Line #78 YMMV/PrettyLittleLiars


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: The TV show has overtaken the book series in terms of popularity. When PLL is referenced somewhere, including on This Very Wiki, it is most likely that the author is referring to the show, which has a different plot and characters to the books.
2	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Really, it would be easier to list the characters who ''aren't'' subject to this.
3	** Is Mona [[spoiler:a PsychoLesbian who is in love with Hanna and will do anything to get her away from her friends, including hurt her?]] Likewise, did Mona [[spoiler:initially become '''"A"''' and stalk Alison]] because she was psychologically damaged by the bullying Alison put her through by nicknaming her "Loser Mona," or because [[EntitledToHaveYou Alison continuously]] [[StalkerWithACrush rejected Mona’s]] attempts to befriend her? And for that matter, was Mona attracted to Alison?
4	** Did Kate genuinely want to be friends with Hanna before overhearing Hanna insult her mom?
5	** A lot of fans believe Jason was lying about the photographs of Aria sleeping were taken by Alison. This is due to Jason’s involvement in NAT Club (which he was the founder of), and his crush on Aria— along with the fact that there is no given reason as to why Alison would do that.
6	* ArcFatigue: It took until Season Six for the main characters to solve the mystery of A's true identity, motivations and goals. [[spoiler:There's more than one A. The first was Mona and the second was Charles [=DiLaurentis=] the long-lost sibling of Jason and Alison.]]
7	* AngstWhatAngst: Whenever Aria tells Ezra she accidently murdered someone, he isn't upset about it, given the fact that they were AssholeVictims who tormented/almost tried to kill Aria.
8	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
9	** Alison [=DiLaurentis=] is probably the biggest example (in the show's continuity at least). Flashbacks show she was a highly manipulative AlphaBitch whose destructive tendencies ruined a lot of people's lives, but there is a lingering question of whether the worst thing she did (blind Jenna Marshall) was worth the worst thing that happened to her ([[spoiler:be forced to fake her death and go on the run for several years ''otherwise she would be murdered'']]). [[spoiler:And now that she's returned, fans are torn between thinking that she's become genuinely remorseful or that she's just the same as before and is merely limited in her depravity by the fact that there's still a crazy person trying to ruin her life, and that she'll pick up right where she left off once this "-A" thing finally blows over]]. Her divisiveness also informs fan opinions of characters like [[spoiler:Mona]], whose actions can suddenly look a lot better or a lot worse when put in perspective.
10	*** There's also the discussion of Alison's [[spoiler:CharacterDevelopment]] in the later half of season 6 and 7. Some fans are fine with the fact that [[spoiler:she TookALevelInKindness because it demonstrates her growth over the course of the series and demonstrates her breaking away from the toxicity of her family, bettering herself as a person]]. However, some fans are against [[spoiler:her development, feeling that was undeserving after spending previous seasons being manipulative and emotionally abusive to her friends, that it strips away the personality traits that made her interesting in favor of being one-dimensional [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]], and that she suffers a noticeable BadassDecay in the last season, as she constantly needs Emily to protect her]].
11	** Mona Vanderwaal. After the finale of Season 2, she was regarded as a beloved character for her [[spoiler:WildCard personality, being an intelligent and calculating TheChessmaster]], and is generally regarded as being the best [[spoiler:''A'' in the series]]. Others consider her to be a SpotlightStealingSquad that constantly takes attention from other characters, believe that her [[spoiler:actions as ''A'' make her unlikeable and that her FreudianExcuse of being bullied by Alison does not justify her actions (such as exploiting Hanna's eating disorder trauma and running her over with a car in season 1, or tormenting Spencer throughout season 3)]] and believe that she is not deserving of forgiveness after all that she's done.
12	** Ezra is either a total heartthrob and his relationship with Aria is a gripping storyline or he's weak-willed pervert for hooking up with one of his students and both he and Aria handle the situation like idiots. [[spoiler:The fact that he had a romantic relationship with Alison when she was fourteen and planned to write a book about it increased perception of him as the latter]].
13	** Aria became one in season 7 due to being the ''only'' one of the Liars whose professional and personal life wasn't being screwed with in some way.
14	** Maya was either a quirky, fabulous ManicPixieDreamGirl whose relationship with Emily was endearing and genuine, or a flighty, self-involved party girl whom [[ShipToShipCombat Emily could never love like she loved Alison]].
