“ | I’m just curious, do you ever wonder when you became the very thing you’re afraid of? | ” |
— Paige to Mona
|
Paige McCullers is a major suppporting character in the Pretty Little Liars television series on Freeform. She is portrayed by Lindsey Shaw.
Paige is a talented swimmer, a good fighter, the ex-girlfriend of Emily Fields and a good friend of The Liars.
Biography
Paige is a talented swimmer and a good fighter, as seen 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 through intimidation. However, soon after, Paige comes out as a lesbian to Emily, her longtime crush, and briefly, dates her. Emily ends the relationship due to Paige not wanting to come out publicly because of her father.
They eventually began dating again in "Stolen Kisses" after Paige 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 in a tough situation with the Liars. In "The Lady Killer," Paige is officially cleared as an "A" despite Mona and Toby's plan to frame her for Maya's murder because of Nate St. Germain/Lyndon James all but confesses to murdering Maya. This allows Spencer to begin trusting her.
After experiencing PTSD, Paige, more determined than ever to help the Liars locate and stop A, joined forces with Caleb. The pair worked together for a short period of time in an attempt to prove that Mona stilled pulled the strings in the A operation. Their girlfriends, however, stopped them before they got in too deep and they were sidelined from the investigation.
Series
Season 1
If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again
Paige is vying to be swim captain like Emily. She teases Emily and makes a nasty comment about her homosexuality. Emily gets nasty back and warns Paige that she will need to work harder if she wants to beat her. Emily then 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." The next day, when Emily swims at the pool, she surfaces for air at the edge of the pool. However, Paige's hand forces her back in, nearly drowning her. Emily fights back, finally managing to get out. 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. Emily barks that Paige should take her beef to Coach Fulton, not her, and Paige mocks Emily for seemingly having done that already.
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. Later that night, Paige shows up at Emily's doorstep 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. Paige 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 new 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. The two go for a casual swim together.
Nick McCullers, Paige’s father, makes an entrance in the cafeteria where all the students are sitting and demands to see Coach Fulton. Ezra Fitz 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. 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 shocked and Paige says “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, 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.
Sean Ackard 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.
Paige gets tickets for her and Emily, but also for a boy as insurance against people thinking they are on a date. Paige thinks it's 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. The next day, at the Rosewood Founder's Day festival, Paige gets jealous when she sees Emily with Samara. 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. Emily 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
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, 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, 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.
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.
Season 3
Emily sees Paige after Hanna is too depressed to go see the new Katy Perry movie and she asks Paige to go instead. Paige felt that Emily was avoiding her since Maya's death, and 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. 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. The doctor said it wasn't the alcohol that got her drunk, since they found traces of a sleeping pill in her system and resulted in her being drugged.
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 how she is feeling, and Paige reassures her she feels better. Emily asks if she will go with her somewhere they can talk. At first, Paige declines, but Emily insists and Paige agrees to go with her the following day. Whilst out on a jog, Paige is running 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. When Emily also says that she didn't put it in there to attack Paige, she immediately believes her and asks who did, with Emily responding that she doesn't know. Also Paige reveals that on 'that night', Emily went to her house. Paige thought that Emily was drunk, and she also reveals that Emily kissed her and Paige didn't stop her, saying that it was like a dream. Afterwards she felt guilty about taking advantage of Emily, and then when she found out that Emily was drugged she felt even worse. She then steps in closer to Emily, but she walks away. Emily has a talk with Nate which helps her realize that kissing Paige 'that night' wasn't a mistake. In fact, it was what she subconsciously wanted but she just didn't realize it. Emily goes to Paige where she is standing by the pool in her backyard. 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 was looking for 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. This marks the beginning of their third attempt at a relationship together.
Paige and Emily are seen together 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), which prompts Emily to tell 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. She shares a funny story about her grandfather to make Emily laugh, and then proceeds to comfort her by holding Emily in bed.
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.
CeCe tells Spencer about how Paige has a history with Alison and 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 the letter she wrote for Emily 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.
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 Paige gets a text from "A" saying to meet at the graveyard at 10pm or Emily gets 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 to Emily what she did to him by taking someone she loves most. But before he can kill Paige, Caleb arrives and Emily runs out the room. Later after Lyndon's death and Caleb getting 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.
