The following is a list of characters from the ABC Family television series Pretty Little Liars, which is based on the series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard. The series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader, Alison. Later they begin receiving various messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.[1]
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Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse) was the former queen bee of Rosewood and the leader of her clique. Ruling the group with an iron fist, the vicious but charismatic Alison went missing during a slumber party at the beginning of summer. When Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily begin receiving threatening messages from "A" a year after Alison goes missing, they believed Alison is alive and is playing a trick on them. However, shortly after the appearance of "A", Alison's body is found buried in the backyard of the former DiLaurentis house, hidden under the gazebo (which had been under construction at the time of Alison's disappearance). The discovery of her body launches a murder investigation. The police believe Alison was killed by a blow to the head (with a shovel), but the girls later learn, via Alison's autopsy report, that Alison actually suffocated to death by being buried alive.
It is revealed through flashbacks and clues sent by "A" that numerous people in Rosewood would have had motive to kill her. Alison was aware of all of the girls' deepest secrets: Spencer kissing Ian (her sister, Melissa's, boyfriend at the time), Aria's dad's affair with a student, Hanna's bulimia, and Emily's homosexuality (and her crush on Alison herself). Alison was also responsible for blinding Jenna, by setting off a fire cracker in Toby's shed with the girls with her; Alison blackmailed Toby into taking the blame by threatening to reveal that Toby and Jenna were engaged in an sexual affair (though it's later revealed that Jenna was blackmailing Toby into sleeping with her). Before her death, Alison had also been secretly dating Ian and being stalked by an unknown person who threatened to torture Alison the way she tortured everyone in Rosewood.
"A" is the main antagonist in the series whose identity remains the core mystery of the series. 'A' is an unseen extortionist who frequently threatens to reveal the girls' deepest and darkest secrets, both new and old. It is unknown if 'A' is a man or woman, or a student at their school, if 'A' is one person or multiple persons as part of a greater conspiracy. 'A' is a malicious person who views the girls as being "nosey bitches" and has delusions about creating a sense of justice against the girls' perceived (and actual) wrongdoings. 'A' has done numerous things to hurt the girls (and others) physically, emotionally, and mentally: examples being when she/he ran Hanna down with a car, claiming Hanna "knew too much" almost killing her, planting evidence to make Spencer look like Alison's killer, killed Ian and covered it up to look like a suicide, tormented Emily to the point of giving her a stomach ulcer as a result of stress, secretly dosing Emily with HGH, ruining her chances at a swimming scholarship which was her dream, cutting the brake lines on Toby's truck, blackmailing Hanna into nearly exposing Aria's affair with Ezra her teacher, and framing the girls for Alison's murder, among many other things.
However, on occasion 'A' has been known to act as a more ambiguous character, such as when she/he saves Spencer from being attacked by Ian or when she/he supplies the girls with information about Alison's death and killer. Dr. Sullivan, the girls' therapist, was able to determine A's identity when 'A' became her client for a short time, but in some unknown way, 'A' figured out how to keep Dr. Sullivan quiet. It is unclear as to how much 'A' actually knows about Alison's death. 'A' was in possession of a video Ian had filmed of himself and Alison engaged in an affair and also provided the girls with Alison's autopsy report even though she/he took out a specific page leaving the girls wondering what information was on it.
The girls have suspected a few people of being 'A': Toby (who was framed by 'A'), Ian (who was killed by 'A'), Jason (Alison's older brother), and Jenna. At first the girls believed 'A' and Alison's killer were the same person, but later concluded this was untrue. It was also revealed in a prequel episode of the Halloween before Allison went missing that Alison was also being tormented by a person who called themselves "A" as well, however it is unknown if the two A's are the same person.
In the recent episode, the girls nearly discovered A's identity by fooling 'A' into believing they were't friends anymore. 'A' barely manages to escape before the girls can get a clear look at her/his face, but 'A' leaves a very crucial piece of evidence behind... a cell phone now in possession of the girls.
Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson) is the "it girl" of the group, having taken Alison's place as the most popular girl at Rosewood in Alison's absence. Prior to Alison's death, Hanna was a chubby girl who Alison frequently mocked for being overweight. It was Alison who encouraged Hanna to become bulimic in order to lose weight, although Hanna admitted that she could not continue with it because it made her feel terrible. However, Hanna is constantly dogged by the issue of her weight and during periods of insecurity, engages in binging. Hanna also shoplifts, as a way to make herself feel better.
Hanna's parents are divorced; she lives with her mother and feels betrayed by her father, who has plans to remarry. Hanna does not get along well with her father's new wife and daughter, the latter with whom she has a rivalry. After experiencing financial hardship, Hanna's mother steals thousands of dollars from the bank she works at, which Hanna accidentally discovers and is forced to keep a secret.
Hanna's best friend is Mona; after Alison's disappearance, the two "transformed" themselves from "losers" to the most popular girls in school. Though Alison was one of Hanna's closest friends, Hanna expresses relief at Alison being dead, having been hurt so often by Alison. At the start of the show, Hanna was dating Sean, who she had crushed on for a long time, however, they break up as Hanna becomes more focused on the mystery surrounding A and Alison's killer. She later becomes close to Rosewood's resident bad boy, Caleb, and they two begin to date, with Hanna subsequently losing her virginity to Caleb. Although Hanna dumps him after she discovers Caleb was working for Jenna, the two later rekindle their relationship. Hanna is also friends with Lucas, who harbors an unrequited crush on her.
A frequently torments Hanna with taunts about her weight, and threatens to reveal her mother's theft from the bank. A also ran Hanna down with a car, after claiming that Hanna "knew too much"; the accident left Hanna with a broken leg and ribs. Hanna ruined her father's wedding to Isabel but didn't stop the marriage because Ashley tells her that Tom still married Isabel but in a court room. Hanna finds out from Tom that Kate will be attending Rosewood because he is moving back to Rosewood to be closer to her along with Isabel and Kate.
Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario) is considered the "preppy" girl of the group. Intelligent and extremely ambitious, she strives for perfection in everything she does, in an attempt to live up to the high expectations of her parents. Spencer's biggest rival is her older sister, Melissa, and the two are constantly at odds. Their relationship is often strained by the fact that Spencer has a habit of crushing on, and later kissing, Melissa's boyfriends (first Ian, then Wren).
Spencer's closest friends are the girls, though she and Emily are often at odds with each other when it comes to dealing with A. Spencer resented Alison, who constantly threatened to reveal to Melissa that Spencer kissed Ian. The two of them often argued, as Spencer was the only one of the girls who was willing to stand up to Alison. On the night of Alison's disappearance, Spencer told Alison that they were done being friends, and that she was tired of being treated like Alison's property. However, it was Spencer who went looking for Alison when she heard Alison scream.
Wren and Spencer have a brief affair, which is cut short when Melissa discovers it and dumps Wren. Spencer later begins a relationship with Alex, a boy who works at Rosewood's exclusive country club, though a misunderstanding leads to Alex dumping her. Although initially suspicious of Toby, believing him to be A and possibly Alison's killer, Spencer begins to bond with Toby after she becomes his French tutor and is also framed by A. The two begin to date, against the wishes of their parents. Soon after, Wren returns to Rosewood as a resident at the local hospital, which causes Spencer great emotional confusion. A later forces Spencer to break up with Toby, after revealing that it is the only way to keep Toby safe.
A frames Spencer for Alison's murder, by planting evidence in Spencer's house. She also causes many problems for Spencer's romantic relationships, such as getting Alex to dump Spencer and forcing Spencer to break up with Toby. In addition to this, A feeds into Spencer's suspicions towards Ian and plays upon her rocky relationship with Melissa, in order to cause a rift between Spencer and the rest of her family.
Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell) is the "jock" of the group. A highly competitive swimmer, she is considered the star of Rosewood's swim team. Quiet and shy, she is also a lesbian, something that she takes great pains to hide for a long time. Although her parents initially struggle with her being gay, they eventually come to accept her for who she is. After Emily's parents move to Texas for a while, Emily goes to live with Hanna.
