me. And I don't mean an interesting an enigma, but rather a needless complication to an already deep pool of mystery. I get the feeling this is another one of those instances when I shouldn't complain or doubt the direction of the story, because judging by the quality this season, the writers intend to answer these questions. But grr... I'm impatient!

I appreciated that there were a number of scenes that didn't feature any of the 4 girls. I can't remember the last time an episode did that. Byron, Ella, and Mike hash out the family drama - all three of these characters are still dreadfully annoying, haha, but at least there's something consistent about them. Toby and Peter (Spencer's dad) play off each other and have an interesting bit of development between them - an implied trust and distrust, their mood directly related to how much pain Spencer is caused. And Ashley and Ella have a scene discussing their mistake of separating the girls earlier in the season, as well as their suspicions of Peter, which I thought was very interesting. My favorite extra scene was of course the flashback - where Alison and Jason nearly resort to a violent altercation with a field hockey stick.

Now onto Spencer, she's back in her rightful place leading the investigation part of the story. Toby uncovers the possible murder weapon for her (the field hockey stick), and everyone is stating the one thing she now knows isn't true - all ends lead back to Ian. The fact that she can't stop prying for answers, especially now that she's learned the truth that Ian wasn't the killer, brings out a desperate frustration in her father. He just wants her to stop looking, to stop stirring up trouble, to accept that Ian did it and the case is closed. But there's some pretty awesome subtext that deep down he knows she's right, Ian wasn't the killer, but he just wants her to stop looking, as any desperate father would want for his daughter.

Overall great episode for Aria and Spencer. Emily and Hanna didn't really carry the same weight, but those roles could easily flip-flop in a future episode. And at least they were far from dull.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

The girls find Alison's autopsy report

2.8 Save the Date A

I'm starting with a gripe. Despite my love for this season, there are two things that are becoming disappointingly formulaic about the episodes. The first is the opening scenes, in which all four girls usually gather together and discuss the revelations learned in the previous episode. In this case it's the discovery that Garrett has been in league with Jenna this whole time (more on that in a second). While I appreciate that the writers are throwing answers to lingering questions at us in a much quicker fashion, in fact I think it's a brilliant idea to sum up the previous episode in some way, but to me the execution is a little underwhelming. The audience wants certain things, and the writers are definitely seeking to provide them, but predictability is still predictability.

The second formulaic aspect about the show is that each episode usually ends with a tag scene in which "A" makes a "menacing appearance". Now I haven't mentioned much about these scenes in my reviews, mostly because they're very brief and hardly warrant any attention, but Kurai pretty much hit the nail on the head - they're terrible. Hah. I find the less we see of "A", the more threatening he/she is. Instead, they continuously insist on showing a brief clip of "A" at the end, usually sporting black leather gloves and a concealing hoodie and initiating his/her next dastardly scheme - and it's anything but threatening. These scenes cheapen "A" in an almost comical fashion, and the faster the showrunners realize how bad these scenes are, and the faster they remove them from the formula, the happier I'll be.

So Garrett and Jenna. I think it's a bit of a stretch for the girls to get so worked up about these two. I mean Garrett has been a consistent ally for the girls, so to find out he's been connected to Jenna this whole time would undoubtedly be troubling. But really... when was the last time Jenna caused any real trouble for the girls? It's been ages since they've openly accused her of being "A" - in fact I'm not even sure if she's still on their list of suspects. I can tell the writers are pushing for Jenna to be more of a threat, rather than just a rival, and they're doing this by connecting her and Garrett to Jason and the murder of Alison. It's a logical move, just kind of awkwardly executed in my opinion. We do learn something interesting in this episode: Garrett and Jenna want the girls to believe Ian was the murderer. Very interesting... but why? Are they covering for Jason? Or if it wasn't Jason, are they in allegiance with the real killer? There's a much richer sense of mystery this season, and I'm loving every bit of it.

Sideplots: Emily's life comes crashing down hard in this episode. She gets hospitalized for some mysterious ailment and the lie to her parents about being scouted by the Danby swim team nearly unravels in the process. It was pretty easy to deduce that "A" had been poisoning her all along, but the scene in front of her locker where she collapses was pretty chilling regardless. Shay Mitchell really strutted some acting chops for the scene where she begs Doctor Wren to cover her results of the drug test - I was impressed. Not just that scene really - Emily hits a huge low point with "A" scoring a huge victory against her, basically breaking her morale - and Shay Mitchell captured that sense of defeat throughout the episode.

Aria's caught up in a bit of a mix-matched web. Ezra is noticeably worried about Jason's name continuously popping up in conversation. Meanwhile the situation with Mike branches off into some typical Montgomery family drama. I was really hoping Aria and Jenna would get another chance to interact, as their previous encounter was so great - but oh well. Aria got enough screen time, but not so much in her solo story.

