"I would have all these long conversations with Marlene, early on when I first got the role. A lot of questions were . This is notwithstanding the fact that two of the main leading men have the hacking skills of what youd expect out of CIA hopefuls but are just your average high schooler and English teacher. Charlotte is a character that may have been conceived in good faith, but seems to only exist to validate irrational, unrealistic fears of trans woman in a show with an already confusing political climate. 109 breezyjomc 6 mo. Lets just say that made it onto Rays script notes. Big A was worse than Mona in just about every way. Her real name isnt Cece, its Charlotte DiLaurentis, Alisons sister. Her being neglected and basically learning to devalue humanity, and her own humanity and her own truth, is what caused her to then devalue other humans and other life., Nobody would show her honest and unconditional love, that was not a part of her vocabulary, and because of it, she was able to fall down this path of just thinking of humans as dolls and not as people that have hearts and minds and souls, she continues. Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. Even apart from that history, it's not okay that the only trans character on the entire show is a violent sociopath. King has already addressed this critique of the episode, and argued that Charlotte wasn't the true villain: The real villain was Charlotte and Alison's transphobic father, whose abuse of Charlotte warped her and made her into A. Trans Character, Cis Actor - TV Tropes Original music by Elisheba Ittoop , Dan . Vanessa Ray as Charlotte/Cece on Pretty Little Liars. But the best-case scenario would be for the show to find a way to redeem her. Growing tired of playing with the liars in the Dollhouse, "A" decides to kidnap all of the girls current - and ex - boyfriends. In Pretty Little Liars, The Zombie Baby Doll Stalker is an anonymous figure. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? She didn't get to go to prom, .css-azif86{color:#000000;display:block;font-family:GTWalsheim,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-azif86:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.3;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-azif86{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.3;}}Family of Mallory Beach Gets $15M in Lawsuit, 35 Funny Christmas Movies That Will Make You LOL, 12 of the Scariest Horror Movie Characters Ever, Dahmer Victims' Families Speak Out Against Emmys, Check Out These New Photos from Heartstopper S2, 18 Classic Horror Movies You Have to Watch ASAP, 20 Hanukkah Movies That Will Light Up The Holiday, Nathan Lane Won't Be in "Only Murders" Season 3, The Bird Box Barcelona Ending, Explained. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. It just felt like the right story, so I wanted to be truthful and tell it in an honest way but also be sensitive to the transgender community, and I think we created a very well-rounded character who just happens to be transgender, she explains. We're still reeling from the truly shocking reveal, andwe weren't the only ones surprised. Neither are trans in real life. Granted, there were pre-transition flashbacks. 7 . Although the show attempted to give Charlotte an admittedly tragic backstory and clearly wanted viewers to sympathize with her, she did some really messed up things as A- including but not limited to multiple accounts of murder/attempted murder, and keeping 5 girls prisoner in an underground dungeon where she physically and psychologically tortured them so badly for months that all of them suffered clear effects of PTSD throughout the rest of the series. I havent abandoned this blog by any means, but I have been dealing with a lot of difficulties in my life. On the one hand, the character of Charlotte is a rare case of trans representation on TV, and while it hadn't tackled gender identity before, Pretty Little Liars has a history of being remarkably progressive on sexual orientation. 30 LGBTQ+ Characters Done Wrong Vs. Right - BuzzFeed When Sasha Pieterse was 13, she began playing Alison DiLauryntis on television. The first week I got the script was relatively soonafter the Caitlyn Jenner interview, so it was a very new conversation. History for Main/TransCharacterCisActor - TV Tropes But without further ado, allow me to introduce the subject of my first non-anime character review: Cece Drake from Pretty Little Liars. And that worry was always front and center in the mind of executive producer Marlene King, who wrote last night's episode, "Game Over, Charles." Throughout the series' current sixth season, it's been known that Charles DiLaurentis Ali's brother, long presumed dead was behind all of the Liars' hell, but it turned out, in Tuesday night's Season 6 mid-season finale, that "A" was none other than CeCe short for Charlotte Drake (Vanessa Ray), who was given the name Charles at birth. 