A TV mystery should have regular plot twists, and Pretty Little Liars did a great job providing viewers with surprising moments and huge reveals that got people talking. Whether cliffhangers at the end of an episode, a wild season finale, or discovery about a major character, these scenes made the show feel like one long horror or thriller movie.
While fans could see some story choices coming from a mile away, other reveals were legitimately shocking. Either way, fans never wanted to miss an episode of this popular teen drama.
Saw Coming: Ali Came Back To Rosewood
When fans began watching Pretty Little Liars, they learned a few things about Ali. She ruled the school, her friends were afraid of her power, and the town of Rosewood assumed she had died. Ali came home to Rosewood in the fifth season of the show, which was meant to be a shocking reveal.
This didn't feel like such a big deal, though, because viewers assumed that Ali, being a main character and the subject of the mystery, would return. Her story wasn't finished being told, and, if she was going to die or run away forever, it seems like that would have been made clear much earlier.
Didn't: Ezra Seemed To Be A... Or On The A Team
In the season 4 episode 'Free Fall,' the liars thought that Ezra was A, and Aria was terrified of this realization. As time went on, it seemed like he was at least involved with the A Team in some way, but it turned out that he was doing research so he could write a book about Ali.
Aria's life became stressful because of Ezra, and this is one example of the negative influence he had on her. This is also a good example of a plot twist that was fairly shocking. While fans mentioned the couple's age difference, they didn't necessarily think that Ezra was evil or that he could be part of this terrible group of people.
Saw Coming: Mona Was A
Mona told everyone that she was A at the end of the second season of Pretty Little Liars. She had an obvious motivation: revenge for how Ali bullied her.
While this was supposed to be a big surprise, fans who had read the book series by Sara Shepard weren't on the edges of their seats here, since Mona was A in the series. It definitely made sense that the TV show would follow this storyline, as it was logical and compelling, but it wasn't unexpected.
Didn't: Toby Was Also Part Of The A Team
Toby joined the A Team so he could protect Spencer, and, at first, it was scary to learn this, as fans love Toby and Spencer and never wanted to learn anything bad about him.
This season 3 plot twist was a surprise, and it would have been tough to imagine Toby being part of this group, even though he did have a positive reason for joining. Not everyone liked this twist, but it did keep viewers interested in watching more and learning how Toby was going to navigate this evil part of Rosewood.
Saw Coming: Hanna Got Kidnapped
Hanna's kidnapping at the end of season 6 was one of the most tragic events in her young life. Her friends had no clue where she was, although, of course, they knew that Uber A was involved.
This was a plot twist that people could definitely guess, as it made sense that the liars would come closer to death as they got closer to finding out who was stalking and hurting them. Since Hanna was hit by a car early on in the series, it seemed logical that she would be a target yet again. It was also smart to kidnap her rather than the other liars, as Hanna stands out for her strength.
Didn't: Ezra Didn't Really Have A Child
When Ezra's ex Maggie was introduced, it seemed too easy to believe that Ezra was the father of her son, Malcolm. There was a lot that Aria didn't know about Ezra's life, since they hadn't known each other for that long.
It was shocking to learn that Malcolm wasn't Ezra's child after all, as it seemed strange and confusing to set up this plotline only to say that Ezra wasn't a parent after all.
Saw Coming: Aria Became Part Of The A Team
In season 7, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily told Aria that they knew she was on the A.D. Team. They were understandably upset, and Spencer said it was hard to imagine continuing to be friends.
Some fans thought Aria would end up being A.D., making this a plot twist that many believed was going to happen. It seemed like it was only a matter of time that Aria would join the A.D. Team. Aria said that she was trying to help Ezra, but this didn't seem like a good enough reason.
Didn't: Melissa Buried Bethany Young
Melissa finally let Spencer know what she had been hiding: she buried Bethany Young alive with the assumption that it was Ali. Melissa wanted to protect her sister, so this was yet another example of a character making a bad decision to help someone they cared about.
While Pretty Little Liars fans knew that Melissa had a secret, it was hard to know exactly what it was, so many viewers were amazed by this revelation.
Saw Coming: Spencer Had An Evil Twin
Once CeCe's identity was revealed in the sixth season episode 'Game Over, Charles,' it was clear that something big would happen in the last episode ever. It didn't get much more disturbing than learning Spencer had a twin named Alex Drake who had been behind it all.
Of all the fan theories about this teen drama, it was common for people to float around a twin theory, so learning about Alex wasn't a huge shock. There were moments when other characters thought that they saw Spencer, and it turned out to be Alex, like when Hanna was kidnapped, so it made sense that Alex was hanging around and sometimes pretending to be her twin.
Didn't: The Liars Were Taken To The Dollhouse
Season 5 saw the liars being taken to jail, and, the next thing they knew, the car crashed, they fainted, and they realized that they were in a dollhouse of sorts. This was one of the most terrifying moments of the Pretty Little Liars series.
It's fair to say that fans were freaked out and disturbed by this plot twist, as no one would have imagined that the liars would end up in a house with perfect copies of their bedrooms. This was a really dark time on the show, and it was hard to watch, wondering if the liars would make it out alive.