Hanna juggles two stories. First, there's the drama with her parents. Will her father stay in Rosewood, or will he go back to his new family? Hanna's blunt assessment of the situation is a constant source of amusement and appreciation with me - one of the great things I love about this character. She's all about cutting out the bullsh*t and getting to the real problem.
Second, she worries about Caleb as he is being tailed, presumably by someone from his dark past mentioned in the previous episode. Though we later learn the person stalking him may not be connected to that past, but rather Caleb's long lost mother. Aside from that, Hanna and Caleb's "Thelma and Louise" escape from Rosewood was pretty funny.

I'll admit Spencer is probably my favorite character just because she is so persistently pro-active all the time. She's asking all the right questions this season, and it's a good thing the other girls have her around, because God knows they'd be lost without her. Just like she was the only one who ever stood up to Alison's bullying, now she's leading the stand against "A" too. She manages to dig up Alison's autopsy report, making the connection with the murder weapon to the field hockey stick found in the previous episode. As most of the episode highlighted Emily's sense of defeat, I thought Spencer had a great moment to shine with her unwavering confidence that they're closing in on "A"'s identity.

[Kurai]

I wouldn't so much as mind the tag scenes if they actually added to the cliffhanger or drama of the episode. I mean, usually the cliffhangers are pretty good enough as is, it just ruins it when they add on some mysterious gloved hand smashing a love heart with a mallet. I mean, seriously?

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Aria and Jason zomgwtf111!... maybe?

2.9 Picture This A

I didn’t expect much from this episode going in. I thought it started off sluggish. The opening scene was a nice change of pace, since it broke the typical formula I talked about in my previous review. It was actually your classic misdirectional dream sequence, which is totally cliche and played out, but I actually didn’t see it coming at first because I’m so used to the PLL formula. Elsewhere, I felt Jenna was superfluously included into the mix as the writers tried their hand again at making her seem threatening. I don’t really buy that Jenna expecting to regain her sight makes her more dangerous, as the girls seem to believe, but I guess we’ll see.

Things picked up steam as the story steered away from Jenna and back to the Jason mystery and the individual stories. One thing I didn’t mention in the last episode review for risk of running too long is that the foreshadowing that Jason would divide the girls is now becoming more clear. Not only is he just a shadowy, mysterious presence, now he’s a full-on murder suspect. With the whole field hockey stick and Alison buried alive thing. Aria stubbornly jumps to defend him, while the other girls are far more accusatory. (Although that may change after this episode.) This ties directly into—

Sideplots: Spencer doesn’t get much focus on herself, but rather keeps busy being a super sleuth yet again. She pries her mother, Veronica, for info on the field hockey stick and Peter’s aversion to Jason, but Veronica is reluctant to dish out any answers. Instead, Spencer works her way into Jason’s secret dark room, where he has developed dozens of pictures of a sleeping Aria. Super creepy!

Aria, elsewhere, can’t keep Jason out of her head/dreams. She tries to divert her feelings basically by jumping Ezra’s bones. (Scandalously hot scene, I admit.) But Ezra being the nice guy he is, doesn’t let her do anything too rash. And he more or less knows what’s really going on.

I was really glad Hanna’s two recent storylines blended together in this episode – it was a great move, as I felt the focus on her was beginning to drift a little. She uses Caleb’s desire to reunite with his estranged mother as motivation to make amends with her own father. I was definitely surprised to see Caleb leave the picture so soon, his presence will be missed – but I sure wonder what’s in store for Hanna now.

Lastly, Emily is still broken by “A’s” (realized I’ve been writing incorrectly… “A”’s? “A’s”?) attack on her in the previous episode. She tries to divert herself by having a poker night with Samara and some lesbian gal pals, but “A” uses it as an opportunity to strike Emily while she’s still vulnerable. Emily caves in to “A’s” blackmailing and Samara gets upset enough to walk out the door. (Don’t worry, Em, “A” did you a favor this time. I kid, of course. But seriously, Samara sucks.) I really liked the little moment between Emily and Ashley – I could really see the joy in Emily’s face at having such an open-minded surrogate mother for once.

Just a side note, but one episode ago I couldn’t have cared less about Mike or Byron or anything related to them. But here, I admit, I was super intrigued. I like that we don’t really know what’s going on with Mike now, and Byron’s dumbfounded reaction to Mike’s condition was totally real for me.

So I usually post pictures of my favorite moment of the episode but I couldn’t find any of the ones I wanted. Top moment – definitely the discovery in the dark room. Second, Aria about to give Ezra the business. Third, Caleb’s goodbye. This pic will do in a pinch.

