Paige McCullers

"I had nobody to turn to. I was completely alone."

- Paige

Paige McCullers is a character in Pretty Little Liars television series on ABC Family. She is portrayed by Lindsey Shaw.

Paige is a talented swimmer and a pretty good fighter, as we see in This Is A Dark Ride. She is part of Rosewood High School's swim team. In the absence of Emily Fields, Paige had become the top dog of the swim team and was aiming to become the swim team captain. When Emily came back, she felt threatened. She was up against Emily for the Anchor Leg and tried to sabotage Emily via intimidation. However, soon after, Paige comes out as a lesbian to Emily, her long time crush, and briefly dates her. Emily ends the relationship due to Paige not wanting to come out publicly. They eventually begin dating again in Stolen Kisses long after Paige had comes out publicly and Maya is murdered. Aria, Hanna, and Spencer began to suspect Paige of being an 'A' in Single Fright Female, a belief that angered Emily, putting her at odds with the Liars. In The Lady Killer, Paige seems to be officially cleared as an 'A' due to Mona and Toby's plan to frame her for Maya's murder.

Series
Paige makes her debut in If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again, distributing gifts to her teammate's in the girls' locker room, vying to be swim captain. She fails at winning them over with presents and a pep talk, but Coach Fulton cuts her short, embarrassing Paige mid-sentence in front of everyone. To add insult to injury, Coach Fulton lets the girls know that Emily has broken a new record and encourages the girls to be like Emily. Abashed, Paige leaves the locker room in a huff.
 * -|Season 1=

After swim practice, Paige saunters over to Emily, where she's just finished getting dressed after swim practice. Paige teasingly picks up Emily's bra and comments "pretty." She sarcastically congratulates Emily on the second record she's broken in two days, but Emily is unfazed by Paige's behavior and her comment about needing to test Emily for steroids. But when Paige makes a nasty comment about Emily's homosexuality, Emily gets nasty back and warns Paige that she will need to work harder if she wants to beat her. And with that, Emily slams her locker shut and leaves.

Later, Coach Fulton calls Paige and Emily into the locker room for a serious discussion about a homophobic comment, but Emily talks it down, not willing to divulge any details, calling it "a misunderstanding." Paige just looks on silently with a sober expression. After Emily's assurances, Coach Fulton dismisses Paige, then persists in her attempts to find out what happened. But, Emily insists that it is nothing and asks to leave.

The next day, Emily swims alone at the pool, doing some practice laps. When she surfaces for air at the edge of the pool, a hand forces her back in, nearly drowning her. Emily fights back, finally managing to remove her goggles and scream defiantly at—Paige. Unabashed, Paige accuses Emily of trying to replace her, as Coach Fulton has changed the two teammates places in the lineup, making Emily the new anchor. So, Emily barks that Paige should take her beef to Coach Fulton, not her, and Paige mocks Emily for seemingly having done that already.

In the episode Je Suis une Amie, Paige and Emily tie for best time, so it is yet undetermined who will serve as anchor the following day. So, Coach Fulton arranges for a swim-off the following morning to figure it out later. Emily is patient, but Paige is not and snaps at Emily unprovoked.

Paige shows up at Emily's doorstep, late that night, soaked from the pouring rain. She apologizes to Emily for blowing up at her and seems very repentant. Emily is moved, though unsure how to react. The next morning in the locker room, Coach Fulton lets Emily know that she will be anchor today, as the swim off is canceled due to Paige's having gotten into a minor bicycle accident on her way home in the rain the night before.

After the meet, Emily and Paige talk to each other, alone by the poolside. It seems that Emily had tried to contact Paige, but the latter hadn't returned her phone calls, not knowing what to say. Paige also reveals what she felt at the moment of her bike accident in the rain: an ironic sense of relief that she didn't have to swim. Emily lets Paige know that she has been there too; she tells her know friend that the way she got over not wanting to swim any longer was by starting to do it for fun, instead of for others. She encourages Paige to try it, and the two go for a casual swim together.

