A lot of fans don’t like her. I don’t like her.

If fans were rating the girl’s mums from 1-4, Pam usually always scores lowest - and I think I know why.

Now let’s address the obvious: Before her redemption arc, Pam is a raging homophobe. The sheer hatred she treated her own daughter’s gf with and blaming that girl for “pulling her daughter into a lifestyle” as if gay is just a choice you can turn on and off makes my blood boil.

Fr Pam treated being gay like Emily was doing drugs etc, like even Emily’s father told Pam she was taking shit too far but she still continued.

Like don’t get me wrong, I know she came around and actually turned into an ally afterwards but most fans still hate her long after becoming an ally and I think I know why.

Pam Fields in my opinion isn’t written to the same standards as the other parents are.

I don’t agree with all the parents’ decisions in this show but we’re still invested in their stories, right? Like Byron is a piiieeccee of work but they make him layered and complex. Like he cheats on Ella with a student, makes Aria lie about it and emotionally blackmails her.

But BECAUSE he dated his (albeit, grown) student, he can spot the predatory signs in Ezra and tries to protect his daughter from dating her teacher.

Or, when he storms into Mike’s room ready to lay down the law only to soften when he sees him wrapped up in a blanket - then we learn Byron’s brother struggled with severe depression and he ended up taking his life…

When Ashley Marin is navigating the complexities of being a single mother, treading the line between financial struggle, yet still trying to be a sweet parent and keep up the appearance of being wealthy. Having to be civil with Tom when he moves back to Rosewood - navigating seeing her daughter get ready to attend the wedding of her father to another woman, having the daughter of the other woman attend the same school and having to be mature in a difficult situation.

You see, this complex character writing is not afforded to Pam.

Pam’s whole S1 personality is hating gays. Which, having a homophobic character is fine, I think it’s a story that we need to tell but there is no reason actually ever given for whyyy she hates gay people so much.

Like, do y’all remember the scene where Maya and Emily were laughing and playing footsie and this grownass woman, DEADASS goes into the cupboard to cry against the soup cans? It’s dumb scenes like that which makes Pam’s hatred look so cartoonish, like she is causing this dramatic scene but we are shown nothing to warrant her behaving like this, so naturally it just makes her come across as irritating and unserious.

Or when in the flashbacks she criticises Aria saying “what kind of parent would let their child go round looking like a goth?” really nastily but again, there’s no true reason.

All they say about Emily’s parents is that they are a strict military family but like… most adults in real life have reasons for their values. Even in the show, Byron, Ashley, Jessica, Veronica etc. they have reasons that inform how they raise their kids.

Pam is written how a 14-year-old would write a strict parent. So cartoonishly strict. Strict for the sake of being strict which to the audience comes across like she’s just a bitch on a power trip rather than an actual parent.

And the judgement calls she does make end up only making the situation fucking worseeee. Like sending Maya away and basically indirectly causing her death.

All for… what?

Now I will never completely blame Pam for Maya’s death but it’s just another thing where her strictness comes from no real sensible place.

And yes, I know no reason will ever be good enough or make us sympathise with her hatred but that’s not the point of the reasoning.

The point of the reasoning is that when she has a redemption arc and finally comes around - it means the only thing defining her personality is GONE. So we are left with a very one dimensional, flimsy side character that got nowhere near as much attention as the other parents (and yes, Emily’s being the only parents of colour in the main 4 is not lost on me either but hey, at least we meet them. We NEVER meet Maya’s parents 😃)

Also I don’t like how excluded her character is from the other parents. I started noticing this in that “Truth-Up Day” episode where the mothers finally wanna sit around and talk about the strange behaviours they have noticed in their girls and ofc Pam is the only mum that is not included (ofc theres Jessica but her being excluded actually makes sense) - however especially on a day like Truth Up day, there’s no reason for Pam not to be there as one of the main 4 mums.

I also notice how Pam never really interacts with the other mums in general like the rest of them do- there’s definitely this noticeable distance. Apart from when they get drunk and trapped in the basement… in season SIIIX.

Also Pam becoming an ally feels almost instant, like there’s no slowly building up to it, no subtle moments of her realising that her values may be wrong, no concrete scenes that really challenge her thought process - it’s like years of homophobia is just undone within a few weeks which is so unrealistic. Homophobia is so ingrained and so violent. And having a gay daughter doesn’t magically erase years of hatred.

You’re telling me that Pam is literally saying her daughter makes her sick to her STOMACH but then like a month later she’s batting for gay rights? I’m sorry that’s just lazy.

It’s a shame. I feel like Emily’s family deserved the same development the rest of them got. Especially since the child of a strict family being gay is a tale as old as time and was really a story they had the opportunity to flesh out and they just didn’t. They shat all over Emily’s story in general tbh but this post is already toooo long lmaooo so I’m going to leave it there.

S01 E17

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S01 E13

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