Another winner. It almost makes me forget that I’m missing Anne – remember her?

[Kurai]

Just finished watching this (literally). It was a good episode, and I agree with what you say about the Mike storyline suddenly seeming more interesting, but MY GOD, is it just me or is Holly Marie Combs just such a bad, emotionless actress?!

And yeah ... where is Anne?!

The poker hang-out scenes were a bit, eh, underwhelming for me. There literally seemed to be no chemistry flowing or good acting going on there, and it all came across as very weak, and the whole "give Emma(?) your digits or else" was just ... meh.

The scenes with Ashley being so accepting of Emily however were awesome, as was Caleb's depature scene, it was a very touching moment. As for the development with Jenna suddenly about to get her eyesight back, an interesting development that will hopefully bring Jenna and her storyline more into the limelight.

However, by far, the worst part of the episode for me was when Spencer desperately tried to get her mum to leave the house so that she herself could... leave the house. WTF? lol

A good episode, with some really high points and some low points. Sorry for the disconnecting rambling.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Aug 10, 2011 19:37:48 GMT -5 Kurai said:

but MY GOD, is it just me or is Holly Marie Combs just such a bad, emotionless actress?!

Blargh! So true...

Maybe she just realized how dumb her character is and has given up.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Toby and Spencer, Private Eyes

2.10 Touched by an "A"-ngel A-

There was a lot of things happening in this episode, maybe too much in some places, but overall another solid addition to the season. There's some big development in the mythology, especially toward the end. I'll try to sum up some of the major points.

First, Jenna is in panic mode. Whatever secret she, Garrett, and Jason are keeping is unravelling before her eyes (not a blind pun). Spencer is of course the biggest threat to her because of her persistent detective skills, and Jenna makes that perfectly clear in this episode. The fun part, for us, is that Spencer knows she's on the right track so she's not backing down.

Secondly, there are some... let's call them "intriguing complications" in the identity of "A". It's rather hard to discuss without giving too much away, so for those who really can't resist--

SPOILER: Click to show

Alright, so "A" physically appears in this episode and it's quite a twist. Anyone who's read/wikipedia'd/been spoiled on the Pretty Little Liars books knows who "A" is. But the twist is that that person (out of disguise) and "A" (in disguise) appear in two entirely separate locations in this episode simultaneously. Now we all know there's the chance that the show may deviate from the books - "A" from the books may not necessarily be the same person in the show. It's quite possible the showrunners have taken these creative liberties, while also using the book's "A" as a red herring within the show. Aside from that, there are two alternate possibilities:

First, the person giving Emily the back massage was not "A". Like Emily said, she could have looked up at any moment and seen "A" with her own eyes. "A" is definitely a bold individual, but we've never known him/her to be that careless. I can just as easily imagine that "A" sent someone in his/her place to give Emily that massage and to leave the A-message on the glass.

Secondly, like Spencer said, "A" may very well be a group of people. This opens the doors to creative liberties within the show version of PLL while also leaving the original "A" from the books in place. The group theory actually makes a great amount of sense within the context of "A's" actions - nearly omnipresent, omniscient, able to stalk and harass four girls on a daily basis with relative ease.

My personal theory? The group theory is a red herring. The show will be faithful to the books. My number one suspect has been acting solo with the occasional unknowing accomplice. But that's just my thought on the matter. There's room for twists, for complications, and that's what makes it all the more fun - I'm sure plenty of people who think they know "A's" identity will be scratching their heads after watching this episode. Whatever the case, I want to be surprised.

Sideplots: Aria is skeptical of Jason after learning he has a collection of photos taken of her. His excuse is that the photos were taken by Alison before her death and hidden away in one of her many secret stashes. I really love that we see this situation from Aria's perspective because either one of these situations is entirely believable - Alison having a bizarre secret collection of photos, or Jason lying and manipulating. She's equally skeptical and open to either possibility being true, and ultimately so are we.
There's a second sideplot going with Ezra. His love triangle with Aria and Jason gets complicated further by Jackie (I forgot she was even in the picture, honestly). He makes a valid point that a secret relationship with Aria has been failing them for some time, so logically his conclusion is to move his chips all-in and come out into the open. I will say I do enjoy this Aria-Ezra-Jason love triangle. Usually they are tiresome, but for some reason I find this one watchable for the sole reason that Aria hasn't made a complete fool of herself. At no point has she flip-flopped between either guy. She sees both the pro's and the con's of a relationship with either guy, and she quite maturely has not made any decision based on a whim. I really like the slow pace of this triangle, and I hope it doesn't get unnecessarily rushed or tossed down the path of cliche teen drama.
There's a third sideplot (big episode for Aria) in which Ella makes the false assumption that Ezra is involved with Spencer. I kinda rolled my eyes at Ella directly, but I enjoyed the impact it had on Aria, as well as the humorous moment between Aria and Spencer.

