It seems like just yesterday I was fresh out of college, confused as to how I was going to spend my time, when Pretty Little Liars came along and changed everything. Okay, that’s a major exaggeration, but when the show premiered the summer of 2010, it stole my Tuesday nights – and my sanity. I, like so many of you, became obsessed.
It was the summer after I graduated college, and I was spending yet another weekday on the couch at my parent’s house (which at the time was still “my house”) in the playroom (which is no longer a “playroom,” that’s how much time has gone by guys). I was scrolling through an endless sea of job listings with the TV playing in the background when another commercial came on about this new show about pretty girls solving a mystery. I was intrigued, but the show was on ABC Family and I was an adult. I couldn’t watch a show about teenagers!
Minutes later, I found myself watching a marathon of all the episodes that had aired thus far and soon enough I was caught up with season 1. From there on out, I became obsessed with watching Pretty Little Liars. Hanna, Emily, Aria, and Spencer were my friends, and Caleb was my not boyfriend.
Pretty Little Liars was with me not only in my childhood home, but also in three different apartments. It had me in my wild early 20s, and it still has me in my late 20s. PLL was my 20s. And now that was 20s are leaving, so is PLL. It’s very symbolic, and I’m like very sad.
Here are 100 things I will miss about Pretty Little Liars.
1. Aria’s outfits.
2. Spencer’s outfits – mostly when she dresses like Carmen San Diego.
3. Hanna’s outfits. But like can I have them?
4. Aria’s cry face.
5. Spencer’s anxiety.
6. Emily being too boring.
7. …and overly concerned about everything and everyone.
8. Knowing Shay Mitchell is the opposite of boring IRL.
9. Hanna.
10. Alison’s flashbacks to when she was mean and therefore interesting.
11. Rolling your eyes at Alison’s present day nice-girl persona. I’m sorry, but she can’t be the same person. I’m still on board with the Ali twin theory because of this.
12. Not knowing if Mona if good, evil, or just a weird badass bitch.
13. Caleb’s hair flips.
14. Jason’s luscious locks.
15. Everyone’s hair. #Goals.
16. Wishing Toby was better looking (mostly before he had facial hair).
17. Toby’s abs. This is why his mediocre looks are okay.
18. Caleb’s elite hacking skills. I’m still convinced he might be A.D. – He was adopted after all.
19. Flashbacks featuring hefty Hanna.
20. The NAT club.
21. Noel Kahn being hot AF.
22. Wren’s accent.
23. Melissa making Spencer (and me) nervous.
24. Linda Tanner being a BOSS.
25. Mike’s anger problem.
26. THE MASKS.
27. The creepy ass dolls.
28. Whenever there is talk of a ‘lair’ because all I can think of is Dr. Evil’s underground lair, and sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.
29. Giggling about the fact that Jenna and Toby used to hook up, even though they were siblings.
30. Watching the moms drink wine.
31. The suburban, single (divorced or widowed – RIP Mr. Fields) mom stereotype PLL hard forces each week.
32. Aria’s mom – but only when she was single and fun and dating a much younger man.
33. Ashley Marin being a MILF and kind of a slut (she slept with Jason, and Wilden, and Pastor Ted, and everyone).
34. But feeling bad for Ashley because her husband left her and never came back. Sigh.
35. Never forgiving Ashley for stealing that old person’s money. Wtf.
36. Wanting Emily’s mom to just RELAX.
37. Being overly creeped out by Byron. Ugh, will never forget you slept with your student and cheated on your wife. Sry.
38. The Bell Tower.
39. The Brew!
40. Lucky Leon’s Cupcakes. The scene of the crime where Hanna had to eat like six cupcakes with pigs on them.
41. Radley.
42. The swanky hotel that Radley became.
43. The Lost Woods Resort… or motel.
44. Camp Mona.
45. Spencer’s aderral addiction.
46. Spencer’s school addiction.
47. Wishing I could have grown up with a barn like Spencer’s.
48. Not knowing if Jenna is really blind.
49. Lucas being awkward.
50. Watching people die in the most ridiculous ways.
51. Thinking its semi-normal to dig up graves and/or bury people alive.
52. The crooked cops.
53. Getting freaked out by Grunwald.
54. Thinking that I’m not watching a basic show and am actually getting into sci-fi because of Grunwald and Ravenswood.
55. The short-lived spinoff that was Ravenswood (RIP).
56. Getting funeral outfit inspo on the reg.
57. Ezra’s apartment.
58. Feeling slightly uncomfortable rooting for Aria and Ezra.
59. Feeling slightly uncomfortable watching Aria and Ezra hook up.
60. Hanna and Caleb. HALEB 4EVER.
61. Hating on Paige.
62. Hating on Spencer and Caleb. What even was that?!
63. Toby and Spencer not dating. Move on, guys.
64. Emison not happening, because no. Emily deserves better, but not Paige. If there’s an Emison spinoff, I honestly won’t watch.
65. Emily’s girlfriends. There were always so many.
66. All of the stupid couple nicknames.
67. Leaving ABC Family/Freeform on after PLL ends and thinking ‘lol, no show will ever live up to PLL.’ Not even The Bold Type, even though it seems good.
68. Except ‘The Lying Game.’ That show was pretty good IMO.
69. Stalking the PLLs IRL on Instagram.
70. Feeling like we’re besties because we hang out every week.
71. Texting people about not knowing what the F is going on anymore.
72. Having an excuse to get out of plans on Tuesday nights.
73. Spending way too much time browsing PLL theory tumblr pages.
74. Wondering who A is.
75. Seeing someone in a black hoodie and thinking they’re A.
76. Not being able to wear a red coat without thinking you look like A.
77. Having something to talk to today’s teenagers about.
78. Wondering why I never looked like the Pretty Little Liars in high school.
79. Living vicariously through the PLLs because my life was never that exciting in high school – nor is it now.
80. Not understanding why the channel got renamed ‘Freeform.’
81. But totally understanding ABC Family had to rebrand. Pretty Little Liars is not family friendly.
82. The hashtags that pop up during the show. #SocialTV
83. Live tweeting the show.
84. Making cyber friends with people just because we share(d) a mutual love for the show. Love u guys 143.
85. Having something to look forward to every Tuesday during summer and winter.
86. The clever episode names.
87. Reading episode spoilers online.
88. Getting excited when i. Marlene King released a hint about the show.
89. i. Marlene King. WHAT IS THAT NAME, YOU SAY? THE BEST NAME EVER.
90. The Halloween specials.
91. The behind the scenes specials.
92. Hearing “last week on Pretty Little Liars” come on the screen and running to the TV, even though I’m in the middle of making dinner.
93. The opening theme song.
94. The opening theme shush.
95. Trying to figure out what A is doing at the end of each episode before the next week.
96. Sometimes re-watching the episode when it re-airs at 10pm.
97. Getting mad when you missed the episode at 8pm, but it’s not re-airing at 10pm that night. Actually, I won’t miss that.
98. When a new friend starts watching the show.
99. Rosewood High School.
100. Writing posts like this and realizing I’m not the only 20-something who’s going to have to explain to her kids that her favorite show throughout the entirety of her 20s was a show about teenagers for teenagers.
Long live, PLL. I will miss you. OH MY GOD WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT PLL? SOMEONE HELP. PLEASE. HELP.