6. Pretty Little Liars cannot completely backtrack and reveal that a different character was using Charles' name for the past season, but it can lessen CeCe's own crimes. And if so, why would she show up as Charles if she has already been through her transition? Her death has a great effect on the characters and is a major driving factor of the last 2 seasons, of course, but its still infuriating. First, the show puts us through several, increasingly less surprising reveals that slowly uncover Ceces involvement as the current A. The episode that finally admits shes the mastermind, the Season 6 mid-finale, is the same one that also goes into detail about her life as a transgender woman. After he returns to Rosewood, Caleb will have a second chance at hooking up with Hanna. Pretty Little Liars returns to ABC Family this winter. But it's also probably because she's transgender. And how to be cautious and careful in the way that we explained it. Cece Drake was after Alison because she was jealous of her. During this time, she was framed for the murder of another patient and subjected to extreme psychological and medical abuse by the staff. Despite knowing that Season 7 would be the last, the . At the end of Tuesday's episode, it leaped forward five years; the Liars were about to graduate from high school when the Charlotte revelations came out, and in the final scene, they were a year out of college, with Alison married and teaching at Rosewood High. I would like to, for one simple reason: I've become extremely invested in the lives of the four main Liars over these past six seasons. If Cece is indeed transgender, she would be one of the few transgender characters on television. CeCe has been a character on the show since season three, and was introduced as an older friend of Alison's whom the Liars never really knew. She has a red coat! What she is is a person who was neglected as a child, who was never shown love or any humanity and because of that she went down a path of neglecting other people as though their humanity didnt matter either. CeCe is at fault, but this is the first time we have confirmed it. That's also misgendering, and disrespectful of Charlotte's identity as a woman. Alec Soth/Magnum A dozen eggs, bacon, maybe some biscuits: CeCe McDonald had a modest. What Pretty Little Liars has done is use a character's transgender status to help explain why they did inexplicably cruel things. Something went wrong. An understanding of development can answer many questions about what is normal. But anyhow, it was later revealed that Charlotte was killed by the preceding A, who after turning a new leaf, accidentally killed her in a physical altercation following Charlotte explaining that she was never truly recovered. When the first A was committed to the same hospital, she told Charlotte stories about the 4 girls. "I think it's a wonderful, wonderful world that's becoming a better place for trans people," she said. Second of all, as Ken still didn't know that Jessica had some contact with Charles/CeCe - he would probably be outraged finding out that Charles/CeCe killed their only "perfect" daughter. Fans quickly tweeted their disappointment at the show, especially since it has handled LGBTissues so well so far. VR: "A little bit of both honestly, as you can expect. There has been much speculation about Ceces gender identity, as she often displays masculine characteristics. The body of Mona was never found until the episode aired on Tuesday night. Support our mission by making a gift today. "At its core, Pretty Little Liars is a story about the way men assume ownership over womens bodies, strip away their agency, deprive them of their of autonomy, deny them subjectivity, and silence them. (Note: Cece Drake is a show-exclusive character, and thus this review refers only to show, not the book series.). Mona could have just been a jealous cyber-bully. Alice also appears in the third seasons episode This Is A Dark Ride. Google Pay. Granted, it seems to be a lot more than most live action shows can do, but Charlottes character is definitely dragged down by dated, hurtful tropes and an extremely botched attempt to be progressive. You might say the Pretty Little Liars creators are very fascinated by that famous saying about the line between genius and insanity. That person known by fans as "Big A" or "Uber A" leads a group known as the "A-Team," of which at least seven different characters were members at various points, often without knowing who "Big A" was. Produced by Lynsea Garrison , Sydney Harper , Olivia Natt and Diana Nguyen. When I found out that Cece was A and transgender among otherthings, I threwthe script across the room and screamed. San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (SDGLN) is the top-read news source for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of San Diego. 