Toby assists Spencer in her usual detective role. This time the two of them discover a secret club called "NAT Club" that existed between Jason, Ian, and Garrett when they were all in high school. I wasn't too fond of Spencer's random assumption that the three of them made peeping tom videos of girls together (because c'mon let's face it, Spencer's pretty hit or miss with her bold assumptions). But other than that, I enjoyed the link between these characters suddenly rising to the surface.
On another note, as much as I'm loving Spencer's role this season, I have to admit many of her investigative finds are becoming suspiciously coincidental. She just happens to spot the NAT Club link in Ian's old yearbook - just like she just happens to find the field hockey stick in her backyard, or happens to spot Aria and Jason spending time together at the diner. I mean, great concept, writers - just don't make it far-fetched that this chick gets all the answers all the time.

Emily doesn't have many scenes but they are all significant. She's still shaken by her brief stint in the hospital because of "A" and her paranoia has grown increasingly more severe. "A" truly is gunning for her, preying on her weakness, and a lot of these scenes where Emily is seen so vulnerable are really sucking me in. Emily is tempted to spills the beans to Anne about "A" and at one point I was literally screaming inside my head - "DO IT, EMILY!" So that was pretty awesome.
(Also... Anne is back! At least for this episode.)

Lastly, Hanna spends time with Mona and her soon-to-be step-sister, Kate (what's with all these recasts? seriously). The majority of the time is rather comical and light-hearted, but ultimately it paves the way for some drama between the characters. Most of it can be seemingly traced back to Hanna and her unfiltered mouth, so she does cause a few of her own problems here. The previous episode wrapped up two major storylines with Hanna - resolving some father issues, and helping Caleb confront his past - so this episode paves the way for the new storyline. As it seems, Kate is one crazy psycho biotch who has her sights set on Hanna.

Fun fact: episode directed by Chad Lowe (Byron). Apologies for the long review!

[Kurai]

If there was a like button, I would press it on the above post ^^/ Yay for Mon-A.

[Kurai]

Aug 19, 2011 19:00:46 GMT -5 Kurai said:

If there was a like button, I would press it on the above post ^^/ Yay for Mon-A.

Okay, so that just made me want to add a Like feature. So I did. Consider your review officially liked!

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Aug 19, 2011 19:33:41 GMT -5 Kurai said:

Aug 19, 2011 19:00:46 GMT -5 Kurai said:

If there was a like button, I would press it on the above post ^^/ Yay for Mon-A.

Okay, so that just made me want to add a Like feature. So I did. Consider your review officially liked!

Whoa - cool! Like returned.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Bullying... DON'T DO IT

2.11 I Must Confess B+

Fairly transitional episode, and really the story doesn't kick into gear until about the 25-minute mark. Toward the end there's a lot of progression in the main story arc, and actually quite a few season two questions answered. Even the sideplots seemed a bit aimless toward the beginning and lacking a bit of substance, but they too concluded nicely.

The biggest highlight for me was the focus on Anne Sullivan. I don't know why I enjoy this character so much - she's kind of a fluke when it comes to TV characters. When you really dissect her, she's almost void of a personality - the writers have done nothing to explain who this woman is other than someone who desperately wants to help her troubled patients - seemingly no other motivations, no personal life, no backstory. But the actress brings so much life to the character - because of Annabeth Gish's performance, I really do believe Anne is completely good-hearted and selfless and a true ally. The "anti-A".

So based mostly on "A's" relentless preying upon Emily, the girls come clean to Anne, finally revealing to someone that this mysterious individual has been bullying them. Anne takes it upon herself to challenge the entire school to end the bullying (pretty cool seeing the whole mix of villains and victims within the school in one scene). The girls are on the fence whether Anne's actions were beneficial to them, or a taunt that will consequently provoke "A" into an attack. The results are a combination of the both, I'd say. Anne is quite surprisingly able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and unravel "A's" identity. Right then, you know Anne is in trouble - and sure enough, "A" prevents her from sharing that knowledge with the girls. The real question now is what has "A" done with Anne?

Sideplots: Hanna deals with the manipulative Kate, who's now doing anything in her power to make Hanna's life a living hell. I'm trying to prevent myself from prying for reasons why Kate would be so vengeful and evil of a person - because realistically it doesn't make much sense - but I'm trying to overlook it, admittedly it's fun to have a downright nasty character appear in the mix from time to time. Hanna's story dominates most of the hour but kind of lacks the emotional punch the other girls have, which is unfortunate. In terms of Hanna's development, introducing her grandmother to the story didn't result in anything. There were still some entertaining bits here and there - DrunkHanna is hilarrrious.

