Why I'll Never Quit Pretty Little Liars
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Politics and Activism

Why I'll Never Quit Pretty Little Liars

This is about so much more than the 'A' mystery.

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Why I'll Never Quit Pretty Little Liars

A very exciting aspect of the "Pretty Little Liars" series was discovering A's identity, and now that A has been revealed fans are speaking of dropping the show.

At the start of the series, clique leader Alison DiLaurentis goes missing and is supposedly murdered by an unknown antagonist. Her four best friends begin to get text messages from a stalker and blackmailer named A, this individual knows secrets that only Alison could have possibly known. Charlotte DiLaurentis was revealed as Big A. She was not a character who was initially introduced at the start of the series which made many fans rule her out as a suspect. Despite what changed in one revealing episode, I will not give up on the show that conveyed the tragedy of loss, beauty of friendships, enormous character development, and inspiring relationships.

Big A's identity was not revealed until season six, episode 10, "Game Over, Charles". Meaning that over 14 million fans continued to watch the show for years despite knowing that they could just wait to Google the answer to A's identity. The writers didn't write an exhilarating mystery just to throw in dull characters, they made you care about every cast member and facet of the show.

I spent countless hours tweeting the show's producers and writers questions to help my friends and I theorize. There have been several friends from all around the world that I have made and even met through the fandom from my "Pretty Little Liars" twitter account as well.

Multiple cast members and writers have answered my questions and listened to my theories.These are producers that care about interacting with their fans and writing something that means something to them. It wasn't the question of A's identity that made me watch "Pretty Little Liars" at all.

Here are several reasons why you should not stop watching "Pretty Little Liars" because Big A has been revealed.

1. The friendship between the girls

These girls have been through hell and back, but even when their worlds are falling apart their friendships remained intact. Their lives are dangerous and unpredictable but they have always had one constant, each other.

2. Emily's Coming Out Story

The show conveyed the difficulties of coming out to ones families and friends very realistically. While Emily's friends were extremely supportive, Emily's mother originally shuns her daughter for dating a girl. She forbids Emily from seeing her girlfriend Maya and tells her that Emily's sexuality makes her feel "sick to her stomach." Despite what her mother says, Emily knows that she cannot deny how she truly feels and refuses to beg for her mother's forgiveness. A homophobic parent accuses the school of making Emily swim team captain just because she is gay. Once her mother sees this parent shouting about her daughter publicly, she steps in and defends her daughter. They then have a moment where her mother apologizes profusely for taking so long to accept Emily for who she is. In addition to this, Maya is a character who is said to be bisexual. Very few shows recognize bisexuality as being real, and "Pretty Little Liars" does not shy away from this representation. Emily's relationship is also equally important to the other PLL's relationships. It is not considered "the gay relationship" of the show. It simply just is what it is.

3. Representation of Mental Illness

Aria Montgomery's brother Mike suffers from a mental illness, and while he is a supporting character, the plot line was not simply glossed over. He would have episodes of extreme irritability and anger, sleep for days, and act recklessly. His family's concern was evident, and the Montgomery's spoke of a family member who had to take medication. They struggled with accepting that Mike may be mentally ill, but they eventually came to terms with it and got him the help he needed. Mike becomes healthy again and is able to be the person he was before things got especially difficult for him. This story did not in any way reduce this character, instead it strengthened him.

Hanna Marin is also a character who suffered from both an eating disorder and alcoholism. Rather than explaining her bulimia by simply showing that she suffers from a poor body image, the show represents how damaging her father's absence was. After her parent's divorce, her father completely abandons Hanna and leaves her feeling unloved. This resulted in her trying to be in control of something again to be able to get others to love her. Hanna's alcoholism was also handled very realistically. When an adult tries to make her put up with unwanted sexual advances, nobody believes her. She isolated herself and began drinking heavily, even between classes. Eventually the truth comes out and with the support of a loved one who believes her the whole way through, she starts to get better. This story also shows how isolating and destructive victim blaming can leave individuals.

Spencer Hastings struggles with a drug addiction and has been in and out of the hospital for it. She suffers from a great deal of trauma but eventually heals and is viewed as being one of the strongest characters.

4. The Importance of Love

Each relationship on this show has suffered from enormous obstacles, arguments, and anguish. But even when relationships failed they were almost always rekindled. Sometimes couples broke up and could not withstand the destruction, but each individual in the relationship fought to make it work.

Romantic relationships aren't the only meaningful forms of love in "Pretty Little Liars". Family relationships and friendships also remain prominent throughout.

5. Ending Toxic Relationships

These characters have been tormented, betrayed, and lied to severely by many loved ones. While they recognize that they still care for the people that have hurt them, they do not stand back and accept unhealthy relationships.

6. Crazy plot twists

The ridiculous plot twists are part of the fun of it all. We don't always see it coming, and the constant crazy is what keeps me glued to my seat for the duration of each episode.

7. Hilarious One Liners (mostly from Hanna)

Many fans were let down by the Big A reveal, and I too would have preferred the reveal to be a less predictable character from season one. However, this show has so many exciting plots, great characters, and tells such compelling stories.

I get it, the reveal was something we were all looking forward to. But if you manage to swallow your frustration and accept the unpredictability of the show then you may just be able to experience a wonderful ride. When the show continues on Tuesday, there will be a five year time jump. So much will have changed for these characters and an entirely new mystery will begin. Don't you want to find out what that may be?

This is an incredible show full of excitement, extraordinary character development, mystery, insane plot twists, horror, tragedy, loss, and hilarity. The A mystery may be over, but the show certainly isn't. Be sure to tune in to ABC Family (Freeform) on January 12th.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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