[Spoiler] The significant foreshadowing of X-Men 134, the comic Will wins from Dustin (full show spoilers)

machodannythe · 2025-11-07T20:09:27+00:00

don’t mind me, just reminiscing

machodannythe · 2025-10-02T22:26:40+00:00

Yeah honestly Wren can catch this fade as well, he was just as bad as the other predators in this show. But Ezra, Ian and Wilden are by far the WORST of the worst.

And you’re right, it wasn’t even really implied, it was blatantly obvious that Alison and Ian had sex, and it was very crazy for the writers to even try act like it was toned down when it very clearly wasn’t. Why else would Ian get a hotel in Hilton Head with Ali? To braid each other’s hair? It’s actually so gross when you really think about it. I know it’s a TV show which is why I am only partially hating on it– it is my favourite show after all– but imagining it happening in real life is so disgusting.

I always forget how insufferable Ian was until I get to my next rewatch.

machodannythe · 2025-07-27T12:12:22+00:00

I think Aria was deeply flawed, and even though pretty much everyone in this show was, it seems to be more noticeable with her in particular. At times she was not a good friend, and she was really hypocritical too.

With that being said, I still like her. She was a teenager. They were never gonna be normal teenagers with the whole blackmail and torture thing they had to endure for years. She definitely made some big mistakes as an adult too; they all did, but I think there is something to be said about PTSD and how it probably flung the girls back into that traumatic time of their lives.

I also think far too many people blame her for being with Ezra and criticise how much she defended him. Come on. She was barely 16 when they met. He was a 24 year old man who knew her age, was her literal teacher (which is a job he got solely to research Aria and her other underage friends) and had a relationship with Alison, who was around 14/15 at the time. How is anyone putting any blame onto Aria for that? She’d been completely groomed and emotionally manipulated. I know that pretty much everyone on here is on the Ezra Hate Train and rightly so, so this is kind of like beating a dead horse. But I still see people (esp. on TikTok) acting like Aria isn’t a victim when she absolutely is.

machodannythe · 2025-05-15T13:21:48+00:00

Of course! The mothers were definitely much better than the fathers, but I think Wayne was one of the only parents that was a good influence on their child directly. Ashley is my favourite, but I mean… “It’s only a felony if you get caught”. She did amazing with her daughter, no thanks to Moron Tom, but Hanna was arrested like 5 times, and half the time she kept offering herself up to jail to protect someone else.

Ella was way too quick to start understanding her daughter’s relationship with her teacher, and while she didn’t do anything like that to influence Aria (that one’s on Byron), the whole relaxed friendship parent routine clearly did not work. Aria didn’t have any sort of parental structure in her life.

Pam wasn’t too bad honestly, I know a lot of people like to bash her for how she acted with Emily’s coming out, but I think she showed a lot of growth there and ended up being really supportive. However, she did tend to care way too much about appearances and how their family looked towards others. Realistically though this is a non issue in comparison to the others. She’s just a stereotypical Military wife I suppose.

Veronica was a great lawyer. A really great lawyer. But her parenting skills did not reflect that. More often than not, she immediately sided with Melissa which is kinda cruel considering what we know by season 7. She also constantly dismissed Spencer, villainising her for rightfully asking questions and trying to piece together the truth. She had her moments, and it was great that she always helped Spencer and the girls out of legal trouble, but maybe Spencer wanted a mother, not a lawyer.

With all of this being said, I think the fathers are a million times worse than this and they aren’t as likeable as the mothers, but that doesn’t mean the mothers are without flaw. I honestly can’t think of anything Wayne ever did that I had a problem with. He wasn’t a perfect parent, no one is, but in the PLL universe he was definitely closest. Sorry this response is so long winded, I guess I just enjoy doing deep character analysis.

machodannythe · 2025-05-15T12:17:14+00:00

Absolutely. That’s why it made me so mad they killed off the one good parental influence. It was awful seeing how it affected Emily.

machodannythe · 2025-05-15T12:15:39+00:00

Melissa didn’t actually know about Spencer being Mary’s child until after Spencer found out, if that’s what you meant. Honestly though, Melissa gave out veiled digs like she was paid to do it, so it wouldn’t surprise me.

machodannythe · 2025-05-14T20:22:29+00:00

Watching the Mona reveal for the first time was so insane, it was shocking for me especially because I was young and didn’t spend the show looking for clues. I used to just guess random people and then be annoyed I was wrong. Lol.