Aria deals directly with the drama Mike has caused their family. For the most part I felt a little disconnected from these scenes as it seemed to be another case of Mike vs. The World, and Ella continuing to be the worst mother ever. I didn't really see the impact it had on Aria up until her final scene, where thematically everything ties back together. Coming clean to Anne opens up all sorts of doors for her - she's all about being honest with the ones she cares about, so that means no more hiding from "A", no more lying to protect Mike, no more lying to protect Ella. And this wasn't stated in the episode, but I can imagine it will continue into re-examining her relationship with Ezra, also rooted in lies.

Spencer only had one scene that really resonated with me, and man it was awesome. That was the big fight between her, Peter, and Toby. Really powerful stuff, all three actors really committed to the scene. Ultimately Peter is prompted to reveal his connection to the DiLaurentis Family - he was hired by them to bend some rules to amend their dead grandmother's will in order to keep Jason in good graces. Had the actual will ever come to light, where Jason was excluded from the family's money, he would no doubt have been a prime suspect in Alison's murder. I love that little clues dropped at the beginning of the season, such as the flashback with Alison and Jason's bickering, are now becoming more clear. Goes to show that pre-planning and foreshadowing makes for great reveals, instead of spontaneously revealing answers for "shock value" (looking at you, Season One).

(PS was it not funny seeing Spencer playing detective even during the middle of a makeout session? I laughed.)

My favorite sideplot comes with Emily. She's the one who prompts the others to come clean to Anne, and like Aria, this opens some doors in her life as well. She's ready to stop being afraid, to stop feeling like a helpless victim. There's a great moment where she bonds with Ashley (love the scenes between these two), and Emily is encouraged to apply her new determination to her romantic relationships. I thought it was a great tease, thinking she was talking about Samara - so I was very pleasantly shocked to see Maya return instead. I don't think I ever gave her due appreciation when she was around in season one, but looking back, she made a huge impact on Emily's development - and admittedly I thought it was quite sweet seeing these two reminisce together.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

"Two can only keep a secret, if one of them is dead"

2.12 Over My Dead Body A+

Lots of spoilers, yo. Beware.

Wicked mid-season finale. This review is difficult because I don't even know where to start. Pretty much every scene equally had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for more. Despite all the clues and foreshadowings this season, which have been building toward great pay-offs to the mystery side of the show, everything was still so tense and gripping, and I ultimately didn't know what to expect next. It was great suspense at every turn, starting with the very first scene, which broke the mold and promised something new.

This episode is the near-perfect blend of group story and sideplots. All the girls' stories are directly connected to each other, united by "A's" antagonism against them. I actually wish the show would go this route more often, since it's such a logical formula in my mind that always seems to work for this show, but I guess that's asking for too much of a good thing.

The situation: "A" has kidnapped Anne, and the girls must perform tasks in order to save her life. Each girl receives a super creepy talking doll which explains the tasks. Aria - remove Jackie from the love quadrangle equation. Spencer - protect Toby by leaving him. Hanna - stop her father's wedding. Most chilling of all is Emily, who initially doesn't receive a task as if this were a message saying "I'm finished with you." Each task focuses directly on each girl's story arc that has been set up in the sideplots throughout the season. "A" is forcing them to obtain the things they want most, but to do so, they must compromise their integrity. Harm the people you care about, and let it all blow up. The way each girl responds, and their ultimate resolutions to each task, are an excellent culmination of everything that has been in the works since the premiere.

"A's" challenge circles him/her back around to the image that was painted of "A" in the season one finale: a frenemy. At no point does "A" show any genuine love for any of the girls, but traditionally he/she would go to great lengths to keep them safe - even if this meant disposing of physical threats like Ian. Here, however, we see "A's" complete lack of love in protecting the girls - the protection's only purpose is to lure them into a false sense of security. They are alive for one reason, and one reason only - so "A" can string them along longer and continue to have his/her sadistic fun. It's made perfectly clear by Emily's near-death encounter that "A" will dispose of any of them as soon as the opportunity arises. Aside, I never actually believed Emily would die - but the possibility was about as big a tease as you can possibly get with this show. I definitely asked myself... will they really kill one of the girls? "A's" violent streak against Emily this season definitely had me thinking...