15	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: WordOfGod has confirmed the ghost girl Ashley sees is a homage to the books and has nothing to do with any storyline.
16	* BizarroEpisode: "Shadow Play" puts everyone in Rosewood into a black and white detective movie in the 1940s. It happens because Spencer over-indulged on study-aid medications. The events of the episode are essentially AllJustADream.
17	* BrokenBase:
18	** The nuclear level boredom introduced with the Ezria plotlines in Season 3 have turned the fandom into people who can't stand Ezria and people who will defend it to their death. The fact that Aria and Ezra aren't being targeted by A while the other three Liars are constantly having their lives and love life screwed with isn't helping.
19	** Spencer's mental breakdown. Some think that it's an outstanding acting performance while others find it incredibly irritating, or an incredible acting performance for what looked like an incoherent, stupid filler plot-line.
20	** A's supposed true identity at the finale of season 5 has proven to already be quite divisive with the fanbase.
21	* CargoShip: Mona and the board game [[spoiler:made by AD to control and torture the Liars.]] She is ''very'' intrigued by it and spends her time trying to understand it by sensually caressing it and calling it 'beautiful.'
22	* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[ManipulativeBitch Alison DiLaurentis]] is the book series's wicked BigBad. Even as a child, she would abuse her twin sister Courtney and even helped get her commited to an insane asylum by lying to her parents that Courtney wanted to kill her. She later [[CainAndAbel murdered Courtney]] in a fit of rage for simply switching places with her by having her BuriedAlive, kills Ian because of his relationship with Courtney, and later on kills Jenna simply because she knew the secret. Besides that, Alison pretends to be Ian in an IM conservation, stalks the girls as the second A, repeatedly blackmails them, and feeds them false information. She then tries to have someone else framed for her misdeeds. In one of her appearances, she manipulates Emily's feelings for her, and then attempts to kill the girls of the book by having them burnt alive. She also sends Hanna fake tickets and has her sent to a mental institution. Finally, she fakes her own death and leaks a fake trial of evidence to the police which implicates the girls for her "murder", fully intending to have them spend the rest of their lives in prison, just to get her revenge.]]
23	* CrackShip:
24	** Fans have taken to shipping [[MayDecemberRomance Darren/Hanna]].
25	** Lucas/Aria. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-SL6rxaVn8 It exists]]. Not only is Lucas a very minor character, what little involvement he has with the Liars is generally with Hanna.
26	** Lucas/Mona. Something of a ThemePairing, revolves around the headcanon that they might have been friends due to both being extreme outsiders before Mona was uplifted and became popular.
27	* CreatorsPet:
28	** Aria, and more specifically, Marlene King has admitted to loving Ezra and Aria's relationship.
29	** Toby. EasilyForgiven doesn't describe how quickly people were willing to trust him again.
30	** Ezra is an even more egregious example of EasilyForgiven than Toby, and gets the same preferential treatment for Ezria.
31	%%ZCEs* CreepyAwesome:
32	%%** Jenna takes this up to eleven.
33	%%** The theme song.
34	* DesignatedHero: Lucas in the first series. He has no hesitation speaking his mind about how Hanna supposedly deserves better than Sean. Except... all Sean's done "wrong" is not have sex with her. Granted, Hanna really wanted to do it with him, but Lucas is only treating it as a big deal because he's attracted Hanna and wants to be with her. He also kisses Hanna while she's asleep!
35	* DesignatedVillain:
36	** Sean, as a consequence of the above. He doesn't feel ready to have sex with Hanna and the show frames it like he's being a bad boyfriend for feeling that way, even though he has a right to his personal boundaries.
37	** Any character who opposed Ezria is this, even when they're right about their relationship. Taken to the extreme with Byron who is supposed to be the bad guy for divorcing his wife because he wasn't okay with letting his teenage daughter date her former teacher.
38	* DracoInLeatherPants:
39	** Ezra is this not just for the fanbase, but for the ''writers'' as well. They just seem to forget the part where Ezra had been with Alison when she was only fourteen, and intentionally set out to be with a fifteen-year-old girl and don't think it's worth mentioning solely because he isn't the BigBad.
40	** Mona. Plenty of fans seem to forget all she did as the Original A- and in season three as TheDragon, and bash the Liars for being "mean" to her.
41	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
42	** Alison's pets, Pepe the dog and Tippi the bird. The fandom ''adored'' these two, and some are still hoping they'll return and play a part in taking down A.
