It's Week 2 of Pretty Little Liars and I'm still loving it. "The Jenna Thing" filled us in on some more of the girls' past with Alison as well as Jenna. It's another episode where lots happened, I'm wondering if the show's going to keep up the fast pace. I kind of like it because each character has something to do. I really dislike when the hour is about one character and the others are just back-up. Well, unless the hour is focused on my favorite character. I'm awful like that.
The action picks up immediately after Alison's funeral. Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna are at a restaurant commiserating over their late friend. They all come to realize Alison kept a bunch of secrets from them although she knew everything about them. Spencer reveals Alison was dating a guy who had a girlfriend before she died. She just doesn't know who the boyfriend was. Didn't Emily act all jealous? Just how tight were she and Ali anyway? The "Jenna" in "The Jenna Thing" walks into the restaurant. The sound of her cane was almost deafening. The girls exit immediately after Jenna sits down and makes herself comfortable. The whole vibe around Jenna is just plain eerie.
Can we talk about Hanna for a second? I'm liking Ashley Benson although I'm still trying to get a handle on Hanna. It seems like a year earlier she had some self-esteem issues regarding her body. Aria's mom mentioned something like how she almost didn't recognize Hanna at the funeral and alludes to how she no longer has to shop at "Curvy Girl" which I guess is a Lane Bryant equivalent or something. I rewound the flashbacks and I see how Hanna made sure she covered up. I had written things off to her not liking her body or having some sort of body dysmorphic disorder. I just don't see her as actually having to shop at a plus-size clothing store. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that I guess I just needed the producers or wardrobe or whoever is in charge of making these decisions to make it actually look like: A) She needed to shop at Curvy Girl-like stores; and B) Make her transformation from "curvy girl" to "thin, proud of her bod Mean Girl" even that much more definitive. In "The Jenna Thing" Hanna had to deal with her mom continuing to date that cop. Not sure if creepy cop is still holding the shoplifting thing over her mom's head or if her mom's into him now. It feels like the former.
Meanwhile, Emily's going through some identity issues. She and Maya continue to hang out and get close. How convenient is it that Emily's mom Nia Peeples asks Mya to stay over at their place for a few days until the brouhaha at Maya's house dies down (Maya just moved into house Alison lived). Mom even suggests Maya can sleep in Emily's room. So funny! This all leads to Em and Maya cuddling and sharing coffee which makes confused girl act out. Well, let's just say her acting out takes the form of making out with her BF (Ben) I didn't realize she had. She got all aggressive with Ben in front of a bunch of kids at school. PDA is so not Emily's thing so she's definitely exerting her hetero self on purpose. There's no time to dwell on all the confusion because "A" is on to her and she gets a text about it.
Spencer, Spencer, Spencer. One minute she's trying to hone her field hockey skills. The next minute she's stealing a sip of the vodka soda her big sister's fiance has offered up to her at dinner with the family sans mom. And then the second after that she and her sister's soon-to-be-hubby are kissing up a storm in her bedroom. And Nanny Carrie - woops - I mean Melissa sees it all. Two seconds after that, the guy is kicked to the curb. Things move so fast in Rosewood, have I said that yet?
Aria has a lot of drama on her plate. There's Alison and the texts; her cheating dad; and the high school English teacher she slept with. She tries to transfer out of his class, which doesn't end up happening. They do end up at the same theater where her sister (OK, mom) invites him to sit with them. Later she gets stuck in the rain and he pulls up in his car to save the day. What does Aria get for all this drama in her life? A text from "A":
"When students kiss teachers, someone gets HURT. That's a promise I'll keep." -A
The girls get other texts, one of which comes when they're called to the principal's office to answer for their sins to the creepy cop. The text refers to them as "dead girls walking." So what? The mysterious text-er has web cams, lipstick cams and high tech spy cams all around the city and in their houses and bedrooms? How does this person know everything that's going on?
This episode is called "The Jenna Thing" so the girls do end up running into the newly visually repaired teen everywhere. They run into her at the restaurant; they let her sit with them at lunch; and finally Spencer's out jogging when she comes upon Jenna on the park bench sending a text via verbal command. Is Jenna our "texter?" Doubt it, but there's definitely something up with her. Also, while the fearful foursome were sitting with Jenna they started flashing back to when their Mean Girl BFF seemingly set them up. They were trying on clothes when Alison says she saw some Toby Cavenaugh guy spying on them outside the window. She quickly comes up with a plan for revenge against "the freak." They go over to his house where she throws in what everyone thinks is a stink bomb. It's much more than that. Jenna's caught in the explosion and that's how she goes blind. If the girl is really blind. I still have some doubts. The moment when Jenna (in sunglasses) turns her head towards Spencer is really creepy. This show does creepy well.
So far Pretty Little Liars is 2 for 2. Can't wait for the next episode.
Random Thoughts
-This show is reminding me of Desperate Housewives meets Gossip Girl. The Desperate Housewives influence is very much seen in the show open. The Gossip Girl influence is very much felt in the texting portion of the hour especially that one time when "A" finished the text off with an "XO." I was waiting for a second "XO." It felt, implied I guess.
-Maya loosened up her hair from the premiere. It's a welcome change although now we do have confirmation that Maya's in high school along with Emily. I'm trying to suspend my disbelief here but it's hard. It's a good thing I love Bianca Lawson.
-Playing Spencer's dad is Nolan North, another soap star. Nolan starred for years on ABC's Port Charles. Hey Show, he's really good so can you please give him more lines? So far dad's a dud, but that's how it's supposed to be right?
-I'm keeping my eye out for Maya. It's weird she just moved in. It's weird she's in high school. She makes an odd observation about Alison being center of all the pictures and she's asking about Spencer too. I'm not trusting her.
-Wonder if/when we'll see Wren again. And I wonder if/when Melissa will get revenge on her little sister.
Other Facts We Find Out
-The woman Aria's dad cheated on her mom with also teaches at the same school he teaches.
-Hanna has a very chaste boyfriend named Sean. His father's a preacher. Hanna's the aggressor in the relationship. Sean insists he's staying abstinent. They're cute together but not sure if they'll work out.
No comments:
Post a Comment