I won't go into each girl's story in great detail, but I will say I think the weakest plotline this time came with Spencer. I feel like "A's" challenge in this episode was planned by the writers long ago, before the season even began, because everything in Aria, Hanna, and Emily's sideplots have been building to their actions in this episode. I didn't feel that way with Spencer. I guess we have spent so much time with her investigating and prying for answers and playing detective, that her relationship with Toby never really got much focus. As a result, I couldn't buy into how heartbreaking it was for her to turn her back on Toby, because we never really saw how much she relied on him to begin with. Troian Bellisario acted the hell out of her scenes and made me want to be committed, but ultimately I was faced with the realization that I simply don't care as much as I should about Spencer/Toby as a romantic couple.

Did I mention Caleb is back? So that's cool. His absence really did nothing to make Hanna grow as a character, so ultimately what was the point of him leaving? But whatever, he was pretty awesome with his one-liner on Kate.

Big twists and answers abound. I'm still a bit puzzled by some of them, specifically Jenna and Garrett. Their role in the grand scheme of things becomes a whole lot more clear, but I had to go back and rewatch to figure out a few of the more specific details. How much of Anne's kidnapping was orchestrated by them, and how much of framing the girls for Alison's murder was orchestrated by "A"? Where does the line of allegiance begin and end between these three villains, because it's a rather fair deduction that they are all working on the same plane of information behind the scenes, possessing the grand answer that is hidden from us, the viewers.

The antagonistic detective guy from early season one returns (and I couldn't care less). He was a wasted villain then, and he's wasted now. I would have to look up his name because I don't even recall off the top of my head. Spencer finding the field hockey stick earlier becomes obsolete, so I was actually more disappointed than anything that Detective one-upped her, having had the specs of the real murder weapon in his working knowledge all along.

One awesome scene with DreamAlison. The writers have decided to bring something to the forefront that has always been an implied possibility on the show, a very specific bit of foreshadowing, but never out-right stated until now. That is the possibility that Alison may still be alive. Even the pilot hinted at this possibility - remember Spencer seeing the vision of the blonde girl in the window of the DiLaurentis house? Or DreamAlison's visit to Hanna in the hospital - which may or may not have been a drug induced hallucination? Here, the same thing happens to Emily, who is now firmly convinced that Alison is very much alive and thriving in her world of secrecy. It's all speculative, yet based on everything we know of Alison, it's worth taking a second thought before dismissing the idea. I think we can expect to see more of this in the second half of season two.

Lastly, the final scene totally won me over. My assessment of Anne seems completely accurate, if I do say so myself. She's always been void of personal history and motives, but now it all seems that that was an entirely intentional move by the writers. It's very clear that Anne does have a history, and it can't be pretty. The fact that "A" has cards stacked against this awesome ally for the girls is pretty heartbreaking. Anne is a pretty little liar herself, and just like the girls, she can be bullied, capable of compromising her integrity, and ultimately cave in to the pressure.

This is not a perfect episode by any means - I'd completely understand if the missteps here turned off other fans of the show. But I think the intentions here were strong enough to outweigh the flaws, and ultimately the aim is close enough to the bullseye that you still have to give it credit where it's due.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

"One day she'll get what's coming to her..."

2.13 The First Secret A+

This episode was never on the original production schedule. It was added to the episode order somewhat later in the game as a network special for the 13 Nights of Halloween - a sort of scary and spooky installment, and mostly a fun gift to the loyal fans. It's very rare that a show will get a free hour to tinker around with, to let loose from the usual constraints of the show and have a bit of fun with it, but let me tell you, this is how you do it. Use the bonus hour to tell a story you wouldn't be able to tell otherwise. The writers capitalized on that in every aspect - not only did they complete their mission of telling a fun and spooky Halloween story set in the PLL universe, but they also used this episode as a perfect bridge between the first half of the season and the upcoming second half. It was astounding how much mythology was covered in this unintended episode, because after seeing so much critical plot development here, I honestly can't think of a better manner in which they would have delivered this material.

The bulk of the episode centers on Alison, an entire flashback episode devoted to the events preceding her death. It was such a simplistic and logical move to do an episode like this that it's almost genius in its simplicity. How do you get to the heart of the central mystery of the show? Go back in time to where the mystery first started. Brilliant...

As we see here, we get various glimpses into Alison's sadistic tormenting of those around her. From Jenna, who threatens her status as "queen", to the outcasts she mocks and scorns like Mona and Lucas, and even her own brother Jason. But her real nastiness comes with her tormenting of the people she loves too - her four friends: Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer. Based on episodes we've seen so far, we mostly already know each girl's attitude toward Alison and the individual relationship they had with her, but actually seeing it on screen was the fun part.

Emily is still in the closet about her sexuality here, so we see the moment where Alison first discovers her secret and the incredible lack of sensitivity she has in broaching the subject.