43	** Wayne Fields, the only father of the Liars who [[spoiler: never cheated on his wife,]] is beloved by fans for being an OpenMindedParent when [[spoiler: Emily came out]] and when he prioritized her well-being over an athletic scholarship, even coming home from his deployments just to make sure she’s safe. He’s even memorable for being a BigDamnHeroes during one scene. The fandom was sad [[spoiler: when he passed away during the time skip, describing him as the only good dad in the series.]]
44	* FanNickname: [[http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3556407 Over on]] Website/SomethingAwful, the show is affectionately known as ''[[Series/TwinPeaks Tween Peaks]]''.
45	* FanonDiscontinuity:
46	** A lot of fans like to ignore the second half of the finale instead of the AssPull plot that AD is [[spoiler:Spencer’s British long-lost twin]] and instead think of Wren as the villain.
47	** Writing off ''The Perfectionists'' is common, especially among Emily/Alison fans dissatisified with how it handled their relationship.
48	** Some people like to ignore everything after the Liars graduated due to decline in quality the show experienced.
49	* FoeYayShipping:
50	** Spencer and Mona, [[VillainTakesAnInterest especially on Mona's side.]]
51	** Mona pretty much started down the crazy path when Aria came back from Iceland and re-united Emily & Spencer with Hanna, forcing her attention away from Mona.
52	** Really, Mona has quite a bit of FoeRomanticSubtext with every single one of the Liars, including Alison. She also has relatively popular ships with each of the Liars, again including Alison.
53	** There's a one-sided example with Aria and [[spoiler:Spencer's twin sister Alex Drake, also known as]] A.D. A.D. goes out of their way to coerce Aria into [[spoiler:becoming an A Team minion,]] tells Aria that "[their] relationship isn't over until [AD] says it's over," ends up [[MurderTheHypotenuse kidnapping Ezra (the day before he was supposed to marry Aria) with the full intention of killing him]], and cuddles up next to a sleeping Aria- while caressing her face and saying that "I think that you and I are going to be the closest of all."
54	* GrowingTheBeard: At least according to critics, who initially saw the show being slow-paced and not standing out from other teen shows of the time. However, the show's critical reception has grown significantly since its debut.
55	* HarsherInHindsight: In the first book, one of Hanna’s chapters mention that she has thought about apologizing to her now best friend Mona for how she and the other Liars bullied Mona with Alison, but decided that bringing it up would only make things “awkward.” After being revealed as '''A,''' Mona specifically states that Hanna never apologizing for that bullying only made her resentment grow over the years.
56	%%zce** On their first date, Samara tells Emily "Ghosts of first girlfriends make tough competition"
57	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
58	** In "If These Dolls Could Talk" Alison visits Spencer, and claims that since Alison and Spencer share Jason as a brother, that they're practically sisters, assuring her that "[Spencer] deserves a decent sister." Flash to the final season, where not only have [[spoiler:Spencer and Melissa grown much closer, but it also turns out that since [[spoiler:Spencer and Alison's respective mothers were twins]] biologically speaking, Spencer and Alison are both [[spoiler:cousins and half-sisters.]]
59	** In the pilot, Melissa forces Spencer to move out of the barn, not caring about how upset this makes Spencer, who begrudgingly accepts this with only a passive aggressive complaint. In the finale, Melissa once again asks Spencer if she, Melissa, could move into the barn and Spencer back into her room. This time, not only does Spencer assert herself and refuse, but Melissa happily accepts this.
60	* HilariousInHindsight:
61	** During her time on ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'', Bianca Lawson (Maya) played a character named Emily -- and a character named Marin in ''Series/TeenWolf'' (like Hanna's last name).
62	** Also in one episode Jenna asks if Jason [[TheOtherDarrin looks the same]].
63	** Paige's dad saying that Emily only made anchor because she's a lesbian, can make people laugh a few episodes later when we find out Paige is also a lesbian.
64	** In the first episode, Emily had a boyfriend, Ben Cooke, before coming out. The actor who played him now plays a newborn gay vampire in the ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' SpinOff ''Series/TheOriginals''. The show also features Claire Holt (Samara, Emily's third girlfriend) as straight Original Vampire(ss?) Rebekah.
65	** Alison making fun of Hanna's weight becomes funnier in later seasons when Ashley Benson is still roughly the same size while Creator/SashaPieterse has gained weight probably meaning Alison probably weighs more than Hanna. [[spoiler:Although in the final season there ''is'' a good InUniverse reason, i.e. Alison's pregnancy.]]