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. The prep gets away but Spencer thanks her for saving her life. Paige then goes to find Caleb and Toby, and is present when Alison's remains are found on the train.
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, they find out 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.
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.
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 runs once Paige and Shana leaves.
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.
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.
We discover, from Aria, that Paige is out of town.
Season 4
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.
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 worried about her. She tells her she wants to live in a safe place together, far away from the drama, and start a real life together. Paige replies that maybe they already have, and comfortingly kisses her.
Paige 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 swimming again. Emily claims that even with all the bad stuff happening she still feels lucky because of Paige. She takes Emily home only to discover the cops at her door.
She is seen walking with Emily at the park and gives her a birthday gift, a Dominic Russo card with an appointment to meet with Emily. She asks Emily to do what she loves and with the person that she loves. She decides to throw Emily a surprise birthday party at her aunt's lake house. Paige invites the entire Rosewood Sharks Swim Team, and recruits Spencer and Aria to help out. Learning that Jenna Marshall and Shana were attending, Spencer and Aria make a plan to get Jenna away from Shana so they could find out what she knows about Alison. When Emily finally arrives, she is visibly angry with Paige because she left out that Emily had a shoulder injury to Dominic Russo, but has to suppress it when the guests jump out and surprise her. Later, Emily goes outside to sit by the lake. Paige joins her, and tries to convince her that there's a chance that she can still swim. Emily finally comes to the realization that she probably won't end up going to Stanford University with Paige, and that they probably won't be together next year. Still upset, she and Emily decide to go in and continue the party. After the party, Emily expresses her concerns that someone wanted to hurt Jenna so she would not reveal what she knows about Alison. Paige seems to think it was most likely an accident.
Paige asks Emily if they are still on for the country-themed dance that night, and Emily says she isn’t sure. Paige reads the "glowing" recommendation letter and teases that Zoe likes Emily, but Emily denies it and becomes defensive. Later, Paige texts Emily about the dance that night, but she doesn’t respond. At the dance, Paige is seen with a group of people; Emily avoids her for the night. At the end of the night, Emily realizes she doesn't want to lose Paige and get "mushy squash" as Ali had once said she would if she didn't go for what she wanted. After expressing this, Emily asks Paige to dance, and Paige accepts. Paige and Emily dance close to each other in a passionate embrace.
Paige and Emily sit outside of the school. Paige says she is thrilled for Hanna and her mom, but is worried about Emily. Emily replies that A is a terrorist and it’s working on them. She says that they now know to look out for CeCe. Paige offers for Emily to stay with her at night, and Emily happily agrees. Later at school, she and Emily enter the French club and meet Jackie, a fellow student. Jackie says that Mona called the club and said that she would be there. She is surprised that Mona hasn’t shown up, since it was her welcome back party. Later that night, Emily is at Paige’s house, looking tense. Paige tells her not to worry and that she is safe here, but Emily says she is worried about Mona. Paige says that she understands worrying about CeCe, but not Mona. Emily replies that they made Mona how she turned out to be, but Paige says that Alison did that. Emily says that they let her.
At school Paige and Emily discuss swimming, but Paige notices that something else is on Emily’s mind, resulting in Emily lashing out at her. Later, that night Emily tells Paige that Ali let her kiss her, but that when she realized that it meant nothing to Ali, she was very hurt. She says that she doesn’t think that Ali ever loved anyone, but all she did was collect love. She says that Ali broke her heart. Paige asks if this is how she finally says goodbye to Ali, and Emily says it is.
Shadow Play take place in the 1920's so the same sex (i.e. Emily and Paige) could not get married. Whenever they are romantic with each other in Shadow Play many people stare at them and they then untouch each other and look away. Paige joins Emily and the Liars in some scenes. In one scene Emily asks Paige about Shana. She says she told her everything. After their talk is over, Paige tells Emily that she will always leave first as she cannot bear the sight of Emily walking away from her. In another, Aria and Paige have a conversation about an old camera. Paige tells Aria about going on a canoe trip with Emily. At the end of Shadow Play, Paige and Emily have a very romantic and sweet scene in a private room where no one sees them.
