Pretty Little Liars - A Mangled Mess Of A Finale

Original Airing: March 19, 2013

I honestly didn’t think I’d be saying this about this show since up until now it’s been a great show, but with this atrocious finale it’s officially become one of those shows that didn’t know when to call it a day and make a graceful exit while it was still good. I gave the show this season as leeway since having to rebuild the A mystery after revealing Mona was A would take some time. It seemed like it finally had made it when Toby was revealed as a member of the A Team. Unfortunately, the show did what The Vampire Diaries did and caved to the shippers sacrificing story to appease them, fearing if they didn’t give them their couple, they’d take their marbles and go home making ratings fall.

It’s what shippers always threaten to do. If they don’t get their couple they’ll take their marbles and go home. So shows cave to them and ruin story to appease these people, and ruin the show in the process. Shippers don’t care as long as they get what they want.

From the moment the Toby twist was revealed, desperate Spencer and Toby shippers were coming up with this ridiculous excuse that Toby was really undercover and trying to help the girls, even though it made more sense for him to be a member of the A Team plotting against them. And in the finale the writers gave them what they wanted and came up with the lame excuse that Toby was forced to do everything he did, so none of it is his fault, and the Spoby shippers [as they call themselves] couple is intact, but not really. Like someone pointed out, Toby didn’t look like he was being forced when he ran down Lucas with his truck or did any of the other things he did. But, hey, the Spoby shippers got what they wanted and are happy as clams, as all is right once again in their world.

Who cares that thanks to this story Spencer looks like a pathetic weak loser. We had to watch her unravel and be totally destroyed because she thought Toby was an A to the point she ended up having a breakdown, but two seconds of rubbing up against Toby in a no-tell motel and all is forgotten. Having to watch them getting it on made me slightly sick. They’re now officially a worst couple than Ezra and Aria.

Apparently, the writers were also worried viewers might get upset if they really thought Spencer had turned on the liars and became an A, so that story quickly fizzled as well. It’s a shame, because it could have been a good story that got thrown on the trash heap where all the good stories in this finale got thrown because of the writer’s cowardice of not wanting to upset viewers. Hanna, not the brightest bulb in the package, was actually the one to figure out it was Spencer that took Malcolm when she volunteered to babysit for Malcolm. She showed him pictures and he identified Spencer. Then she came up with another plan to find out if Spencer was really an A by dressing up in a red coat. When Spencer followed her, the liars confronted her and she explained she was just playing along to find out who Red Coat is.

It’s really sad that Emily, Aria and Hanna are now the strong and smart liars, while Spencer is the weak one. She’s so lovesick that just the thought her boyfriend didn’t really love her made her crumble like a cookie. I actually enjoyed the three liars together minus Spencer. As of now, she just seems to bring them down. But, hey, the Spoby shippers are happy, so who cares.

Toby was revealed as Pretty Eyes, just like I thought he was. A waitress wouldn’t say that to a woman. So it was Toby who paid Dr. Sullivan to leave town, just like I thought it was. What wasn’t revealed was who was the body found in the woods that Spencer thought was Toby and made her crumble like a cookie.

So the A Team is basically made up of a bunch of people being forced to be members, including Mona it seems. She claims Red Coat approached her when she was in Radley, which doesn’t jive with what she said to Red Coat at the end of last season’s finale of doing what she told her to do. She also claims she’s never seen Red Coat’s face because she wears a plastic Ali mask over her face. Yeah, I’m sure she walked into Radley wearing a plastic mask and nobody noticed. And if Mona didn’t know who Red Coat was, why did she imagine seeing Ali in a red coat while Hanna was visiting her? This story is taking on the feel of a bad fan fiction, not something penned by professional and competent writers.

Ooh, what a terrifying group the A Team are now. They went from terrifying to ridiculous. Who would honestly trust people who were forced to help them instead of being members of their own freewill? And how could one person be all knowing and all seeing? It’s just plain stupid, but the Spoby shippers are happy. Their precious couple is intact.

Another group of plotters was revealed who are even less terrifying than the A Team as things stand now. Supposedly, Jenna, Melissa and the costume renter chick [that popped up and is suddenly all over the place] now are a team, too. Thankfully, someone mentioned her name, because I sure didn’t remember it. Shana is the one Jenna met with in the park and she met with her, again. I suppose we should have knew something was up when Emily out of the blue suddenly said what bad news Shana was, when Emily barely knew her or anything about her before the finale.

What I suspect was the original plan was that Paige was going to be revealed as part of Jenna’s group, but after all the trouble the writers got from the Spoby shippers, they changed their mind and brought in this Jane-come-lately to take her place. And she has taken Paige’s place. Paige has literally disappeared as this Shana is all over the place.

Anyway, Jenna revealed her eye operation was only a temporary success and it sounds like she’s eventually going to lose her sight, again. She, Melissa and Costume Girl are going to make the liars pay. Spencer has arranged for them all to be in one place at a party supposedly for her to celebrate her getting out of Radley.

You know, if they were too gutless to go the Paige route, than why not make Cece the third partner. Why this nobody that the audience has no investment with? At least with Cece there was some kind of investment in her and what she was up to. Who gives a crap about Costume Renter Girl? After you get past the fact this group makes no sense at all, the only thing they’ve got going for them is they at least appear to be working together of their own freewill, so that puts them a step above the pathetic forced A Team members.

Mona claimed Red Coat was flying in on a plane, even though the chick has been seen all over Rosewood, previously. Toby and Spencer went out to meet the plane, while Mona, Aria, Hanna and Emily were left behind in the house when someone set it on fire. Presumably, Jenna’s group. Then whomever set the fire, left the lighter beside Toby after knocking him out, to try and frame him. Meanwhile Spencer believes she saw Ali come out of the plane, and the fours girls claim that it was Ali who dragged them out of the house fire.

The scene with the hand coming out of the ground after Ali was buried was replayed, only this time someone grabbed the hand and appeared to pull the person out of the ground.

Later, the girls discover Wilden’s patrol car with the video of Ashley running down Wilden playing on it. Imagine that, being underwater didn’t damage it. Then they see more footage of Jenna and Costume Renter Girl [didn’t I say this newbie chick was all over the place?] dragging Wilden away. Afterwards they all get a text, Mona included: “Your mine now, kisses – A” And to that I reply, “Who cares?”

There was nothing in this mangled-up mess that was presented that made me care about who A is anymore. I can only hope Crazy Spencer imagined all this rubbish as she sits back in her room at Radley. Otherwise, I haven’t seen a finale this bad since LOST’s series finale.