66	*** Might be HarsherInHindsight, given that Sasha Pieterse has spoken out about bullying she's gotten from fans of the show because of this.
67	** From the beginning, Spencer and Alison have both been frequently suspected (both in fan theories and by characters in the series) of murdering someone (supposed victims being the person who was buried That Night: Alison, the '''real''' Alison, Courtney Dilaurentis, Sarah Harvey, or Bethany Young and Mona Vanderwaal in season five). By the end of the series, Alison and Spencer are the only Liars - even when including Mona - who ''haven't'' murdered anyone!
68	** For ''years,'' Aria has been the prime suspect for many fans who believe her to be A. In season seven, Aria actually ends up [[spoiler:being blackmailed into working for AD, and she quickly turns out to be '''terrible''' at it!]]
69	** In a 2013 cover story on the show's massive success, ''Entertainment Weekly'' was forced to acknowledge they not only gave the show a bad grade when it premiered but even put it on their list of 5 Worst Shows of 2011.
70	* HollywoodHomely:
71	** Lucas. He's not made out to be unattractive when he's really attractive, he's not hidden behind glasses or terribly bad clothing, he's just a typical nerdy guy with 'no game'. After a season of being generally PutOnABus through 'home schooling', he comes back as a semi-regular guest star, and has apparently gone and got himself a fashion adviser.
72	** Mona in the TV flashbacks also fits this. She looks exactly the same except with glasses, braces, frumpy outfits, and pigtails. This suddenly makes her an unwanted, unpopular uggo.
73	** We're expected to believe that pre-series Hanna was lonely and unpopular (prior to Alison befriending her) because she was overweight. Even at her heaviest, she's still played by the absolutely gorgeous Ashley Benson, still very wealthy, and if anything, was even kinder to people at the time than she is in the present day, if a little less confident. It strains credibility that everybody in Rosewood would be ''that'' shallow.
74	* HollywoodPudgy: Hanna is continually described as being fat a year before season one. However, in the {{flashback}}s she looks pretty much the same, just wearing frumpy clothing. Subverted in episode 13 where she's wearing a fat suit.
75	* IKnewIt:
76	** [[spoiler: Nate killed Maya]].
77	** [[spoiler: Creepy weirdo Toby is part of the A-Team]].
78	** So many fans suspected [[spoiler: Mona would die in the season 5 mid-season finale]] that they literally started to believe it was too obvious to happen, ending with them being shocked when it did actually happen. Then along came 'Welcome To The Dollhouse' which [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] that, by revealing Mona is actually alive]].
79	** [[spoiler: "A"/Charles being a transwoman]] was considered one of the more out-there theories after it sprouted up during the sixth season. And then it happened. Weirdly, a lot of proponents of the theory failed to correctly guess ''which'' [[spoiler: woman Charles would turn out to have become, even though CeCe, a character whose primary character trait is her resemblance to Alison, was the most obvious candidate]].
80	** [[spoiler:Emily's stolen eggs]] and [[spoiler:Alison's pregnancy]] are connected.
81	** AD is [[spoiler: Spencer's long lost twin sister, '''A'''lex '''D'''rake]].
82	* InformedWrongness:
83	** The Liars feel compelled to cover up [[spoiler:Hanna having hit Elliott with her car. Spencer even calls it first-degree murder. This is completely wrong, for Hanna tried desperately to hit the brakes and stop the car when she saw Elliott in front of her. Also, even if she didn't, the whole reason why that happened in the first place was that he was chasing down Alison in an attempt to kill her. Basically, Hanna saved someone's life by killing him, accident or no.]]
84	** The show treats Sean's description of Lucas of "wanting to be bitch-slapped each time he opens his mouth" as unreasonable, despite the fact that Lucas was obviously trying to make moves on Hanna in Sean's presence multiple times, and kissed her while she was asleep (though neither Hanna nor Sean knew that had happened).
85	* ItWasHisSled: It's impossible to talk about the later seasons of the show without revealing one of the show's major twists. [[spoiler: Alison isn't dead.]]
86	* LauncherOfAThousandShips:
87	** Emily has 3 girlfriends InUniverse and feelings for Ali. She also has been paired with Hanna and Spencer out of universe and there is a popular crossover ship between her and [[Series/{{Glee}} Santana Lopez]] (played by IdenticalStranger Creator/NayaRivera). And some fans also pair her up with Toby (due to them having dated on the books) and Nathan.
