The Transphobic Twist of Pretty Little Liars

[@LilySimpson]

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[@BraveSoul-l8n]

Please please please do Hayley from coronation street. I would love to see your views on what I remember being good representation and to see if it is as good as I remember

[@allisonroth]

What a well integrated ad read! Always happy to see you get sponsorships, Lily! I've been tempted by this one. If I get it I'm def using your code

[@raviolitin8366]

Have you considered doing the first episode of “Miranda”? When she is mistaken for a trans woman and accidentally dresses up as a ‘transvestite’

[@Namingway248]

"what was the point of this" is a statement you could probably apply to 90% of pretty little liars as a whole tbh

[@NikkiBudders]

The writer later admitted they never knew or had a plan for who A actually would be. I'm so mad.

[@tj2375]

Yeah. And what she had to do was read the books she was supposedly adapting. Don't get me wrong, the books are no masterpiece, but are much better mystery novels than the tv show!

[@sarafontanini7051]

@@NikkiBudders the one thing you should never do when making a mystery: think of the answer to the mystery later. this jsut leads to stupid nonsense.

[@gaysingaming]

I feel like Emily being a lesbian was treated similarly as well

[@NikkiBudders]

@@sarafontanini7051 100%. Even as a kid watching the show I had realized by the 3rd season that there is no actual plan here. There was nobody in the story that could actually be A, it was physically impossible for someone to do the shit they would need to to know everything and be everywhere.

[@gemstone71552]

I remember watching this when it first came out. They kept emphasizing "this A is a man" I immediately thought "they wouldn't make A a trans woman for a TWIST? Nah that is stupid and transphobic" I had too much faith

[@WynneL]

In a show about grooming, I want to point out. The show literally groomed its viewers and somehow was allowed on air. Transphobia is just the evil cherry on top of a villain sundae.

[@lordknightalex]

the baby bathtub thing is entirely the parents' fault for leaving a baby in charge of an infant wtf man

[@EmissaryofWind]

Yeah, Charlotte must be 6 or 7 at most, they left her alone with an infant and put *her* in a psychiatric hospital? A real agency would have taken both of them away from such neglect.

[@bookshelfhoney]

Yeah why would Charlotte be left alone with a baby for an extended time, especially around water?! That's negligent parenting

[@abbystarheart1]

The dad was absolutely looking for an excuse to lock CeCe up! Between the queerphobia and also just kind of assuming 'like mother like daughter'. Charlottes birth mother (Mary Drake, the twin of alisons mom and ceces adopted mom) was in and out of mental institutions a LOT (I forget if it's explained why) so the adults in her life pathologized every mistake as if it were proof that she was 'insane' and 'evil' like Mary.

[@marnenotmarnie259]

literally

[@marnenotmarnie259]

@@EmissaryofWindshe looked and sounded four or five (source: i'm a nanny of a three year old and a six year old lol)

[@mikey-wl2jt]

"at least no slurs were used" is simultaneously pleasing and very very sad

[@mushroomc0re]

Charlotte also dated her younger brother so there's that. It's really just further evidence that the entire Charlotte twist was cobbled together last minute

[@hercules1476]

Omg I didn't remember that, geez 😬

[@criidawg]

haha *what the fuck?*

[@criidawg]

haha *what the fuck?*

[@mushroomc0re]

@@criidawg yeah it was before the reveal that she was related to Allison and Jason (the brother)

[@agnessofiacastrocarvalho774]

Actually they add yet another last minute twist that Charlotte was a cousin, but she thought she was a sister and went after him and we spent seasons thinking she was a sister. Still gross

[@PastelOddity]

14:52 - SUPER minor point, but from a parent’s perspective: no agency would ever commit a first grader for accidentally hurting their sibling like this. The courts *could* charge the parents for neglect if the circumstances were right, but it kinda just looks like their mom stepped away for a minute and the child did what children do and an accident happened. There wasn’t even any malicious intent, how are we meant to understand that she’s “a crazed maniac” or whatever?

[@nahometesfay1112]

Maybe the father hammed it up to get rid of his daughter since he didn't accept her

[@nikoincroatia]

The parents are supposedly rich enough to cover up the murder of an employee of the place, so maybe they just bribed the staff

[@ce7406]

its from rainman

[@Aphelion.s_Abyss]

@@nahometesfay1112 That's kinda what it seemed like when I watched it but idk. It also seemed like he just really loved Allison for being his only daughter.

[@WitchOracle]

Did Marlene hear a trans woman describe herself as a doll and think that meant all trans women are literally into dolls? (Obviously the answer is no, I doubt Marlene has ever listened to a trans woman, but like... WHY MARLENE)

[@Twinkdoesdrag]

"you can't read the doll"

[@metronicmagician1816]

Hell I’m almost certain the concept of “doll” as a term for a trans woman (usually a hyper feminine trans woman who’s emphasis is on making her body how she wants it to be) didn’t exist when this show was running.

[@yeetmcgeets]

@@metronicmagician1816as far as I can tell it was invented in the 80’s and became more well known in the trans community in the 90’s but not super well known to cis people.

