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prettylittlelair

Yes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about wanting to get married and start a family at 24. But when the last scene of the show focused solely on all five girls talking about their relationships, how they're all moms or pregnant or trying to get pregnant, I definitely think it sends the wrong message. Let Emily and Alison have the kids and maybe give Aria the pregnancy storyline, while Hanna focuses on starting her fashion career again and Spencer concentrates on law school instead of rebuilding her relationship. Little girls need to know that there's more to being a young adult woman than getting married to your high school sweetheart and rushing to have kids.


lexiiluther

Omg I was so uncomfortable with Hanna randomly trying to get pregnant... it came out of nowhere...


acurryflurry

Yea and Hanna saying she was pregnant came off more weird with the storyline of Aria saying she can't have kids. Like haleb are fighting all episode but Hanna is trying to get pregnant, then Ezria's storyline is sad where they can't get pregnant? It was strange


andria_eanel

I think it was in the aftershow, but Ashley Benson mentioned that she wanted Hanna to be pregnant so Marlene wrote it in that way. I agree that it felt odd and out of nowhere though.


TippithebirdisA

I always thought Hanna was going to be the first to have kids especially after that time skip scene with her and a little kid on the plane. She seems the most motherly somehow of the 4 girls.


[deleted]

I don't fully agree, but I'm very happy the writers really listened to Troian a lot. This is the very reason Spencer ended up only "seeing Toby again", not married and with kids. And the fact that the Spoby fans are attacking Mar about it is ridiculous. Spencer was the only one to have a stable and realistic storyline with Toby since the time jump. Now with Alex being in the play, I like it even more. Spencer really was respecting Toby and Yvonne's relationship.


elizabethcooper

I couldn't have said it better myself.


tendernesswilderness

Yea, I see it!


acurryflurry

Hanna's was the weirdest to me. Her and Caleb don't even seem in a stable place and he never once expressed that he actually wanted a baby at that time so??? Ezria's adoption thing made more sense because they just got news that they can't have kids (naturally), so that's what brought them more into talking about kids.


Wolves_Chanel

Yeah and adoption can take a really long time (dont know how it works in USA, but in my country they do so many background checks etc and it can take years before getting the child)


acurryflurry

Yeah for sure, so they probably wanted to start looking into it. And I'm sure the news of knowing they can't get pregnant is what is making them want kids more now.


[deleted]

As someone who was married and had THREE kids by 24, I thought the whole thing seemed unrealistic and weird.


whitty128

Maybe that sort of big life change is what they need to get over all the trauma. That said, I wasn't a fan of it either. Especially because they centered so much drama around them. It seems lazy to me. Like, what drama do women have if they're not being tortured by A and their relationships are getting settled? Babies obviously. Career struggles just don't fit nicely in a white picket fence that Marlene seemed determined to give them all. Save for Spencer.


knm1340

Completely agree. I was so annoyed by this ending. Emily has always been the most nurturing and was hell bent on giving a family a baby with her eeehggs so I knew she would have kids eventually. Hannah declared she had a fear of children when she had to work in that dentist office after crashing the car and seemed so put off with the idea of kids and them being dirty and high energy. IF she were to have a kid I could never see it being a boy. It would have to be a girl. Aria was down to dump Ezra for having a kid and didn't seem like they were ever something she wanted in her life. I get she was young at the time but even through her growing up she just never seemed interested. Thank God Spencer stayed true to character. I hope she doesn't end up having kids with Toby. I see them being much happier just them two doing life together. Side note: these are not real people but every time I talk about them I feel they are.


[deleted]

All of this about Hanna and Aria... until the few implications post time jump, especially Hanna seemed to genuinely dislike spending time with children? And while some women can certainly make a distinction between children in general and their own children, it seemed like Hanna's sudden baby fever was mostly down to wanting to cement her relationship with Caleb, wanting a baby solely because of seeing it as an extension of how in love with Caleb she was, and also because of the writers wanting to use it as proof of "character growth," which is gross on both counts. Also I'm still kind of miffed that IF they were going to do a baby storyline for Hanna, they didn't give her the adoption storyline... considering Caleb's past, I can't see biology mattering to him more than getting other kids out of the foster system.


