r/PrettyLittleLiars

This isn’t hate toward any of the other cast members, of course, but I love how she’s stayed true to her looks over the years. She still looks like herself, just older and more mature, and I think that’s so beautiful!

I need to do a big rant about how badly the writers wasted both Spencer’s A-Team storyline at the end of season 3 and Ezra A in season 4, because the more I think about them, the more I realize how much these two storylines could have completely changed the show. I’m not talking about “twists that would’ve been cooler” either. They could’ve raised the stakes in a way PLL rarely had the guts to do, especially because they would’ve had huge, permanent consequences for the characters.

Starting with Spencer: I actually like the idea of Toby being in the A-Team. The problem was never the premise, it was what they did with it afterward. Betrayal by Toby, Radley, the drugs, working with Mona, joining the A-Team… all of that could’ve been the beginning of a much darker Spencer, especially if they had connected her to Bethany too. I would’ve made Spencer genuinely responsible for Bethany’s death by accident while she was under the influence of the drugs, with Melissa later covering everything up. Suddenly her breakdown, her obsession with Alison and her involvement in the A game would’ve had a completely different weight. Spencer could’ve become a victim, investigator, accomplice and potential threat all at once. THAT would’ve been a massive character arc.

And then Ezra. This is where I think they wasted one of the best candidates they ever had for A. Season 4 practically screams that Ezra could be A: the lair, the cameras, the files on the Liars, Alison, his suspicious behavior, all the information he somehow has… and then we find out he was just writing a fucking book. WTF? 😭 Ezra A would’ve been so much more than just a twist. It would’ve completely changed Aria and finally connected her storyline to the main mystery. And if they had connected him to the N.A.T. Club too, maybe making him part of that network of information and videos about Alison long before he ever met Aria, it would’ve been even crazier. Suddenly dozens of previous scenes could’ve had a completely different meaning.

And honestly, Ezra would’ve been basically a 10/10 character for me on a narrative level. Not because he would’ve been a “cool villain,” but because he would’ve had such a massive function in the story. He would’ve been Aria’s boyfriend, an apparently harmless person, a manipulator and someone directly connected to the Alison mystery all at once. Aria finally would’ve had a storyline that actually put her at the center of the main mystery instead of gradually reducing her to Ezra’s girlfriend.

The thing that drives me insane is that, literally, with BOTH of these storylines, I couldn’t get off the couch. I genuinely needed to know where Spencer and Ezra were going. And instead, one ends with a ridiculously cheesy and completely inappropriate Spencer/Toby reconciliation, while the other ends with a predatory stalker who had been spying on a minor supposedly doing all of this “for love” and to write a fucking book. Like… WHAT THE FUCK? 😭

And this is where I think the fan service comes in. “NOOO, YOU’RE RUINING SPENCER!” “I WANT EZRIA BACK!” Bro, maybe they were finally doing something interesting with these characters. Spencer becoming darker didn’t mean they were ruining her. Ezra being A wouldn’t have ruined Aria either. It would’ve completely changed her character and her role in the story. They could’ve actually explored the consequences instead of immediately resetting everything because certain couples had to get back together.

And for me, this was literally one of the beginnings of the show’s decline. That’s when my expectations started getting lower, because I realized PLL could build these massive storylines and then abandon them right when they were finally becoming genuinely interesting. I don’t care if the direction would’ve been different from what I personally wanted: if the writers had actually followed through with these ideas and made them coherent, I would’ve been completely on board.

THIS is character development. THIS is actually raising the stakes. This is what I want from Pretty Little Liars. Not couples magically reconciling through the power of love after things happened that should’ve completely changed everything.

Guys, I don’t give a fuck: if they had actually continued both of these darker arcs all the way through, Spencer and Ezra would automatically be among the best characters in the entire show from a narrative standpoint. I wouldn’t have needed more twists, more secret twins or another completely new A. They already had enough material to create two of the best character arcs in the entire series.

This is literally ragebait at the highest level.