[@miracunic5948]

Cece is not A in the books but the doll theme was. the ending was garbage but i don’t think it’s intentional at all it just made no sense. everyone wanted it to be Aria. Very last min for plot twist.

[@maxbeancounter]

Himself*

[@MB-og3dw]

as a kid who wasnt allowed "adult TV" but basically free reign of the library, i regret to inform you that i did in fact read all 4 million of those books. the twist in the book wasn't a trans jumpscare but a classic identical twin identity swap, and ALLISON was the abusive one, not the twin. the series deviation was... not good. biggest difference that comes to mind is the showrunner changing the ezra relationship from him being a groomer in prison to a wedding.

[@smily1717]

he goes to prison in the books?!?!?! omg.... this show ruined everything

[@dantefarge3369]

I couldn't go past the first season because of the glorification of the student/teacher relationship, but I should have imagined that this show had to have transphobia too

[@JayRHood]

From what I heard (correct me If I'm mistaken as I've never read it) the book treats their relationship completely differently, not sure why they decided to go that route on the series but yeah. Not just the student/teacher stuff but I'm pretty sure that at some point is reveled that Erza had sex with Allison when she was like, 14, he should be in jail. This series was a mess

[@RogueVideoRaven]

@@JayRHoodYeah the books end Aria and Ezra’s relationship differently. He leaves town after being fired and being caught by police with Aria that is treated as a bittersweet ending and the epilogue teases them as endgame. However, he comes back much later as a failed author and Aria starts to realize what a loser he is just in time for her to catch him with another student her age (a European exchange student living with Noel Khan).

[@Stonedandbookish]

Funny story I had an English teacher compared to Ezra in looks and flirted with his students. He is now married with a child with one of his students. They were together when she was in high school. He had 3 kids and a wife before that and he did this

[@icephoenix174]

Yeah when Lily was talking about not associating trans with incest, I was just thinking that I watch a lot of TV and incest and normalizing pedo stuff is SUPER common in tv shows (especially sitcoms. Isn't it SO funny that the child is hitting on adults? Oh and one adult is in to it because they're desperate? Super funny! 😢)

[@RogueVideoRaven]

@@icephoenix174 What other shows have the incest/pedo/trans dynamic? I didn’t know it happened that frequently

[@PhilTheBronxite]

I’ve learned so much about this show from KZbin. The Grooming (Older characters constantly dating minors) The Racism (3 Black characters being killed off. Also very few POC characters as well) The Homophobia (One of the characters being Queer but the writers did a horrible job at handling it) The Victim Blaming (One of the characters being SA but one of her friends blamed her for it. And a male character getting SA but the writers just ignored it) And now Transphobia. Wow this show really is bad huh.

[@Stonedandbookish]

Alison & Emily are both queer so there's 2 but yes this.

[@bluz1864]

No. It's worse. Ezra, the teacher, actually ended up marrying Aria.

[@earthtoeden8977]

I'm the sequel series they have this character who loves horror movies and she actively criticizes and points out the horror tropes in their show as if to be like "we're self aware about it so it's not that bad this time"

[@chanpost4]

The series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin probably fixed all those issues. For this video I check the Wikipedia and TV Tropes articles for all the franchise works. So far I can only verify they fixed the racism part. PLL has five liars with four being white and one being Filipina. PLLOL has five liars but two are black, one is Hispanic/Latina with Argentine/Brazil mix specifically, one is Filipina, and one is white. I saw a list of various other non white characters but I mentioned the super important main cast aka the liars.

[@jencendiary]

@@chanpost4 The reboot ALSO had a pregnant teenager who chose to carry the pregnancy to term and adopt out the baby giving her child to Aria and Ezra, so the producers haven't changed their mind about that story AT ALL if - now, in the present timeline - they're still married and starting a family.

[@phoebevaughan5095]

I've never understood why so many shows aimed at a female audience (Pretty Little Liars, Sex and the City, etc) are so transphobic! Transgender women are women too, and they shouldn't be used as jokes or portrayed as creeps/con artists. I find it very sad. I hope times change.

[@BridgetSwift-mh5nd]

I have two hypothesis about this 1: insecurity alongside easy plot point, the show can’t pose anybody but cis white women in a good light else it angers suburban house moms or tickles the lead writer’s insecurity, a thing worsens by the fact that espically in the twenty tens, gays were off the menu but trans people were on the chopping block (we still see the consequences of that today) so making a character trans or having a episode around a trans character often showing them as freaks or in a disingenuous light, is a easy and popular thing to do. 2: men, literally that men that worked alongside the women making these shows had their own hate seep into the fabric of the shows content, leading to sequences like this.

[@kingchey772]

@@BridgetSwift-mh5nd Why would writers being men lead to the transphobia? More women are transphobic against transwomen then men are

[@TheKally]

because they dont see us as women. Simple as. Most of the world is ignorant, and certainly even more so before.