Of the four girls, Emily was the one who had the closest relationship with Alison, who she was in love with. Although Alison frequently mocks Emily's feelings, she also professes a fondness for Emily, telling Emily that Emily's the only one who understands her and that Emily is her "favorite." Alison appears after Emily passes out from carbon monoxide poisoning, telling Emily that she knows A's identity, but is afraid Emily will be killed if she reveals it. It is unclear if Alison's appearance was a hallucination or reality.
Emily is immediately attracted to her new next door neighbor, Maya, and they begin seeing each other. However, their relationship is broken up by Emily's mother, who disapproves and has Maya sent away. When Emily returns to the swim team after a short leave of absence, she becomes rivals with Paige, who has taken Emily's place as being the best swimmer. She confronts Paige about Paige's homophobia, only to discover that Paige is gay herself. The two slowly reconcile and begin to date, though Emily breaks up with Paige, not wanting to be her "secret." Emily then starts dating Samara, though she is dumped after a misunderstanding caused by A. Shortly after, Maya returns to Rosewood, sparking Emily's hope of renewing their relationship.
A outs Emily to her parents after sending Emily's mother a picture of Emily and Maya kissing. A singles her out as the "weakest link," forcing Emily to make up a lie about getting a college scholarship for swimming and tormenting her emotionally and physically, putting her under enormous pressure which leads to Emily developing a stomach ulcer which is caused by stress. A also secretly dosed Emily with HGH, by putting it in Emily's body cream which she had been using frequently which ends up on her medical record and destroys her chances of being able get a scholarship. In addition, she is often at odds with Spencer when it comes to the issue of A and Alison's killer, something which A uses to their advantage.
Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale) is considered the different one of the group. She is more outgoing in fashion and maturity ways. She moves back to Rosewood with her family after living in Iceland for a year. Before Alison's death, she and Alison discovered that Aria's father was having an affair. Alison encourages Aria to tell her mother the truth, but Aria instead reluctantly agrees to keep her father's secret. This later causes a rift between Aria and her mother when A reveals that Aria had known about the affair the whole time. Aria's brother, Mike, blames Aria for their parents problems.
Considered the most artistic one of the group, Aria also tends to be the most reserved of the girls. Her interest in being a writer is what initially attracts her to Ezra, when they first meet in a pub, unaware that Ezra is a teacher at Rosewood High School. Despite their attempts to stay away from each other, they eventually give in to their feelings and begin a secret relationship. After Hanna is run down by A, Aria confesses to the girls that she is seeing Ezra, who are shocked.
Aria is perhaps best friends with Hanna, though she has a good relationship with Spencer and Emily as well. Out of all the girls in Alison's old clique, Aria is the most independent, rarely involving herself in the rest of the group's issues. Her crush on Noel was encouraged by Alison; the two later briefly dated, but their relationship was ended after Noel attempted to blackmail Ezra after discovering he was dating Aria. When Jason comes back to Rosewood, Aria feels herself drawn to him and becomes conflicted between her feelings for Jason and Ezra. Ezra's ex-fiance, Jackie, also comes to Rosewood; Aria, jealous, attempts to push her out of Ezra's life for good.
A has tormented Aria the least out of the four girls, though A does expose Aria's father's affair and attempts to ruin Aria's relationships with both Hanna and Ezra after blackmailing Hanna into trying to set up Aria's mother so that she will discover Aria and Ezra are dating. Aria breaks up with Ezra because of Jackie threatening to tell Byron about their relationship and getting him fired but they get back together. Once Ezra finds out that Jackie was the reason why Aria broke up with him, he asks her if she still trusts him leading them to telling Byron and Ella about their relationship which leads to Ezra getting punched by Mike. Though it's later told that Mike was sorry about what he did but tells Aria that he only punched Ezra fearing what their dad would have done if he hadn't. Aria later tries to explain to Byron and Ella that she loves Ezra and he loves her.
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Aria Montgomery, one of the protagonists of the series.
