Pretty Little Liars: The Disastrous Halloween Episode That Was.

I've been a fan of 'Pretty Little Liars' since the beginning of the show's première. Since then, the show has had some incredible ground-breaking moments, but has also suffered from some pretty sad lows. Each year, the highly anticipated Halloween episode never fails to shock, surprise and entertain fans like myself. They've always almost gained a reputation amongst the fans, for being so brilliantly constructed. Almost ... 

Since the show began to gain worldwide success, it is pretty evident that there has been some commercial interference occurring. We've seen product placement, and also the prolonging of story lines, ensuring that the show has as many seasons as possible to keep executives happy. This has definitely affected the quality of the show. Before the première of the fourth season, the producers had to have a recap episode to remind fans of all the small unresolved story lines that had occurred in previous seasons. In my opinion, it wouldn't have been a problem if some of these story lines were addressed in an appropriate time frame. It's safe to say I've had my frustrations with the show. But this year's Halloween episode was a completely new low. The episode seemed to completely and utterly revolve around the world of Ravenswood. Sure, I see the potential for the show. I do. Having a casual association in the episode would have been alright. But having it become a predominant part of the episode, really affected the quality of this year's Halloween episode. All in all, this episode felt just like a promotional tool for 'Ravenswood'. 

                       

The usual standard with 'Pretty Little Liars' Halloween episodes is pretty high, involving unexpected scares and jaw-dropping twists, but majority of this episode was shockingly uneventful. It is ridiculous how marketed this episode was - and not even for it's own benefit! Where was the thriller? The suspense, that kept me on the edge of my seat? I felt like most of my time spent watching this episode, my energy was spent on trying to pay attention. In short - I couldn't care less about what I was watching. I felt pretty bored and surprisingly detached. Partly the reason why I didn't like the merging of these shows was because, I found that the paranormal supernatural element of Ravenswood didn't fit into the world of PLL. Personally, I find the whole setting of PLL in modern day reality pretty terrifying. The fact that A, this all knowing, all seeing force, is actually human, is just pretty scary. The supernatural world of Ravenswood destroyed the some-what realistic atmosphere of PLL. It completely detracted from the thrill of the show - entirely.

The only thing that saved this episode was the last couple of minutes, where producers decided to add the biggest shock of them all just to keep PLL fans happy and satisfied - introducing red coat as .... Alison. To add only one event, one prime moment in a forty minute episode to keep fans keen for the next season was a cheap shot. It's sad to see the potential of this episode wasted! I was excited to see more about Ezra's role in the A-team, find out more about Alison, and maybe even see the girls catching on Ezra's odd impeccable timing. I do like the fact that they've been fooled and I do want to see this mystery unravel further. But this move was a violation as my rights as a viewer. I pray they never do this again.
What did you think of 'Let The Maid Go'? What did you think of Alison's reveal? (I'm pretty sure we all saw it coming though!) Out of curiosity - has anyone given Ravenswood a try? Let me know, in the comments below!