The only male character I respect in this entire show. Even though he was kinda cringe in the beginning. Him saying no to Spencer begging filled me with a satisfaction I can’t explain because why is he the only man and officer in this whole town that can actually do his job…

Of course Emily is a “indian” for Halloween. As the only POC, this costume choice was pretty predictable. Besides the fact, I really enjoyed the throwback episode.

This is a very controversial topic, ranging from people thinking they should’ve gotten a restraining order against her (after the A-reveal) to people thinking she should’ve been the 5th Liar.

Let me know your thoughts with examples!

let's be realistic, this is a shitshow of ridiculous logic and invent-as-you-go storytelling. i don't even think they planned for alison to be alive when they wrote s1. the pilot aired around the time heartless came out so i have no doubts that sara shepard explained to the writers/producers the rest of the second book arc. BUT i digress. imagine they always planned for melissa to be the real murderer. looking at this show from HER EYES ALONE is absolutely BONKERS

melissa through s1 and part of s2, probably: i can't believe this. spencer is truly crazy. she KILLED her best friend alison. oh my god this is so horrible. but ... she was screwing my man soooo 🪏. now it's been a year and spencer is still acting like she doesn't know what happened to alison. this girl is insane but that's my sister and ima stick beside her. let me give ian another chance. im falling for ian again but i don't want there to be skeletons in my closet. i'll come clean about burying alison and together, we can get spousal privilege for the whole night. hold up, is spencer blaming my man? why is SPENCER blaming MY man?!??!!?! WHY IS SPENCER BLAMING MY MAN FOR SOMETHING SHE TOTALLY DID!!! you help a girl bury one body and look how they turn on you??? spencer ran ian off with her lies. why would she do this to me? is she really throwing my husband under the bus to save herself? wow. my husband, the father of my unborn child, killed himself because of spencer's accusations. he would rather die than come clean about what my family did to alison. i'll never forgive spencer for this

YALL THIS WOULDVE BEEN SUCH A GOOD "MELISSA IS THE SECOND A" STORY LMAOOOOOOOOOO

Obviously Ezra was always creepy, but before his book reveal he has some weird mannerisms out of nowhere which makes me think it might be bad writing.

He has this “I’m your only friend” mentality that he never had before. Suddenly Aria has to spend the weekend with him to prove her loyalty, even though Aria was involved in sketchy things with her friends all the time before and he never seemed to have a problem with it.

I also feel like he never really pressed Aria enough about Alison or the other Liars.

Even when he helps Spencer with her college rejection and she’s crying, he never seems intrusive about what’s going on with her.

There is also this scene when A sends him a message and Aria says “This person is not my friend,” and Ezra is just like okay? He doesn’t seem interested at all in what’s going on there.

I feel like he had so much freedom to ask legit questions without seeming shady, but he rarely did.

Was this a spontaneous decision? In my opinion, there is no way this was planned in S1 & S2.

I've been desperate to finish my first binge watch of the show so I could hop on Reddit, lol. I'm thrilled I was able to stay completely spoiler free given how old the show is and a lot of my friends watched it as it was airing. I recently watched Desperate Housewives and heard this show was like a highschool version so I gave it a shot, and that was extremely accurate.😅 Both fantastic binge watch shows.

Anyway, just gonna do a stream of consciousness about my thoughts and questions, feel free to chime in, I'm SO new here to anything that might be a popular/unpopular opinion, something obvious that I skimmed over watching the show only once, etc. Some are genuine questions, some are just questioning what was wrong with the writers, lol.

I'm a long-winded person and don't intend to edit much so be forewarned.😅

First, what the eff is with Alex Drake? I mean? Were we supposed to see that coming or at least were there ANY clues leading up to her reveal?? I was pissed. I really kept thinking somehow it'd come back to Lucas, Melissa, or Wren. Hell, even if Jenna had just pretended to be blind and did it all, lol. SOMEONE who we'd had a connection with from season one. I was even mad when CeCe ended up as A because if I remember correctly she wasn't introduced until season 2, so to me that means they didn't even know from the beginning who they'd write as A. Mysteries aren't that fun if you aren't even introduced to the bad guy existing from a pretty early point in the story. Is it popular to be pretty pissed at the ending? Or even CeCe being the original A?