Byron Montgomery (Chad Lowe) is Aria's father and a history professor at Hollis College. He asked Aria to keep his affair with a student, Meredith, a secret after Aria witnessed them kissing. Regretting the affair and wanting them to be a family again, Byron moves the family to Iceland for a year as a sabbatical. The relationship between Byron and Ella becomes strained after A sends her a letter revealing Byron's affair. After spending some time apart, Ella and Byron slowly begin to rebuild their relationship. When Mike becomes depressed, Byron reveals that his brother Scott, who committed suicide, also suffered from mental illness; Byron feels guilty for not doing anything to help his brother. Byron finds out that Ezra is involved in a relationship with Aria after they tell him and Ella and is furious about it.
Ella Montgomery (Holly Marie Combs) is Aria's mother and an English teacher at Rosewood High School. Originally getting a job as an art curator when the family moves back from Iceland, Ella unknowingly befriends Meredith. After A reveals to Ella that Byron had an affair with Meredith, Ella moves out; uncertain if she wants a divorce or not, she explains that she needs space and time to think about everything that has happened. Ella and Byron eventually begin to rekindle their relationship. After hearing rumors about Ezra dating a student and misunderstanding a moment between Ezra and Spencer, Ella comes to believe they are dating, unaware that Ezra is actually dating Aria. She tells Ezra to stop the relationship at once, stating that it's wrong. She also tells Aria that she is disgusted at the thought of a teacher taking advantage of a student. Ella is shocked when Ezra reveals to her and Byron that he is dating Aria but, unlike Bryon, tries to put herself in Aria's shoes and see things from her view.
Mike Montgomery (Cody Christian) is Aria's younger brother. A lacrosse player, and close friends with Noel, he suffers from some sort of mental illness, which has causes him to burst into fits of anger and later leads him to break into people's houses for fun, before he begins to shut down emotionally and withdraw completely from his family. He blames Aria for the trouble between their parents. Mike accidentally discovered that Jenna and Garrett knew each other, which he told Aria about. Mike reveals to Aria that the only reason he punched Ezra was because after Ezra and Aria announced they are a couple, he feared what Byron would have done to hurt Ezra judging by the look on his face and though, "Better I do it, then him."
Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) is a former English teacher at Rosewood High School and now teaches at Hollis. He became romantically involved with Aria after the two met at a pub and instantly bonded. When he discovered that Aria was his student, he attempted to break things off, but found himself unable to do so. He broke up with Aria for a little while in order to take time to think about their relationship. He quit his teaching position at Rosewood just before Noel threatened to expose Aria and Ezra's relationship. Ezra later explains to Aria that he was engaged to a girl named Jackie when he was in college, but that she broke it off; Jackie later returns to Rosewood after getting a teaching position at Hollis. Although Ezra loves Aria, he seems to still have some lingering feelings for Jackie, and the two remain close. His relationship with Aria is often strained by the fact that they have to hide that they are together. He confesses to Ella that he loves Aria (though she misunderstands and believes he is talking about Spencer) when he comes to comfort Aria after her arrest. In "Through Danger, Toils, and Snares" we find out that Aria broke up with Ezra because of Jackie threatening to expose their relationship but they later get back together after Aria explains to Ezra that Jackie was the reason why she broke up with him. Ezra and Aria later tell Byron and Ella that they are a couple which leads him to getting puched by Mike (though it's told he only did it fearing what Bryon what would have done instead). Ezra later tells Jackie, who comes into his office trying to convince him it'll never work out for him and Aria due to age difference and the fact she's still a teenager, to get out of his office and stay away from Aria and that he wanted nothing more to do with Jackie herself.
Noel Kahn (Brant Daugherty) is a popular jock and friends with Sean and Mike. He has feelings for Aria and briefly dates her, ending things when he discovers that Aria is seeing Ezra. Noel attempts to blackmail Ezra with this information, but ends up getting framed by A (for apparently stealing mid-term exams). After a suspension, he returns to school and becomes somewhat romantically involved with Mona.
Meredith Sorenson (Amanda Schull) is a former student at Hollis who Byron had an affair with. She ignores Aria's please for her to stay away from Byron and in an effort to get close to Byron again, attempts to befriend Ella, who was unaware of the affair.