88	** Of the hetero variety, there's Hanna. She has been not only shipped with [[OfficialCouple Caleb]], but fans have also paired her with [[JustFriends Lucas]], [[HospitalHottie Wren]], [[LesYay Mona]], [[FoeYayShipping Darren]], and all of the Liars (particularly [[HoYay Aria]]), to name a few.
89	** Spencer. She has popular ships with {{M\|indGameShip}}ona, [[PseudoRomanticFriendship Aria]], [[VitriolicBestBuds Hanna]], [[TheLancer Alison]], [[BroodingBoyGentleGirl Emily]], [[OfficialCouple Toby]], [[BirdsOfAFeather Wren]], [[FoeYayShipping Ezra]], [[BelligerentSexualTension Noel]], [[IncestSubtext Jason]], and all her past [[GirlOfTheWeek love interests]], amongst other ships.
90	** Aria is paired with Ezra, Jason, Noel, Spencer, Hanna, and Alison.
91	* [[HoYay Les Yay]]: Believe it or not, this can happen in a show with a canon lesbian.
92	** Mostly between Emily and Hanna with Emily staying with the Marins in Season 2 and agreeing to be Hanna's Romeo.
93	** Aria and Spencer are also rather close. In "Unmasked" Spencer even dubs them Team Sparia to the glee of shippers.
94	** "Birds of A Feather" introduces Aria and Hanna, particularly where Aria [[spoiler:comforts Hanna after Caleb breaks up with her]]. Not to mention their moms. Ashley and Ella seemed to have something.
95	** InUniverse Alison encourages this in her friendship with Emily as a way of manipulating her, but might have also caught real feelings for Emily.
96	** And some fans have also picked up Hanna/Mona as well...
97	** One-sided with Spencer and Alison, Spencer imagines herself slow-dancing with Ali and then later imagines herself on a date with her.
98	** Mona and Spencer, they practically ''drowned'' in FoeRomanticSubtext back in season three, and the tension [[UnresolvedSexualTension is still]] there.
99	* LGBTFanbase: Thanks to Emily, the show has a huge lesbian following. It also helps that three of the five leads have come out as lgbt since the show ended.
100	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: The final season went heavy on the fanservice, which led to a resurgence of one of the most popular and enduring fan theories: that Aria [[spoiler:was the ultimate mastermind behind the A scheme, or at least was fated to play an integral role in the A-Team.]] The exploration of this idea in 7B could well be a TakeThatAudience. [[spoiler:While Aria ''does'' end up joining the A-Team as TheMole, her reasons for agreeing are [[DrivenToVillainy sympathetic]] and the awful things she does on A.D.'s orders eat her up inside.]]
101	* MemeticMutation:
102	** "Bitch can see!"
103	** Everybody, everything, everywhere knows Alison.
104	** The moms are still locked in Ali's basement after five years.
105	** "Who is this monster?!"
106	** Peter Hastings secretly being the father of ''every character.'' And on that note, Jason keeps getting romantically involved with his half-siblings.
107	** "I can't believe we all thought Aria was A, she's fucking terrible at it."
108	** The Liars being complete morons who cannot handle simple logic.
109	** "It's not a song, its a phone number!"
110	** "Unless you’re Aria’s mom, just assume it’s Spencer. You know, ''slutting it up!''"
111	** Sara Harvey’s showers. Similarly, calling her "Shower Harvey."
112	** Alison doing everything the night she went missing, including going through puberty.
113	* {{Moe}}:
114	** Emily, to the point where Aria's mom risks her job for her when she sees her struggling with a test.
115	** Mona has this quality at times [[spoiler:Even after we learn she's -A, making her even more dangerous]]
116	** Aria, Spencer, and Hanna also qualify, in their own ways.
117	* MoralEventHorizon:
118	** Jenna found herself on the far side of the line when a flashback showed her [[spoiler:raping Toby]].
119	** [[spoiler:Ezra]] being revealed to have hooked up with Allison when she was ''fourteen'', and then deliberately set out to seduce [[spoiler:Aria]] when she was 15 was this for many views. The show itself seems to be trying to go down the path that "at least he's not A", as if that somehow makes up for being a creepy stalker/paedophile who makes a habit of targeting underage girls for sex.