[@SophieRoseLive]

@@kingchey772 literally not true

[@SophieRoseLive]

@sys-foster why are you disagreeing with "hey maybe don't suggest that trans women are lying about being women?"

[@TalysAlankil]

Not me instantly going “oh no was there a trans episode in once upon a time” then not knowing if i should be relieved or disappointed that I’m coming up short

[@silver8632]

The real trans twist was looking up from my chores to see Lilly's delightful hair cut. I've been looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint!

[@anzaia2164]

The hair is so cute, it suits her so well!

[@carcasstown]

i had the same experience!! i was making lunch and looked up and went "oh her hair looks so nice!" ^_^

[@XlittleXdrummerXgirl]

SAME! ...looking up from work emails, but what is work but chores we get paid to do?

[@DinosaurNick]

It caught me off guard! One minute I look at their hair is long, next I look and it's short and I'm like "Wait what how!?"

[@ironickomedakin]

It's so cute!!! I love her jumper too my fashion inspo fr 🩵

[@Tamisday]

I have heard directors and show runners say things like, “It’s hard to find minority X to play the role,” which while bullshit at least is plausibly deniable. “I didn’t know you could hire trans people.” What does that mean, Marlene? It’s not illegal, lmao.

[@sarafontanini7051]

ron desantis: oh please, GIVE ME SOME IDEAS

[@rateeightx]

"Wait, Trans people can act? I thought they were all inherently terrible actors who always fumble their lines!"

[@najbaamer]

I don't think I've ever seen an episode of this show, but I'll be darned if I don't watch an almost hour long video about it.

[@hexonyou]

lol same. this is my preferred way to consume media that I had no intention of watching on its own

[@risipieces]

@@hexonyoui don’t know how much lily gets into it, because ive only just clicked on the video, but if you’re interested in this sort of thing then mike’s mic has a 3-part series just recapping the entire show, and chase bridges has a video where he tries to solve the season 1 mystery (and i believe he’s working on season 2 right now?)

[@Vinxian1]

When something leans into transphobic stereotypes without being explicitly transphobic itself I'm definitely gonna start saying "idk, I feel kinda hate crimed"

[@BasicTechGirl]

She is clearly lying that it was a plot twist all from the start. She clearly only did the trans revival as shock value to get people invested in the show.

[@willow8665]

oh 100 %, Marlene had said A was on the pilot episode, and Charlotte didn't show up as a character until s3 or so, all the fans (me included) were so annoyed

[@StephreyLynn]

Marlene was on the PLL Reddit just like the rest of us and she desperately wanted a reveal that no one had guessed…which means choosing someone who wasn’t in mind when the show was written. Maddening move for a mystery.

[@iyanajonesreese]

Allegedly it was supposed to be Wren but after someone got fired they leaked that information and so they went with the Charlotte reveal instead.

[@angiebarth1292]

I agree I think the reason it was impossible to solve is that she made it up as she went along.

[@angiebarth1292]

@@StephreyLynnCharlotte was a Hail Mary not as much as theBritish twin but almost

[@Ludraman_]

There's lots of problems with pretty little liars that I didn't notice when I first watched it (transphobia, incest, abusive relationships, a minor dating and later marrying her teacher)

[@DapperGhst]

Shows try not to have (a) transphobic episode(s): impossible edition (Loving these videos by the way, I really like how you delve into trans episodes in media, its very informative!)

[@doctorhirst9302]

I know you already established that Charlotte's parents were terrible, but just how long did they leave her unsupervised with the baby that she managed to almost drown her in the bath?

[@TheoRae8289]

It doesn't take long at all. I grew up with my mother having it hammered in her head not to leave young me with my sister in the bath because it doesn't take much (or long) at all.

[@doctorhirst9302]

@@TheoRae8289 I haven't seen the show, so I'm just going by the clips that Lily used. It looks like the family was out in the garden when Charlotte grabbed the baby, took her upstairs into the bathroom and drew a bath, all without the parents noticing. If I'm mistaken and they left the baby in the bath with only the older child to look after her, that's even worse. In either case, it's really the parents who are too blame, not a child who clearly doesn't have the cognisance to understand that bathtubs are dangerous for babies.

[@TheoRae8289]

@@doctorhirst9302 I think Lily said something about Charlotte's logic being baths "also" made her feel better, as if maybe the baby was upset or something? But yeah, all the case workers over the years (mostly just public assistance and WIC related) were very adamant about never leaving young children alone after my sister was born when i was 7 (no clue of charlotte's age in that flashback).

[@ashlynnsiobhan]

I left a longer comment about why I think they went with Charlotte as A, but the reason it feels so last minute is because fans were sure Aria was being set up to be A and Marlene doesn't seem to understand fans should be able to figure out a mystery if it is well written.

[@mochasucculent]

I love the cut to a completely different day with a completely different haircut while the commentary remains completely unbroken lol

[@rateeightx]

I'll be honest, I entirely didn't even notice lol. Now I'm gonna look back through and try to spot it.

[@rateeightx]

Wow how did I miss that? It was pretty clear in retrospect.