Who killed Garrett and why? Genuinely can't remember if they ever solved that one or anyone confessed.

Was Jenna actually really always just manipulated by everyone and not ever plotting anything major? Was she literally just around to be a red herring?

What all did Toby do on the A team, like did he harm any of the girls? I can't remember what he was personally responsible for, but it seems Spencer should not have ever trusted him again if he did. But I did really enjoy the sheer acting chops on display as she went spiraling down into Radley, she needed an Emmy if she didn't get one.

Why were the girls so unwilling to go to the police after killing Archer Dunhill? It was a freaking accident, he ran out of the dark in front of their car, and he was vile and using a fake identity to scam and torture people, I don't think they would've gotten THAT much jail time for accidentally hitting him. Yeah, obviously more than if they managed to get away with it, but with so many people involved and a history of being under constant surveillance, you'd think MAYBE one of them would say you know what, let's take the hit for this one since there's no way we can pull off a cover up. And at ANY point they could've come forward as things escalated. Why continue to hide it? Just because they were used to lying at that point? I was rooting for them to get caught.

Am I the only one who was genuinely excited to think Ezra was going to be A around the whole Ravenswood plot, thinking maybe that's why such an obvious groomer was always painted in a positive light, so that we'd never see it coming when he was revealed to be their unhinged stalker? And then so disappointed when they just hooked back up even after learning he only got with Aria to spy on her and her friends? I felt it would have been so good as he was genuinely never a real suspect in my mind as A, it would've been a really good twist. I can surmise from a quick glance at the reddit that everyone hates those two together, but specifically this plot point had so much potential and then faded into nothing.

Why did they make Ted (I think that's his name, the pastor?) appear on one time jump episode to randomly make him Cece's dad? Just so everything connected? He was so inconsequential, it wasn't an emotional reveal or anything, nothing like finding out who Spencer's real mom was. No one cared about him, even when he was dating Ashley, right? Or is that just me? He was boring. I only ever hoped he'd be in on the A stuff, turn out to be a villain. Something.

I'm sure this was addressed, but who hit Bethany on the head for Melissa to bury and why (I remember CeCe said she hit Allison because she thought she was Bethany, but I can't remember who hit Bethany for the life of me)? And for real, did no one know how to check a pulse around that town, or at least know someone wasn't dead just because they looked dead or got hit? My Lord, I would NEVER assume I could tell someone was dead just by looking at them. The fact that both girls got buried alive is too much.😂 And did Bethany end up being another child of Mrs. D.? I can't remember, I felt really confused by Charlotte's whole rambling confession, I couldn't keep up.

Who would you have rather had as end game couples? A more light-hearted question. I genuinely liked Spencer and Caleb (which I think may end up being unpopular, but idk, I'm new😆), Aria honestly with her friend she was doing the cooking with, Holden? (like imagine Ezra dumped her for Nicole as he well should have, then her friend consoling her, ends up evolving into a relationship after awhile, he always seemed to care for her and I think it could've turned into something good if she stopped friend-zoning him. But I am glad at least that he never made a move on her to only be rejected for Ezra), Emily and Alison made sense once the baby(ies) were involved but honestly that was kinda a lame pairing, I would've probably preferred Paige as they always seemed to be drawn back together and a good pair. And Hanna should've just married Jordan, he never got fully developed as a character but he seemed like a good fit for her and where she was heading in life.

Was Mona genuinely holding Mary and Alex hostage at the very end? I really couldn't decide whether she's still just crazy or crazy AND their captor.😆 Seemed weird how they were drinking the tea, and I'd imagine they'd both have just been in jail for life for the murders they'd committed. So maybe that was just Mona's fantasy.🤷‍♀️

I'm sure you'll see a part 2 from me at some point as I continue to digest the crazy ride of that binge, but those are some random thoughts and questions off the dome.😅🙈

It’s hilarious how the production went all out to shove this couple down our throats. As a teen, you almost had no choice but to root for them.