Jackie Molina (Paloma Guzman) is Ezra's ex-fiance. After getting a teaching job at Hollis, she makes hints at wanting to reconcile her relationship with Ezra. She discovers that Aria and Ezra are in a relationship, and uses this as leverage when Aria attempts to force her out of Ezra's life by threatening to expose a paper that Jackie plagiarized. Jackie forces Aria to break up with Ezra but the two later get back together and reveal their relationship to her parents when Ezra overhears Jackie threatening Aria. Ezra later tells Jackie to get out of his office when she comes by his office and to stay away from Aria after Jackie makes a comment about his relationship with Aria being "a terrible mistake," and that he wants nothing to do with Jackie again.
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Hanna Marin, one of the protagonists of the series.
Ashley Marin (Laura Leighton) is Hanna's mother, who works at a bank in Rosewood. She is angered by Hanna's shoplifting, but offers to sleep with Darren in order to keep Hanna from being charged. After some financial hardship, Ashley falls behind on her bills and resorts to stealing money from the safety deposit box of a client; the money is later stolen (by A, unbeknownst to Ashley) and Hanna is forced to slowly earn it back. Although she is divorced from Tom, Hanna's father, Ashely still has lingering feelings for him; when he comes for a visit, she ends up sleeping with him. However, she ends the affair when she realizes that Tom will never change. After Emily's parents move to Texas, Ashley invites Emily to come live with her and Hanna. She initially disapproves when Hanna starts dating Caleb, but eventually warms up to him even saying how she sees "herself" in him.
Tom Marin (Roark Critchlow) is Hanna's father. He divorced Hanna's mother, Ashley, after having an affair with Isabel, his current fiance. When he comes to Rosewood to visit Hanna, he begins to grow close to Ashely once more, something which is encouraged by Hanna. Tom eventually sleeps with Ashley, but she breaks things off with him when she realizes that he will never change. His wedding to Isabel is interrupted by Hanna, who reveals his affair with Ashley to Isabel. Despite Hanna ruining Tom's wedding to Isabel, Ashley reveals to Hanna that Tom still married her. Tom later reveals that he will be moving back to Rosewood with Isabel and Kate so he can be closer to Hanna.
Isabel Randall (Heather Mazur) is Tom's fiance and Hanna's future stepmother. At Tom and Isabel's wedding, Hanna revealed that Tom had slept with Ashley while he was engaged to Isabel. Despite Hanna telling Isabel about Tom's affair with Ashley, Isabel still marries him.
Kate Randall (Natalie Hall) is Isabel's daughter and Hanna's future stepsister. Although Hanna is at first friendly at Kate, she begins to resent her. Kate dislikes Hanna as well, comparing Hanna to a horse that has to be broken. She humiliates Hanna after getting her drunk, causing her to vomit all over Isbael's dress and ruin it. Even though Hanna stopped her mother Isabel's wedding to Hanna's father Tom, Kate still becomes Hanna's stepsister because they still get married. Kate will soon enroll at Rosewood. Note: Kate Randall is different from the one that Hanna first met. The first Kate was played by (Natalie Floyd)
Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish) is a former unpopular girl at Rosewood who longed to be accepted into Alison's group and was continuously mocked by Alison. After Alison's disappearance, Mona completely transformed herself and befriended with Hanna, and they both became popular students. She enjoys bullying Lucas, much to Hanna's annoyance. After the appearance of A, Mona notices that Hanna is now acting strangely, and feels jealous that Hanna has rekindled her friendships with Aria, Emily, and Spencer. She dislikes Caleb and makes attempts to break Hanna and Caleb up, even asking Lucas for help (though he declines). Mona is somewhat romantically involved with Noel, which Hanna disapproves of.
Sean Ackard (Chuck Hittinger) is Hanna's boyfriend at the prior to the beginning of the series. Having crushed on Sean since before Alison's disappearance, motivated by insecurities about her weight, Hanna puts a lot of pressure on their relationship. When Sean refuses to have sex with Hanna, she becomes upset and wrecks his car, though Sean understands and forgives her. However, the mystery surrounding A and Alison's death begin to take a toll on their relationship and that, combined with Sean's treatment of Lucas, leads to their breakup. Afterwards, Sean seeks out Emily's help in pursuing Paige, unaware that Paige is gay.
