How The Ending Of Pretty Little Liars Ruined The Show According To Fans
True to the promises of the "Pretty Little Liars" theme song, two really cannot keep a secret. After 7 years of convoluted plot lines and faked deaths, the trials of Emily (Shay Mitchell), Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), and Hanna (Ashley Benson) finally came to an end. Their entire teenage and adult lives had been ruled by the fear of a cyber stalker known as "A," who made it their sole mission to terrorize and threaten them. Many "A's" have taken up the mantle through the years, but the ultimate reveal of "Uber A's" identity in the ending of "Pretty Little Liars" was the most shocking of all.
Through a rabbit hole of confusing events, it turns out that their tormenter was Spencer's evil twin, Alex Drake (also played by Bellisario). This is "Pretty Little Liars," and we could not want this beautiful mess of a show to end any other way. However, there is a camp of fans who were not entirely satisfied with the conclusion of the series. And while it may be because of the Alex Drake of it all, fans' discontent was actually for a more specific reason.
Fans could not get behind the accent
With the penchant that "Pretty Little Liars" has for outrageous storytelling, it was only natural that the series ended with a secret twin twist. Who could ask for more in a show that routinely buries its characters alive? In the last hour of the series, Spencer is shocked to discover that someone who looks exactly like her has imprisoned her and her birth mother, Mary Drake. But it was the reveal of Alex's British accent that fans on Reddit found indefensible.
"[T]he finale surpassed all expectations! It was the most insanely bad episode of [TV]. I cry-laughed at the accent (I'm British)," posted one Reddit user. It wasn't just those across the pond who found Alex's accent laughable. Taking joy from the outlandish plot twists in the Freeform series is just part of the fun, and fans had the time of their lives.
"Between the ending of the show and the Cece is Charles reveal, it's hands down the worst thing I've ever seen on a [TV] show," agreed another Redditor. "At that point, [I] only continued watching because [I] enjoyed making fun of it." Plot twist after plot twist, "Pretty Little Liars" is just a wild ride. But even though fans were horrified by the result, Alex Drake wasn't a total surprise.
The twist wrapped up the story of the Liars
As the creator I. Marlene King would tell it, the Alex Drake reveal happened organically. Spencer's backstory may seem like a twisted web, but it makes a lot of sense when unsnared. Her father Peter's (Nolan North) affair with Jessica DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker) already resulted in Spencer's half-brother Jason (Drew Van Acker). Still, Peter goes on to father more children out of wedlock. After a liaison with Jessica's twin sister Mary, Spencer and Alex are born, making the twin storyline come full circle. Peter adopts Spencer while Alex is essentially hung out to dry. So, the answer was clear when it came time to decide who the final "A" was.
"It came naturally," King told The Hollywood Reporter. "It evolved that the families were intertwined because of Mr. Hastings's relationship with Ali's mom and aunt. [T]hose two families were so messed up, and they lived side by side, and I feel like it was just a natural way to merge their stories into this big giant mythology." Writing in an evil twin is also an homage to the source material. Though the Freeform show diverts heavily from Sara Shepard's book series, twins are also featured prominently. In the books, "A" is Alison, who faked her death by killing her secret twin. With such a dramatic history, Alex Drake was a logical conclusion.
If it's any consolation, Troian Bellisario had a great time
Though only appearing in all her British glory in the final episode, Troian Bellisario put a lot of thought into the character of Alex Drake. At first glance, it may seem as though the accent is haphazard, but Bellisario has another perspective. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she expanded on what went into Alex's accent.
"To me, the best way to communicate [her background] was to give her a very specific accent, so I really wanted to learn the Essex accent," Bellisario explained. "Essex girls are kind of fun, and there's this reality show called 'The Only Way is Essex' and [...] once you hear that cadence, and you listen to the way that these girls talk to each other when they get excited or passionate, I was like, 'That's this character.'" Bellisario went on to say that many people were unsure of her delivery on the day, but the actor was steadfast.
Bellisario also had fun filming scenes where Alex impersonates Spencer. From "The Vampire Diaries" to "Orphan Black," many doppelgängers try to play their look-alikes. Though some are seemingly more successful, the "Pretty Little Liars" actor got a kick out of the performance, even if it wasn't the ending of "Pretty Little Liars" we really wanted.