In The New Normal, Nick McCullers, Paige’s father, makes an entrance in the cafeteria where all the students are sitting and demands to see Coach Fulton. Ezra rises, taking in Mr. McCullers barking tone. He offers to walk him out to the principal's office, but apparently he's already been there, complaining that Emily has been given special treatment on the swim team because she’s gay. Before Mr. McCullers can repeat his allegation, Ezra reminds him that the students are watching and escorts him into the hallway, thus diffusing the situation. The student body looks on, scandalized, and Paige disappears quickly, utterly humiliated.

After lunch, Paige corners Emily and begs her to believe her that she had nothing to do with her father's display. Emily thinks that it's because she's gay, but Paige tells her that's not it. Emily leaves, saying she needs to go to class.

As Emily is about to drive home, Paige gets into the car and says that Emily has it so easy. Emily goes off on her, but she is shut up with a kiss. Emily is in shock and all Paige can say is “don’t tell” before getting out of the car.

After that, Paige avoids Emily, not knowing quite how to deal with the fact that she's kissed her. She goes so far as to swim later at night, knowing Emily is only there in the mornings. Paige makes up a story about her aunt, but Emily calls her out on her behavior. Emily tries to push the issue, but Paige would just have Emily forget it. Emily replies "Consider it forgotten."

Later that night, in A Person of Interest, Paige ask Emily to meet her in a secluded pub where no one knows them and talk about what happened. Emily meets her there and Paige gets Emily to get up and sing karaoke. When they leave, Emily kisses Paige out in the parking lot.

The next day, Emily goes to meet Paige for a picnic, and the two girls lie on the grass together in the sunshine, but when Emily suggests attending a concert together, Paige refuses because they might be seen together. Paige says she doesn't mean to hurt Emily's feelings, but Emily walks away, not ready to go back into the closet.

In Someone to Watch Over Me, Sean and Paige share a table and jokes in the lunch room, clearly flirting with each other. Emily can’t help but wonder if there could ever be a future between her and Paige. Later, Emily confronts Paige about her relationship with Sean; after all, Paige did kiss her. However, Paige acts nonchalant and seems to be looking forward to their date, distancing herself from Emily.

After the date, Paige texts Emily and goes over and talks about her date and says that the whole date felt like it was phony and wasn't real. Then she says that if she comes out then the whole world will change, and Emily says yeah, it will. Emily explains that before she was out that she would pick out people like Paige who would pull her up on stage and sing because that's something she would not have done. Then they start kissing.

In Monsters in the End, Paige gets tickets for her and Emily, but also for a boy as insurance against people thinking they are on a date. Paige thinks its a great idea, but Emily doesn't like it. She is disappointed that Paige still doesn't want to be seen alone in public with her. Paige promises she's trying by telling Emily she has looked up ways to come out to her family and local support groups. Emily is very supportive and offers to go along with Paige to meet with a local Pride group member.

Later, Emily goes to the Grille for Paige's meeting with a Sheridan Prep Pride Group representative, but Paige doesn't show up, so Emily meets Samara, the girl from the support group, alone. Samara and Emily make a connection, discussing what it was like for both of them to come out at first. Samara is not sorry that Paige has stood her up, as she had to be in the neighborhood anyway for the Rosewood Founder's Festival, there to set up a jewelry booth.

The next day, at the festival, Paige gets jealous when she sees Emily with Samara, trying on earrings. Samara gives Emily the earrings for free. When Paige arrives, Samara lets her know that she can always reschedule to talk about her father. Paige doesn't apologize for standing Samara up and isn't interested in telling Emily how hot she looks in the earrings, at Samara's suggestion, feeling suddenly exposed.