Lucas Gottesman (Brendan Robinson) is an unpopular student at Rosewood, who harbors an unrequited crush on Hanna, who he develops a friendship with. More than once he expresses his happiness at Alison's death, having been continuously tormented by her. He destroys the girls' memorial to Alison, stating that it isn't right that Alison's cruelty should be forgiven just because she died. It is hinted that Lucas was the unknown person who was stalking Alison prior to her death. Although initially angered by Hanna's rejection of his romantic feelings, he eventually forgives her and eventually goes so far as to bring Caleb home to make Hanna happy. He asks Hanna for dating advice after he becomes involved with a girl named Danielle, who suspects he and Hanna have feelings for each other.
Caleb Rivers (Tyler Blackburn) is a foster child and Rosewood's resident "bad boy" who Hanna seeks out for help in hacking Emily's phone so that she can call Maya, her girlfriend at the time. Though initially annoyed and frustrated by Caleb, she becomes more sympathetic towards him when she discovers his poor home life. The two eventually enter into a relationship which results in Hanna losing her virginity to Caleb. When she discovers that Caleb originally tried to get close to her while working for Jenna, she dumps him, feeling betrayed. He is brought back to Rosewood by Lucas, who wants Hanna and Caleb to make amends and reunite. After Caleb is contacted by his birth mother, he leaves Hanna to stay in Arizona for a while. He returns in time for Tom's marriage to Isabel, accompanying Hanna to the wedding.
Darren Wilden (Bryce Johnson) is a detective investigating Alison's murder. He is attracted to Ashley, who he once drove home after she had been drinking and asked for a ride, later sleeping with her to make up for not charging Hanna, who was caught shoplifting. He is distrustful of the girls, frequently questioning them beyond normal means, such as when he humiliates Emily by outing her to her friends.
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Spencer Hastings, one of the protagonists of the series
Melissa Hastings Thomas (Torrey DeVitto) is Spencer's older sister, who is engaged to Wren at the start of the series. A perfectionist and the favored daughter, she was Spencer's rival for most of their lives. Their competition lead to Spencer kissing both Ian and Wren, which culminated in Melissa breaking off her engagement with Wren. After the breakup, Melissa rekindled her relationship with Ian and the two eloped with Ian, after which Melissa confided in Spencer that she just wanted the fighting between them to stop. Shortly after marrying Ian, Melissa becomes pregnant, which again causes a rift between her and Spencer, who suspects Melissa is covering for Ian. When Ian goes missing, Melissa refuses to believe Spencer's claims that he is dead, thinking that she is receiving text messages from Ian, who is in hiding. After discovering Ian's body, however, Melissa becomes depressed and apologizes to Spencer for choosing Ian over her.
Peter Hastings (Nolan North) is Spencer and Melissa's father. A lawyer who places a great emphasis on winning, he destroys evidence that he fears will implicate Spencer in Alison's murder. Although initially he disapproves of Spencer and Toby dating, he warms to Toby after Toby begins to work for him. Peter strongly dislikes DiLaurentises, who has claims are "always crossing lines." It is hinted by several characters that Peter may have had an affair with Jessica and that Jason and Spencer are half-siblings.
Veronica Hastings (Lesley Fera) is Spencer's and Melissa's mother. She has a breast cancer scare that she keeps a secret from her family, not wanting to worry them. A lawyer, she frequently helps the girls out with legal situations. Although she dislikes Toby and his relationship with Spencer, she eventually becomes more tolerable of it.
Ian Thomas (Ryan Merriman) is Melissa's late husband. He attended high school with Jason and Garrett and was part of their "N.A.T." club (the initials of a Latin phrase meaning "We See All"). Ian dated Melissa prior to Alison's death, although he was secretly carrying on an affair with Alison, and also flirted with and kissed Spencer, who had a crush on him. He returned to Rosewood shortly after Melissa broke off her engagement with Wren; after a small courtship, the two eloped and took up residency in the Hastings' renovated barn while their apartment in Philadelphia was being remodeled. He had an uneasy relationship with Spencer, who became suspicious of him and believed he was A/Alison's killer. It is later revealed that Ian liked to secretly videotape people in their houses, such as when the girls were getting undressed. When Spencer confronts Ian about Alison's death, he claims he only pushed her, not intended for her to hit her head. He attempts to kill Spencer, stating that he's doing it for Melissa's benefit, but is killed by A, who surprisingly intervenes. His body goes missing and he is presumed to be in hiding, however, his body is eventually discovered, his death staged to look like a suicide.