17:How long have you known that you wereA? is cece trans? : r/PrettyLittleLiars - Reddit Of course, Spencer still manages to find game boards, puzzle pieces, and abandoned rooms and there seems to be a level of roaming about the facility which again, doesnt happen in real psychiatric facilities. ago It felt like most villains were part of some marginalized community in a weird way lol. Cece Drake has a complicated family life that complicates her relationship with Spencer. Pretty Little Liars, based on the book series by the same name by Sara Shepard, follows the lives of a group of 4 high school girls: Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, and Emily Fields, after their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, mysteriously disappears and they become the targets of an anonymous entity, known simply as "A", who bl. I. Marlene King, the show's creator and head writer (who wrote the finale), is openly gay herself. "She was a villain because she came from a very, very crazy family, so genetically she is probably a little crazy too. Throughout the series, Cece Drake, Alisons cousin and adoptive sister, has been introduced to the audience. The show also does make an attempt to illustrate the fact Charlotte was a victim of transmisogyny as a child, but that was evidently alleviated after her transition into a perfectly passing young woman played by a cisgender actress- which, we all know is just not the reality. Author Aria Montgomery Lucy Hale Charlotte DiLaurentis (formerly known as Charles DiLaurentis; born Charles Drake; alias CeCe Drake) is a character on Pretty Little Liars, first introduced in Season 3. We were pretty confident we would get a few negative responses and there are negative responses from people who just don't want to see transgender on TV at all," she said. That's why their mother tried to bury Alison: She didn't want to turn Charlotte in to the police and lose two daughters in one night. She believed she had killed her (she actually hadnt, though the other girl was killed when someone else mistook her for Ali), and retreated back to the sanatorium. She was tired of her old life and she wanted to start over. Though. For Ray, discovering the truth behind her character was an exciting, albeit, terrifying prospect mostly because the secretive nature of the show meant she only learned this all-important backstory at the table read for the episode. Last week, that deal fell apart. She is played by actress Ashley Benson. It may take fans forever to dig up all of the obvious clues that CeCe/Charlotte has been A all along, but Marlene is revealing that there aren't just clues, she straight up told viewers who A was. That being said, Pretty Little Liars does hit some right notes. She is portrayed by Vanessa Ray (present time) and Dylan Garza and Wyatt Hodge (in flashbacks). You have to support your theory, you have to do all thesethings. Bustle reached out to ABC Family for a statement regarding the CeCe storyline, but did not hear back at the time of publication. Since Big A took over the game from Mona in season three, she has done various awful things to the Liars, culminating in three weeks of torture in the dollhouse. "I wondered if people would see the honesty we put into her. (Spoiler alert: It did not.) Alison assisted Charlotte in getting mental health treatment at Welby State Hospital. 17:How have fans reacted? Note, due to the nature of the show and Ceces character, it is nigh impossible to discuss her portrayal without some massive spoilers, including big reveals well into the final season of the show. But as a psychologist in practice not unlike the shows Dr. Sullivan (although I certainly do not see groups of 4-5 teens in therapy! I've just been kind of loving everybody through it as best I can.". After six seasons of build-up and anticipation, Pretty Little Liars revealed that CeCe Drake is Charles DiLaurentis, creating what may be not just the most disappointing reveal in TV history, but the most offensive. There was a stray piece of metal sticking out of the wall and it stabbed CeCe directly in the neck, killing her by way of a freak accident. The Real Problem With "Pretty Little Liars'" Transgender Storyline Correction: This post originally said that Bethany Young killed a nurse at Radley; she killed Mrs. Cavanaugh, a former nurse who was then a patient at Radley. Including, that is, the ubiquity of the worst of mental healthsanitariums, straitjackets, that human muzzle from Silence of the Lambs (whose terrifying movie cover image kept me from ever watching the film in the first place), and even a disturbing dance number from Maddie Ziegler, known for her performance in Sias Chandelier music video. If you've never seen the show, the basic premise is that the foursome at its center ("the Liars") used to be extremely close friends with Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), who served as the clique's Queen Bee and was generally an awful person. 