Analyzing the Liars' Friendships | Pretty Little Liars Analysis

[@user-id2eo9mo1e]

I think another reason that Spencer and Emily weren't close was bc Emily viewed Ali very highly and hated seeing ppl hurt her in any way whereas Spencer would often retaliate towards Ali and was quite argumentative with her and the only liar to stand up to her

[@briannalee1998]

True! This was a huge part of their dynamics in the books too.

[@squidney6267]

this is such a good point!!!

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

Thank you

[@lunarialoonatic]

Plus I think Spencer and Emily have pretty opposing personalities. Emily is seen as the weak link and a pushover and Spencer definitely takes charge the most in the group, hence that moment when Emily compares Spencer to Alison. There’s always this slight tension between them. Especially since as you said, Spencer never liked Alison and retaliated. That’s why in the prison scene in season 2 and when they tried to double cross A, Emily and Spencer were the two liars that would be in an argument and go head to head. Even S knew the tension between them

[@alexiagordon5876]

They were close tho ,I thought they had one of the best friendships .

[@velvetdawson617]

I was honestly so angry at the WRITERS when they put in that scene of Aria victim blaming Hanna, like it was completley out of character and was one of the worst, cringiest moments on the show that to some point runied this really beautiful friendship

[@HaleyRadiant]

Totally agree! So heart breaking everytime I see that scene ever! :3

[@divyanshasen2034]

I agree!! It was not cringy but pretty realistic But it was totally wrong and out of story line

[@babssoden8668]

The writers ruined a lot friendships for the sake of putting some drama on the show. Spanna and Taleb (when Spaleb happened), Hanria/Arianna (the whole Zack situation).

[@briannalee1998]

Right?! Their friendship was one of the best before that. I still think it was better than Hanna and Spencer’s friendship.

[@minayahhawkins4567]

@@briannalee1998 I think Hanna and Spencer’s friendship was better than arias and Hannas

[@elinanderzon2922]

The lack of sympathy they had towards Spencer when she was going through something is very annoying and sad

[@gabbiebobbs3543]

That’s my BIGGEST issue with this entire series is like Spencer wasn’t allowed to be human… at ALL! Spencer for sure looking back on it was a my favorite Liar… Her and Aria were the only two who spoke frankly to one another… but even that always revolved around Aria and her problems with Ezra

[@lunarialoonatic]

@@gabbiebobbs3543 agreed… although in aria’s defense I mean- girlie has hooked up with the most people meanwhile everyone else is going through shit 😂

[@alexiagordon5876]

Fr , like w the drug thing they made her look so crazy when they came up w the whole plan to tell aria that Ezra was really A and they turned it around on Spencer and that pissed me off so bad.

[@meganmcleod6152]

agreed

[@giuliapicchiotti]

​@@gabbiebobbs3543 : Totally agree, Spencer's character has always suffered the worst from all the -A's in the series, and the others Liars have always treated her like shit when she was the most vulnerable of all of them ! .

[@Renessie1]

I always felt that pairing Spence +Aria, and Hanna+Emily made the most sence and they had the best friendships

[@meganmcleod6152]

exactly

[@nicolpap8180]

I agree!!

[@blurry1467]

Yesss

[@mikaberry-5126]

Hanna and Emily had such a great bond they were definitely my favorite

[@teasjalamiles9058]

Oh yes they have and they were my fav too

[@ella_r_m]

Ikr. They are my fav to

[@ello8387]

Yesss same

[@spongebob8610]

Hannah and Emily 4 life

[@Garcelle1987]

And it spilled over into real life as Shay and Ashley were the closest cast members at the time

[@henrikguemoes1003]

My faves are Hanna and Mona, i love how Hanna is the only one who viewed her as a real person with mental struggles while every one else only saw her for the things she's done, and the way Mona was the first person who knew that Hanna broke up with Jordan, they were each others first real friend and they are just the best

[@dimentioo]

I mean if someone tried to murder you countless times regardless of their mental issues, you would have a hard time viewing them in any other light. I’m sure the other girls are justified in seeing her like that lmfao

[@faycoleman9023]

Hanna pretty much only had Mona for a long time when the group split after Ali went missing. So it makes sense she would be more forgiving.

[@meganmcleod6152]

they weren’t the first real friends but ok

[@velvetdawson617]

what i found really weird was that in the show, Aria felt kind of seperate from the other Liars, always with EZRA, EZRA, EZRA.; and then in real life I feel like Lucy was kind of left out, because she was always doing her music, not going on Troians bachelorette party e.c.t ....