120	* {{Narm}}:
121	** The cringe-making scene with Emily being chased at Homecoming and screaming for help. Admittedly Creator/ShayMitchell, gorgeous beyond belief though she may be, has always been the least likely of the four leads to get praise for her acting, but good grief... (In fairness, she does get a LOT better as the series goes on.)
122	** The scene where Ashley runs Wilden becomes this with less than stellar writing. It was not one of Creator/BryceJohnson's best acted scenes in the show.
123	** Episode 24 of Season 4 has a couple of hastily written lines revealing that Alison’s relationships with [[spoiler: Ian and Ezra]] were never sexual, which comes off as the show desperately and sloppily trying to make [[spoiler:Ezra and more specifically the Ezra/Aria relationship]] seem less predatory in an AssPull. It’s especially jarring in the case of [[spoiler:Ian]], as the show had firmly implied their relationship was sexual prior to this episode.
124	* NeverLiveItDown: A lot of people have a serious problem with Paige trying to drown Emily in Season 1.
125	* ObviousJudas: [[spoiler:Toby is one of the A's]], there was always something about him...
126	* OneSceneWonder: The disbarred doctor-turned-alcoholic the girls visit in season 7, and his haunting advice about what the human heart craves and returns to in the end.
127	* ReplacementScrappy: Fans of Jason don't like Jake, because they were hoping he would get with Aria after her breakup with Ezra.
128	* ParanoiaFuel: A psycho-stalker is out there with a grudge against you and knows all of your deepest, darkest secrets. This person has no name, no face, is willing to kill to get what he or she wants, and is able to be anywhere at anytime.
129	* PeripheryDemographic:
130	** Though the show is intended for teenagers, Emily's storylines have drawn a lot of adult lesbian and bisexual women to the show.
131	** It also has an adult male following for... [[TestosteroneBrigade other]] reasons.
132	* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/SydneySweeney, who would later go on to star in ''Series/EverythingSucks'' and ''Series/{{Euphoria}}'' portrayed one of Addison's friends Willow in the series finale. She is the one who says Spencer's line when Addison goes missing.
133	** Creator/RyanMerriman previously starred in two Disney Channel original movies such as ''Film/SmartHouse'' and ''Film/TheLuckOfTheIrish''
134	** Creator/YaniGellman also starred in the Disney film, ''[[Series/LizzieMcGuire The Lizzie McGuire Movie]]'' as Paolo.
135	* TheScrappy:
136	** Nate is probably the one character who is universally disliked by the fanbase. It started before he appeared when it was speculated that he may date Emily [[spoiler:and while the two do kiss, Emily wasn't really interested.]] On top of that [[spoiler:he killed Maya and tried to kill Emily]].
137	** Byron is not well liked either by characters on the show or fans. Comes with being an unfaithful husband who forces his daughter to lie for him.
138	** Alison, in-universe, by everyone but the Liars, their families, [=CeCe=], and Ezra.
139	** Talia, Emily's girlfriend in Season 5 is someone that all shipping factions can agree that they hate.
140	* SeasonalRot: Season Four marked the decline of a lot of quality in the show to fans. Two major complaints being that the Ezra reveal and its subsequent backtracking jerked the audience around more than previous any RedHerring has; and that one of the biggest mysteries of the show — who pulled Alison from the grave and saved her life— is not only revealed to be a character ''introduced the same episode it’s revealed,'' but also that she knew to save Alison because she’s ''psychic,'' before which the show was strictly real-world based. From this Season on, fandom generally feels that the show was WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants, which is made more frustrating by the writers claiming that the mysteries and their resolutions were set up (and [[FairplayWhodunnit could be solved by the viewers]] if they paid close enough attention), and throwing in filler episodes and countless {{Red Herring}}s left and right just to prolong the show.
141	* SugarWiki/SheReallyCanAct: Troian Bellisario has recieved much well-deserved praise from the fanbase in her portrayal of Spencer during her SanitySlippage in Season 3.
142	* {{Shipping}}:
143	** Should be no surprise that slash shipping is incredibly popular among the fandom. Many like pairing off the Liars, with Aria/Spencer (the {{Mama Bear}}s) and Hanna/Emily (the LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, especially after Emily moves in with Hanna's family) being the most common ship-mates, with Alison being the wildcard and having popular pairings with all of them.
144	** Surprisingly, Emily has some popular ships with other boys (especially Toby), despite being a lesbian. However, those ships died out when Emily/Paige and Emily/Alison became far more popular.