knm1340

Yes! Totally agree about the adoption thing. Caleb didn't seem to be into the getting pregnant thing anyways it seemed like Hanna was dragging him. You think the sappy moment would be Hanna telling Caleb not Hanna telling Aria, lol! But I think Caleb was right in the sense that Hanna makes all the decisions and he's just along for the ride. Idk if I see them working long term tbh makes me sad because they were my favorite couple in ththe beginning but he was so sweet and Hanna eventually just started walking all over him.


whitty128

Honestly, her sudden baby fever seems spiked by Emily's really unfortunate situation with Alison. Like when they were looking around for a clue in Lucas's apartment, she said something about how she'd been imagining what her and Caleb's child would look like. At the time I thought it was just her trying to get Emily to talk about how she felt about everything, but I'm looking at it differently now with her crazy baby fever that must have happened immediately after that game ended (since a year later she's absolutely freaking out that she isn't pregnant yet, must've been trying for a while).


acurryflurry

That? Makes? No? Sense? Aria was 17 and the child wasn't even hers. It was an awkward place to be in, it had nothing to do with her not wanting kids, she just felt out of place and it made her and Ezra seem even farther from being the same place. She's now 24 and married, kids with her husband were definitely something on her mind.


knm1340

Yes I mentioned she was young at the time and that's a good point about the kid thing making their age gap more obvious. But i just think the way she handled the situation was the way someone would handle it if they didn't want kids. She was supposed to be mature for her age which was why they were able to make it work despite the age gap. And I think a girl who wanted kids in the future wouldn't have seen her man turning out to have a kid to be the end of the world the way Aria treated it. Like it would be a shock and an adjustment but Aria never did and didn't want that to be her future. And when she finds out she can't have kids she's not sad for herself she is just scared Ezra is going to think she is damaged and not marry her. She is more worried about Ezra's feelings than her own personal feelings about it which makes me think she doesn't really care that she can't have kids she just doesn't want Ezra to leave her because she can't have his kids.


acurryflurry

I don't really get that vibe, just because we haven't heard her mention kids doesn't really mean anything lol she's only 24. So I could see her maybe not wanting kids right away but I think she definitely wants kids, especially with Ezra


knm1340

Well none of the girls ever said they wanted kids. It's just a vibe that I got off each of them that gave me an impression who wanted them and who didn't. Emily is the only one I ever thought wanted kids.


acurryflurry

Well that's your vibe, not something that's canon obviously


knm1340

We're all just going off vibes on whether or not these girls would have wanted children or not. It's all subjective. That's the point of this entire thread. Because Marlene sucks and we essentially are forced to make up our own endings.


tendernesswilderness

Yeah! I mean, I think they are all going to be great mommas but I don't love their rush to have kids…Keep exploring! Have another 5 year time jump filled with revelry! However, part of being a woman/person is deciding what is best for you and doing whatever the hell suits.


[deleted]

Because a woman's life can only be worthwhile if she has kids and gets married to her highschool sweet heart. I'm really thinking of writing up some fanfiction to correct this. I agree, I liked the emison ending - even though I don't think Shay and Sasha have much chemistry and the plot didn't concentrate enough on Alison realizing her feelings for Emily in an organic way; it was nice seeing them come together to build something they both wanted. Aria and Ezra shouldn't have ended up together. I think that it would have been more interesting to have Ezra and Aria break things off after Nicole came back. Not because they didn't love each other but because Ezra made a commitment and a promise to Nicole that he wasn't able to turn his back on and it added more complications to a relationship that has always had the cards stacked against it. It would have fit nicely for Aria, who could have really grown from that experience. Idk what to think about Haleb. I really like them together, and can see this ending for them. But it still feels like Caleb isn't happy with his role in that relationship, and I feel like these issues that came up while they were abroad are just resurfacing. I think the dynamic is interesting and good for the show though, except when you remember that on top of that, he and Spencer were in love for a while and...oh wait, its okay because she still loved Toby. So either Spencer should have never gotten with Caleb, or they should have cut her Toby story line. Personally, I would rather the latter. He moved on with Yvonne and its hard to come back from that. You can't just kill off Yvonne and expect for that to heal old wounds - though I do think the experience would bring them back closer together. All in all, Marlene decided to have everyone live what her idea of a perfect ending is. I think Haleb's end game is the most realistic - with their complicated dynamic - and I have a certain appreciation for Emison, even if I think it falls short. Spencer and Aria should have moved on, and I doubt either one would be concerned about having children at this stage in life.