[@havenm6181]

I've never seen this show but what I gather from it is that it thinks that trauma always makes you a terrible person

[@PokhrajRoy.]

‘Pretty Little Liars’ altered our brain chemistry sometimes for the worse.

[@bluz1864]

You couldn't have said it better. I actually skipped hanging out with friends just to watch this show (at least until Spoby's first anniversary then I stopped watching)

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@bluz1864 Omg Spoby is the most hilarious ship name I’ve heard

[@L33W1NT3R5]

Another ten years from now, and I swear, "You or a loved one may be entitled to financial compensation if you watched Pretty Little Liars"

[@agnessofiacastrocarvalho774]

Sometimes?

[@cbarker8580]

the worst part of this is finding out im not the first dirty blonde trans girl to choose charlotte. there really is no original thought

[@Docypher]

I’ve never watched Pretty Little Liars but with the amount of video essays I watch on it, I might as well be an expert. Glad to see you posting and I hope you can continue to get sponsors. :)

[@Caroline-Ellis]

Lily, i started watching your videos back in march and they made me go “man the representation is awful, but i can relate to some of this stuff”. Fast forward 6 months and I just came out to my best friend with my new name and pronouns. Thank you for your content and for being an important step on my journey of self discovery. You didn’t know I existed, but you helped me, and I’m sure you’ve helped many others as well. Thank you

[@ZekeBittersweet]

The best part about Charlotte being trans is that no one remembers it. I appreciate that you took the time to make this video and research the show even without watching it all -- it is a really long and convoluted show to get into. I first watched this show when I hadn't admitted to myself yet that I was trans, and I just loved the novelty of them actually having a trans character at all. They did a few things right which assured me as well, but I was already critical of so much in the show that this was a minor blip to be honest. Something I wanna touch on with the doll thing and the murder thing though, those aren't entirely unique to Charlotte, those are very much elements of the books and show. SO MANY characters have murdered or almost murdered someone, that I only really find it notable the first time Charlotte almost kills Allison because the way they portray it as her being a child with problems is fucked up and definitely linked to her identity. The doll thing is pretty prevalent with Charlotte's arc as A, but by far not the only weird doll thing in the show. And the books all have doll versions of each character on the covers, with the real human versions in the same outfits on the back cover. Same thing with Charlotte being a twin, it's just inherent to Sara Shepard's work and one of many examples. I think your critique was still on point though, I actually didn't question a lot of it much while watching specifically because it's inevitable, so having someone new to the show give her opinions was welcome! I was really excited for this review when I heard you were making it because I really love and hate this show lol

[@louisesb]

PLL would've been SO good if they had focused on all the creepy older male characters they had and made the whole show about men in positions of power, they could've fleshed out Ali's backstory and showed how a lifetime of abuse at the hands of older men turned her into a monster, the NAT club could've been a big part of the mystery with the reveal being that the girls fathers, teachers, and authority figures were involved in a long history of stalking and abusing girls that lead to Alison's death, ugh they could've made something so deep and powerful but instead WE GOT THIS NONSENSE i will never forgive u marlene

[@whatakuriosgirl]

I was so excited for this one because after they kept misgendering and deadnaming the antagonist, I stopped watching it. A little bit later I decided to see what the internet had to say about it and there was -nothing-, no one was talking about it. I think I found one offhand comment about it but they didn't go into depth or say how it was wrong. It just said the character had a s*x-change and that was about it. So for you to do a whole video on it is great.

[@sarafontanini7051]

of course noone talked about it, the show basically forgot it shortly after throwing it out there

[@JNDReacts]

I think the show should’ve ended when they graduated high school and just avoided the time jump and “AD” all together. Then they could’ve had the second A be the last, and I think it should’ve been either Aria (but only if they could have pulled it off without making her have DID or some other mental health condition) or I recently watched a compelling video about how Alison’s mother should’ve been A. The Cece reveal was both transphobic and also created multiple plot holes. Like how Toby’s mom was both alive when he and Alison were teenagers, but also somehow died at Radley when Cece (who was like 7 years older than Alison) was a preteen.

[@lightgazaret6825]

I suggest you do a video on trans narratives in Cold Case at some point, the Daniela episode especially. It would change from the usual low-hanging transphobia for once.

[@pescelotls]

Oh hard agree

[@emmakuru8546]

Ditto

[@availanila]

I loved Cold Case!

[@TheoRae8289]

I never saw much Cold Case but I feel like I might remember the Daniela episode

[@jakeymaine]

Mona being A is the best twist and it should've been ended there. It was already perfect the way it is.

[@d_alistair-years]

Sometimes, I remember this show was about getting texts from a dead person and laugh.

[@fatcat1414]

On the topic of using the dead names of fictional characters: I feel it's the same as how wikipedia treats the dead names of real people. If done with tact and simply treating the dead name as part of the person's/character's history, it shouldn't be an issue. Acknowledging the existence of a dead name is not the same as using it to refer to a person directly.