17:When you found out you were A, is thatwhen you found out about the transgender story line? If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? For more on Pretty Little Liars, check out Bustle's podcast Taking This One To The Grave: Ryan From 'High School Musical' May Have Finally Gotten The Romance He Deserves, Aidans Return On 'And Just Like That' Has Twitter Worried, Jelly Shippers Will Love This Scene In TSITP, Set To A Niall Horan Song. Menopause Is Having a Moment - The New York Times Nothing, we repeat nothing, is a coincidence in Rosewood. By submitting your email, you agree to our, How Pretty Little Liars managed to outrage its most devoted progressivefans, Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword, The Air Quality Index and how to use it, explained, Barbieheimer: Destroyer of worlds, savior of cinema. No, I am not a criminal expert or forensic psychologist. Pretty Little Liars is a fantastic TV show. How do we delicately explain that CeCe is A and is the bag guy/girl, because of neglect and because of her family dynamic? But her worst crime against the girls, by far, involved kidnapping them and trapping them in a prison known as the "Dollhouse," inflicting repeated psychological torture on them for weeks until they were eventually rescued. I consider myself one who would have proudly passed the famous marshmallow test of Walter Mischel had I been one of those kindergartners being tested for delay of gratification. Mona ends up in a mental institute called Radley Sanitarium (sanitariums having been replaced by psychiatric wards in hospitals long ago, and certainly not looking like what is sensationalized on the show) at the end of season one the moment when the missing psychologist Dr. Sullivan returns with a diagnosis (if you can call it that) which explains Monas terrorizing of the girls. She also faked Mona's death and imprisoned her in the Dollhouse, making her dress up as and pretend to be Alison at all times. Do you think that A was always supposed to be CeCee or was it - Reddit The girls then proceed to break just about every law on the books regarding trespassing, breaking and entering, wiretapping, and so forth trying to stop and unmask A (and solve Alison's "murder"). "I didn't want people to think that this person was a villain because of their gender identity," she told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. Despite all that, though, all the main characters- including the now very alive Alison- plead with Charlotte and express forgiveness. We haven't really discussed it, but my feelingis thatso much of Charlotte I feel like the cooler of the characters is Charlotte for me,the true, honest, broken little kid is Charlotteand she didn't get to have a childhood experience like her siblings did. The sixth season.During the first half Jenna is disabled. Charlotte believed that the 4 had moved on and believed that they were happy Alison was dead. We see that she always refers to Jessica as her mom and her story revolves around Jessica, Kenneth, Jason, and Alison being her family. I have actually received several tweets and comments from trans fans of the show who loved it. Ceces adoptive mother, Alison, and her biological mother, Spencer, both appear in Game Over, Charles, as both her adoptive sisters and biological half-sisters. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it put the global food supply at risk until the two countries struck an unusual deal to keep shipments flowing. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); TGM is a blog devoted to viewing and reviewing various depictions of trans women, or characters coded as so, in fiction with a focus on anime. King also took a moment to clarify one of the loudest complaints: that a cisgender actor was playing a trans character. It's a mysterious package, delivered by subtle sensory clues. Or I did, anyway, before the "summer finale" of its sixth season aired Tuesday night. She also has a close relationship with her friend Lucas, who is also transgender. Do you think they've been accepting, or are you receiving a lot of backlash? Normanis openly gay, and has directed the incredibly powerful and positive LGBTstorylines on The Fosters. CeCe is trans. It gave me a little bit of time to sit and think about this. Immediately after giving her a sympathetic backstory and a path to recovery, they kill her off. Game on, bitches. Charlotte and Alison's father was deeply transphobic and locked Charlotte in Radley Sanitarium at a young age. Ray and King filming "Game Over Charles.". PLL directorNorman Buckley confirmed that he feels she'spsychotic. Original music by . For the next 3 seasons, Cece is a recurring character who pendulums wildly from good, but irresponsible friend to absolutely, without a doubt, totally evil. Her status as a transgender woman isnt revealed so soon, though. Russia's Newest Target: The Global Food Supply Defenses from other people not attached to the show were more compelling. 