Wren Kim (Julian Morris) was a medical student who was engaged to Melissa. He was attracted to Spencer and later kissed her, which resulted in Melissa calling off their engagement. However, he later returns to Rosewood to help Melissa out with Ian, who, at the time, they believe to still be alive. He obtains a job at the hospital in Rosewood, telling Spencer he came back for her. Her comforts Spencer after her breakup with Toby, leaving her confused.
Alex Santiago (Diego Boneta) is an employee of Rosewood's exclusive country club. He meets Spencer after observing her practicing serves, and the two quickly enter into a relationship. Their relationship becomes strained after Melissa plants doubts about Spencer's feelings for him in Alex's mind, leading Alex to think Spencer is slumming it with him. Veronica is initially uncomfortable around Alex, which Spencer thinks is because of Alex being of a lower economic class, however, Alex explains that he comforted Veronica after her cancer scare. Alex breaks up with Spencer for good after A makes him believe Spencer applied for him to go to Europe for a tennis camp.
Toby Cavanaugh (Keegan Allen) is Jenna's stepbrother, who was blackmailed into taking the blame for the girls accidentally blinding Jenna. After he returns to Rosewood, he strikes up a tentative friendship with Emily after saving her from Ben. Spencer disapproves of the friendship, believing that Toby is Alison's murderer. Emily goes to Homecoming with Toby and later confesses to him that she is gay, leading him attempts to confess to her about having an affair with Jenna, which she misunderstands, leading to a physical confrontation. Toby drops her off at the hospital before running away; he is later caught by the police, who have been tipped off by Jenna. After witnessing Toby being taunted in the street, Spencer begins to sympathize with him, and they bond when they realize they are both being framed for Alison's murder. Despite Spencer's parents distrust and dislike of Toby, they fall in love and begin to date. After A threatens Spencer with Toby's safety, she is forced to break up with him.
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Emily Fields, one of the protagonists of the series.
Pam Fields (Nia Peeples) is Emily's mother. Strict and traditional, she expresses great anger and sadness when she learns that Emily is gay. Believing that Maya corrupted her daughter, she holds a grudge against her, eventually discovering marijuana in Maya's bag and having her sent away. Her relationship with Emily becomes extremely strained after this, but begins to heal when Pam stands up to Paige's father for being homophobic and accusing Emily of getting preferential treatment.
Wayne Fields (Eric Steinberg) is Emily's father, who works in the military and is currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. At the start of the series, he was stationed in Afghanistan, and when he returned home, Emily came out to him. He struggled to accept Emily's homosexuality at first, but took a liking to Maya after she came over for dinner. After a few weeks of being in Rosewood, he got called back to active duty. When Emily was hospitalized after getting an ulcer, he came to visit her, apologizing for pressuring her into getting a swimming scholarship and explaining that he won't mind if Emily gives up on swimming, as long as she is healthy.
Ben Coogan (Steven Krueger) was Emily's boyfriend at the beginning of the show. It is revealed that the two had been dating prior to Alison's death and that Ben lied about sleeping with Emily, something Emily did not refute, believing it would happen "eventually" anyway. Feeling Emily growing distant from him after the arrival of Maya, he attempts to rape her, but is stopped by Toby. Emily officially dumps him at a party later that evening.
Maya St. Germain (Bianca Lawson) was Emily's first girlfriend. When Maya's family moves next door to Emily, the two quickly become friends, and their friendship gradually develops into romance. Their relationship is rocky at first due to Emily not wanting to be gay, though Maya eventually helps Emily come to terms with her sexuality. They break up when Pam discovers marijuana in Maya's bag and has her sent away to "True North," a camp for juvenile delinquents. When Maya returns to Rosewood, she hints that she may want to rekindle her relationship with Emily.
