Pretty Little Liars Round Table: Taking The Blame

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Hanna Marin has matured a lot throughout the course of Pretty Little Liars. 

On Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 16, we got to see that in motion during a tough time for Spencer. 

TV Fanatics Meaghan Frey, Yana Grebenyuk and Jay Ruymann, discuss Hanna's admission, Emison and whether Spencer made the right move. 

What did you think of Spencer stealing the drive from Furey?

Meaghan: It was a ballsy move for sure, but not necessarily the smartest one. Furey was already pissed enough. Now, not only did she steal from him but she showed him that she has the upper hand in the situation. He is going to want payback, and he is most likely going to come at the Liars harder than anyone ever has.

Yana: I would have done it. Although I'm not sure if I would have visited him in the first place because they were never that close for him to want to help her now, especially since he isn't stupid and understood exactly what she was doing. Trying to spin it like he can't reveal that she was in his apartment was pure genius though. 

Jay: I think Spencer knew all along she could use being alone at Marco's apartment to her advantage. He can't turn her in without getting himself in trouble, but she's just, as Hanna would put it, "poking the bear." How long until he pokes back?

Are you shipping Emison, or do you find it bizarre considering the circumstances?

Meaghan: I have been back and forth on my feelings towards Emison the entire series, but I think I'm all in now. At least the writers are wrapping up that ship and bringing it towards endgame rather than still playing the back and forth (I'm looking at you Ezria and Spoby).

With so few episodes left they needed to have something happen that would close the book on them forever or push them together once and for all. So, no matter how bizarre the circumstances, it accomplished that.

I guess sometimes all it takes is some stolen frozen eggs and a little bit of non-consensual implantation to show you how you truly feel. 

Yana: I wanted them together until they actually did it. Because of course, it had to be through some non-consensual egg stealing and impregnating and total invasion of privacy. Not only that, this was an invasion of both of their bodies, and it is just so messed up. I hate it, and I hate how much of a cop out it felt. 

Even Alison saying she never could make it work with anyone else because she loved Emily felt weird. She could never make it work because every single person she dated was freaking crazy. There were no actual stable relationships and somehow warping that to fit it into a happily ever after makes no sense. 

At the end of the day, they would never have Aria or Hanna get knocked up by some stranger with a hint of Ezra or Caleb to get that couple back together. Not that anyone should be violated like that ever, especially with how the show didn't handle it.

But the fact that this was meant to be a "we wanted to make this queer ship happen all along" and then they pull the grossest way to push them together...I hate it. And I hate the use of a baby as if those two couldn't just gravitate towards each other normally.

Like two people in each other's lives who have feelings for one another and make it happen. Please make me stop talking before I get really angry. 

Jay: I hate the two as a couple. To this day, Alison still hasn't addressed all of the emotional manipulation and abuse she's put Emily through over the years, and as someone who has been through a similar, much shorter-lived situation, that alone is the reason I cannot get behind Emison.

Other than that, this story with Emily's eggs is awful. The writers are completely ignoring the fact that Alison being impregnated by force is sexual assault and ignoring all of the emotions that go with that. The writers bit off more than they can chew.

Furious Furey - Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 16

How did you feel about Lucas chatting with Charles/Charlotte about the liars taunting him?

Meaghan: Can't say I blame him. No matter how reformed Ali has been since the time jump, we can't ignore the fact that she used to be the Regina George of Rosewood High. 

The girl called him a hermaphrodite on a daily basis and made his life a living hell. Of course, he was going to vent to pretty much his only friend about it. How was he supposed to know that this friend would end up being a psycho stalker that would use their comic book, oops I mean graphic novel, to torture them?

Yana: I don't see an issue. Lucas suffered a lot from that taunting and who wouldn't complain to a friend they felt safe with? It isn't like he knew what would happen and it was his right when he was younger to share his issues. He couldn't calculate that Charlotte would then go and use that and his work to hurt them. 

Jay: He went to an old friend to vent about his being mistreated at school. We've all been there. It's not his fault that old friend turned out to be a mentally unstable sociopath.

Banding Together - Pretty Little Liars

Will Mona go dark in the wake of the liars not trusting her despite many attempts to help them?

Meaghan: No. She loves Hanna too much to go dark again. I think she will play a huge part in bringing down A.D. and I think that will finally be the moment that the girls trust her. Just in time for them to all go their separate ways.

Yana: I agree with Meaghan. I do think that it isn't fair to Mona though and I wish someone were on her side. She does nothing but try to help, and she still is treated like the odd one out. Maybe them realizing that Aria is helping the dark side will shift their perspective on Mona. 

Jay: I think Mona is going to sacrifice herself completely before the girls realize that she's there to help them. I have a feeling Mona won't make it out alive; who knows the game better than an A herself? She's going to be instrumental in taking down A.D.

React to Hanna admitting Spencer's lapse in judgment was partly her fault. 

Meaghan: Hanna wins the award for most matured since the start of the series. I think Pretty Little Liars Season 1 Hanna would be clueless about the part she played, but this Hanna knows better.

She gets that she hurt Spencer and also that she is the reason Spencer is in this situation in the first place and like the true friend she is, she is willing to do whatever it takes to fix this for Spencer. 

Yana: I love Hanna, and I love how far she has come. Obviously, Spencer messed up, but Hanna and that whole Caleb situation were a lot for one person to handle when combined with a murder. This is a small piece of that big core of the show that we need to be seeing more at the end of the show.

The girls and their friendships are what matter most.

Jay: "Partly"? The reason Spencer was in that bar was completely due to Hanna. Hanna and Caleb cheated and broke Spencer's heart because she'd fallen in love with him. Not to mention that Spencer was only assigned this task because Hanna literally killed someone. Hanna's partial admittance isn't enough.

Remember you can watch Pretty Little Liars online right here via TV Fanatic. Get caught up now!

Over to you, Pretty Little Liars Fanatics. What did you think of the episode?

Sound off below!

Note: Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 17 airs June 6 on Freeform. 

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.

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Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 16 Quotes

Furey: Are you okay?
Spencer: That's sort of like setting fire to my house and asking if I'm too warm.

Barry: Do you remember a joke you said to Detective Furey about burying a body?
Spencer: Yes, and I also recall unbuckling his belt in the elevator.