Paige is having a nice time with Emily and persuades her to .A little while after, Paige sees Emily talking with someone and sees a wad of cash in Emily's purse. Emily tells Paige that she is trying to transport the funds to her best friend Alison (who everyone thought was dead). Emily giving the money to Ali comes to a dramatic halt when Paige tells Emily to promise to stop any and all communication with Alison. Em agrees on one condition – that she delivers the cash she has in her purse to Alison. Paige is relieved, but Emily is upset. Paige betrays Emily by leaving a note in Officer Gabriel Holbrook's car saying Alison DiLaurentis is alive.
Emily breaks up with her after she finds out Paige revealed that Alison was still alive. She claims she did it to protect Emily, but Emily retorts that Paige did it for revenge.
Season 5
Paige is seen in the Brew with Mona Vanderwaal, as she is creating 'Mona's Army', a group of people who were victimized by Alison prior to her disappearance. Paige is hesitant of joining the group, insisting she is no longer afraid of Alison, even when Mona reminds Paige of the nickname Alison have given her - "Pigskin". Still not interesting in joining, Paige decides to leave, but as Melissa Hastings enters, she shuts the door and re-joins the conversation.
Having seen Emily drop one of her notebooks, Paige leans down to picks it up. She says that she’s really sorry about what happened to Alison, and Emily wonders if there’s anything else she is sorry for. As Paige watches Emily walk away, Mona walks up behind her offering Mr Fitz’s ‘Get Well Soon’ card for her to sign. Paige is waiting on Emily’s porch for her to get home. Paige comments that Pam knows they’re fighting, but Emily tells her they’ve finished fighting. Paige then asks Emily what they are to each other, and all Emily can tell her is that maybe they’ll be friends. Paige tells her that she practiced what she was going to say to her, but when she got to the porch, she forgot everything and all she can say is “I love you”. Paige knows it is the end, but she’s having a hard time letting go. As Paige is walking away, Emily calls out to her, telling her she deserves the best of everything.
In the locker rooms at Rosewood High, Emily walks in looking for Sydney when Paige spots her. Emily asks if she’d like to join them. At the Pizzeria in town, Paige, Sydney and Emily are grabbing some food after Sydney’s training session. Emily comments that she doesn’t know how Paige can eat her pizza with ranch and buffalo chicken as toppings, and when Emily tells Sydney she did try it once after a party, Paige says that it didn’t turn out so well. Noticing Mona a few tables over, Paige stares off in her direction while Mona stares back at her. Paige asks what Mona is doing as they have nothing to talk about. Mona disagrees and Paige tells her that her answer is still no. Paige says that she’d be lying if she didn’t want to see Alison leave Rosewood, but she is not going to make it happen. As Mona is walking away, Paige calls after her and says, “Mona. I’m just curious, do you ever wonder when you became the very thing you’re afraid of?” She warns Emily about Mona's Army but refuses to name others because she knows how they felt about Alison.
Paige immediately gets uncomfortable when Alison returns to Rosewood High to the point where she leaves. Emily figures out that Paige's trauma is still there. She tells her skipping school to avoid Alison means Alison still has power over her. Paige says then she still has power over her. Emily says that she hates to see Paige so upset, but Paige tries to assure her that she is fine. Before leaving, Emily tells Paige that she is one of the bravest people she knows, and she's not going to let Paige forget that. Having gotten Alison and Paige in her bedroom, Emily asks each of them if they want her to leave, but ultimately they both leave it up to her. Deciding to stay, Emily takes a seat as Alison thanks her for getting them together and that she and Paige are lucky to have a friend like her. Paige tells her that’s the only thing they have in common, and Alison tells her she is ashamed of the way she treated her. Paige says she was a terrible person, and she hated her for it. She tells Alison that she didn't care if she was dead and that she was happy she was gone. When Alison says she’s sorry, Paige asks if she’s sorry for what she did to her, or for herself, and Alison tells her for all of it. The next day, Mona and her army - including Paige - confront the Liars, with Mona coming forward and exposing Alison's lie with a video that proves Alison slapped her.
