Pretty Little Liars – It’s not over until ‘A’ says it is

Where to begin, where to begin?! I was very pleased with the spring finale of Pretty Little Liars. Here’s why: It was exciting, scary, freaky, eventful … and it didn’t wrap everything up with a neat little bow like you might expect.

A few days ago, I wrote a post on what I’d like to see in the finale. At the end, I mentioned that I didn’t really want to know who “A” was yet. I didn’t want the show to basically be over before it really got rolling. And the way that PLL was left with a bunch of cliffhangers really satisfies my finale sweet tooth.

We always knew that Ian was a jerk and a weirdo, but now we’ve pretty much confirmed — at least it seems that way — that he was responsible for Alison’s death. He never confessed it, but all evidence points that way. Regardless of that fact, however, he did try to kill Spencer. So, in my mind, it doesn’t matter whether or not he actually killed Alison; he is still guilty and dangerous. And evil. Did I mention that?

Wow, I really want to know who saved Spencer though. Could it have been Noel? The camera panned over his face for just a split second longer than normal as it scanned the crowd outside the church.  Or perhaps it was Lucas, the snarky, uncool guy who really came through for Hanna. (I’m so proud of him for not taking Mona up on her bribe, but I really didn’t expect him to, because I know even though he has been acting totally moody, he’s essentially a good guy.)

OK, there’s more to talk about. I’m starting to feel really sorry for Jenna. Even though what she did to Toby is inexcusable, it’s been haunting her since the video was discovered, and I don’t wish that type of agony on anyone. Even when people’s poor decisions deserve payback, I still pity them; they have to live with the guilt, shame, and regret of the things they’ve done. As she points out, “We’ve all made mistakes … remember, I’m still paying for yours.”

I honestly don’t know if Garrett the cop is playing both sides of the coin here. I don’t really trust him. What was he talking to Jenna about? And why was he watching the girls through the window of the restaurant at the beginning of “Monsters in the End?” Another loose end that I’m trying to figure out: Logan Reed, that guy in the woods who dropped off the money (played by Tilky Jones). I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear of him … especially since he’s so darn cute.

Another thing to note about why I love this show: There’s a continuity that subtly recurs throughout the episodes. Unlike my recent criticism of another show — which does this in an overstated, far too obvious manner — PLL gets it right. One example: When we watch the show, we, the audience, are constantly gazing out of or into windows. We’re either seeing what the girls are seeing, or we’re seeing the girls through our own eyes or through the eyes of Alison’s killer (or, in other cases, “A”). To me, this is representative of how the characters experience the notion of privacy and exposure and how it rules their lives. It also (if I may go there) calls attention to an unknown character’s fetish; that is, the twisted enjoyment of seeing the girls in their most vulnerable state.

Here’s another way the episode themes are neatly woven into the plotline: The title “For Whom the Bell Tolls” was tied to the church scene (in a rather horrifying way), as well as to Aria’s face-to-face meeting with Jackie Molina, when she appears at her doorstep for the faculty mixer. Nicely done.

This might be stretching it, but the title of the finale could be loosely based on John Donne‘s Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, whose most well-known section reads, in part: “No man is an island,  entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main … any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” For the Liars, it’s all for one and one for all. The girls don’t think about themselves as individuals, but rather, as one force working together. If the “bell tolls” for one, it tolls for them all, and seeing Hanna, Emily, and Aria run screaming through the church searching for Spencer pulled on my heartstrings.

Reading on, I found this selection: “Neither can we call this a begging of misery, or a borrowing of misery, as though we were not miserable enough of ourselves, but must fetch in more from the next house, in taking upon us the misery of our neighbors.” This speaks to how the girls share their misery not only with each other, but also with their “neighbors,” i.e., Jenna and Toby, Caleb, Garrett, Ian, and so on. Is this a contest of who is the the most jaded, the most ostracized, the most guilty? Because, as it stands now, the line is blurred, and the Liars and those surrounding them are all wrapped up in the same problem. As far as I know, we’re going to have to wait until Season 2 to find out which of their neighbors are out to get them and which are willing to help them.

One final touch that I thought was excellent: As the girls’ lives spin more and more out of control, the only thing that keeps them “sane” is each other. But can they still trust themselves? It seems as though bizarre things keep happening that can’t be explained. Case in point: where did Ian go? Just like the false evidence they brought to the station earlier (the trophy with rat’s blood on it), this could seem like a prank to those who don’t think they’re telling the truth. It must be frustrating when you’re the only one who is certain of your own reality. Once you’ve been told time and time again that you’re not seeing things correctly, you start to question your thinking. You wonder: Am I hallucinating? Am I making things up? It reminds me of Black Swan in that way — sometimes the craziest place to be is inside your own head.

Pretty Little Quotes:

“Church?” — Spencer, skeptically, with regard to her sister’s evening plans
“Planning a Christening.” — Melissa
“Isn’t that a little premature? What if it’s not born a human?” — Spencer

“I know it hurts, Hanna. He was your first poor boy, and that’s oh so romantic, but you deserve better.” — Mona, “comforting” Hanna about her breakup with Caleb

“We all make mistakes … remember, I’m still paying for yours.” — Jenna, to the Liars

“Did you really leave a note for your mom?” — Aria
“Yeah. ‘Dear Mommy, I went to the woods to trap a killer.'” — Hanna

Clacked by Rachel Blum-Jose
on Mar 23, 2011 @ 17:28 EST5EDT