Bad choices in Rosewood tend to lead to travesty. There is not one bad decision that had not come back to haunt everyone involved in one way or another. The home of the worst and longest secrets, Rosewood is fueled by mysteries and uncertainties. But some resulted in far worse consequences than anyone could have anticipated. Alison may have thought she was just having a fun time when she humiliated Mona and bullied her countless times through school. But there was no way of knowing how Alison’s words and actions were really affecting Mona until she decided thatbecoming “A” may have been the way to retaliate. Treating people poorly is a fairly common aspect, especially when Kenneth’s rejection of Charlotte also causes her to make some nefarious decisions later on.
Even actions such as petty theft, like what Hanna gets up to in the show’s first episode, can have massive repercussions for others. Ashley takes the burden of Hanna’s actions to protect her daughter, but the results are not what anyone would have wanted. Alison’s lies pile up so high that trusting her becomes nearly impossible, even when all the Liars are meant to be on the same side. But who else inPretty Little Liarsmade a bad choice that resulted in horrifying consequences?
Alison Bullies Mona
Bullying someone is not an innocent act. Alison may have thought she was just making fun of Mona for her own personal enjoyment and that nothing would come of it. But she was drastically wrong. Alison’s constant bullying of Mona, and Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily’s allowance for it to happen, ended up resulting in Mona becoming the first “A.” Not being able to take the bullying anymore, Mona puts her brain to work, becoming obsessed with Alison, stalking her, and threatening her with the hopes that Alison will learn what it feels like to be scared.
Charlotte Attacks Alison
Although Charlotte initially believed she had attacked Bethany, the realization that Charlotte had struck Alison results in a horrifying sequence of events. Jessica’s lies about Charlotte have caught up to her, as she buries Alison to protect Charlotte, never realizing that Alison was still breathing and Jessica was burying her daughter alive. When Alison escapes the ground, she runs away, terrified of her mother and fearful of the person who had been responsible for knocking her unconscious. This triggers Alison’s escape from Rosewood and everyone’s questioning aboutwhat really happened to Alison that night.
Mona Decides to be “A”
Mona’s decision to become “A” does not mean the game ends with her. Mona’s decision results in Charlotte taking an interest in Mona’s stories about torturing Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily during her reign as “A.” Charlotte becomes inspired by Mona’s ideas and takes on the game herself. After Charlotte dies, Alex Drake follows in Charlotte’s footsteps to step in as “AD,” the last iteration of “A.”
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Hanna Steals From the Mall
When Hanna steals from the mall in the show’s first episode, it may not end with drastic consequences for her, but Hanna’s mother Ashley bears the weight of the decision. Ashley manages to get Hanna free from severe ramifications but at the expense of her own happiness and safety. Ashley makes a deal to have sex with Wilden in exchange to let Hanna walk free. Ashley is trapped in the dynamic for a while, as Wilden is a horribly disgusting human being.
Peter Has Two Affairs
As if cheating on his wife once was not bad enough, he does it twice, not realizing he had cheated on Veronica with identical twins, Jessica and Mary. Peter’s first affair with Jessica results in Jason, who ends up being Spencer and Melissa’s half-brother, which plays a role in why Peter and Veronica were not fans of Melissa and Jason dating. The second affair with Maryresults in identical twins, Spencer and Alex. While Spencer was raised by Peter and Veronica, Alex was sent off elsewhere and eventually became “AD.”
The Jenna Thing
Alison’s rogue actions result in Jenna becoming blind. Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria never come clean about what really happened, and Alison forces Toby to take the fall for her actions. The Jenna Thing results in Jenna’s blindness, Toby becoming known as a dangerous member of Rosewood, and Jenna’s desire for vengeance against the rest of the girls.
Charlotte Is Rejected by Her Parents
Charlotte nearly drowning Alison as a baby and the signs that she was really a girl instead of the biological young boy she had been born as all culminated in Kenneth turning against her. He wanted her out of the house and had sent a young child to Radley under the guise that it was safer for Alison and Jason if she was gone. Although Jessica was more accepting of Charlotte, she was never accepting enough, and allowing Kenneth to send their child to Radley at such a young age was a massive betrayal in itself, even if she did visit. Charlotte’s anger toward her family and never feeling as loved and supported as she should have growing up resulted in her eventually following Mona’s footstepsin being “A.”
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Mona Kills Charlotte
Mona accidentally kills Charlotte at the top of the clock tower of the church. It is not a premeditated murder, but Mona’s actions are toward self-defense. Charlotte had no plans to return to society as a reformed individual. She had manipulated and tricked Alison into believing that she had changed, only to have plans of starting the “A” game all over again. Although Charlotte’s death put a stop to her revival as “A,” it only invited “AD” to arrive and wreak havoc in Rosewood.
Ezra Spies on Teenage Girls
There was nothing good about Ezra’s dedication to his true crime novel. Teaching at Rosewood High School was meant to get him a step closer to unraveling what really happened to Alison,but his involvement with Ariais an inappropriate addition that only makes her horrified and disgusted later on. Ezra is eventually accused as “A,” but his desperation to keep his motives a secret has him gaslight Aria and Spencer while participating in Spencer’s downward spiral if it means keeping suspicion off of himself.
Alison Lies to Everyone
Alison had a huge problem with lying. She never told anyone the full truth but went by the mantra that secrets kept them close. By that, she tended to mean other people’s secrets rather than sharing her own. Never telling the truth gets Alison into various problems as her friends try to unravel all her lies. It especially comes to a head when Alison’s lies catch up to her and force her into isolation from her friends when they no longer believe her. Even if Alison is telling the truth about wanting to protect her friends and not being “A,” there are far too many problems in their past that make Alison come across as not telling the truth.
