If you follow me on Twitter, which you should, then you know I have an affinity for Lucy Hale. My adoration can be traced back to her first audition on American Juniors. You see, back in summer of 2003 I was an impressionable 12 year old in awe of both Hale's beauty and talent. When the group that Juniors spawned went nowhere, I wasn't terribly shocked. Ratings for the show had been poor and 19 Entertainment never really carved out the audience they wanted to cater to.
Flashforward 3 years to the penultimate episode of The O.C.'s third season. After a year's worth of guest stars who I didn't care about...at all, I was pleasantly surprised to see Lucy's face come across my screen. Since then, I followed Hale's career. I watched Bionic Woman for a few episodes before concluding that even she couldn't save the show from itself. I watched all 18 episodes of The CW's Privileged, a show that I genuinely cherished.
Why am I telling you all of this seemingly tangential information? I thought that, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you I had a predisposition to like Pretty Little Liars. One of my followers asked me if my relentless campaigning for the show was based on my love the novels, the show's concept, or the fact that I'd seen the pilot. The answer was: none of the the above. I campaigned relentlessly because I wanted to see Hale succeed. So, what do I think of the show now that I've seen it?
I liked the Pilot a lot. I won't say that I loved it or that it had me doing cartwheels but it was a serviceable entrance into the world of Rosewood and its secrets. However, certain aspects of the pilot worked better than others.
I was pretty content with the casting and the acting. As my diatribe above indicated, I like Lucy Hale. And, unsurprisingly, I like her as Aria. It was a clever decision on novelist Sara Shepard's decision to have Aria leave Rosewood after her friend Alison's disappearance. Because, Aria's return makes her the audiences entry point. We are just as unfamiliar with Rosewood as she is, having been away for a year. But, Aria still knows enough about the town that she isn't a total outsider. Hale is able to unleash her charm as Aria but I did find it ironic that she would be mistaken for a college student, given that Hale has made jokes in the past about people always thinking she was younger than her actual age.
Of the remaining 4 girls, I was familiar with only Sasha Pieterse. Having been one of the few individuals who watched her long forgotten WB series Family Affair, it was bit odd to see her looking so grown up. At just 14, Pieterse is the youngest of the 5 girls and her role is also the smallest, which is probably a good thing. The Alison character is clearly suppose to be a bitch and I didn't buy that bitchiness coming out of Pieterse's mouth. Shay Mitchell was the standout of the other 3 for me. Her character immediately seemed more fleshed out than Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario's. Having said that Benson and Bellisario both did well with what they were given.
Some of the supporting players will look more familiar to audiences. The casting of Holly Marie Combs as Hale's mother on the show made more than a few TV critics sit back and think about how long its been since Charmed debuted on The WB back in 1998. But, in last night's episode there was real chemistry between the two actors that seemed genuine without being syrupy. Chad Lowe, on the other hand, didn't win me over as Hale's father. Maybe its because I spent a good portion of the episode wondering why Alexis Denisof had been fired from the role, but its more likely that my distaste stemmed from the poor dialogue shared between the two. Rounding out the "famous" parents who we were introduced to in the pilot was Laura Leighton. Leighton is playing a more stable version of her Sydney character from Melrose Place but she's managed to maintain her edge.
Former One Tree Hill cast member Torrey DeVitto plays yet another bitchy character, in this case Bellisario's sister. Former ER cast member and future My Generation star Julian Morris plays DeVitto's fiance. PS: I've seen the pilot for My Generation and its really great.
Writer Marlene King tried to fit a great deal into the pilot which, unfortunately, made it difficult to grasp onto the different characters. For much of the episode, it felt like I was being hit with plot point after plot point. And, the episode's ending was beyond melodramatic. Having said that, the show definitely kept me interested and earned itself several more viewings.
Also worth noting, the music in the pilot was absolutely fantastic. Though this isn't terribly surprising considering that Chris Mollere is acting as the show's music supervisor. Mollere serves in the same capacity on The Vampire Diaries, and makes fantastic decisions with their music as well.
Note: Pretty Little Liars drew 2.5 million viewers, which is below the debut of Secret Life of the American Teenager, while matching the premiere of Make It or Break It.
Wesley Ambrecht is a staff writer for both GreenShoelace.com and Newestra.com. He also works in a freelance capacity for a number of other sites. Follow him on Twitter here