Paige scolds Emily for having wrongfully exposed her secret. Paige is even rude to Samara, telling her that she doesn't want to join a club, never thanking her for coming. But, Samara is patient with her. Emily, on the other hand, gets completely fed up with Paige's fickle attitude and tells her that it's over between them, as she doesn't want to be Paige's secret anymore. She thanks Samara and tells her it was nice meeting her friends before leaving them both.
 * -|Season 2=

Season 2
She was mentioned by Emily in My Name Is Trouble and in I Must Confess. Emily and her swim team friends watch a video of Paige swimming the winning lap at the night's swim meet in CTRL: A.

We finally see Paige again, sporting a new hairstyle, in Breaking the Code when she invites Emily to go around town and collect donations for the swim team with her. Emily declines initially, but when Paige pushes, mentioning how swim season is over, and Emily finally agrees.

Emily and Paige return to school after collecting donations. Paige gets a call from her mom and refers to Emily as "just a friend." When Emily asks her about it, she admits that she came out to her parents. She thanks Emily for giving her the courage to do so. Paige also comments that she wished she'd come out sooner. Before Emily can reply, she receives a text. Paige asks if it is Maya. Before she leaves, she tells Paige that she is very happy for her.

Later, Emily runs out of the Grille and almost collides with Paige. Paige notices that Emily is visibly upset, and tries to comfort her. She says Emily needs someone she can count on and gives her a hug. Paige tries to kiss Emily, but Emily backs away and leaves.

In UnmAsked, Paige goes to the Masquerade Ball. She and Emily sit down and have a conversation about their relationship. Paige wishes she hadn't let Emily go the first time around. In the end, they decide to be friends.

Emily sees Paige in That Girl is Poison, After Hanna is too depressed to go see the new Katy Perry movie she asks Paige to go instead. Paige felt that Emily was avoiding her since Maya's death, Emily says she's sorry and wants to make it up to her. While at Emily's house Paige finds her old flask from "That Night", Emily says Paige can have it even though there's still some alcohol in it. At Jenna's birthday party, Paige becomes upset that Emily is spending time with Nate and she begins to drink Emily's flask. Later when Jenna finds Paige picking at her cupcakes she and Emily confront Paige and Paige complains that Emily doesn't have time for her, but does for Nate and is clearly drunk. Paige then falls and hits her head and after seeing she's bleeding,
 * -|Season 3=

Nate and Emily take her to the hospital. After Paige gets stitches she apologizes to Emily and says she doesn't remember much but she's lucky she didn't need to be hospitalized, when Emily asks what she meant Paige tells her that the doctor said it wasn't the alcohol in the flask that got her drunk, they found traces of a sleeping pill in her system and resulted in her being drugged. She gives Emily back the flask and goes to call her parents.

In Stolen Kisses, Emily tries to explain the incident with the sleeping pill in Paige's system. Emily goes to see Paige where she is fixing a bike, she says she hasn't been to school for a few days. Emily asks her if she will go with her somewhere they can talk, Paige first declines, but Emily insists and Paige agrees to go with her the following day. Whilst out on a jog, first of all Paige is running way ahead of Emily who is clearly out of breath, so the two stop and talk, Emily tells Paige that the sleeping drug came from her flask, which Paige has already figured out, Emily also says that she didn't put it in there to attack Paige, she immediately believes her and asks who did, Emily says that she doesn't know. Also Paige reveals that on 'that night' Emily went to her house, Paige thought that Emily was drunk, she also reveals that Emily kissed her and Paige didn't stop her, saying that it was like a dream for her. Afterwards she felt guilty about taking advantage of Emily, and then when she found out that Emily was drugged she felt even worse, she steps in closer to Emily, but she walks away. Emily has a talk with Nate which helps her to realize that kissing Paige 'that night' wasn't a mistake, in fact, it was what she wanted but she just didn't realize it. Emily goes to Paige where she is about to get in the pool, Emily explains how she hasn't been with anyone since Maya and that she didn't realize what she wanted, but while she was drugged she wanted someone and she went to Paige, Paige is very happy about this and the two share a passionate kiss. The two are later seen swimming together in Paige's pool.