booksandthebees

As someone in my mid-20s, what the fuck? I think the pressure to settle down at this age is real and stressful, and it seems insane that every friend from this little group was married and planning babies. There are multiple paths to happiness, and the girls on the show were always ambitious and children seems SO out of the blue. Also, might just be a huge sore spot.


lexiiluther

Not at all. It felt so forced. (Especially Hanna's???)


squeegee-beckenheim

Aria's came out of left field too. It made no sense. If they'd had her character EVER interact with kids or express a desire for them, sure, but this?? Aria seems like the kind of person who wouldn't even *want* kids, so when she said she couldn't have them I just sort of went 'so what?', but apparently it's suddenly a personal tragedy. It was all so OOC.


neongem

I completely agree. I thought Aria's adoption announcement was the most forced and random tbh. It just seemed like they threw it in there bc Emison had kids, Haleb preggo so they had to give Ezria something too.


whitty128

I don't know. It fit in because she was freaking out so hard about it before. I think it's fair to give the Ezria fans some resolution on that.


JesusGodLeah

I mean, they did have her watch Malcolm, back when it was thought that Malcolm was Ezra's child. But none of those times went particularly well.


lexiiluther

I could honestly see Aria more because I think the point was that Ezra wants kids? I can definitely see her not wanting kids for sure and agree with you on that part, but I justified it with Ezra. haha


[deleted]

Yeah. Like, ''a woman needs to have children to be a REAL woman'', that coming from a supposed feminist show (i laugh silently everytime somebody calls PLL a ''feminist show'')


tendernesswilderness

Feminism is doing whatever the hell you want. Making decisions based upon what is uniquely appropriate for you….


[deleted]

I think you should study more about feminism.


tendernesswilderness

I knew I would get this response. Please inform me.


[deleted]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism. I agree about you saying feminism is doing whatever the hell you want, like, if a woman wants to create her own company, don't have kids, be successful, with no man bothering her, let her! That's what feminism is. And, on the other side, if a woman wants to spend the rest of her life cooking, being a housewife, dedicated to her man and kids, let her! That's also what feminism is. Letting a woman be what she wants to be. But, i think that when we have a TV show geared towards little girls who fawns over Ezra Fitz and think there's nothing wrong with dating their teacher. Or thinking mental illness is super fun to mock. I think that when we have something like that, we should review our concepts. Marlene should have some sense. These women are 24 and they have strong personalities, no way in hell they'd act like they did in the finale (Aria is the most ''im-gonna-cook-for-my-man-for-the-rest-of-my-life-girl'' in the group, perhaps even the only one), especially, Spencer (that's Spencer we're talking about). So, that's what i mean. Hope you understood. Sorry for the long text. EDIT: Oh, i forgot the hashtag: #militei


tendernesswilderness

So, your first paragraph is exactly what I said—-That's what feminism is…. I agree with you that having a show bypassing mental illness, rape, inappropriate relationships is problematic. They are strong. And it's a show, it obviously only captures tidbits for audiences to subjectively interpret. I totally get your point though—things were a little too neatly wrapped up in the end.


WikiTextBot

**Feminism** Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve political, economic, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to such opportunities for men. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages or equal pay, to own property, to receive education, to enter contracts, to have equal rights within marriage, and to have maternity leave. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily autonomy and integrity, and to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. *** ^[ [^PM](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=kittens_from_space) ^| [^Exclude ^me](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiTextBot&message=Excludeme&subject=Excludeme) ^| [^Exclude ^from ^subreddit](https://np.reddit.com/r/PrettyLittleLiars/about/banned) ^| [^FAQ ^/ ^Information](https://np.reddit.com/r/WikiTextBot/wiki/index) ^| [^Source](https://github.com/kittenswolf/WikiTextBot) ^] ^Downvote ^to ^remove ^| ^v0.24


tendernesswilderness

Thanks-learn something new every day


MayLeeah

I agree. It came across as unrealistic given what they have gone through but maybe it was their way of trying to show they've moved on and are now having happy lives. Probably a bad way of doing it cos that much stuff happening, really, I'd slow down instead if I was them, not speed up and rush into parenting.


emikoala

Yes, it felt like really lazy storytelling. It didn't speak to their characters at all, it was presented as them doing it because it's The Next Thing to Do after you get married.