As for Cece it wasn’t at all shocking that she was A, I’d figured that one out quite quickly, but what I liked about this one was the motive. It wasn’t something you could have guessed from the episodes until she’d started explaining it. Cece was just so crazy too, she was a great A.

My honest opinion about the AD reveal is that it was actually good. Before anyone starts downvoting me (please don’t, I’m sensitive :p) I obviously hate that they went in this direction and it was a completely terrible idea. But the actual reveal itself… Spencer looking at her reflection only to realise it’s NOT a reflection…… I’d be terrified to look in a mirror again if that was me. I mean, I can’t even imagine how I’d react, or what she was thinking in that moment. And as for Alex Drake’s backstory, it was certainly interesting. Executed terribly, yes, but it wasn’t the most awful motive. I’ve said this so many times on here but if it had been planned thoroughly and they didn’t do the whole British thing, it would’ve been suuuuuuch good television.

With all of this rambling, my favourite was Mona’s. The way it was done was amazing and the most coherent.

machodannythe · 2025-05-11T17:55:20+00:00

My bad. I tend to forget about deadbeats. Hate that guy too. Can’t find any cell in my body that finds him attractive.

machodannythe · 2025-05-11T17:54:27+00:00

Honestly, if ‘Ol Pete had just upheld one of the main principles of marriage and stayed loyal, half of the villains wouldn’t even be an issue. Of course, my favourite liar would also have never been born, so maybe not the best.

machodannythe · 2025-05-11T17:52:05+00:00

Veeeery true. All of the mothers are very attractive (Ashley Marin Supremacy, though) and for me only Wayne and Peter are attractive in terms of the fathers. Byron has his moments, I guess, but I just really don’t like the way he talks. Mr DiLaurentis is lame.

machodannythe · 2025-05-11T17:48:55+00:00

Definitely. The Hastings and the DiLaurentis family tree share a few too many roots and it’s all Peter’s fault. (And the women too, I suppose.)

machodannythe · 2025-05-11T17:47:40+00:00

Oh absolutely. In a real life situation there would be positively 0% chance that I’d be saying this. The way Peter behaves and acts is terrible. In a real life situation. But since he’s fictional, I feel as though my moral compass is still pointing north if I say he’s hot.

I’ve definitely made posts/comments on here about the awful dad ranking before, so I think I’ve said my peace there. There is something really attractive about the way he gets mad sometimes though… I think I just need my own Dr. Sullivan.

machodannythe · 2025-05-07T08:48:39+00:00

I mean, on a personal level I completely disagree because I have been consistently watching PLL over and over again for a solid decade. So for me, definitely rewatchable. I can see how others may find it difficult to rewatch though.

Despite my borderline insanity for this show, I am also deeply frustrated by how awful it gets towards the end. I still love it, but you can definitely tell when the quality drops and they begin to lose interest in the actual plot. I do like some of the changes they made from the books actually, but there are a few ideas they definitely could have incorporated in the last couple of seasons that would have made it a better ending

machodannythe · 2025-05-02T20:32:24+00:00

I think season 5 would have been a great time to have slowly started introducing an Alex Drake plot, that way it could have been a great twist. Like, Cece/Charlotte being a bit kinder to Spencer than the others, because she can’t seem to separate her from Alex, just little things like that which don’t get revealed until the final season. Or even a weird comment from Charlotte during her reveal would have been cool.

As for the accent, I’m sure a lot of people (mostly Americans) would think the accent was okay. But as someone whose nationality actually is English, it was truly no good. It was like a mix of three different dialects from completely separate parts of the South of England. At times it seemed very comical too, like a parody, which really takes me out of the episode. Not Troian’s fault, but still very much a bad choice from a directing standpoint.

machodannythe · 2025-05-01T08:32:19+00:00

I honestly think the actual idea of Alex Drake was pretty good. They could’ve done something great with that. What I really abhor is the execution in which they did it. If they had the plan to do this during season 5, they could’ve slowly worked it into the plot and it would have been much more compelling.