[@carcasstown]

i think when it comes to real people, it should be up to the person in question to decide if their deadname is listed on their wikipedia page or wherever else. most trans people don't want strangers knowing their deadname at all, let alone having easy access to it. i know i sure wouldn't

[@fatcat1414]

@@carcasstown The thing is wikipedia pages are typically used for celebrities and public figures, as such the deadnames of such trans people are typically public knowledge to begin with. Wikipedia isn't revealing any secrets, it's cases such as Elliot Page's where it's important to clarify in his filmography that he is credited under a different name up to a certain point in time.

[@EnbyFranziskaNagel]

​@@fatcat1414 In fact If a trans person becomes famous as their chosen identity their deadname is not included at all.

[@SophieRoseLive]

wikipedia shouldn't include them at all, that's literally no different from hosting information obtained from doxxing people

[@icephoenix174]

Kings quote about not knowing you can hire trans actors reminds me of when my classmate found out g*psies were real. He tbought it was so cool and was so excited xD he thought they were a myth like dragons or free american health care

[@carcasstown]

hey for future reference, you should avoid using the g slur at all, even censoring it. you can just say "romani people"

[@icephoenix174]

@@carcasstown I fully understand that, but I think he knew Romani people existed. I genuinely think he thought that the word just referred to nomads. I just wasn't sure how to phrase the story without the slur. Ill still keep that in mind. Thanks!

[@rue8638]

The casual teases for the riverdale videos sprinkled through this one are giving me life, ive never been so excited for a youtube series

[@ilovewillowrosenberg]

The way my phone died as soon as you said "dating her own-"

[@waffles8364]

Your phone's shocking cliffhanger was somehow better than the people paid to write the show came up with.

[@willow8665]

will forever be mad that it would've been SO easy for the second A to be one of the creepy adult men on the show (specifically Ezra would've saved the whole Ezria shitshow if they had committed to the reveal) but instead the writers were like not only it's this other character that hardly ever showed up (which could've been savaged because the actress was charming enough and her dynamic with Alison was interesting) but they reveal she's trans at the same time they reveal she's evil, with no sense of self awareness to what that's implicating, knowing too that they'd written the liars to (unknowingly) sometimes call A he/she/it, shim, and other similar terms in the earlier seasons that come from them not knowing who A is... it's so hurtful for no reason. Alison referred to the other liars as puppets earlier on and the A treating the liars as dolls thing is very prominent on the series so again, it really sucks because if it was ANYBODY else it would've come off fine. Also I call bs on Marlene saying that about Charlotte's reveal, she HAD TOLD the fans that A had shown up in the pilot but then seemingly had no plan and decided last minute, and then later on went with the stupidest A reveal for the end of the show as well(yes. another A).

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

I have never hated KZbin's ad systems more than I have watching this video. KZbin's ads are straight up getting worse.

[@mainlywrestlingrn]

Use Adblock we all hate ads

[@carcasstown]

i recommend ublock origin 👍

[@TheoRae8289]

I have premium and I keep having the video stutter whenever an ad gets thwarted

[@Sparrowlicious-01]

Hey Lily, you are aware that Chughead in the Archie comics, the modern ones anyway, is asexual and aromantic and brings it up all the time, yeah? I hope that finds some space in your Riverdale video. I'm always sad when people ignore or forget about that because it's obviously an important trait for *him* as a character, but also, those are wo orientations that get ignored a lot.

[@unamiryo]

it's jughead silly 😋

[@sarafontanini7051]

yeah jughead's asexual and aromantic nature is UNAPOLOGEITCALLY ignored so they cna use him for random romance drama for some reason

[@FurTheWorkers]

Pretty Little Liars is the exact reason why "Yes, and..." is not a great way to write a show

[@n_art_cissist]

I’d avoid using the term “sociopath” as it has a hugely ableist history and is still often used to attribute traits of antisocial personality disorder to evil people or actions. Same goes for “narcissistic”, it’s a term specific to narcissistic personality disorder which are both highly stigmatised personality disorders.

[@lakegroce685]

Have fun dealing with the mental gymnastics of Once Upon a Time. It’s been over a decade, but that show still keeps me up at night whenever I think about the Charmings family tree. Also SwanQueen for life.

[@StephreyLynn]

I was so invested in this show while it aired, that I took the day off for this A reveal. I had looked at the clues. I had solid leads. And then they went with this. Transphobic and bad writing. I never watched it again. I feel like I’ve been waiting for this video since 2015. Thank you!

[@rt_goblin_hours]

Glad to see a Rumpelstiltskin shout out

[@Brah027]

1:48 Charlotte wasn’t Ali’s twin, she was her older sibling

[@music_YT2023]

I never watched Pretty Little LIars (outside of Mike's Mic breakdowns), but I giggled at Lily and Chill!