[@Kimbrly_xo]

Lucy has never been left out wth😭 it’s always Sasha that’s left out

[@vero2192]

@@Kimbrly_xo it might be because Sasha is literally a decade younger than Troian. Everybody in their 30s rn, meanwhile Sasha still in her mid 20s

[@alicem1961]

@@vero2192 it’s clear to see why Sasha got left out in interviews etc, considering she didnt have as many scenes with them, but the girls were perfectly nice to her. It’s weird to see when one of the core four gets left out though

[@codezero7981]

@@Kimbrly_xo you must be forgetting that between 2013-14 there was a fall out between Lucy and other girls, when Lucy released her album in 2014 none of the liars showed her any support.

[@ritaevergreen7234]

@@codezero7981 this is really sup rising to me but I guess since social media at the time wasn’t as detailed as it is now it was something I never knew about. I always thought the girls were always on good terms and I guess that was never the case

[@tahirazunaira]

i just think that spencer deserved better in every single way

[@frieddegg]

periodt, the best character

[@Kawaiiandcrafts11]

periodt, Troian carried

[@normielovesalot3538]

She literally banged Caleb. She deserves nothing.

[@tahirazunaira]

@@normielovesalot3538 ok stay mad

[@normielovesalot3538]

@@tahirazunaira 😂 I mean he ran back to Hanna so 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@pollythepengiun3927]

I think Spencer’s character as a whole was meant to be held to a higher standard by all the liars. This is probably due to her family and the way she was raised. But I noticed you mention it a lot and it really started to make more sense the more I thought about it. If you think about it, all the liars are held to a standard that their parents put on them. Spencer was held to a high degree to never mess up, Hannah was held to be more caring so when she wasn’t it left a sour taste in everyone mouth, Emily was viewed to be the most loyal of them all and when she wasn’t it was a huge storyline for the group, and aria was raised to be independent and free, which is why we see her separated from the liars the most.

[@KP-zb1tr]

Very good analysis.

[@avanair8427]

Very true and great analysis

[@xitsCASS]

i very much disagree about spanna. they had the most emotional relationship because of how DIFFERENT they are and how differently they see the world. they compliment each other, imo. the snark and humor is only a fraction.

[@oh4539]

Exactly. The door scene for example is one of the most emotional scenes in the whole show. They are incredibly close. Probably my favorite friendship with Sparia

[@charliecamden7732]

this is my fav friendship on the show

[@meganmcleod6152]

@@oh4539 that’s true it was heartbreaking

[@meganmcleod6152]

and it was like that from episode 1 and they stayed so close and got closer agree

[@Emilyrbays]

I always felt like Aria was separate from the other liars. Ever since season one, she's always been around Ezra. If they had actually followed through on a good villain storyline for Ezra... Aria's sense of isolation would've played really well into that since he was very much predatory. Instead they tried to redeem him, which was a total waste of storyline and character development for Aria. I think we could've seen her bond more with the other liars if she had gotten away from Ezra at some point.

[@ambriaashley3383]

Good point!!

[@D0nt_m1ndMe]

I hated their relationship it was gross and unhealthy to look at and yes I agree if she wasn’t as close to ezra, aria definitely would have spent more times with the girls

[@alisia2730]

I agree erza took most of her screen time making it hard for the other characters to connect with Aria since they spent so much time together. Which was annoying. All her plots were about her and erza as if the audience should care deeply about their relationship.

[@domenicavallone28]

I think a large part as to why Emily’s friendship with the others (besides with Hanna) and Aria’s friendship with the girls (aside from her bond with Spencer) were so low is because of how relationship driven these two are. Emily and Aria’s storylines since season 1 were driven by their romances and their codependency within the relationship. Emily had her sexuality which led to her experimental with a revolving door of women, and her blind devotion to Ali, and Aria had to toxic and dragged love story with Ezra because every f*cking road led back to him. These girls had connections with their significant others that mad their bond with most of the liars a bit weak, hence their lower ranking. Aria was always out with Ezra and felt very separated from the group especially with the A plots, and once Ali returned Emily followed her like a lost puppy. However they did manage to solidify one strong bond with the show: Emily had Hanna, while Aria connected with Spencer. This is just my observation, feel free to let me know what you think 🥰

[@domenicavallone28]

Typo: “Emily had her sexuality which led her *to be* experimental {...}”

[@itsboyaknow]

I dont think Emily followed Ali like a lost puppy after she returned. She got close again to her friend that she had lost. She let's Ali know how things are too and even cuts her out of the group with the others. By the end they depend on each other mutually and it's nice and I was happy with that.