In the Rosewood High locker rooms, Paige has just gotten out of the pool when Emily comes up to her demanding Paige tell her who Mona is working with. Paige says that she can't tell her, especially after the way Alison treated Mona. Emily says that Mona altered that video, and Paige tells her even if Mona did, Mona didn't make Alison say the things she said. She says that Alison isn't sorry about the way she treated anybody and that she's still the same manipulative person she always was. Sitting down next to Paige, Emily tells her whoever blew up the Cavanaugh house is now threatening Alison, and when Paige says she thought it was a gas leak, Emily tells her someone caused that leak. Paige asks if Emily think it's Mona. Emily says it's possible if she had a little help from some friends, and Paige wonders why Mona would want to blow up the Cavanaugh house. Emily says that's what they're trying to figure out, and that she's aware how Paige feels about Alison, but she asks her if she could live with herself if something happened to Alison, knowing that she could have done something to help.
No One Here Can Love or Understand Me
Sitting with Emily at one of the tables out the front of Rosewood High, Paige says that Sydney may be a liar, but she’s a damn good swimmer. As Paige comments that she liked having Sydney on the team, Emily says that she still is on the team and that way they can keep an eye on her. Paige asks how it feels being back in the locker room, and Emily tells her that it feels good. At the Brew, Paige is grabbing two takeaway coffees when Emily walks out of the kitchen. Startled, Paige says that she thought Emily didn’t work this particular shift any more, and Emily tells her she doesn’t and that she’s just helping out tonight. Emily wonders if Paige is going somewhere, and Paige tells her yes, she is, “going somewhere”. After an awkward silence, Paige says that in fact she has to go, and as Emily tells her to have a goodnight, Paige tells her thanks and turns to leave. Walking into the movie theater, Paige and her date walk past Aria and Mona on their way to their seats. After sitting down, Paige looks over her shoulder and finds Aria and Mona still staring after her.
At Rosewood High School, Paige approaches Emily who is at her locker, and picks up a book Emily has dropped. After handing the book back to Emily, which Emily thanks her for, Paige asks if she’s ready for Thanksgiving. Emily tells her she’s not really, explaining that her family usually decorate early for Christmas and this year she’s totally behind. Paige tells Emily that if she needs any help, before Emily asks Paige how her night was, the one she was dressed up all nice for. Paige explains that it was a costume thing, and that hers didn’t really fit, before she and Emily share a knowing look. Emily mentions that they never had their talk, and after Paige says she’s tired of talking, she leans in to kiss Emily. Later, she helps Emily decorate her house for Christmas. That night, pulling up in front of Emily’s house, Paige gets out of her car and starts walking towards the front door. She then spies on Cindy and Mindy parked down the street. Paige then watches as Alison walks out of Emily’s house and gets into the driver’s seat of Cindy and Mindy’s car. Running back to her own car, Paige gets in and follows Alison as she drives away. The next day, she tells the girls what she saw before the police arrive and arrest Spencer for Bethany Young's murder.
On the phone, Paige tells the person on the other end of the line that it’s not what she wants, it’s what they want. As Paige ends the call, Emily asks her what’s wrong, and Paige tells her nothing, before adding that her parents want her to come to California after Christmas. Confused, Emily says that it sounds like a fun winter break, before Aria walks past and tells both Paige and Emily to look up. As they do, they find that they’re standing underneath a piece of mistletoe, and the two share a kiss. At the Masquerade Ice Ball, Paige and Emily, along with Aria and Ezra, and Hanna and Caleb, slow dance under the lit up gazebo, until everyone turns their attention to the top of the staircase. Walking to the edge of the gazebo, Paige, Emily, the other couples and Spencer watch as Alison, followed by four other girls, make their grand entrance. The group watches as Alison and someone dressed in a white coat and hood walk towards the exit. Paige and Lucas walk around a corner and stop Alison and someone dressed in a white coat and hood from leaving the Ice Ball, as Emily and Aria are following from the other direction. However, they find Alison had eluded them. On Christmas morning, Paige, Ezra, Toby and Caleb appear on the Hastings’ staircase wearing Santa boxers and telling the girls Merry Christmas. Paige is looking out a window when Emily walks over to her and asks if she’s okay. Paige tells Emily that her parents don’t think Rosewood is a safe place anymore, and that they don’t want her to visit California; they want her to move there. Emily questions if she’s leaving before graduation, and Paige explains that she’ll have enough credits before the end of Spring quarter. As Emily says that she thought they had more time, Paige wraps her in a hug. Despite this, Paige and the others sit at the table, as Ezra serves up Christmas chicken. As Ezra sits down, Aria tells them that they should all say a prayer, and they link hands with one another.