[@darkjaden-fe]

No spoilers for Once Upon a TIme but my favorite part of that show is when Emma's iconic leather jacket gets a tragic backstory. I'm not even kidding lmao

[@lordtette]

🤣😭

[@ashlynnsiobhan]

I feel the Charlotte storyline came from wanting the original second A storyline from the books but not wanting to ruin ships they set up. The person who was A was being shipped with a liar. Spoiler below if you, for some reason, want to read the books In the books, Alison has a twin named Courtney. Alison, who has psychological problems, gets Courtney put in a mental institution, and the family changes their last name from DayDiLaurentis to DiLaurentis and move to a new town called Rosweood. Ali is the ultimate mean girl and isn't friends with the liars. When the girls are all 12, Courtney comes home for a weekend. She steals Ali's bracelet with her name on it and catches the girls trying to steal a flag (some school thing) from Ali's backyard. The parents are going to take Courtney back to the hospital, but since Courtney has Ali's bracelet, they take Ali in her place. This is where Courtney pretending to be Ali becomes friends with the Liars and ditches Ali's friends. Ali breaks out and on labor day weekend the summer between 7th and 8th grade, making them 13, and kills Courtney burying her in the backyard. 'Alison' is now missing and there is a 3 year time jump to where the books initially start making the liars 16. Anyways Mona is A like the show but Mona dies and Ali who is a legit serial killer becomes A and wants to kill the liars because she considers them accomplices to Courtney ruining her life.

[@DianaBell_MG]

Better angle, better quality, still can't figure out what Magic card that is. Great video though.

[@Rotilisk]

I think it's Mizzix, but it's hard to tell.

[@Giga-lemesh]

It is Mizzix

[@abderianagelast7868]

It's absolutely Mizzix!! Still one of my favorite cards of all time!

[@WillHerondale1878]

I'm confused about the correlation between trans and dolls. I've never heard that before. All the "doll maker" serial killers I've seen in media have been cis men, ie Arrow, and the three different episodes of criminal minds. Could someone explain?

[@wheresmyjetpack]

There's a common cliche that transfemme kids always played with dolls (caveat: it is of course representative of some experiences). If connected with a villainous transfemme seeing other women as dolls, it takes on Buffalo Bill connotations.

[@hufflepuffsbadger6665]

@@wheresmyjetpack Ya but as you mentioned "of course representative of some experiences" so why is Charlotte's experience any different? Her wanting to play with dolls while being a trans woman who liked dolls doesn't seem prejudiced to me at all. It just seems like she specifically has an interest. Although I'd argue that Mona played with dolls and as referenced Charlotte played with bodies. Which now knowing she's a trans woman it gives you a different more poetic look onto things. I feel like this video blew it out of proportion. I'm a trans man who writes LGBTQIA+ fictional stories (mainly epic fantasy LGBTQIA+ genre) and I don't find the show remotely at all transphobic, I think most of these are assumptions without allowing a trans antagonist POV to come into play which within itself is transphobic to keep a trans person from playing a villainous role in a storyline. I think villainous trans fictional characters are hot and an interesting topic since we struggle with Dysphoria and the lack of representation for internal conflict for a trans individual is a horribly negligent topic of choice. If anything it makes the antagonist in a book even more complex down to their very core because they were born the wrong sex and not just born into a twisted perspective on reality. When revealed Charlotte became my favourite character to the bitter end of the show, it made it all the more satisfying to watch her fall from grace. Although I also liked the idea of Charlotte taking them all down and ruining their lives in the end. Regardless Charottes character actually brings representation to the trans community, with the cisgender characters assuming "its a man" and then the implication of a trans woman with broad shoulders comes into play once the big reveal is revealed. And throughout the show they speculated if it was a man or a woman because A always wore an Alison mask and fake hair as if implying that this person wants to be Alison or a woman like Alison, giving that desire to be feminine all the more meaningful when the antagonist is a trans woman. I actually think the show is pro-trans because they left us on the edge of WHO this anonymous tormenting person is what their identity is. And at the end it's revealed to be a trans woman villainous antagonist who was wickedly smart and cunning and weaselled her way into the narrative with her intelligent mind. Which is actually quite beautiful and poetic for a fictional mystery story. And let's not forget this whole show took place in the early 2000s where mothers thought their trans kids were only considered trans if they played with certain toys as a child. It brings a lot more trans awareness than you realize if you take an even deeper delve into it. Lastly to sum it up, if it were transphobic, trans people wouldn't be referenced at all and given such a high standing role in a long-term famous tv series. Because that is enough screentime for a trans person's storyline to be built up and then revealed at the very end to a captivated audience of the masses. To reveal a transgender person to the masses on television in the 2000s era shows us representation of the trans community. Antagonist role or not, there is a trans person existing before your eyes. So no this show is not transphobic I am firm on disagreeing with this bull and feel offended that an antagonist character HAS TO BE cisgender and heterosexual because otherwise its "phobic" when reality check, its not phobic. Its revealing, representing, and I ask that ya'll stop with the rage bait and stop trying to do some cancel culture garbage on things that don't need it.