[@codezero7981]

disagree, when Ali returns in season 5 it's Ali the one chasing Emily not the other way around, Emily is no longer the shy girl she was before Ali's disappearence, and even goes as far as cutting Alison off for a while.

[@faycoleman9023]

I think Ali fallowed Emily around a lot more when she came back. Probably because she expected Emily to completely fall at her feet like before. I think Emily was hurt the most when Ali came back because of there relationship. Aside from that I agree with everything you said.

[@radhikarao9986]

my favorite is spencer and hanna. they're my two favorite liars and i love how as the seasons go on they seem to learn to embrace one another more and more, and see value in each other's strengths. i also think they have the funniest banter and are also the most important characters to the main plot. the whole spaleb thing was a ridiculous attempt by the writers to inject drama where none was needed, and even then the girls' relationship bounced back, cementing their bond.

[@the_petty_crocker]

I've been rethinking a lot of the acting choices made since rewatching the series. The first season established Aria as the main character, but then Spencer began taking over the show. I think the writers intended Aria to be A from the beginning, but the theory gained too much traction so they scrapped it to shock the audience at every turn. If you look at how Lucy Hale plays Aria, she's often removed from situations and the other characters entirely -- by her own choice. Yes, she was consumed with Ezra, but a lot of her actions don't make sense for the "compassionate" one. She would be selfish in regard to some matters for no reason at all, certainly reasons that didn't jive with her character. Her reaction to Zack and Hanna was gross, but I understood it. She was always protective of Ella, and here was another instance of her mother's partner betraying her with a younger blonde. I think Aria was seeing Meredith rather than Hanna. It's not an excuse, but an interesting conceit. Her relationship with Alison is one I wish had been explored more deeply. Ali bullied Hanna, strung along Emily, and was in constant dominance plays with Spencer. Aria was just kind of ... there. When Ali tried to blackmail Aria with Byron's affair, Aria balked. She was one of the few who actually stood up Alison, who was left to blackmail Byron on her own. I think the show would have been much more interesting if Ali had been the A of the sixth season, with Aria being AD. I would have been interested to see those two go toe to toe with each other. I completely agree with your rankings. As they were presented on the show, they make the most sense, particularly for the reasons you've given.

[@jocelynflores4717]

Oh i like your point

[@Emilyrbays]

Literally everything I was thinking. Well said lol

[@faycoleman9023]

I didn't see her as that compassionate out of the group. I felt that Hanna was more compassionate with most of the cast. Spencer and Emily bickered a lot but had a very sisterly bond through out most of the show.

[@ramisakhan4399]

@@faycoleman9023 I would say that Emily leans more of being the Compassionate one

[@tumblrqueen8143]

My favourite Sparta scene was in season 1 when aria was at ezra’s and was waiting for him talking to Spencer’s on the phone laying in his bed and spencer was like “....are you on the bed” teasing her

[@briannamoritz4974]

LOVE that scene hahah so funny

[@nikiyabayaderegimo754]

I feel like the reason why Hanna had a lack of compassion towards Spencer during her «radley time » could be because Spencer was Hannah’s strength figure, and it was really hard for her to see and accept that the strongest person for her was in a so bad/low mental state and health.

[@josepha133]

YES!

[@oh4539]

Agree

[@nikiyabayaderegimo754]

@Diamond James definitely agree yes , but Hanna probably didn’t realised it !

[@Venvaneless]

@Diamondd don’t forget they were teenagers. It’s realistic she acted that way

[@larissanatascha5215]

Spanna will always be our favorite friendship. In the pilot and first few episodes of the show you can see that after Ali disappeared and Aria moved away Hanna and Spencer were the only ones that were still in contact with each other. And after Aria comes back Hanna smiles at her and Em really fake but she smile generous at Spence. We also love how they used to hang out in S1 and then somehow the writers changed the main friendships. In the first few flashbacks it’s often Hanna and Spencer hanging out (w Ali) and you can see their bond. Later on when they filmed flashbacks it’s Sparia and Hannily which is quite upsetting to us. We do love Sparia and Hannily, don’t get us wrong, but we feel like they’re the most loved friendships and everyone’s favs. We get that they had beautiful friendships but we feel like Spanna and also like Haria or Arily are so overlooked. Spence and Hanna always went to each other when they had a theory abt A bc they knew they’d never judge each other. Or when Spence threatened Kate to be nice to Hanna (uwu). Also one thing no one seems to notice is when in season 4 Spence is doing drugs and Hanna is the first one to notice that somethings off with her. The same goes for when Hanna is so messed up in S5. When Spence talks with Aria and Em about Hanna they say that she just seems tired but Spencer notices that somethings off. And we love how she goes to Caleb to tell him that he needs to get his shit together and help Hanna get better too

[@sumayakalif1720]

love this 100 percent number one friendship

[@shotgunsandstakes]

spanna is my favorite too!