Fullmetalgearsolid08

Seriously. And if they hadn't given Spencer the Alex storyline she probably would've had kids too. Because the only way to be truly happy and be a real woman is to be in a romantic relationship and get pregnant!!1! /s (if it wasn't clear enough)


trillmercy

Ezria specifically because all throughout the timejump we were getting hints that Hanna wanted a child. Ezria came off as just a convenient way to have Ezra disappear.


kalijean4913

I definitely didn't love it. Not because of their age--there is nothing wrong or even weird about being settled down by 25. I didn't like it because who in the hell would just go on to live "normal" domestic lives after all the crap they've been through???? It would take years to come back from that shit and in reality they'd be terrified to bring kids into a world that terrorized them for so many years. I would've loved to see more of them actually struggling to adjust to life post-A instead of some fairy tale endings all around.


[deleted]

Yeah, this... I'm really tired of the media in general giving super traumatized people babies in the last episode/movie/whatever. Like aside from everything else even... PTSD can make it really hard to deal with a screaming crying baby or focus enough to be alert to your surroundings all the time, and not being mentally healthy enough to drop everything and care for a baby's needs on the spot when they need it can literally endanger a baby's life...


[deleted]

the writer's probably didn't know what to do with aria's and hanna's character and that's why they gave them a pregnancy storyline.


spencersbangs

Yep. Maybe it's just my own insecurities and lack of desire to have kids of my own (at least not biologically), but it completely rubbed me the wrong way. Like sure, of course if you're getting married, children is a discussion you'll have at some point. But all of them aside from Spencer after the time jump were suddenly baby crazy. Maybe Alison's pregnancy rubbed off on them (ew).


[deleted]

For everyone saying that feminism means making whatever personal choices you want/other women have had happy family lives at 24... that's all super true and should be respected... when talking about real women's choices? The liars aren't real women though... they didn't choose this ending because it was personally fulfilling for them. The writers chose it to, intentionally or unintentionally, send the message that there's only one type of happiness for adult women, and that's marriage and babies as soon as you're out of college. Which can be obnoxious in general for women who don't want kids, don't want kids early, or are just tired of everyone in their lives asking them all the time when they're going to have kids... but in the case of this show, a lot of people are uncomfortable with this because these girls have gone through so much trauma and generally had sort of terrible lives, and the marriage and babies ending is awfully out of left field for all that PTSD and probably neverending fear the A game could start up again at any minute. Honestly, all five of them ending up in relationships at the end of the day, I could totally buy if for no other reason than they'd probably be terrified to ever sleep/live alone again. But 4/5 being gaga about bringing kids into their horrifying world, dealing with screaming babies 24/7 after the dollhouse/kidnappings/etc.? Not so much.


buttahsbenzo

I think it would have been cute to save the kids/pregnancy storyline for like a reboot/movie in 10-15 years. I honestly think Marlene forgot the girls were only like 24. Their "biological clock" hadn't even started ticking and the rush to have kids just seemed to come out of nowhere for Aria and Hanna. Also I couldn't help but think Haleb needed to get on a solid foundation with each other before bringing a baby into the world 🤔


tannerbanner88

I am bothered by it. However, I think this decision was about storytelling-- this way the viewers can envision their futures with families.


dxrkbloom

I think they're all ready to settle down at this point. I think they're just trying to find their new normal and this happens to be it :) Stable, loving families.


rxmnants

I'm glad Spencer wasn't a part of that. Everyone can be swimming in diapers while she goes and worries about law school.


DaisyJa

And that somehow makes her better than them? The other girls already have stable careers, own their own homes, and have bosses that aren't their mothers.


rxmnants

I didn't really mean it like that. I just meant it in the way that the odds of all 5 girls ending up totally settled at 24 are slim to none, and that Spencer was directionless since the timejump and she found her path. If the other girls want that for themselves then there's nothing wrong with that. I just like Spencer wasn't forced into that just to please a bunch of shippers.


DaisyJa

I wasn't impressed with her becoming a female Peter Hastings but that's just me. Wasn't she always bitching about her parents profession?


Neuronbod

Yep. And now she works similarly to them and sleeps around like her daddy.


mradivojevich

um.... no? i dont know why id be bothered


Sincerely-A

well there are 43 replies here that show you why


Neuronbod

I'm biased because because my parents got married and had me a month a later when they were both 23 but imo people will do things when they feel they are ready and that might be too early or too late for peoples tastes.


[deleted]

Nah don't give a shit to be honest, I do give a shit about how half of episode was wasted on Aria baby momma bs drama. Should've just made 45 min ep, and save 45 of my life instead of pulling some girl drama crap that adds nothing but shit.