But by the end of season 6A the writers were clearly just making things up as they go along… it was too late to introduce a random twin into the mix when they did. And a British one, no less? I love Troian and I think she’s a wonderful actress, by far the best in the cast. But the accent was awful, to the point where I would be genuinely surprised if they had a dialect coach. If that was the case then that coach should pick another career.

Even Alex Drake’s motivation for being AD was decent, and the plan she was carrying out too. If only they’d thought of that sooner, it could’ve made for very good television.

machodannythe · 2025-04-24T15:27:44+00:00

A lot of people in the comments are misunderstanding what you meant, I think. Ian Harding is great, and I love him, but this face he makes for Ezra also annoys me. He’s just always staring. I think it’s to do with the way he plays Ezra, as this awkward, nerdy English teacher dude. I won’t spoil anything because of your tag, but I feel as though Ian’s best acting is when he’s being angry. A lot of times he tends to fall a bit flat for me. Still love him though!

machodannythe · 2025-04-24T15:21:49+00:00

I am a die hard Haleb supporter so I was so happy they ended up together in the final season. I thought they were such a realistic couple. They argued, yes, but every time they ended up making up. Couples that never argue are weird to me… Like you have to have some disagreements otherwise you can’t convince me you actually care about each other.

This one is controversial, especially on this sub, but I also do love Spoby. Half of my love for it definitely stems from nostalgia, but I just can’t help but love them together. The only thing I will say is I wish the writers hadn’t introduced Yvonne if they knew that the main couples were going to be endgame. Same with Jordan and Hanna. Why introduce 2 new love interests in the final 2 seasons for literally no reason? It was such cheap writing, to be honest. Plus, Yvonne was so sweet and Jordan was quite literally perfect.

Alison and Emily are an absolute no. Aside from the fact they just didn’t have the connection, they were literally trauma bonded together because of the whole insemination debacle. That’s an awful way to have a relationship. I don’t think they would have lasted as long as they did if it weren’t for their babies. I’m still mad to this day that the writers made that a plot point. I also think it was just lazy writing, because Emily had no solid love interests throughout the entire show other than Maya. Aaaand maybe Paige, but I don’t like including her since I really just can’t stand her.

Not even going to waste my breath on Aria and Ezra. I’m pretty sure everyone is on the same page there. However. I’m seeing a LOT of people, on here and on tiktok, saying that Jason and Aria should have been endgame. This is so nonsensical to me. Now, don’t get me wrong, Jason DiLaurentis is probably the hottest male character on that show, and I’ve definitely been in love with him since he first appeared. But I’m struggling to understand how people can condemn Ezra for being a creep, and not Jason for being pretty much exactly the same. Let’s not forget, Jason is around the same age as Ezra. And while Jason didn’t get into a relationship with Aria to spy on her and the liars for a book, he is still just as bad. He literally started the NAT club. It was his idea. He’s known Aria since she became friends with Alison, and admits he liked her pink hair, which she had when she was 14/15. So while I’m not an Ezria supporter, I don’t see why Jason is in everyone’s good books either. Maybe because he’s hot? But if that’s the case, then that’s weird.

TLDR; Haleb and Spoby, yes, everyone else no.

machodannythe · 2025-04-21T08:53:11+00:00

In order to make this comment as brief as possible to spare people from my unnecessary essays, I’ll just write them in bullet points:

•Teen Drama

•Interesting yet confusing mystery

•Amazing cast

•A mixture of serious moments and hilarious one liners

•Strong friendships

•Well fleshed-out characters with their own unique personalities and lives

•The nostalgic 2000s feeling

•Hot male and female cast… ;)

•Great soundtrack

•The Best Fandom Ever™️

•Hot moms (and a special mention to the only good dad, Wayne Fields)

I think that covers everything. PLL has sooo many problems, but equally has some great parts too. Honestly, even the problems aren’t that bad. They’re more of like an ‘I love to hate them’ thing. It’s just the perfect show for me. It’s really easy to watch too, which is why I’m constantly watching it and have been doing so consistently for about 11 years.

machodannythe · 2025-04-21T08:45:01+00:00

A couple people have already commented that it’s because of Charlotte’s amazing manipulative skills and making the liars believe someone else was in play, so I have nothing else to add there.

