P-Valley: How Did Hailey Go From Hero To Villain In A Snap?
Was it there all along? Was it always the plan for Hailey to be the villain on P-Valley? From the beginning, she was the person every viewer rooted for. She was the quiet girl who looked and felt uncomfortable in her new surroundings. While we were provided flashbacks of the life she had before entering Mississippi, part of her story was still left untold.
It was obvious that she was abused. She lost everything, including her child, and was now living on the run from her abusive ex. But yet, she was still being painted as the person we should offer our shoulders to. When The Pynk was in financial trouble, we knew that it would be Hailey (Autumn) who would help out. Yes, she was running some money scam on her ex and even decided to bring in her nemesis at the time, Mercedes to help. The two built what appeared to be a good relationship until it all came crashing down.
But there is still something that bothers me with the direction of her character. In Season 1, she was quiet, a bit aloof, and locked in her own world. But then Season 2 started and everything changed. Hailey was no longer the girl next door, she became a monster.
By saving The Pynk, she went into a partnership with Uncle Clifford. The next time we saw Hailey, she was dressed in a business suit and doing the books. No more skimpy outfits and desires to get on the pole, everything about her demeanor changed. While change for some can be viewed as good, it all came a bit too fast for Hailey as she went from hero to villain in such a short time.
Related: All American: Homecoming: Is Damon A Bit Overboard With The Anger?
While Clifford was never really on the Autumn bandwagon, he did swallow his pride and agree. Even with the death of the Mayor, the idea of the casino coming to Chucalissa was never dead. But The Pynk was still one obstacle the investors had to overcome. With Uncle Clifford running the show, they stood a chance to seize the land. But with Hailey now on board as a partner, she’s making things a bit difficult for all parties. She wants to sell The Pynk for $10M. Of course, Clifford has no desire to sell.
Now, in all fairness, Hailey does have a point with one thing. Get the money and buy a new and better building. But Clifford refuses and she has every right to. The Pynk is more than just a Strip Club to her, it’s her family’s legacy.
Now, we can get into a little history here as to why Hailey thinks the way she does. She has a backstory that we haven’t seen yet. But one thing is for certain is that she has a sharp business mind. On one end of the stick, she did save The Pynk, but truth be told, did she really have to? She could have just taken the money and gone somewhere else. Unlike the other girls dancing there and Clifford, Hailey has no real ties to The Pynk.
In her mind, this is all business. But that goes back to Season 1. Hailey knew all this and never gave off the impression that she was this cold. What changed between Season 1 and Season 2? I’m all for having a villain in the show, but for the quiet girl to just suddenly flip the script on viewers like that, shows a lack of building characters. For the most part, the writing on P-Valley has been exceptional.
There is still some time left where Hailey can change. She may have a change of heart regarding the selling of The Pynk and find her way back into the good graces of Uncle Clifford and everyone else. But for now, she’s viewed as a snake and traitor.
Looking at it from Hailey’s perspective, she was never really one of them to begin with. But looking at it from the eyes of Clifford and Mercedes, all she had to do was be honest with her intentions from the start. Hailey does make a good villain, the issue is that her arc was not leading up to that. It came out of nowhere.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