[@meganmcleod6152]

your* not our

[@KandraKSwiftie1985]

I loved the chemistry of Hanna and Spencer but definitely agree Hanna and Emily had the strongest bond!

[@outroseok]

ashley and shay’s off screen chemistry definitely showed on screen as well, they were my fav duo too🥹

[@mariIenaa]

hanna and emily are so superior AAAH

[@marinaalexis]

Hanily supremacy confirmed 🙏

[@sam4drita]

Besties on the show and real life

[@CaptainChapin]

I feel like everybody was mainly closer to Hannah Overall

[@meganmcleod6152]

i don’t agree with that. i think Hannah had the lost public things happening so she needed lots of support like with her mom and mona

[@j.ronnygibson]

While i love each individual relationship among the liars, i appreciate how objective you were and were able to be see things logically. And i have to remember that just because Aria and Emily have the seemingly weakest relationship doesn't mean that they have a weak relationship. It is just that other relationships were stronger.

[@gracekay6448]

I adore Spencer and Hannah’s bond. Hannah is clearly driven by emotion and Spencer more so by logic. I see them as sisters and I agree that Spencer and Hannah are the best at supporting eachother. The snarky remarks just show how well they know one and other. I also think they bond so well because of the power dynamic and the way that they both feel about A. I HATE what the writers did with Hannah and Spencer in the later seasons, I think In a way they did it to push aria and Hannah’s friendship to be the “closest” and I think if the writers really tried Spencer and Hannah’s friendship could have been the strongest.

[@lostfilesofaqueen]

Fr like I kinda disagree abt what she said abt the snarky comments because whenever they would say stuff like that it was never intended to be offensive to one another, it was more of just how they communicated. I think it just shows how close they actually are because they can say stuff like that I immediately know that it wasn’t in a malicious way. I feel like Spencer was the only one who really acknowledged the fact that Hanna was actually smarter than she portrayed herself to be. I honestly think that even throughout the love triangle they still bounced back to each other for comfort.

[@TheBepjr]

@@lostfilesofaqueen Even Mona caught on to Hanna being smart in season 5. Also in Season 4, the episode where they talked to Sara Harvey's friends. Connected to missing girl from that town with Alison missing after Labor Day the same day. Same season that Hanna had a smart thing to say at the morgue. In Season 5, she had the highest scores on the SAT Exams that the teachers thought she cheated. Hanna is not dumb at all but loves to joke around, pretend to be dumb and keep up with a certain image. 😂

[@madeleinej99]

my favourite will always be sparia, the scene where spencer is telling aria the story about shaving her dads (I think it's her dad??) sideburns seemed so genuine. my absolute favourite duo 🫶. but i completely agree with the rankings

[@sicilyperez6211]

I felt like throughout the seasons Spencer was definitely more the headstrong leader *aside from Alison and definitely much nicer* and so when the girls found out about her addiction they didn’t know how to handle it because Spencer was usually the one who would take responsibility and drive herself towards being this kinda of perfectionist so seeing her so low was shocking and kind of hard to accept.

[@hidansektas]

in the books hanna basically ruined a girls' life by planting drugs on her that were actually spencers also i love that you are acknowledging hanna and emily ♥♥ it was so sweet and underrated with fans

[@marinaalexis]

Omg I remember that. The book version of Hanna was the absolute worst.

[@Melted-Kuchi-kopi]

Because of the fact Hanna never seems to Ming the snarky comments Spencer throws her way I would say it's more banter between friends. I also like to headcanon that Spencer knows that Hanna is smarter than she lets on but maybe plays dumb because she sees how much stress constantly having to be at the top of the class puts on Spencer.

[@LexMcSwing]

Spencer and Emily remind of magnets with same polarization. They have so many similar traits but its the very reason they don't mesh. It's like they're both tops but in a friend way.

[@who8776]

Hanna and emily ❤❤❤ i loved that Hanna was the first to find out that Emily was lesbian and she support her

[@emilydebridge7145]

spencer and emily's friendship didn't seem real to me. they would always have the most heated arguments, emily was the most reluctant to forgive spencer whenever she did something wrong to the group, they competed a lot, and like you said, there was a lot of tension between the two. spencer was also always the one trying to hang onto the friendship, emily was the one that pulled away.