145	* ShippingBedDeath: The reaction a lot of the fanbase had when the controversial Ezra/Aria relationship went from its forbidden sneaking-around phase to (mostly) out-in-the-open stage in season 3.
146	* ShipToShipCombat: Numerous examples.
147	** Aria and Ezra vs Aria and Jason
148	** Emily/Alison vs Emily/Maya vs. Emily/Paige.
149	** Spencer is mostly spared.
150	** Lucas/Hanna and Caleb/Hanna fandoms, although Lucas much more minor role in later seasons combined with the very solid canon Caleb/Hanna relationship (which was rescued ''by'' Lucas) killed it off.
151	* SpecialEffectsFailure: Like with most shows, The Perfectionists had a period of several months between filming of the pilot and 2nd episode. During this time, it was quite obvious that Sasha had lost a significant amount of weight, which the show doesn't even try to hide, despite such weight loss not being possible in such a short time.
152	** Another example involving Sasha is the Season 4 finale takes place the same time as the first scene of the pilot, except in that time, Sasha had gone through puberty. If one were to try to watch the scenes in chronological order, they would notice Ali seemed to grow breasts within a few hours.
153	* {{Squick}}: [[spoiler:Something even the show acknowledges is that Cece being Charles/Charlotte means that in her earlier appearances when identity wasn't revealed, to get close to Jason, she ''willingly'' dated her own brother.]]
154	* TearJerker:
155	** [[spoiler:Spencer finding out that Toby is on the A Team.]]
156	** Spencer [[spoiler:in Radley Sanitarium, imagining her friends sitting around her, tearfully telling them that they can't count on her anymore.]]
157	** Emily's devastated reaction when she learns [[spoiler:Maya is dead.]]
158	** Alison finding out that [[spoiler:Shana]] betrayed her.
159	** From the book series, [[spoiler:Courtney being buried under Alison's name after her body is discovered, and her parents never finding out what truly happened to her.]]
160	** The ending of "I'm A Good Girl, I Am" where the court finds [[spoiler:Alison]] guilty of murder and the rest of the girls get arrested as accomplices.
161	** A/[[spoiler:Cece/Charlotte]]'s backstory. She was assigned male at birth and wanted to be a girl, but her father wouldn't let her and threw her into Radley where she was framed for murder. Once she finally gets out, she accidentally almost kills [[spoiler:Alison]] thinking she was Bethany and to top of it she found her mother, the one person who always cared for her, dead and was forced to bury her.
162	** In an unintentional example, in late Season Five Aria goes through her high school yearbook and realizes that she has absolutely ''no'' achievements or extracurricular activities. It’s a depressing reminder that this girl’s teenage years were completely centered on her relationship with Ezra, a predator who groomed her.
163	* TakeThatScrappy: The character of Sara Harvey was never well-liked, so most fans were glad to see Emily punch her in "Game Over, Charles" after she was revealed to be EvilAllAlong. Then she is [[spoiler: killed specifically while taking a shower.]]
164	* TestosteroneBrigade: Creator/TroianBellisario, Creator/AshleyBenson, Creator/LucyHale, Creator/ShayMitchell, Creator/SashaPieterse, Music/TamminSursok, Janel Parrish... you can see why this has a number of male fans for reasons besides plotting.
165	* ThemePairing: CrackShip Lucas/Mona revolves around the headcanon that they might have been friends due to both being extreme outsiders before Mona was uplifted and became popular. Later, Mona herself uplifts Lucas and he becomes her [[TheDragon second in command]].
166	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The show has a nasty habit of making somebody look unequivocally guilty of being A, and then revealing that they're either totally innocent, or guilty of something comparatively minor. It's starting to bite them in the ass five years in, with fans now casting suspicion on characters we are likely supposed to find likable or sympathetic. [[spoiler:Parts of the fanbase ''still'' don't totally trust Toby, despite the fact that he's been on the straight and narrow since Season 3, and was only working with A in the first place to protect Spencer. And let's not even get ''started'' on how much it looked like Ezra was conclusively A in Season 4.]]
167	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
168	** [[spoiler:Sara "Shower" Harvey]]. We should sympathize with this character for obvious reasons, but instead she is potentially the most loathed character in the entire PLL universe. Why? Six words: "I need to take a shower." Of course "Game Over, Charles" revealed that she wasn't meant to be sympathetic and was EvilAllAlong.