[@wheresmyjetpack]

@@hufflepuffsbadger6665 Did you read the second sentence? Her treating other women as dolls resonates with certain transmisogynistic villain archetypes, as seen at the extreme with Buffalo Bill, the idea that transfemmes objectify women aesthetically. I also completely disagree that having a prominent trans character at all means it's not transphobic. I don't know if you're just here because of the show or know Lily's work, but there are multiple examples in her videos of prominent transphobic depictions, as well as more positive ones. By extension, is it impossible to depict a major female character misogynistically, a major gay character homophobically, or a major black character in a racist fashion?

[@wheresmyjetpack]

By this logic, Ace Ventura can't be transphobic because a major character was trans.

[@alexschofield8085]

@@hufflepuffsbadger6665 perfectly fine: making your transfemme character enjoy dolls as a kid Less fine: making your only trans character so obsessed with dolls to the point of viewing real women as dolls that she owns and controls Perfectly fine: making a three dimensional, well thought out trans character a villain, preferably with other trans rep throughout the story Less fine: revealing that a villain is trans entirely for shock value, the only time the character’s transness is brought up is during that initial shock reveal, and then the character gets killed off

[@earthtoeden8977]

Whats crazy is I never watched the original series, but I watched the sequel series with a new cast and story, and they obviously placed a character who has an extensive knowledge and interest in horror movies in it to point out the tropes they use in the nea show, even name dropping movies to describe the tropes being used. This character even points out the transphobia rooted in old slashers, but I never realized the original series had it too 😭

[@Hi_Just_Fred]

That sounds like a rip off of a character from scream lmao Though honestly that type of character probably just became a whole trope itself in writing. As if having someone constantly point out all the tropes somehow immediately subverts still doing the exact same tropes.

[@ovorldtree4879]

Your haircut is looking very cute! 🥰

[@camx3316]

Don't lie 💀

[@jojoirish8523]

It's cracking me up the way they styled the little boy that plays child Charlotte. 😭🤣 Like the scarf is so . . .

[@cecilyheywood2675]

Well to be fair, Charlotte was just a kid, and there is a good amount of kids that aren't good at styling themselves.

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

Wonder if we're gonna see at some point a flood of good trans stuff someday. I wish I could make myself believe it is inevitable...

[@grumpysphinx4911]

I need a 10hr Once Upon a Time video from Lily

[@dicepudding]

Lily and Chill sounds like a good date frankly. I'm personally having an afternoon of Lily and Work.

[@LadyLightningstorm]

That sweater looks nice on you. It particularly compliments your hair.

[@therando485]

omg you pull off short hair SO well!! it looks so good on u!! /pos

[@mr.duck1246]

I watched the show a couple years ago and I have forgotten most of the plot lines. I completely forgot about charlotte, and all the plot surrounding that. It’s just such a long series and there’s so many different plot details my brain decided it needs the room for more important info lol

[@Ismaybeanerd]

I think because Pretty little liars has a mostly teen/tween fanbase, the creators justify making dumb twists as "oh it's a kids show so who cares"

[@bjupiter58]

The Mike's Mic mention in the screenshots?? The crossover...

[@youtubeuniversity3638]

As someone who's for sometime liked the idea of "Oh yeah this character's been trans and transitioned this whole time" this mangling of that just hurts. I think I'd want it to not even go into the whys or the timelines or anysuch even. If it must be major plot have it be a transphobic relative they've been avoiding has found them or somesuch, don't even bother telling us how the actual transition process had gone in the first place.

[@carolinaazevedo2088]

Could you talk about the trans representation of Ugly Betty? I think they did some things ok and some things very badly, but was an interesting thing to see in 2006

[@ColtimosYT]

What a twist ending. Who would've guessed. Colour me flumoxed.

[@SPAnComCat]

I'm back, Lilly! I'm Glad to you again, Mate!

[@SPAnComCat]

Shit, I Spelt yer Name Wrong! D'ah Bloody Hell! Well, Shit Happens I Guess.🤷

[@MarisaGold]

Hey Lily could you take a look at the anime Senpai is an Otokonoko? It’s a story about a high schooler who hides their trans identity from their mom but whose father arranges for them to go to school as a woman so they can safely experiment with their gender identity and presentation. The full season hasn’t aired yet, but so far the depiction of a clearly trans character who is questioning and trying to find their place in the world is really good and I would love to hear your thoughts.

[@Silverstar1995]

Lily "The Professional Rambler" Simpson

[@jamestown8398]

6:12 - Is this a mini lawyer who happens to be LGBT, a mini lawyer who specializes in LGBT matters, or both? Anyway, I like that your Inside Out world has a lawyer on standby.

[@sarahtelles1931]

You actually pretty much got it,Once Upon A Thing me always has a link to Rumpelstiltskin

[@funkytowncatmp4]

most unrealistic part of this is kid charlotte being allowed to wear a scarf in a psych ward

[@mayafeyplushie2025]

I am once again asking for the Transgender episode of Zombieland saga

[@omarbrown4602]

Your hair looks great!!!