[@avanair8427]

I think it had to do with alison, Emily was more trying to bring her back and I think Spencer was just trying to get over it

[@Jasminethequuen]

ı agreeee

[@snikers4eto]

i think that the writers sometimes straight up forgot how to write their own characters. like hanna may be blunt but she is clearly a compassionate person and this is established early with the emily coming out storyline. her lack of empathy for spencer seemed too ooc for her to me

[@AllisonMuddyOrbsStudio]

The friendships on the show always kind of felt like a loose reflection of the IRL relationships of the main cast. Towards the beginning the strongest bond was Haria, and that reflected outside as well bc when the show started, Lucy & Ashley were the ones who had a prior bond. And in the end Hannily was the strongest bond and the off screen bond is still very much seen what with Ashley still showing up on Shay’s social media. Also when the rumored tension was being noticed by the fans among the girls, that also reflected in the show because Aria’s plotlines were more often than not quite disjointed from everybody else. As always this was such an amazing video essay!! I’d love to see your video one of these days detailing Alison’s relationships w/ the liars as well, and also your detailed opinion on Spaleb aka the ship that blindsided a whole lot of us 😅

[@marinaalexis]

Thank you!! I totally agree that the real-life dynamics between the actresses definitely seemed to impact the Liars' bonds. I'm currently working on a video regarding Ali and the Liars, and as I was discussing Spaleb briefly in this video, it occurred to me that I should make a whole separate video on them, too - so that will definitely be coming!

[@meganmcleod6152]

the fact the prison clip shows both of the top relationships. i’m also really happy the top 2 don’t include the same characters

[@riottkicks2258]

My favourite friendships are either Sparia or Hanna and Emily. I loved seeing these dynamics. As a person struggling with their sexual identitiy, I loved how Hanna was always so open with Emily's sexuality, sure she made some cheeky comments like "Is it a gay thing?" Or "Yeah, we've all had them" - Even Emily" but she never made Emily's sexuality a big deal. (Not saying the liars did - but since Hanna and Emily had the closest friendship I appreiceate Hanna for that.)

[@maddiesharpe7118]

I always hated aria... no shade to Lucy but I just hate arias character, or at least how Lucy portrays that character. She’s good in everything else, so it might just be the writing

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

Agreed. Aria was very self centred and selfish constantly, she went through NOTHING compared to the other girls except for the Halloween train, and then minimized her friends issues, Lucy Hale is a queen tho

[@gabriellerwe]

@@stuffwithsoph8264 i mean you could say she was groomed by ezra which is a huge deal

[@stuffwithsoph8264]

@@gabriellerwe I do think that, and would normally count it but the show actively rewards Ezra and casts Byron and Ella disaproving and being disgusted by Ezra as a negative and wrong, it's the way it's displayed, yknow?

[@alicem1961]

It’s not Lucy’s fault

[@Emilyrbays]

I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the writers may have intended for her to be A at first. Even Lucy thought Aria was A for a while. But that theory gained so much traction though, so I think they changed it to "shock" the audience. However, I wish they would've stuck with her being A because it made so much sense with how she acted sometimes.

[@a.iwannidou8780]

I think that everyone's making perfect duo with Spencer

[@CamilaCerdan]

my favorite is emily and spencer's friendship (in part, probably because they're my fav liars, but although they crushed pretty hard from time to time you could tell they cared a lot about each other and idk i just loved their scenes together), but i do agree that the strongest is emily and hanna's. loved the video!

[@user6025]

I love Emily and Hannah they were always there for each other and in my opinion I think Hannah was the most supportive out of the girls when Emily came out 🖤

[@septima7712]

Spencer and Hanna always came across as siblings. They were very comfortable around each other, meaning brutally honest

[@alexwallar8608]

I know you don't consider Alison a Liar but I want to see your opinion on her dynamics with the other Liars.

[@marinaalexis]

I'm glad to hear it, because that's going to be a whole separate video!!

[@marinaalexis]

@Munro McLaren I consider the term "Liars" to refer to the bond and friendship between the girls, and I do not believe that Alison was ever truly a part of it. You're completely entitled to feel differently, but my opinion on that won't change.

[@marinaalexis]

@Munro McLaren They could tell me all they wanted that Alison was one of the group. Based on her interactions with them, both as a whole group and individually, I do not believe that she deserved the distinction. I'm finished arguing about this, I respect your opinion, please respect mine.