The side eye from the guy the camera pans to always has me cackling 😭😭

(as siblings)

I sooo forgot about Episode having a Pretty Little Liars Story to play. You will actually be Friends with the Girls and solve mysteries with them soooo cute

sorry idk if i’m loopy from all medication i took bc i have the flu right now but this is so funny to me. the pose he hit😭

This is why season 3 is probably my favorite! Guys, watching these two GOATs constantly go at each other with verbal attacks, threats, counter-moves, manipulation and little jabs was pure entertainment to me. This entire rivalry strengthened both of them SO much from a narrative standpoint, because Spencer and Mona are both incredibly clever, competitive and manipulative characters, but they use those qualities in completely different ways. And most importantly, they both have that darker side that makes every confrontation between them so much more interesting.

I honestly think there was already something going on between them long before Mona was revealed as A, but obviously everything completely escalated after the reveal. And then Toby being revealed as a member of the A-Team raised the stakes even more for Spencer. Spencer had clearly gotten the upper hand over Mona at the end of season 2, but in season 3 the whole situation completely flips when Spencer discovers Toby’s betrayal. She’s already psychologically falling apart, and Mona, instead of leaving her alone, basically keeps ragebaiting her every chance she gets. The Decathlon is one of the best examples: Mona joins the team after Brad’s accident, competes directly with Spencer for captain, and even manages to beat her in the final quiz.

And the best part is that Mona doesn’t just want to win: she knows Spencer is already at her breaking point and keeps pushing exactly where it hurts. At one point Mona even contacts Wren because she’s worried about Spencer’s mental state, and Wren ends up bringing her to the Decathlon meeting. That’s where Spencer and Mona have one of their usual verbal confrontations, Mona keeps provoking her, and Spencer eventually completely loses control and actually tries to strangle her in front of everyone!

And from there, things get even crazier. Mona wasn’t done yet: Toby’s fake death and everything that follows contribute to Spencer’s complete breakdown, and she ends up in Radley. And THIS is where I think there was a HUGE opportunity to continue their rivalry. Spencer could’ve come out of Radley even more determined to get revenge on Mona, instead of turning her entire arc into yet another “Toby did it to protect you 🥺” storyline. Mona, meanwhile, keeps trying to manipulate her and even offers her a chance to come back to the A-Team, telling her that she needs her.

And that’s exactly why I think a Spencer who had genuinely continued down the path of revenge could’ve become SO interesting. When Spencer tells Mona that “this isn’t a game anymore,” the meaning was pretty damn clear to me: at that point, this wasn’t just about figuring out who A was anymore. It had become personal. Spencer didn’t just want to stop Mona anymore. She wanted to destroy her. And I honestly think a Spencer like that could’ve become one of the most dangerous players in the entire show.

I would’ve LOVED to see the two of them continue to orbit around the A-Team as occasional allies but sworn enemies, maybe being forced to work together whenever it benefited both of them, only to be ready to stab each other in the back five minutes later. And most importantly, I would’ve loved to see what happened if they actually declared open war on each other.

The crazy thing is that the show had already built basically everything: the rivalry, Toby’s betrayal, Spencer’s breakdown, Radley, the A-Team, Mona’s manipulation, and even the fact that Mona saw enough of herself in Spencer to actually want her on her side. As the series went on, Mona even started adopting some of Spencer’s traits, from the way she dressed to her more academic attitude, and she eventually openly said that she admired and respected Spencer.

So yeah, maybe I’m just way too invested in two characters staring each other down for three minutes, but Spencer vs. Mona is genuinely one of my favorite subplots in the entire show. They had two characters who could’ve literally destroyed each other psychologically, and instead, right when things were getting REALLY interesting, the writers started moving everything in a completely different direction.

What do you guys think would’ve happened if Spencer had actually continued down the path of revenge? If she and Mona had openly declared war on each other, who do you think would’ve won? Mona is strong and dangerous, but I still think a Spencer with absolutely no moral brakes left, completely determined to get revenge, would’ve been a fucking nightmare for her!

Jail