To people who say Paige is only staying because Ali is pregnant. You are right.
So I got a lot of quotes and mentions and stuff from shippers of you-know-who telling me that Paige has only kissed Emily and only wants to stay because she discovered that Alison is pregnant. Well I think this is correct. But not because Paige is jealous and wants Emily for herself and wants Alison to die alone with the Emison baby (not my words). Not because she is manipulating Emily to fall for her or for whatever twisted reason.Â
Let’s look into this.
Time code 17min into the episode:
First stop right there: As soon as Emily saw Paige again she thought they were going to get another chance. So that’s 7x08. And yeah they flirted like hell, you can’t deny that. And the scene where Em says she regrets being the reason they broke up tells all.
Emily: I was the reason we broke up.
Paige: Hey. As good as things were between us when they were right, it’s no guarantee it would have lasted. Something else could have just as easily come up.
Emily: Yeah?! Like what?
Then in 7x09 Emily called Paige at night to tell her about Noel. Then 7x10 happened and Emison kissed and Paige wasn’t going to get shit on again.
Let’s go back to 7x14.
Paige: You and Ali are still keeping secrets.
Em: I told you, it’s not what you think it is.
Second stop: Paige thinks something is going on between Emily and Alison and Emily talked to Paige about it, telling her that it’s not. (Erm hello? Lying much Emily?)
Paige: Maybe not, but when I see you two whispering in the hallways it takes me back to high school too. To feeling small, and insecure, and paranoid.
Third stop: Paige recognizes what it does to her seeing them together and she acknowledges that it makes her feel like shit, hence why she left when Emily was talking to her earlier in the ep and Alison showed up. She doesn’t want to interfere between them now.
Look how Alison is assessing Emily’s reaction to Paige leaving when she entered the room and as soon as Emily looks at her she looks away. God Sasha is so good.
But may I remind you what happened in high school?
Alison was bullying Paige. Paige had a crush on Emily, got manipulated by Alison to write Emily a letter about it and Alison kept it as blackmail.
There is no way Paige could have been 100% sure Emily wasn’t on it as well. She may have thought that both Emily and Alison had played her. And she then developed so much hate about herself because of her feelings for Emily that happened what happened (looking at you the head dunk).
Paige: I don’t wanna feel those things anymore.
Emily: You don’t have to.
Paige: I know I don’t. I can just go somewhere else.
Fourth stop: Emily told Paige she didn’t have to feel small and insecure and paranoid about her and Ali. (Seriously the writers are doing some reaaaal shit to both ships right there) and instead of getting sucked in by old habits (erm erm 7x10) Paige just offers to leave.
Let’s fast forward to 21min so AFTER the scene that just happened.
Yup, it was shitty for Paige to see the appointment. Really shitty (you know we can’t have nice things) but I doubt that Paige knew for sure that it was Ali’s bag, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have looked at the leaflet myself because of the bright colors and this post isn’t about that fact but to answer some shit I got.
So yeah. Paige found out Alison had an appointment to have an abortion. (And look at that screen and tell me she doesn’t feel shitty about that.)
50 shades of grey’s outfit.
And now let’s fast forward to 25.14min (can they stop englobing Paily scenes with Alison scenes? Try a little subtlety guys.)
Paige: I’m not the only one with demons. (…) This decision was a lot easier when the world seemed black or white.
And that dearies is the line I really wanna talk about.
Paige just said that Alison isn’t all evil. Despite everything that happened between them. She acknowledged (fuck this word is hard to write for a non-English speaker) that she isn’t everything to Emily by saying that basically, Alison having her own demons, she needs Emily. And that’s okay. Alison isn’t playing anymore, she got proof of that. It was easier for her to hate Alison and to see her all black and no white when she thought she was playing with Emily’s feelings again. But now she knows she isn’t. So she knows (well she thinks she knows) that what’s going on between Emily and Alison isn’t romantic so everything that was keeping her from being with Emily is gone.
For now because we know what happens in 7x15. So please just let us enjoy the break before you get your endgame.
Side note: I hope this post also “helped” people that say that Emily kissed Paige because she knows she can’t be with Alison at the moment. I’m not one to gloat or attack people, rubbing them Paily on their face, so please, a little civility.