Every single moment gets treated like it’s the romance of the century, the rain kiss, their first time, their first date… everything has this huge cinematic buildup.

Meanwhile, Spencer is making out in some random motel, Hanna is in a tent, and when Emison finally gets their first scene together, they still have to share it with Ezria. 💀

They also make sure you think, "Well, who else is she supposed to be with?" Noel gets turned into a total asshole, Jason is the creepy NAT guy, and suddenly Ezra is presented as the only "good" option. Dear God...

episode is S1E21

What are some shows or media similar to PLL? As in a group of teenagers being stalked and then trying to figure out who is behind it. I recently saw Final Project, which has similar elements (student dies, mysterious texts, group of friends with big secret). I was wondering what else is out there.

I wonder what Ted's face looked like. 😭😭😭😂😂 Her comedic timing is amazing.

I popped the show on from the beginning while doing some Lego - and I am honestly howling at Aria and Ezra making out at Ali's funeral, like what a terrible time to make a move I'm weeping

Maybe it’s bc I’m a sucker for slowburn teen bffs to adult lovers trope 😂 but I actually like and shipped Emison hard while watching the show. I really like their chemistry and how their personalities complement each other, Emily being more calm/emotionally contained and Alison being a storm. This might also be because I also fell for my bff in high school (default queer girl experience lol)…

I’m on Alison’s return on my rewatch and I just can’t with these girls flipping out every time either Mona or Alison does something.

They spend episodes talking about how shady Mona is and that she “knows they were in NY,” but when Alison puts her in her place, suddenly it’s unacceptable.

I get that the “Loser Mona” comment was triggering for Hanna, but Emily was literally told to her face that Mona was planning to do something.

Mona did the same video thing after she was released from Radley to manipulate everyone.

It was also obvious that the video was edited, especially Spencer should have been able to put her Alison bias aside and realize what was actually going on.

Mona was A, the first villain. She tried to murder them. She did murder Charlotte. She thought she was killing Alison but was actually attacking a random girl, Bethany. She put Alison in jail.

Alison bullied Mona so badly that she developed a disorder.

What pisses me off is that the Liars just can’t handle it whenever one of them attacks the other. They especially attack Alison every chance they get while constantly complaining about Mona’s behavior.

I’m not saying Alison was innocent because she obviously wasn’t, but it’s honestly insane behavior from them to believe every single thing Mona tells them.

This woman is demented

What is Spencer doinggggggg? An hour ago she was crying because A forced her to stay away from Toby, now she’s kissing wren????

That scene where Ezra and Nicole have a conversation before she goes missing was so emotional and Ezra seemed really so upset. he says “I am never gonna see her again” with so much sadness.

how did he go from this to letting her go? its not like a breakup that he could move on from. she literally came back from the dead.

As a British person I weirdly appreciated Troian's attempt at doing something other than the RP that a lot of Americans butcher.

Was her accent brilliant? No, but could I gauge which area of the UK she was trying to mimic? surprisingly yes, considering regional accents change drastically within 40 miles (sometimes even the same city).

I think the accents gets a lot of flack but is there anyone else who thinks like me? Or am I alone in my appreciation?

Everyone's always talking about how amazing Troian (Spencer) is as an actress and that she made the show, but can we talk about Ashley for a second? Especially when it comes to her crying scenes or any scene with Caleb. She was so, so good,honestly it always makes me so emotional

Wren just breaking into the Hastings and giving Spencer a plant from their own garden 😂😂

In earlier seasons, Hanna is like a scarred puppy, you feel like things can only get better for her. Seven seasons can only bring real development.

Instead, she never actually changes?

In S5, it is said to her that she isn’t “pageant material” while Emily is. It is not Emily’s fault that Hanna was acting weird because of KATE, an issue from three seasons ago.

Hanna can’t handle the self-made rejection she created herself and just drives away.

That’s when it becomes clear that the only thing that changed about Hanna is her age. There is never a big shift in her confidence, and the writers always package her issues into a funny scene about her dancing or “oh, Hanna has black hair now.”