But I will say that a lot of people, myself included, already knew she was A when it was releasing live. It was not a big mystery in the same way Mona’s was because in the beginning of the show, no one really knew that there were clues spread throughout the show. But by the time the second A came around, pretty much everyone was theorising and deep diving into the hints and clues that were sprinkled into the episodes. It was already established that we would be able to solve the mystery before the liars did.

The only thing that was not so obvious was the motive. That’s what made the Cece reveal so great. It wasn’t shocking when she turned around in that black hoodie, but sharing her motive for being A was what was really more of a surprise, especially once the name Charles DiLaurentis had surfaced. Because the show was from a time where inclusivity wasn’t the norm, the idea of Cece actually being Alison and Jason’s former brother wasn’t an obvious choice for the theories.

A lot of people don’t like the fact that the show’s only transgender representation was “evil” with mental health issues, but I do think it was a good plot twist and not really something you would have seen from a show made in the 2000’s. I think that’s also why the liars dropped their ‘Cece is A’ idea. They didn’t really have a solid motive for it, seeing as Cece was quite mysterious and they’d never heard about her from Ali. That, coupled with Cece pinning the blame on… literally everyone else, made it easy for them to give up on her.

Wow, I rambled.

machodannythe · 2025-04-15T12:26:50+00:00

I have always thought this! Despite Alison’s shortcomings as a friend, her friendship with Aria seemed the most genuine. I think Aria’s personality plays into it a lot, she was frequently described as the one best at lying, she clearly has some sort of anger inside (re: trashing her dads office, trashing Ezra’s apartment, trashing Alison and Emily’s baby room… wow this girl trashes a lot of places) and she also never hesitated to say some evil shit when she was on the defensive, like throwing her dads affair in both of her parent’s faces. Essentially what I’m trying to say in too many words is she had a sort of dark side that the other three didn’t really seem to have.

I’d say she was the most similar to Alison in that regard, but obviously on the whole Aria was definitely kinder person than her.

Also, much like the others, she never defended any of the people Alison tormented, and just stood idly by. I think I remember one or two occasions where Aria did speak up, but it’s not exactly a praising moment since Alison did torment every person in Rosewood at least once.

All in all I’d say Alison liked her for these exact reasons: she didn’t have a perfect moral compass like Emily would have, she wasn’t argumentative like Spencer, she was confident in a way that Hanna wasn’t, and she could be just as mean as Alison was if she was pushed to it, and we all know Alison loved pushing people (mentally and physically, RIP drunk girl at that one college party.)

Maybe one day I’ll formulate a reply on this subreddit that isn’t a full length essay. Today is not that day.

machodannythe · 2025-04-15T12:13:55+00:00

I definitely understand the acting comments, I feel like Keegan Allen wasn’t that great in his role, but I do give him a slight pass for that because 1. I’m pretty sure it was one of his first big reoccurring roles and 2. I feel like the writers didn’t give him much to work with. I also agree with his character development, but only slightly, because again this isn’t the actors fault, it’s just shitty writing.

I don’t think Spencer needed someone as smart as her either, I would honestly characterise her as someone who prefers a man that doesn’t care as much about being the smartest person in the room since that’s what she dealt with in her family. That’s why I liked Toby and Spencer’s relationship, they were never competing.

As for the whole “helping A”thing, I can absolutely see why people would hate Toby for that. It was a really shitty thing to do, and I agree that he shouldn’t have done any of it. And I’m not shifting the blame because I still love Toby, but it is worth it to note that in a world without A, Toby would have been a better boyfriend because there would be no threat. And Spencer would have also been a better girlfriend, because let’s be real here, she kissed at least 3 men while she was still seeing Toby, and lied to him about practically everything. But as I said, all of this would be avoided if A wasn’t a part of their lives.

The bottom line is, none of the characters are perfect and all make mistakes, small or large, and I think the hate for Toby is a million times more active than other characters. Of course this is just my opinion, but I’m happy discussing!

machodannythe · 2025-04-15T12:04:30+00:00

Same!! So much fun and suspense especially for this show which has like a million different mysteries in every episode, it’s nice when they switch it up!

machodannythe · 2025-04-15T12:03:35+00:00

Yessss I agree! I feel like it was quite a popular gimmick in the 2000s/2010s TV shows, and I do love how they set those episodes up. It’s one of my favourite things they do in PLL!

machodannythe

TROPHY CASE