For a TV show that is incredibly popular, there have been many twists and storylines on Pretty Little Liars that fans didn’t agree with. From various characters being members of the A-Team to favorite couples breaking up, fans felt very passionate about every single episode of the show’s seven-season run.
Every series will have some bad episodes, and they often feature unpopular stories or minor characters. Let’s take a look at the episodes of PLL that have been given the lowest ratings. Here are the 10 worst episodes of Pretty Little Liars, according to their IMDB rating.
10. Exes And OMGs (7.2)
While this is definitely a great episode title (and fits the tone of the show), the episode itself wasn’t very popular, earning a 7.2 rating out of 10. It’s from the seventh and final season, and one of the major storylines is that Emily and Paige (Lindsey Shaw), her ex-girlfriend, are being considered to coach swimming at Rosewood High.
This is a perfect example of how a final season needs to set everything up for the series finale, but it’s not that much fun to watch this happen. With all the crazy stuff that went down on PLL, fans didn’t really care about what job Emily got.
9. Charlotte’s Web (7.2)
Another perfect title but not so perfect execution. “Charlotte’s Web” is a season six episode that got a 7.2 rating, and the girls try to figure out why Charlotte was killed. There are also some storylines involving the girls’ personal lives: Emily is hiding the fact that she’s an egg donor and Aria tries to make Ezra work on his novel.
Perhaps the low rating is because this is an episode that features Caleb and Spencer hanging out. Many fans have always shipped Caleb and Hanna and don’t want to see these flirting or entering a romantic relationship.
8. Where Somebody Waits For Me (7.1)
Another sixth season episode, “Where Somebody Waits For Me” got a 7.1 rating out of 10. It’s a pretty messy episode and the most memorable thing that happens is Emily’s eggs are totally ruined. That was a strange plotline and it felt like the writers were trying to make Emily have a hidden life when there are so many other secrets that she could be holding close to her chest.
The girls look more into Sara Harvey (Dre Davis) and discover that they could get from her room into another part in the hotel. While that was supposed to be mysterious and interesting, it fell flat. PLL is known for having a lot of twists that don’t go anywhere, so it didn’t seem like much would happen here, either.
7. New Guys, New Lies (7.1)
Once again, here’s a season six episode that didn’t get a very high rating on IMDb. This episode seemed to focus a lot on the new relationship between Spencer and Caleb. Caleb talked to Toby about it to get his blessing, and Spencer let Hanna know that if it hurt her feelings, she would stop seeing him.
This was a super tricky storyline and it didn’t fare very well in this particular episode, either. When fans tune into a teen drama for a long time, they want to see the same couples that they have always loved. Sure, some obstacles are fine and expected, but seeing completely new pairings can be tough.
6. Bedlam (7)
Season seven, episode two finds Hanna rescued from whoever took her, and fans will recall that this was a difficult thing to watch since Hanna (and the other girls) had already been through enough. After Mary (Andrea Parker) makes sure that Hanna returns home, Emily and Spencer let Hanna know that she is the twin sibling of Jessica DiLaurentis and also at Radley back when it was a mental hospital.
While this is big information, the low rating suggests that fans might have been fatigued by this mystery by this point. It was definitely confusing to keep wondering who Mary was and how she was connected to the greater story.
5. These Boots Were Made For Stalking (6.9)
“These Boots Were Made For Stalking,” the seventh season episode of PLL, got a 6.9 rating out of 10 on IMDb. This episode found the girls playing the board game that A had set up for them. While this was a cool concept, it was honestly super confusing to watch. Since the girls didn’t understand the game or how to play, viewers didn’t get enough information about it, either.
This episode also had a truly frustrating storyline: while Ezra and Aria are engaged, he’s talking to his ex Nicole (Rebecca Breeds) again, who disappeared while they were on a trip. She’s freaked out that this will affect their relationship. After watching the show for so many seasons and being so invested in Aria and Ezra’s difficult and sometimes secret relationship, no one wanted this character to come back into the picture.
4. We’ve All Got Baggage (6.9)
This sixth season episode got a 6.9 rating out of 10 on IMDb, and the beginning involves the girls getting confused about Sara’s room at The Radley, which is now a hotel. This felt like filler and it seemed like the show spent too much time focusing on this.
There’s a heartwarming moment between Spencer and her mom, Veronica, discussing her mom’s cancer, but besides that, there’s a lot going on here and it’s not that interesting. Aria’s parents are getting married again, which gives Hanna the chance to style Aria’s mom Ella (Holly Marie Combs) and wonder about her own impending wedding. No fan really thought that Hanna would marry someone other than Caleb so this didn’t feel particularly urgent or compelling.
3. Shadow Play (6.7)
“Shadow Play” is a fourth season episode that got a 6.7 rating out of 10 on IMDb. This is one of those themed episodes that TV shows do from time to time. While creative in theory, the execution isn’t always quite as good.
It seems that was the case here, as this episode is black and white with a film noir tone. Spencer finds herself back in time (the 1940s, to be exact) after not getting enough rest for a few evenings.
2. Til DeAth Do Us PArt (5.5)
It’s interesting that this episode is the second to lowest rated on IMDb as it’s the series finale. It’s fair to say that the way that Pretty Little Liars wrapped up was fairly polarizing.
While some fans liked seeing the major couples get married and live in their happily ever after worlds, others might have felt that Spencer having an evil twin named Alex Drake was too cheesy and ridiculous.
1. Game Over, Charles (4.7)
In this sixth season episode, the girls discover that CeCe Drake (Vanessa Ray) is A. She talks about her difficult past, including being born as Charles DiLaurentis, and wanting to be called Charlotte.
While you would expect this to be an incredibly popular episode as this is when the mystery that had been building was finally finished, it’s possible that many people were tired of it and wished that the secrets had been uncovered much earlier.