When you’re obsessed with a television show, you start to pick up on all of its nuances. Some shows have such a strong and rabid social following that the writers let fans in on the jokes. Sometimes, theories come up online, and suddenly, they’re on the show. That’s how you know you’re at a whole other level of fandom. Pretty Little Liars is definitely one of these shows.
Over the past five seasons (and I'm sure throughout the two to come), fans have tweeted, hashtagged, blogged, Tumblred, and cried out their hopes, fears, theories, and dreams for the characters, and showrunner Marlene King is all about (well, mostly about) giving the fans what they want. She and the other writers have a well-documented love of reading fan theories, and every so often, one fan-approved notion will sneak into the show. This back-and-forth leads to a lot of inside jokes between writers and fans, and, speaking as a Pretty Little Liars super fan, it’s fun to be able to see these and joke about them with other approved super fans.
With Season 6 rapidly approaching (the premiere is set for Tuesday, June 2), I’ve compiled a list of Pretty Little Liars inside jokes. If you don’t get these, you may not be a super fan!
Aria Always Has The Weirdest Earrings On
It’s well-known in the Pretty Little Liars community that Aria always has the weirdest clothing options, right down to her jewelry. She has a penchant for feathers, and even her mother came right out and said it in Season 3: “Why am I asking you? You wear forks as earrings.” It’s fun every week to see what kind of accessories nonsense Aria will sport.
Emily Is An Over-The-Top Reactor
I'm not trying to diss Shay Mitchell as an actress, because she's awesome, but she is very emotive one. During scenes of shock and surprise, you can always count on Emily to have the twistiest, weirdest faces on camera. Mitchell has mentioned this herself in interviews.
Hanna Isn't Exactly The Brightest Liar
Remember when she pronounced the word “gazebo” as “gaze-bo?” I think the writers add those little nuggets in just to give fans something to chuckle about, and it definitely works. Sweet, sweet Hanna. Never change.
“Bitch Can See”
Exclaimed right after the liars figured out that Jenna’s eye surgery was successful, this is like, the funniest thing Aria has ever said. Proclaim “bitch can see” to any Pretty Little Liars fan, and they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about.
Lack Of Parenting
Seriously, where are these kids' parents? Every Pretty Little Liar fan can laugh about the ineptitude of the Liars’ parental figures. They screw up just as much as the teens do, and I personally wouldn’t trust those parents to protect the Liars from A anyway.
The Liars Always Split Up/Run Into Danger
A secluded park in the middle of New York City? A working pottery oven? An abandoned ice cream factory? These are all places that the Liars have visited, and they rarely stick together while there. This causes Pretty Little Liars fans to sigh and shake their heads in disbelief.
That Time Paige Tried To Drown Emily
This duo isn’t together right now, but when they were in their happiest stage, Pretty Little Liars fans couldn’t help but scream, “Emily, Paige tried to kill you!” at the television every episode. Because, well, Paige, mad that Emily would be swim team captain over her, tried to drown Emily in the school pool. Because she loved her? No idea.
Toby’s Do-Rag
Back when Toby was in juvie (which was for like 30 seconds), he was shirtless and wore a do-rag. This was a dark, dark time in Pretty Little Liars history, but it’s one that us super fans sure like to bring up.
Attention-Stealing Funeral Clothes
After the sheer number of funerals that the Liars have attended, you would think that they’d know what proper mourning clothes look like, but nope. They always look like they’re going to/coming home from the club, and while they always look completely amazing, it's not exactly the toned down, modest look most people wear to funerals IRL. But hey, there's always the next inevitable funeral.
Chickpeas
Ugh, Ezra and his chickpeas. On no other show would a can of legumes play such a role in the unfolding of a major plot development. Note to Aria: Ezra has all the cans of chickpeas in the world.
Ravenswood
I'm going to pretend that the whole premise of Caleb's Ravenswood spinoff was just a joke for all of the Pretty Little Liars fans to laugh along with, because that's the only way I can accept its existence.
How many of these jokes did you laugh out? If not many, there’s no need to worry: You still have a few weeks to catch up and increase your obsession before the June 2 premiere of Pretty Little Liars Season 6.
Images: ABC Family/Eric McCandless; Giphy (11)