We also see the moment where Alison first plants the seeds of doubt in Spencer's mind - the first signs of Spencer's own insecurity and the events that will eventually transpire to ruin her relationship with Melissa. It was quite surprising how much of a role Alison played in all this, something I never expected, but it makes perfect sense that all of Spencer's troubles in life stemmed from Alison simply being selfish and manipulative, all because she wanted to get her hands on Ian. Very intriguing twist.

Hanna's relationship with Alison has probably been the most defined amongst the girls throughout past episodes, so that isn't explored in much depth here. We get the typical verbal abuse thrown Hanna's way - but other than that, the episode really focuses on Alison's interaction with the other three girls.

Aria, on the contrary, has had the least defined relationship with Alison - we were never quite sure what kind of terms these two characters were on - but this episode did a lot to expound upon that lingering question. Aria was probably Alison's best friend, but there was something shallow about the friendship. Not even a huge family tragedy in Aria's life was enough reason for Alison to dim down her deviousness and simply show a bit of sympathy.

On a related note, as with every flashback episode, most of the information that gets presented is already stuff we have deduced throughout the regular episodes. There's a big risk of being repetitive, telling and showing the audience something they already know. The biggest example: we knew Byron cheated on Ella and asked Aria to keep the affair a secret. No big shocker there. But man... if it didn't break my heart seeing Lucy Hale (and even Chad Lowe) crying those very real tears... Man, that was really sad, and incredible acting. It really made me care. I always knew the facts behind the events of the family drama, but this was the first time I saw the emotions behind it. And the amount of raw emotional investment everyone put into the scene - not only in front of the camera, but behind it as well - really made it pay off.

But yes, the biggest reward comes with Alison herself. She's been such an intriguing and integral character to the show, but we simply haven't grown connected to her due to lack of screen time. She's not a part of our PLL journey the way the other four girls are. So focusing on her now, integrating her into the core group like she had been part of the story all along, was not only a major challenge, but a necessary task set forth by the episode. I think it was accomplished with flying colors. Watching this episode, it was like she had been there all along - just as much a part of the group as Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer.

The mid-season finale hinted at the possibility that Alison may not be as "dead" as everyone has been led to believe, and her scary Halloween story at the beginning about the two twins - one murdering the other - was only more of a reason to keep entertaining the wild idea. Everything about the "first secret" is leading us to ask that question: is Alison DiLaurentis still alive? There's something so bizarre and twisted about what happened during Alison's attack inside the "haunted house" that it really makes you wonder not only what happened in there, but actually who walked out of there when all was said and done. And who survived... So many questions...

I said earlier this season that I thought it was really interesting that Jason was "A's" first victim - but he wasn't - it was Alison! I don't know why I never thought of that before! It's really quite obvious when you think about it. "A" was never obsessed with Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer - even to the present day, it's never been about them - "A" has always been obsessed with Alison. Even after her death, that obsession continues. I'm so surprised the writers were able to hold off on such a vital clue to the puzzle for so long, because it's really just a delightful reveal that I personally would never have been able to contain for so long. "A" was tormenting Alison long before the other girls were even aware of "A's" existence. On top of that, the mid-season finale revealed that "A" has been in an alliance with Jenna - and possibly other individuals as well - and that idea was explored in more depth here.

So in the end, simply an amazing episode. It's staggering to think this episode was never originally even supposed to exist. But it just goes to show that taking chances and breaking the mold can do wonders for a show. I had high hopes for this episode going in, but the truth is it probably exceeded my expectations. I was captivated, invested, intrigued, and admittedly a little creeped out by how dark and wicked this was. Everything you could ask for a Halloween episode, plus some. And it's not very often that a flashback episode - a story that breaks away from the more important events happening in present day - keeps me guessing and completely unaware of what could happen next the way this one did.

It's gonna be a long, agonizing wait til PLL is back with more...

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Hot in a post-apocalyptic kind of way

2.14 Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares A

winter premiere spoilers, naturally

Last time we saw the pretty little liars, they were being hauled off to jail for possessing the weapon that murdered Alison, framed by a dastardly trio composed of Jenna, Garrett, and "A". We got a nice little interlude in the meantime which was the special Halloween episode. It was a really awesome move for the show, allowing it to break free of its typical mold and tell a fun story, but also to shed some light on the overarching mythology of the series. They did that through flashbacks, re-integrating a living, breathing Alison back into the core group of girls and telling a story about what their lives were like before her death. Even though she's been more of an off-screen presence than an on-screen presence, the episode made you appreciate Alison's importance to the show. Seeing her as part of the group made you think, "Yeah, I could stand to watch a show like this every week." The focus on her was almost so perfectly executed that it made me wonder if the show would be paler in comparison now that she's gone again. Add to that the "A" gamechanger (the reveal that "A's" obsession with the other four girls is only a lingering aftermath of "A's" obsession with Alison) and you've got a tough act to follow.