[@mikey-wl2jt]

💯

[@micaiahleigh2449]

Been so excited for this one in particular as a huge fan of the books and mortal enemy of the TV adaptation

[@ihgdamT]

Those of us who were on tumblr at the time remember that basically the entire PLL fandom fully believed this reveal was going to be that Wren was A not Cece. We also believed that Marlene King was upset that the audience figured out her plan so she decided to change it during season 6 in a way that both doesn't make sense and is incredibly insensitive. I remember specifically that many people were upset after this reveal because earlier in the series Hanna refers to A as "him, her, it, bitch". The discourse around this line being that Hannah is spewing out a series of pronouns because she doesn't know the identity of A nor A's gender, but if Marlene really knew that A was going to be a trans woman, it is highly insensitive to write in a line where a character refers to the trans villain as "it". Anyways, Wren shoulda been A

[@iamovoxo25]

I agree. Wren was A. Before Cece reveal Marlene even said that "UBER A" was in the Pilot. Plus the conversations between Wren and Mona while she was at Radley. Not to mention Wren coloring in a picture of a family on a farm and a woman with a RED COAT on. I also have to mention that a picture of a "Wren" bird was actually shown in A's lair. A was also shown to be drinking the same exact drink that Wren ordered at The restaurant in the Pilot. It was totally Wren. I think him and Ezra were childhood friends and Ezra was his right-hand. It could've made so much sense.

[@dannysea6980]

Once Upon a Time mentioned? 👀 (there’s lots to unpack in that show haha)

[@lev5-5]

I used to love pll when I was a teenager, I was trying to figure out the ending when it was coming close and connecting all the clues. I figured out it was gonna be a trans thing but I was in denial about it until the reveal and I just remembered being so sad and tired about it. I came out at 13 and watched the show not long after

[@heylenareal]

"Lily & Chill" is now my fav dating activity 😂 🖤

[@notyourdaughter666]

i’ve been WAITING for this one!! i knew there’d be a video by you about this. i remember watching the show with my mom sometimes and this twist was always weird to me. like what? even my mom was mad when it happened because it made no sense and came out of nowhere. really glad to hear your take on it !!

[@msf2399]

As someone who was pretty good at school stuff and is coming to terms with probably being some form of genderqueer, can confirm that I have conducted many elaborate vengeance plots and never once been caught. (Mostly joking; I do like writing mystery & action stories though.)

[@MegaLinket]

More Pretty Little Liars content on KZbin? Let's go? My favorite show? Oh, it has transphobia in it. . . .

[@allisonroth]

I love when I open KZbin and the first recommended video is a new Lily Simpson video! Just started watching and I love the intro!

[@cascharles3838]

I think the fact that my first reaction to the character was "oh that's not too bad, they use her correct pronouns and aren't explicitly transphobic" shows just how much my expectations have been lowered for trans representation. Shit 😭

[@possitivelyinsane]

I'm writing fanfiction while listen/watching (picture in picture on phone) and I appreciate your videos keeping me company.

[@zoewww]

i’ve been WAITING FOR THIS ONR LILY

[@AlatheD]

Congrats on getting a sponsor, Lily! Yes, I listened to this while playing a game, because I do like listening to you and know absolutely nothing about Pretty Little Liars. But it's Lily!

[@sassafrasfruit]

I've seen a discussion recently on tumblr about how a lot of TMA people feel their thoughts about the transphobia in Rocky Horror Picture Show are often dismissed or laughed away by queer TME people who put that movie on a pedestal- worth noting Richard O'Brien, the creator, while himself not identifying with the gender binary, has said he doesn't think trans women are 'real women' & has defended JKR, and that combined with the way gender nonconformity is treated as evil and sexually promiscuous in the movie leaves a lot of TMA people feeling pretty alienated. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this subject, if you were ever interested in making a video on the topic!

[@SophieRoseLive]

the fact that people defend rocky horror is depressing

[@8877dksljfa]

I genuinely memory holed this oh my god

[@sircarrott]

I'm 18 now but I remember watching this show when I was awfully young and the way that the student/teacher relationship Aria (I think?) has is portrayed genuinely fucked up my understanding of appropriate relationships for YEARS. On a completely unrelated note, the short hair looks great!!

[@thatrantinggirl7376]

Literally vibrating at the idea of you making a pokemon deep dive omg

[@Ottos9]

Yo hair cut is fire 🔥 looks really chic

[@MadMorriganleft]

Yo I love your content. I listen/watch mostly while working on music. I just wanna say your outfit goes so hard! Absolutely beautiful

[@sailorstickybunz]

Lily is one of the few youtubers i could listen to for hours! Her cadence and the dry humor are engaging and mellifluous. ❤

[@TheoRae8289]

I love how I scrolled back up from browsing comments to see a brand new hair cut. Looks great, lily!

[@crittercreatureW0AH]

yoooo this video is very well done and i really enjoyed it!!!! (and the shorter haircut looks really good!) :D

[@noheterotho179]

Very well made video!! Also your haircut is gorgeous!!

[@waffles8364]

Does...does the writer think only trans women like dolls?

[@Awsome101Girl]

Lilly Charlotte is not Alison’s secret twin she’s her older sister, come on.

[@Karin-fj3eu]

To be fair she's the secret twin of the older brother of Alison