[@hohohomelander]

@@marinaalexis yesss that would be really good :)

[@lilyderooij]

If this was real life, the excuse for Haria not being as strong and Hannily becoming stronger is because people fall out of friendships. There were people in hs that I fell out with and there are people I met along the way. Thats how it is in hs.

[@ahmadseymour9969]

The writers should have gone to prison for putting Spencer and Caleb together!!

[@celine_mukuka]

Hannah and spencer were my absolute favorites 😍

[@minayahhawkins4567]

Me too! Definitely one of my fav friendships

[@larissanatascha5215]

Yesss

[@shashalatheef4867]

i think emily and hannah have very similar emotional sensitive characters where as aria and spencer are more headstrong and i wouldnt say emotionally closed but its easier for them to make risky and harsh decisions especially involving loved ones when hannah and emily couldnt so thats why their personalities gravitate towards eahc other

[@codezero7981]

agreed.

[@roter13]

I feel like some of the relationships mirrored real life. Lucy and Ashley have known each other the longest so maybe that is why their characters were so close. Ashley and Shay became super close and then Lucy didn't seem close to anyone as the seasons continued.

[@imnobodywhoareyouu]

I love Emily and Hanna, they are so different but they complement eachother really well.

[@kaylenortiz0427]

My favorite is Spencer and Aria! Because they have that close tell each other everything friendship! And because of their compassion for each other!

[@HaleyRadiant]

Awwww this was such an awesome & super fun analysis!! Definitely one of the best things about PLL is the core friend groups w/ the main Liars! Loved seeing each different pros & cons w/ all of them! Really brings me back when I used to talk w/ my sister all the time about them every time an ep ended, mainly w/ the first season! :3

[@maiaaa6474]

For me it seemed like in season 1 aria really loved hanna and maybe felt the closest to her but it seems like as the seasons go on aria loses respect for hanna. She seems to have the most respect/love spencer the most by the end. Emily would always get the most heated at Spencer out of the 3, Spencer loved her a lot but they do butt heads. Emily and Hanna are very different but love each other a lot deep down. Spencer and Hanna I think have quite a consistent funny/care deep down relationship.

[@SonOfDenis]

I think Alison’s energy definitely rubbed off on not only the girls but their dynamics between each other. Alison Dilaurentis is a very powerful character.

[@ave2190]

I honestly think Hanna deserved better friends. It really hit in season 5 when Aria outright victim blames her and Spencer and Emily accuse her of possibly making it up or being drunk. Also after everything they went through up to that point and Hanna was still afraid that she would lose them. Hanna was clearly going through something and what's worse is her friends did notice but they didn't do anything about it. Emily and Aria just got outright mad or frustrated with her and Spencer tries to put the blame on Caleb returning. Even though Caleb wasn't helping the situation, he was not source of the problem in fact he was the only one that seemed to notice she was going through something and listened to her or tried to give her advice. Hanna at the end of the day was always loyal to her friends, was always there for them. She had a few bumps in the road don't get me wrong but those were the moments (and others from other seasons) that made me think that if I was Hanna I wouldn't have forgiven Aria or at least not that easily and I wouldn't be able to be around Emily and Spencer. Emily and Hanna were strongest friendship in my opinion but still

[@sarahc9068]

Your framing of Spaleb and Hannah was so interesting - I've never heard it framed in terms of Hannah's misbehaviour. As a Spaleb stan, I'd love to hear more on this. Maybe a couple ranking video?

[@zoeaguirre404]

My favorite is def Sparia and Hannily is close second (I still love Hanna and Spencer´s friendship but after the love triangle its just not the same for me...)

[@alisondilaurentis2566]

I’m obsessed with your video essays!!! 😍

[@marinaalexis]

Thank you!!

[@riottkicks2258]

Spencer got a lot of hate for dating Caleb, which I get - If I found out my friend dated my ex partner I'd be a little weirded out too, but if Caleb and Hanna wanted to get back together, they should've just told Spencer & Jordan before the kiss, (I haven't watched it since the beginning of the year, so details may not be all there.) but Caleb cheating on Spencer was not a cool move. Caleb and Hanna had a cute ship in the beginning but I just couldn't support it after S7.

[@LBF522]

I would have loved to have seen an episode to show us how the liars met each other and with Mona and Jenna.

[@Silvia-gr5ej]

Spencer and Hannah are by far my favorite friendship, but then again, I am biased because they also happen to be my favorite characters

[@basiamostowiak8282]

Same here

[@cloudburstlia456]

Agreed. Hannah and Emily were the only pairing that didn't hurt each other. Hannah and Spencer def another fav on the show. I hated the writing in season 6 love triangle.