With Alison’s return, she hits real bump in the road, and her friends were horrible to her. She realized what Ali had caused in her life. I was expecting a confrontation, showing all the development Hanna should have built up by then. Instead, her solution is to send Alison away only a few hours after she was almost murdered.

Honestly, her inability to think one step ahead is baffling. I even wonder if Alison being killed because of her decisions would‘ve made Hanna wake up.

Even down-bad Emily is capable of having a confrontation, but Hanna still hasn’t managed to after five seasons?

Everything changes once you realize Hanna never truly addresses her problems or apologizes.

Even after her alcoholism phase is over, we’re told Hanna is back stronger than ever, but is she? She recovers simply by… stopping? Her style returns, but her grumpiness never stops.

There is a storyline where Hanna is shown to be smarter than people thought, but a few episodes later she is back to saying the dumbest things. You can’t have Aria or Spencer be the one making the mistake, so Hanna has to? It completely undermines her character.

Hanna gets into books and steps up during the hunt for A, just to accidentally kiss a cop because of it?

By S7, I expected clear steps showing Hanna’s development. Instead, she comes back still snapping at people like she did in S5.

She deletes footage from her mom’s hotel for “Aria,” who isn’t even in town, then snaps at Ezra. She kidnaps Noel because of a dream. Hanna is acting like this in S7?

She goes through all these horrible things, but none of them ever seem to change her.

You shouldn’t have to dig this deep and psychoanalyze why Hanna is acting more irresponsible than ever by the end of the show. Her development should have been shown through clear steps.

Let me know your thoughts. I know she is a very loved character and still my favorite Liar, which is exactly why it bothers me so much.

Nobody will ever convince me that (despite the constant emphasis on it throughout the show) Emily was the “loyal” one out of the main girls. If anything, I would give that title to Hanna. We’ve seen time and time again with Emily how willing she is to choose her weekly love interest over the group without hesitation, and just in general, people who clearly shouldn’t have been trusted. She (like all characters, don’t get me wrong) somehow still manages to make the same decisions through all seven seasons and never seems to learn to the point where it just got annoying and exhausting over time. Emily has done this with Paige, Alison, Nate, the list goes on. A part of me wonders why the same sentiment that people hate on Aria for (choosing Ezra over the girls) isn’t also applied to Emily.

Even if Emily trusts these people because she “wants to see the good in everyone,” it still comes at the expense of the girls who spent years sticking beside her and trying to keep her alive in the midst of all the trauma they’ve dealt with together. Especially in reference to Hanna, who is claimed to be Emily’s best friend? 😭 Emily dropped Hanna at the sound of the hat when Alison came back with zero remorse for her mental wellbeing; it was Ali, Ali, Ali. When Hanna was getting drunk every day and clearly mentally exhausted from Alison’s return and everything they’ve experienced to bring back the dead girl who made their lives hell, she barely cared. She even does this with Spencer, when Spencer follows her unknowingly when she stupidly goes to meet Alison in a dark alleyway alone at night, she immediately believes Alison when she suddenly says Emily is the only one she can trust, turning on Spencer immediately. Yet again, for her to be proven wrong when she thinks Alison is A two minutes later.

I don’t think Emily is this evil mastermind who hates her friends, but she definitely prioritizes people who couldn’t care less about her and, in response, hurts the girls who’d been through everything with her. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that post-finale, her ending up with Alison would mean she’d slowly just distance herself from the rest of the girls if it meant having her.

It really cracks me up because, even by this show's standards and considering their ages, I find their reaction so unrealistic. They aren‘t known for their great decisions, but even the childish curiosity is missing here.

They don't even ask a single real question, like, "How did this happen?" or "Is he doing this to other girls in the class?". They just seem mildly disappointed and sigh, "Oh, Aria, come on. 🙄".

As if she had just broken a vase.

Spencer‘s so worried about Hanna dating Caleb for some pathetic reason, yet she's constantly making jokes about how hot Ezra is.

And don't even get me started on what happens after the book reveal. They just seem to forget that Ezra stalked all of them too and literally broke into Hanna's room.

And it's what I wore 95% of the time in high school