So how did the premiere hold up? Well the first 20 minutes are pretty much just a tease. A lot of series are being broken up into 2-part seasons, summer and winter, so there's this new standard in the television industry of breaking a single season into two halves. You basically have two premieres and two finales, and you're tasked with making grand spectacles out of these events. I'd say that was accomplished here with this premiere.
You've got your mandatory change in the status quo, a guarantee to the audience that "Hey, you're in for a whole new ride, not just the same thing as last time." In this case it's the one-month time leap into the future. After the girls are arrested and placed in mandatory community service for "tampering with evidence", we're given the 20-minute tease that they're all bitter with each other. Not just bitter, but downright nasty. Spencer and Emily, in particular, are so mad at each other that they even come to physical blows during arguments. But I kept asking myself - why? Why this? The girls are always so much more interesting when they're banding together, not when they're running off on their own. So why would the writers deliberately want to tear them apart when things were really heating up? And for what reason? The explanation we're given for their fighting is that "Spencer's mom is a lawyer so she gets preferential treatment." It's a bit of a weak set-up, but the writers did at least commit to it. They pit Emily and Spencer - the two girls who have always been on wavering sides of the "A" problem - against each other.

Still, I wasn't buying it...

The set-up for the winter season was C-level material, at best. As much as I was expecting them to course-correct at some point in the episode, I admit, the actual reveal caught me by surprise. Nearly halfway through the episode we discover that it's all just an act and really the girls are scheming together behind the scenes. They're putting on a show for the ever-watchful eyes of "A", fighting with each other in public so that they can lure him/her into a false sense of self-security. Now that's much more worthy of a season arc.
For ages now I've been wishing for the girls to take a more active stance in combating "A" and it looks like that's finally going to be the case. Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer come to the conclusion that they can trust no one, because everyone is a suspect, so working behind a veil and entrapping "A" is the only right move in discovering his/her identity.

The girls go into their plan with self-assured confidence, which was fun to watch, but honestly I was expecting them to lose the initial battle. They did seem a little over-confident, to a fault. They're on the right track, definitely, but it's still early in the game to assume they can pull off a victory against someone like "A", who's been involved in the secrecy game for quite a lot longer. This leads to the first face-to-almost-face encounter with "A" and I appreciate that they made this scene somewhat suspenseful and horrific, and more importantly - memorable. It's the first time the girls get a glimpse of their enemy. Even though "A" escapes their grasp, the girls escape with "A's" cellphone. Awesome. "A" is always the most fun when backed into a corner, and this is about as threatened and desperate as we've seen "A" so far. Whatever happens now is totally up for grabs and should certainly make for a great turn in the overall narrative.

There's a great progression of the girls' group plot in this premiere, but as expected, plenty of set-up in their individual sideplots as well: Spencer is at a point where she can openly make accusations against Garrett and Jenna, but that leaves Toby caught in the middle. What's worse for him is that he's being forcibly kept in the dark because of the girls' secrecy pact.

Emily's still got her swim team plot going. This time she's suspended from the team because of her arrest. That can be a good thing in the long run, I guess, freeing up some more of her time for the way more interesting hunt for "A".

Hanna is still dealing with airing her father's dirty laundry and what that means for her family life. But what I found more interesting was the little scene between Caleb and Lucas. It makes me wonder if they're going to bring that love triangle to the forefront. I certainly wouldn't mind because they're both equally viable candidates for Hanna's affections. There's a lot of potential for a storyline there.

Lastly, Aria and Ezra get the full works. The writers finally go out on a limb and expose the couple's secret relationship to the Montgomery family. It was an overdue decision, but truthfully I understand the delay. It's a difficult trigger to pull. There's really no way to legitimize their relationship from a moral, legal, or societal standpoint, so it really has to rely on the "love knows no age" mantra. It's potentially cliche, especially when it's used as an easy escape from conflict, but I'm pleased that they, seemingly, are not going that route. The decision to expose themselves places Aria and Ezra in a very sticky situation with everyone involved, and they do have quite an uphill battle ahead of them.

Throughout the episode, there's a sense that the one-month time-jump doesn't account for much change in the overall direction of the story. It doesn't use the missing time to its full potential. There are a lot of plot points, conflicts, and relationships that seem to have not progressed at all, and if you bought in to the 20-minute tease, you were probably a bit angry at the seemingly heavy-handed story decisions in the first act. But in the end, the episode does actually account for a lot of change from where we last left the show. The change isn't always apparent on the surface, but it's there. Several B-characters are made more important and integral to the story. And overall there's a lot of promise in what we can expect from here on out, and a definite guarantee that there's still plenty of surprises and twists in store for the characters and season two as a whole.