169	** The main four Liars, especially Spencer, have a habit of believing that whoever A is trying to frame for being Ali's[[spoiler:, Maya's, or Bethany's]] killer or being A is absolutely guilty, and that there is no chance that they could be framed, and yelling at and being very unpleasant and hostile towards them or anyone who thinks they may not be guilty. After [[spoiler:Toby, Jenna, Caleb, Ian, Jason, Garrett, Lucas, Melissa, Byron, Mike, Ezra, Ali, Noel, and less important characters like Leslie]] they would learn to start gathering more evidence before jumping to conclusions. Especially since they keep being framed for different crimes, with Toby and Spencer constantly saying that they don't jump to conclusions for this reason... before jumping to conclusions.
170	** Lucas, for some. While he is obviously initially meant to be a Woobie, and we are meant to feel sorry for him, all of that ignores the fact that he was persistently making moves on Hanna, while she was dating Sean, who was a perfectly nice guy, and seemed to feel entitled that Hanna would reciprocate his feelings. He also kissed her while she was sleeping, which is completely out of line.
171	* TheWoobie:
172	** Toby. In the show, the poor boy is [[spoiler:Blamed for a murder he didn't commit and then subsequently gets ragged on by the whole town.]] And even before that the one friend he had was ashamed to be seen with him in front of her friends for a long time, and he was [[spoiler:coerced into a relationship with his stepsister that he certainly didn't want.]] Then his [[spoiler:girlfriend's family didn't want her seen with him because she was a person of interest in the same murder case.]] Every time the boy's on screen something bad is happening to him.
173	** TV-Verse Spencer counts too. Her parents favor her older sister Melissa, she and her friends are constantly in danger, being nearly killed [[spoiler:(by her sister's boyfriend and her classmate) and framed for murder]] multiple times. She can't even relax in a hot tub without freaking out about someone spying on them. Then she eventually has a mental breakdown and ended up in the Radley Sanitarium and afterwards develops addiction to drugs to try and stay awake to track "A" and decode Alison's diary. And now, it turns out that [[spoiler:her ''real'' mother is Mary Drake.]]
174	** Lucas, especially how he reacts after he reveals his major secret at the party thrown after Hanna comes home from hospital. It really shows that whilst Allison's relationships with the girls were manipulative and cruel, it was nothing compared to how they treated other people. Lucas being part of any scene together with Hanna and Caleb as a couple might as well have "HIS HEART IS BREAKING" written in giant letters on screen every time it happens.
175	** From the book verse, Jenna. The poor girl is brutally bullied at school (they even gave her an apple, soaked in toilet water for crying-out-loud!) all seemingly out of jealousy of her Snow White-ish beauty; sexually abused by her step-brother; when she finally fights back [[spoiler:Jenna & Courtney plot to get Toby sent away by setting off fireworks]] she gets blinded. [[spoiler:and then she is killed. By Alison. Whose twin befriended Jenna. ''Jenna was killed by who she thought was her only friend''.]]
176	** [[spoiler:Charles/Charlotte Di Laurentis]] She was thrown in Radley by her own father at a young age most likely because [[spoiler:she identified as a girl and wanted to transition.]] While institutionalized [[spoiler:she gets pinned with the murder of Marion Cavanaugh by real culprit Bethany.]] The only person who would visit her was her mother, and it seems like she was locked up in there for years until she finally gets a chance to be herself as [[spoiler:CeCe Drake.]] Then, she accidentally [[spoiler:almost kills ''her own sister'' Alison and watches as ''their'' mother unknowingly buries her alive.]]
177	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
178	** [[spoiler:Toby]] being on the A-Team was abandoned, as a few episodes later it was revealed that he [[spoiler:was only on the team to protect Spencer.]] [[spoiler:Spencer]] joining forces with Mona to get answers was scrapped quickly; it hardly lasted an entire episode. Ezra [[spoiler:being "A" was a red-herring as well. He was just writing a book and was doing research.]]
179	** It could be argued that the entire show has been wasted. The show was dragged on to a 7 season, 160 episode run, when it really should have finished in a much more coherent fashion in Season 4 or 5. By the time Season 6 & 7 were airing, many of its most ardent fans were falling off the show as they were tired of red herrings, wacky plot twists and new characters that no-one cared about or simply grew out of watching teen shows.

Context YMMV / PrettyLittleLiars