I love this post. I came to PLL late, because two friends were really into it (one of them a guy in his thirties who was very much outside the target audience but dug it SO much because he is smart and appreciates good TV), and so they basically got treated to my intermittent emails that were all, "DON'T TELL ME IF I'M RIGHT, but I think [so-and-so] could be A. Or maybe it's Spencer's dad."

I loved how at first appearances it was about the stereotype (they're bitchy and cliquey!) but turned out to be about the resilience and loyalty of teenage girls - qualities that are seldom celebrated at such length in pop culture.