[@Anas0_ali]

They were meant to be best friends but they had basically nothing in common outside of A, Mona, Jenna e.t.c

[@meganmcleod6152]

who?

[@euphoricsadnessx]

@@meganmcleod6152 ... the liars Watch the show..

[@meganmcleod6152]

do friends need to have things in common to be close. also what they had in common was Ali and there friendships came from that and then the shared trauma helped

[@meganmcleod6152]

@@euphoricsadnessx k but they were wrong.

[@Jessica.Shawnte]

Spencer and Emily don’t seem close because there’s a sense of jealousy.. Spencer came from a rich family who were really smart while Emily I think was the poorest one Emily had to work hard too but the difference and jealousy comes in where Spencer couldn’t mess up when she did her family treated her like an outsider when Emily messed up her parents were upset but never treated her like a complete outside

[@tiapesi2738]

i think - in my opinion - it mattters that Hanna was the most caring person and the best friend. She struggled to let Mona go because she had such a deep connection with her.

[@cassidyjones52]

I’ve analyzed this so many times watching the show omg

[@briannalee1998]

Great analysis! I COMPLETELY agree with this list except I would switch Spencer and Hanna and Aria and Hanna. You were right about Aria and Emily being the weakest and Emily and Spencer definitely had tension and less compassion for each other than the others FOR SURE! Aria and Hanna was my favorite friendship until the show ruined their friendship. It pissed me off. In my opinion, the show got ruined in season 3. Mona never should have been revealed as A. Aria should have been A’s target in season 3 starting with Ezra being exposed and Ezra being arrested and Jaria should’ve been explored. They also never should have had the victim blaming. It was so out of character, the writers definitely ruined Aria’s character. She started out mature, insightful, compassionate, tough, kind, caring, and laid back, she also had a tenderness to her, but in later seasons they made her more selfish, weak, fragile, explosive, entitled, sneaky, etc. The opposite of the mature and laid back girl she was. Emily and Hanna were DEFINITELY the closest and least toxic!! My rank weakest to strongest: Aria and Emily Spencer and Emily Hanna and Spencer Aria and Hanna (would probably be number 1 if the writers didn’t ruin it, it was for the first 2 seasons). Sparia Hanna and Emily

[@rosesmifsud2661]

Yes Lovely Friendships Analysis in the beginning was thinking Emily is like Spencer are so like maybe had more secrets they shared more than others... I like Spencer but hard to see her bond with just one friend.. She cared for them all but judged too cause of her family dilemma .. Aria and Emily didn't spent much time loved the begging when they did . Hanna has hard character too cause of Ali but was good friend with Emily. So see her bond with Mona makes more sense.. So now have to think the truth if There was no Alison that bring them together would have stayed friends after school finished.

[@log.2542]

I agree with the Em/Hanna and Sparia being the two strongest. But I think Spencer & Emily had a much stronger bond than given credit for lol

[@meganmcleod6152]

they all love eachother but this is a good analysis. also they are all the best friends together. i agree with the weakest and second weakest but i never found Aria and Hannah that close not even in the beginning. Hannah and Spencer are a very conflicting relationship but dating the same guy and being okay with cheating or stealing one from the other is a very big factor in lowering them on my list I have to disagree on ur last ranking i think Sparia is number one and closest and then Emily and Hannah who are very close but only seen as closest mostly bc they lived together imo this video was amazing

[@xsomili5501]

5:48 Hannah and Spencer are def my fav yes

[@MissSlovakia2]

I am definitely team Sparia and I hate what the writers did them: when Aria decided to leave the game and A forced her to put the recorded evidence of (I forgot what was that) in the Spencer's house, so her parents got divorced.

[@yungrapunxel1]

Hanna and Emily and Sparia are the best but I really loved Hanna and Spencer as well cuz they gave sister vibes,I didnt like Spencer and emily at all cuz they either argued all the time or just straight up dont clash well

[@camilavega1114]

Could you please do a fashion analysis video for each of the liars

[@sagittariusrights]

I’ve always said it was Hannah and Emily and Aria and Spencer

[@faycoleman9023]

Hanna kind of bridged the gap on friendships. Emily wasn't very good close with Spencer at all and had a mostly weak friendship with Aria most of the show. Emily was only really best friends with Hanna. Spencer and Aria were very close and were probably the closets Aria got to having a real best friend on the show. Hanna and Aria also had a close bond but it diminished over time. Spencer and Hanna had a ver sisterly dynamic between them and treated each other like family a lot.