In The Kahn Game, Paige and Emily are seen and Emily is really happy for the first time since Maya. Later in Emily's house Paige enters Emily's room (when Emily is watching videos on Mayas webpage) so Emily tells Paige about Maya's secret website but Paige understands how it feels to miss a loved one who is dead, since she lost her grandfather when she was 15.

In What Lies Beneath, Paige and Emily talk outside The Brew, Paige tells her how their coach won't let her swim in the relays because of her grades. But they plan for Paige to go over the Emily's house that night. Later on Paige arrives at Emily's house only to find Emily and Nate kissing. Feeling hurt and betrayed she walks down the street, dumps their food into some trash bins and knocks them over. The next day Emily tries to explain why she canceled, but doesn't mention the kiss to Paige.

In Single Fright Female, CeCe tells Spencer about how Paige has a history with Alison when Paige was nicknamed "Pigskin" by Ali and that the two have had it out for each other. Spencer begins to think Paige is on the A-Team, and is cautious of her. At Emily's she asks Paige how she knew Ali, but Paige doesn't want to talk about it and says that maybe Emily's friends are trying to turn them against each other. Later CeCe tells Spencer what Paige and Ali were fighting about. Emily. In a flashback Ali sets up Paige and threatens to show it to her father. CeCe then thought Ali was possibly scared of her. Later when Emily and Paige come to help CeCe with the show, After Emily catches Spencer and Hanna searching through Paige's purse they leave. At Emily's house Paige tells Emily of her past with Alison and how she didn't have anyone at the time.

In The Lady Killer, After Emily calls her, Paige and Spencer have a confrontation. After that Paige leaves school early and goes to Emily's before she leaves. Emily tells her of the new A and that her friends think she's it. Then (unknown to Emily) Paige gets a text from "A" saying to meet at the graveyard at 10pm. Or Emily get's hurt. Paige is later seen in the closet of the hotel Emily and Nate—Lyndon are staying at. She's bound and gagged as Lyndon prepares to do the Emily, what she did to him. "Take someone you love most" But before he kills Paige Caleb arrives and Emily runs out the room. Later after Lyndon's death and Caleb was shot, injuring his abdomen, Paige and Emily are questioned by the Police. Paige sees that Emily wants to go over and comfort Hanna and doesn't want to be questioned so Paige distracts them allowing Emily to go to Hanna. Spencer gives Paige an apologetic look.

In This Is A Dark Ride, Paige goes to the ghost train with Emily, She and Emily share a moment but decide to spend the ride separate.

Paige later sees Spencer being attacked by the joker and fights the joker off her. Paige then goes to find Caleb and Toby, and is present when Alison's remains are found on the train.

In Mona-Mania, Paige tells Emily her parents are being very strict and setting curfews for her since the lighthouse catastrophe. However Emily wants to go to a swim team party being held in the woods, and says that they'll just arrive and leave early and Paige agrees to go with Emily.

On the way to the party Paige tells Emily she needs to pull over. She seems to be having a panic attack of some kind. Paige says she "can't do anything" since Halloween. Her parents don't actually have her on restriction, she says; she's just too terrified herself to leave her house. The death of Garrett Reynolds has her worried about the next bad thing that might happen. But even more, she fears that her acting like this was a sign of weakness and that it might get in the way of her relationship with Emily, who admires assertive women. Emily tries to calm Paige down and suggest they take a walk. When Paige and Emily return to Paige's car and finds one of the tires has been slashed. They see somebody in the trees wearing a black hoodie, and Emily takes off after them. Emily loses track of the person and Paige convinces her to return to the car.

With Paige's car out of commission, Paige crashes at Emily's place. Paige is amazed that Emily could be so brave. Emily wants her to get professional help.

In Misery Loves Company, Paige and Emily are having a nice lunch at the school, when she reveals to Emily she has agreed to go see a doctor about her panic attacks. It was revealed that she was the one, on the phone with Caleb. The pair decide to find A's new lair, to take Mona down.

In Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno, Hanna overhears Paige on the phone with Caleb telling him that they need to come up with a better plan because Caleb putting the brain in Mona's locker didn't help. she tells him that she's going to be there at 7 and Hanna decides to follow her.

When Hanna finally finds Paige, she is at a lesbian bar. she sees Paige talking to Shana from Pretty Dirty Secrets and they are having a chat but in a flirty way. Hanna hides and run once Paige and Shana leaves.

In Dead to Me, Emily mentions to Spencer that Hanna saw Paige flirting with a girl. However, Paige was just trying to get information about who bought the Queen of Hearts costume.

In Hot Water Hanna, Paige and Emily go to the Halloween store and find the Queen of Hearts Costume. At the costume shop Shana isn't thrilled that Paige didn't come alone. She tells Paige she can't give out information on past rentals. That night at Emily's home Paige admits that she had a brief relationship with Shana when Emily was working in Haiti over the summer. Paige says that she was a substitute for Emily and assures her that she has nothing to worry about and they kiss. Paige tells Emily that she loves her.

In I'm Your Puppet we discover, from Aria, that Paige is out of town.

Paige is excited that she got into Stanford and on a full ride. She tries to convince Emily to come with her to Stanford, insisting they'll have a new start and be away from A. Emily agrees to go and says she loves Paige who in return kisses her and tells her she loves Emily too.('A' is for A-l-i-v-e)
 * -|Season 4=

In Turn of the Shoe Emily and Paige discuss changes to the room at Stanford and notices that Emily's shoulder is hurting her. She asks what happened but Emily doesn't divulge the answer. Later after Emily hits her head at a swim meet, Emily confesses about 'A' causing her shoulder injury to her, and she doesn't want Paige to be worry about her.

In Face Time she and Emily talk about her arm and what would happen if she could not swim any more. She claims that Emily will swim despite her fear of never swimmng again. She takes Emily home only to discover the cops at her door.

Physical Description
Paige is a young girl of the main cast's age. She is slightly taller and skinnier than Emily, but nevertheless solid due to her athleticism. Despite her petite build, she possesses an air of masculinity about her that makes her appear quite butch when garbed in men's clothes.

Appearances (26/95)
Season 1 (6/22) Season 2 (2/25) Season 3 (11/24) Season 4 (7/24)
 * If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again
 * Je Suis une Amie
 * The New Normal
 * A Person of Interest
 * Someone to Watch Over Me
 * Monsters in the End
 * Breaking the Code
 * UnmAsked
 * That Girl is Poison
 * Stolen Kisses
 * The Kahn Game
 * What Lies Beneath
 * Single Fright Female
 * The Lady Killer
 * This Is A Dark Ride
 * Mona-Mania
 * Misery Loves Company
 * Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno
 * Hot Water
 * 'A' is for A-l-i-v-e
 * Turn of the shoe
 * Face Time
 * Into the Deep
 * Now You See Me, Now You Don't
 * Bring Down the Hoe
 * Who's In The Box?

Trivia

 * After Emily Fields complains about Paige on the swim team, Spencer Hastings mentions that she had played field hockey with Paige, and she remembers a penalty being named after Paige McCullers.
 * Paige appears to be a pretty good runner, as it's shown Emily had trouble keeping up with her and was winded when Paige finally stopped.
 * Paige had a crush on Emily long before either of them came out, and Alison tortured her for it. This may be why she was initially hostile towards Emily, believing Emily had a played a part in the bullying.
 * Alternate endings to The Lady Killer were filmed to avoid the actual reveal being leaked. In one of the alternate endings, Paige is part of the "A" team.
 * Paige is now aware there is a new "A."
 * In the episode What Lies Beneath, Paige and Emily were talking when Paige says, "I know I should've taken woodshop." This could be a reference to Lindsay Shaw's past character, Jennifer Mosely on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, who was a prodigy in her woodshop class.