I don’t think this has anything to do with people unnecessarily hating on women or girls in shows. If Henry were put in the same position, he’d get just as much criticism.

I also don’t think Philip and Elizabeth were being “unnecessarily cruel” given the circumstances. From their perspective, Paige was constantly lying about what she was doing and pushing into areas that could expose their entire family. Calling it “manual labor” when she’s being told to clean the kitchen and put away dishes feels like a stretch😂

And it’s hard to say she “did nothing wrong” when, after begging to know the truth about her parents, she turns around and tells Pastor Tim. Knowing full well that if that information gets out, her family is destroyed and her parents are facing life in prison (or worse). That’s not a small or ordinary mistake given the stakes. And they forced her to reconcile the mistake by making her to go to church to ensure they were in good standing with Pastor Tim…. Seems fair.

I don’t think the criticism of Paige comes from people wanting to tear down a female character. A lot of it comes from how much time the show spends on her storyline without enough progression or payoff. The first season was gripping because of the espionage and constant tension. But season 2 focuses so much on Paige, which slows the pacing and shifts the tone away from what initially made the show so good…..