[@hohohomelander]

I really want to see a video about Alison's relationship to the other girls. This was a really good video :)

[@janellegarden4689]

Such a great topic! I’ve been waiting to see a video like this for some time…I think I’ll go with team Sparia!

[@Venvaneless]

I would never forgive a “friend” who victim blamed me for being SA’ed. I get it, it’s realistic, especially considering their age, but what is not realistic is how Hanna forgave her friends so easily. This shit is traumatising and seeing that kind of victimisation from my friends would be double trauma.

[@mallorylommel7514]

Love that Emily and Hanna friendship 100% they remind me of my best friend and I

[@gbaby4672]

hanna was the baby of the group 🥺💗

[@dineo.1065]

My favs are Spanna (Spencer + Hanna) and Hannily (Hanna + Emily)

[@j.ronnygibson]

To add on to Emily and Spencer relationship, Spencer seems to have more of a bigger sister relationship to Emily than to Hanna and to an even greater extent Aria. She likes to be protective of Emily. While this is good, it takes away Emily's Choice and autonomy in her life. Eg. When Paige made a homophobic claim to Emily, It was Spencer who told the coach. But Spencer did this without Emily's knowledge and Emily didn't fund out unit after the coach talked to Emily and Paige. While Spencer was concerned for Emily, she could have at least talked to Emily before acting on her behave. I agree that Spencer's relationship with Aria is the strongest. She sees Aria as an equal far more than Emily whom she is protective of and Hanna who, she occasionally corrects and demeans as an English school teacher.

[@racheldoesfandom]

Just binging all your PLL analysis vids. Great content 💖

[@marinaalexis]

Thank you so much!! Your essay about Alison is still one of my favorite videos to date 💓

[@WCTate]

I guess it would be Hanna and Emily

[@velvetdawson617]

yesssss this is a perfect birthday gift lol :)))

[@marinaalexis]

Aww happy birthday!!!

[@k.b.6354]

I feel like they all were close to Hannah but I think aria +spencer and Hannah+Emily were closest together anyways. I love Emily and Hannah’s friendship

[@justlive2809]

one word TOXIC bc of Ali even if i think that when Ella fiancé hit on Hannah and they doubt her words specially aria and knowing that Aria did apologize and was the only one but after the shit she give her it's fucked up i think theu don't handle friendship in an healthy way

[@xAaeiynx]

Unpopular opinion: My favorite is actually Aria & Emily. They may not have been much involved in the "mystery" aspect of the show, but they have the strongest drama driven friendship.

[@veroniquehill9314]

Hanna and Emily, Aria and Spencer, Ali and Spencer. My favourites ❤️

[@justine4652]

Spencer and Aria

[@basiamostowiak8282]

I wouldn't say that Spencer and Emily had similar characters. Spencer had strong character, she was able to stand out against rude people, such as Alison and didn't care so much what people will think about her, Emily just the opposite

[@motiondesire8786]

emily likes sports. aria likes fashion if we finish the puzzle they dont work

[@chaennielisoo3149]

Team Sparia was definitely a favorite.

[@malayaa_cunningham4206]

Emily and Hanna. Buh Spencer is my favorite lair 💕

[@morganf1968]

Emily and Hanna have always been my favorite

[@fam6746]

My fav is spencer & hanna. I love emily & hanna too but when ali is involved emily always tend for alison side and that i hated about her. Aria to me is just selfish she would put herself above all her friendships no matter what

[@tamaraarda7100]

I dont have a fav ship I think they all complete each other .. however there were some scenes that I dont like such as Aria accusing hanna of flirting with zac or Hanna and spencer relation at season 6 I have to say that I HATE Emily defending Alison so much and being so protective that was really annoying how she always supported her no matter what and even went against the others and btw I dont like emison It just didnt make any scence how alison suddenly becomes into girls duh

[@xsomili5501]

They should treat Spencer more humanly :(

[@allthingslexi6046]

I would love if you could talk about Emily and Toby.

[@monasplan]

I love your video essays!! i wish you could of included vandermarin in this!

[@marinaalexis]

Thank you! I just decided to include the "core four" Liars in this one, but I'm definitely open to making more videos discussing other friendships!!

[@kiarragrace6342]

i loved aria and hanna’s friendship in the earlier seasons

[@adalynpowell4778]

I wonder why hanna and aria are the more reserved compared to hanna and Spencer but when Spencer was MIA in the later part of season 3, Emily stepped up as team lead. Why paint her as reserved and also second in command essentially

[@SophiaNov3]

For me it’s always Hanna and Aria💗✨