Paige walks out of the Rosewood Church following Mona’s funeral service. Standing off to the side with Caleb, Paige watches as Leona Vanderwaal slaps Alison when she tries to say that she had nothing to do with Mona’s death. In Emily’s bedroom, Paige lays against Emily’s shoulder, and is asked if she has finished packing. Paige tells her that she is, and it’s then that Emily mentions that she thought that after three months she’d get used to the idea of Paige leaving, but she hasn’t. Paige says that she hasn’t either, and when Emily says that she’ll miss graduation, Paige tells her that her parents think it’s just a technicality and are steadfast with their decision. Paige walks up to Emily who is desperately looking out window at the departure gates. When Emily sees Paige’s reflection, she rushes over to hug, and comments that Paige changed her mind. Paige explains that the airline changed her gate, and her flight is boarding now. Looking down at a plane ticket in her hands, Emily says that she bought a $69 flight to Atlantic City. Emily mentions that Paige doesn’t have to go since the police arrested Alison for killing Mona, but Paige says Alison won’t stay there. She tells Emily that she wants to go because she's tired of fighting and wants to feel safe. With a final goodbye kiss and hug, Paige picks up her duffel bag and walks out of the gate lounge.
Season 7
Appearances (45/160)
Season 1 (6/22) |
Season 2 (2/25) |
Season 3 (11/24) |
Season 4 (10/24) |
Season 5 (9/25) |
Season 7 (7/20) |
Trivia
- Paige is not a character from the books. She is an original character, created specifically for the series.
- Paige is one of Emily's main romantic interests throughout the series, and one half of the ship known as, "Paily".
- 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 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 as a double agent.
- Paige was made aware of "A.D." by Emily.
- In the episode "What Lies Beneath", Paige and Emily were talking when Paige says, "I knew I should've taken Wood-shop!" This could be a reference to Lindsay Shaw's past character, Jennifer "Moze" Mosely on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, who was a prodigy in her woodshop class.
- Paige was tied up by Nate, Maya's stalker, to murder her as a revenge plan aimed at Emily.
- Charlotte revealed that Alison may have secretly feared Paige.
- Paige's father was/is a deacon at the church.
- Paige once had a skin condition on her thighs which is what earned her the nickname, "pigskin" by Alison.
- Paige was created for the show and the writers came up with the idea of her being Emily's love interest and her eventual girlfriend.
- Paige and Shana were a couple during the summer before the third season began, but Paige ended it due to her residual feelings for Emily.
- Paige saved Spencer Hastings from A in "This Is A Dark Ride". In that episode, Paige earns Spencer's approval.
- Paige knew Caleb and began working together with him to take down A. This was shown in at least one episode, "Misery Loves Company". However, it was never expanded upon in subsequent episodes.
- Emily and Paige spoke off-screen in "Songs of Innocence". After Emily told her what happened, she wanted to return to Rosewood but Emily convinced her not to do that.
- Paige became the athletic supervisor at Rosewood High for a short period of time before she accepted a job offer in Iowa.
Quotes
Paige [to Emily]: We all know what team you really play for. |
Paige: Sorry, Emily — I’m not looking to join a club and ride down Main Street on a rainbow chopper. |
Emily: I'm glad you were able to talk to your parents. Paige: Me too...I just wish I'd done it sooner. |
Paige [to Emily]: If I ever find out who put that stuff in your flask I swear I will kill them. |
Paige [to Emily]: You like strong women, right?! |
Paige [to Emily]: Unpredictable can be good, look at us. |
Emily [about A]: K, we're so close to putting an end to this game Paige, I can feel it. Paige: How about until we do, you spend the nights at my house- I'll know you're safe, and we'll get to be together. |
Paige: Mona. I’m just curious, do you ever wonder when you became the very thing you’re afraid of? |