'Pretty Little Liars' was never going to be a critical darling; it was never going to win Emmys or Golden Globes. It was the kind of show that, since its premiere in 2010, had been nothing more than a guilty pleasure, a teen drama -- the kind of show destined to take home surfboard after surfboard at the Teen Choice Awards. Considering these low expectations, it shouldn't be surprising that the ABC Family series has abandoned any and all logic it may have, at some point, possessed. Indeed 'Pretty Little Liars,' which started off as soapy fun, has plunged into the depths of ridiculousness with such unapologetic fervor that it is hard to imagine that it will ever be able to find a way out.
This is not to say that 'Pretty Little Liars' was ever a show known for its credulity. Indeed, its basic premise requires an immense suspension of disbelief (as does its incomprehensible timeline). Since day one, the show has asked us to believe that a group of teenage girls could -- and would -- be cyberbullied, stalked, physically harmed and mentally and emotionally tortured by a mysterious presence simply known as 'A' for years on end, without any real interference from parents or the police.
The show tries to skirt this problem by painting the town cops as corrupt and somehow involved with A or other illicit activities. But it forgets (or ignores) the fact that other law enforcement authorities exist: nobody, it seems, has ever heard of the FBI (or even the state police for that matter). The girls' parents are generally concerned with their own mysterious issues, and even when they suspect something is not quite right with their daughters -- a rather infrequent occurrence -- they do not press very hard on the issue. It's difficult to believe that any parent would be uninterested in understanding their child's extreme and obvious distress. And this is not to mention the high fashion clothes these girls wear to school each day or the fact that actually going to class would appear to be entirely optional.
But to be fair, these are the kinds of issues that frequently plague teen soaps (and often television shows in general). Where 'Pretty Little Liars' has really gone wrong is its twisted-beyond-belief, utterly convoluted plot. At this point, it is basically impossible to comprehend the reasoning behind any plotline the writers of 'Pretty Little Liars' concoct. And this is not a symptom of the show's genre: it may be a mystery-thriller, but it is still very possible to make a serialized mystery show that possesses storylines capable of being understood. The drama's writers are clearly big fans of the bait-and-switch: They build up season-long story arcs, only to say, 'Just kidding!' right when it seemed that viewers were going to get some answers.
The show spent several seasons toying with the idea that Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), the girl whose disappearance and death set the whole plot in motion, might still be alive. When it finally was revealed that she, in fact, was still breathing, the show refused to explain how she could have vanished for years (even though her remains had been identified), what she has been up to or why she seems to have stayed so close to the town she was supposedly fleeing. When a show is this hard to understand, it's a miracle that fans continue to tune in week after week.
'Pretty Little Liars' does, surprisingly, have a few redeeming qualities. With the dearth of female friendships on TV these days, it is refreshing to see these four friends at the core of the show. And while they do sometimes butt heads, they never fight over boys. The series should also be commended for its portrayal of the stable, gay teenage relationship between Emily (Shay Mitchell) and Paige (Lindsey Shaw). Indeed, it could be argued that theirs is the only healthy one on the show.
But the fact remains, however, that 'Pretty Little Liars' continues to draw out the upsetting, troubling and, ultimately, illegal relationship between Aria (Lucy Hale) and her English teacher Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding). The show insists on depicting Ezra as the good guy, even though he is manipulative, obsessive and quite possibly a psychopath. The glorification of this student-teacher relationship certainly mars the series in a way even the tangled plot can't.
It's unfortunate that 'Pretty Little Liars' has let itself get so out of hand. It could be an enjoyable indulgence of a show, but instead, as the fourth season finale approaches, the teen drama has spiraled utterly out of control. If it wants to see a successful fifth year, it should go return to what made it a hit in the first place: good old soapy fun.
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