Paige McCullers (Lindsey Shaw) is the captain of the swim team and the star swimmer in Emily's absence. Jealous of Emily's perceived ease of accomplishments, she makes homophobic remarks towards Emily and physically threatens her. However, she later apologizes to Emily, stating that she can understand if Emily hates her, because she hates herself. She later also apologizes for her father, who causes problems for Emily at school, as he believes Emily is getting preferential treatment for being gay. She then kisses Emily, revealing herself to be gay. The two begin an on-again, off-again relationship, which suffers due to Paige's fear of being outed, as her parents are incredibly homophobic. Emily stops seeing Paige after Paige becomes jealous of Samara flirting with Emily, stating that she doesn't want to be Paige's secret.
Samara Cook (Claire Holt) is the president of a local private school's GSA. Upon meeting her, Emily is initially to Samara because of Samara's beauty and the fact that she is out, unlike Paige, who Emily was secretly dating at the time. The two date for a short period of time, but Samara states that she does not want to be exclusive, causing Emily to doubt her feelings. After A forces Emily to give Samara's friend her phone number as a means of flirtation, Samara dumps Emily.
The following characters are all family members and acquaintances of Alison DiLaurentis, one of the protagonists of the series.
Jessica DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker) is Alison's mother, who spear-headed a charity fashion show in Alison's memory.
Jason DiLaurentis (Parker Bagley - Season 1; Drew Van Acker - Season 2) is Alison's brother. He had an interesting relationship with his late sister; though they often fought, they were both conniving and willing to keep each others' secrets. Jason attended high school and was friends with Ian and Garrett, and they formed a club called "N.A.T" (initials from a Latin phrase which means "We See All"). He revealed to Spencer that Alison blamed the accident where Jenna was blinded on her, though Spencer believes Jason knows this to be a lie. After Ian's death, Jason returns to Rosewood, moving back into his old house and papering up the windows, apparently looking for something that Alison hid. He explains to Aria, who he has romantic feelings for, that he can't remember what he was doing on the night of Alison's murder.
Ian Thomas (Ryan Merriman) is Melissa's late husband who was involved in a secret relationship with Alison prior to her death.
Jenna Cavanaugh (Tammin Sursok) is Toby's younger stepsister. Jenna was accidentally blinded after Alison threw a firecracker into Toby's shed, intending to play a prank on him. At the time, Jenna had been having a sexual relationship with Toby, though further attempts to rekindle their relationship a year later are unsuccessful. Jenna spends a year at a school for the blind before returning to Rosewood, which leads to conflicts with the girls, who feel guilty for having covered up what really happened to Jenna.
Prior to Alison's death, she and Jenna had been rivals, after Jenna turned down Alison's offer of friendship. Alison held a grudge against Jenna for this and taunted her frequently, calling her "Jenna the Jerk." After Jenna's accident, Alison visited her and threatened to reveal Jenna and Toby's relationship unless Jenna left town. Despite this, Jenna seems to hold some sort of admiration towards Alison, calling Alison "the bravest person" she knew. Jenna tells Spencer that, unlike everyone else, Jenna knew "exactly what kind of person [Alison] really was," hinting that she knows things about Alison that the girls do not.
Jenna is involved with Garrett, who is helping her to "take down" the girls by implicating them in Alison's murder. Jenna has revealed that she may know what happened to Alison on the night that she died and the truth about N.A.T.
Garrett Reynolds (Yani Gellman) is a police officer investigating the case of Alison DiLaurentis' death, who is initially assigned to trail Spencer, a suspect in Alison's death. Although he appears to be sympathetic towards the girls, in reality he is secretly dating/in an alliance with Jenna. He was a member of N.A.T along with Jason and Ian, who he went to high school with.
Anne Sullivan (Annabeth Gish) is a therapist who the girls are forced to see to deal with Alison's death. She is visited by A and attempts to reveal A's identity to the girls; A subsequently finds a way (yet unknown) to keep her quiet.
Logan Reed (Tilky Jones) is a mysterious man who was "sent" to deliver money to the girls when they attempted to blackmail Ian and have him arrested by Garret. Emily accidentally discovers him working at a mail store in Rosewood and questions him; he reveals that he was not sent by Ian, but by a woman. Garrett later pays the man off in order to keep him quiet.
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