7 Reasons Cece Drake Is Definitely Red Coat - Seventeen When you meet your family member, the way that they move is a way that feels familiar to you, and the way that you talk feels familiar to you. Even two months ago, we weren't having the conversation about how to be sensitive to thetransgender community,and we weren't even havingthat conversation when I first saw the script. The weird stream that the girls watched for CeCe's confession, the fact that CeCe was dressed as a masculine figure in the dollhouse when she is female presenting. Pretty Little Liars: CeCe Drake, played by cis actress Vanessa Ray, was revealed to be a trans woman and the main antagonist A. As if being pidegonholed into yet another sadistic, murderous villain wasnt enough, she had to die violently as well. No, she was not, as was revealed at the conclusion of season four after years of hints; she was merely hit in the head with a rock and partially buried alive by her mother, after which she left. Sign up for the Last season Marlene King revealed that A's real name is Charles, and that wasn't a total lie. She quotes Hugh Ryan of the Pop Up Museum of Queer History arguing that Charlotte actually represents progress in treatment of trans villains: "It used to be: If you were trans, that was the reason you were a villain, like Sleepaway Camp or The Wasp Factory. Behind That Controversial "Pretty Little Liars" Transgender Reveal Rollins was not a real doctor so Cece Drake was never actually - Reddit Charlotte represents not only a lot of uncomfortable tropes concerning fictional transgender woman, but also a lot of horrible ideals: that trans women are violent, that theyre liars, deceivers, that their identity is a disguise. Technology is here to stay, so think about your relationship with it. Claire Bowden was a lawyer who served as Mike Ross love interest on Suits, and Troian Bellisario portrayed her. Get the help you need from a therapist near youa FREE service from Psychology Today. Mainly just the fact that Charlotte is never misgendered, other than by characters who simply do not know who she is and only knew who her as Charles. No characters ever react negatively to her being transgender, though there is a very formulated element of shock concerning the big reveal. You can also contribute via. With Alex Stern. But the ABC Family show is also a great modern take on themes from detective fiction and film noir, a deliberate and potent exaggeration of high school conflict that works for the same reason Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars did, an unusually sophisticated treatment of teen sexuality, and a surprisingly powerful indictment of the patriarchy. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. "I'm so supportive of this character and this story," Ray said. Even if we are talking about the personality disorder category, wed be looking at individuals with histories of abuse and traumatic upbringings. Vanessa Ray, who has played CeCe Drake since season 3 on the ABC Family mystery, tells PEOPLE she received the script revealing character's true identity in June - the same week that Jenner's. Charlie (played by Jason DiLaurentis) and Freddie (played by Jessica) are two siblings. 12 Cisgender Actors Who Played Trans Roles on TV - Advocate.com I think some people were not satisfied with CeCe being 'A,' but I hope they're at least satisfied with the thought and care that was put into it.". It was really important the way that we told this story, because its really important that people recognize that her being transgender didnt make her A. I mean,it's like anything, when you're a fan of this show specifically, and many other showslike, I remember having this feeling with Gossip Girl. She is known for her roles on Pretty Little Liars as Charlotte Drake, on legal drama Suits as Jenny, on soap opera As the World Turns as Teri Ciccone, on police drama Blue Bloods as Officer Edit "Eddie" Janko-Reagan, and on White Collar as Maggie "Rocker" Sheldon. Usually, a TV show adding a transgender character would be something to celebrate, since there is not nearly enough trans representation in media. After five andahalf seasons,A was finally revealed on Pretty Little Liars. In fact, its Alisons acceptance of her as a woman and calling out to her by the name of Charlotte that convinces her to give up The Game. One time-skip later in the next episode, and she has undergone 5 years of unspecified treatment and is apparently at a point where shes able to released into Alisons care. I didn't find out until early June, that was when westarted filming. She has worked at PEOPLE since 2014. Her actions clearly demonstrate her desire to exact revenge on Spencer, but it is unknown what her motivation is. "To be honest, I see a lot more of those than people who were upset about a transgender villain. So the question becomes: Now what? However, let's not get ahead of ourselves, and start with the root of Pretty Little Liars' newly-introduced problem. Drake Spills The Tea On The Real Reason Why He Hasn't - HuffPost
