-S.
My
thirteen-year-old cousin introduced me to ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars two months ago, and two full seasons later I am
hooked. When I tell people I love PLL,
they usually give me either an understanding “guilty pleasure” laugh or they
nod and raise their eyebrows, automatically reassessing their impression of me.
I admit – when people told me they love the show before I’d actually seen it, I
offered the exact same responses. I stand before you as a reformed believer
with a list of why, despite those negative reactions, I love this show and you
should too.
1. It’s a murder mystery. Something weird
is happening every episode. People break bones or die left and right. They’re
trying to find out who killed their friend while being mercilessly followed and
threatened by an anonymous person named “A.” Hello, need I say more?
2. The four main characters are women. This
is actually super rare. Think of how many TV shows feature primarily women. Now
think about most of those shows’ reputations. Yeah. Not only does PLL have a heavily female cast, but Spencer,
Aria, Hanna, and Emily – as well as almost every other female character – are multi-dimensional. You’d be amazed how
rarely we see female characters that aren’t all good or all bad. We still don’t
often see women who have flaws but are still good people with full
personalities. In other words, women who are fully human. The girls, as well as
their peers and mothers, make mistakes and even hurt people intentionally, yet
they also sacrifice themselves to protect others. What a relief it is to see
women with both strengths and weaknesses, who are not wholly perfect or wholly
imperfect.
3. They’re not only women – these four characters
are teenage girls. One of the
most hated demographics in America. Everything teen girls like, the rest of the
country hates – Justin Bieber, Twilight,
even Uggs and leggings. The fact that teen girls are the main characters
without also being the butt of a national joke about the way they talk, act,
dress, and spend their time is huge in and of itself. But PLL also gives these teens so much power. Completely deserved, I
might argue. Think about it – how many people do you know that hate Twilight passionately? A lot? Doesn’t
matter. Teenage girls helped the films alone make more than five billion dollars. And if it weren’t for teenage girls,
Justin Bieber would still be some nobody freezing his butt off while making
YouTube videos in Canada. Teenage girls have the power to rocket someone from
anonymity to stardom, and that is terrifying.
Imagine what they could do if we let them make the kind of decisions they are capable
of.
4. The girls are the primary actors. By
that I mean they are the ones facilitating the action. Their decisions propel
the storyline. They’re the ones finding clues, solving mysteries, uncovering
secrets and following shady characters. They use their intelligence and
resources to progress in discovering who killed their friend Alison. Say what
you want about their many agape facial expressions – that is pretty badass.
5. PLL doesn’t
avoid violence. The girls’ lives are often in serious danger. The main
anonymous aggressor, “A,” doesn’t hold back his/her punches because he/she is
after young girls. But that still doesn’t stop the girls from saving themselves
and their loved ones over and over.
6. It represents LGBT characters fairly and
equally. Emily, one of the main characters, comes out of the closet in the
first season and the show chronicles her journey with herself, her parents, her
peers, and her love interests. She’s even shown in romantic scenes with her
girlfriends just like the other girls are with their boyfriends. However:
7. Their love lives are not the primary focus.
Sure, they have boyfriends (and girlfriends), but their purpose and airtime is
not consumed by romance. In fact, most of the times relationships are discussed
heavily are when the problem is how to keep their loved ones safe from “A.” Yet
at the same time, the show gives them freedom to worry about little things like
what to give their partner for their birthday. It makes sense – if there’s a
murderer on the loose, is this really the time to be obsessed with
Ezra/Caleb/Toby/Maya? This is not to say the girls stand alone – in fact:
8. The central relationship in the show is not
romantic, but platonic: the four girls’ friendship. That’s the relationship
tying the whole show together. And what an amazing friendship they have. So
often we see depictions of girl friendships as full of cattiness, emotional
manipulation, and competition. PLL reminds
us that four teenage girls are capable of having a strong friendship, one in
which the girls are honest, supportive, and not afraid to openly need one
another. I wish I had seen this in high school.
9. It tackles the digital surveillance era
head-on. We live in a time of the private becoming public. We put our lives
online. Politicians’ pasts and presents are under constant scrutiny, and so are
ours. In PLL, the girls are literally
being watched 24/7. “A” sends them texts offering snarky comments on their
every move, threatening to expose them or the people close to them. Sound
familiar? In a time when it seems like we are already exposing everything, it
calls to attention the crucial difference between exposing ourselves and being
exposed without our consent. Appropriate, no?
10. The name of the show itself deceives us. My
mom listened to me rattle off this whole list of why PLL is such a great show before saying, “Alright, if it’s such a
good show, why does it have such a stupid and belittling title?” I thought
about it, and I think Pretty Little Liars
speaks for itself. The title seems dismissive, weak, and petty – just as
the characters, and all teenage girls, are dismissed. And just like we discover
on the show, casting aside a story or entire group of people because they sound
inconsequential is a mistake. So the harmless title Pretty Little Liars is itself a lie. I’m not trying to get you to
like this show, but I do hate when people write it off as stupid and not worth
their time. Don’t let yourself be deceived. What could you be missing?
If you want to read more on this, see the article that
helped shape a lot of my own impressions, or get more info on the show, check
this out.
