The main five Liars in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School are great characters, but a lot of this season has had to do with how they interact with new and exciting relationships. There are the tried-and-true pairings from season 1, new characters, and even some old characters becoming possible love interests for different Liars. Even though episode 6 revealed Imogen's mom is Bloody Rose, or hinted at it, that doesn't mean it's true or that she's working alone.
There always has to be some suspicion when we talk about love interests in a Pretty Little Liars show, especially when they weren't around earlier. After all, how many of the love interests in the original show were on the A Team for at least some portion of its seven seasons?
Love interests get the chance to see the Liars in their most vulnerable moments, which makes for a lot of drama. Can they handle the insanity of their girlfriend being hunted by a masked maniac? Are they secretly collecting information on them? Or are they just ordinary people, who would be well-liked by a less paranoid audience? Here are all of the love interests from Summer School, ranked from killer vibes to endgame. Some seem way too likely to be the killer, while others are just plain boring. But there are those rare few who just might be endgame.
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9. Jen
Episode 6 kept insisting that Jen was off the suspect list to be part of the Bloody Rose plot, which of course puts her at the very top. Ever since she joined the show, Jen has been causing trouble for Noa. They're constantly skipping work, and Jen has now stolen from at least two different people.
Simply put, she has no boundaries, which makes it easy to imagine she has crossed some pretty major ones. It's incredibly common in the horror genre for someone to save the day, only to be revealed as one of the killers at the end of it. And that definitely feels plausible for Jen.
She is obviously a sympathetic character, given that she has so much in common with Noa, but she just feels like a bad person. I wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be involved with Bloody Rose. But even if she doesn't, Noa can (and should) do better.
8. Wes
It probably isn't right to refer to Wes as a love interest, as Tabby has no interest in him, but he's certainly shown his interest in playing the role. In the first season, Wes was intent on starting a relationship with Tabby, either by making a move on her while driving her home or by forcing her into dinner and a movie to get back the video of Karen from the Orpheum.
In Summer School, his actions have been much subtler—but not absent. He took over the role of confidant from Chip and has repeatedly offered to advocate for her on his terms. However, he is generally a pretty bad person. He is romantically interested in a much younger person, uses coercive techniques to get close to her, and can't stand the thought that she might be a better filmmaker than him.
He's a pretty clear parallel to Ezra in the OG PLL, and as Imogen put it, a character like that gives off "a weird vibe." Is he a serial killer? Probably not. But he is sexist, racist, and profiting off her trauma on SpookySpaghetti.
7. Henry
In the first season, Henry was a perfectly reasonable boyfriend for Faran. While he's not overly involved in any of the main plots, he has generally been very supportive of her, even when she was going down the Kelly-Karen rabbit hole way too hard.
However, it was obvious from the first episode of Summer School that they were going in very different directions. Faran should not have lied to him about not being able to dance, but he also shouldn't have given up his opportunity at a summer ballet program for her, because it was bound to breed resentment.
As the season went on, Henry only got worse. He tries to fight Faran's battles for her even when she begs him not to and tells their private drama to the church. "Hell House" showed him at his worst, though. His attendance could be understandable, but he actively condoned the rooms targeted at his ex's best friends and enthusiastically condemned gay people.
It seems highly likely that Bloody Rose (one of them, anyway) is connected to the church, so it's just as possible that Henry is part of the team. While I doubt he's actually the one out killing people, tormenting the Liars isn't out of the question.
6. Christian
Christian is a tricky one, because he is a genuinely likable character. He seems to care about Tabby, and his push for her to have a proper premiere for her short absolutely makes him boyfriend material. That being said, he has a lot of red flags, both in the show and out of it.
From the meta perspective, Christian is a lot like Chip, which automatically makes him suspicious. On top of that, the season's alternate poster is full of hints toward the Final Girl Tests, and it also includes seven bonus monster masks—just like Christian makes.
New poster for ‘PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: SUMMER SCHOOL’ by Bret Tanzer.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 5, 2024
Premiering May 9 on Max. pic.twitter.com/DGmm6zLR2p
I really like his character, and if he isn't a killer, then he'll deserve a higher spot on this list. But he hasn't earned my trust yet. I doubt he's the one tormenting the Liars, but I could see him as the more vigilante-type Bloody Rose who has been committing actual murders.
5. Greg
This might be controversial, but Greg is definitely rising in the ranks of love interests. While his relationship with Kelly felt very creepy, given his previous relationship with Karen, he might actually be a decent match for Faran. A good guy? No. But possibly a redeemable one.
Based on his overall character, Greg is incredibly sexist and sex-obsessed. But he has a softer side, especially around Faran. Let's not forget that he came with Kelly to rescue the Liars in the season 1 finale and actually got shot for it!
In season 2, he has been the only person actively involved in the church activities to consistently disagree with the content. Greg called Kelly out on how hurtful some of the rooms might be before Redemption House started, and he quit after Faran called him out.
Greg is not a great person, but he has the potential to be a lot better than he is now. I would be thoroughly shocked if he has anything to do with the Bloody Rose killings, and it seems likely that he will have a part to play in taking down the season's villain(s).
4. Shawn
Shawn is a golden retriever boyfriend, and that earns him this high of a spot on this ranking. While he has barely been involved in either season's attacks, he has consistently shown his devotion for Noa. He let her stay with him for months, stopped taking PEDs for her, and was willing to give her $2,000 and leave his family without a second thought.
With that being said, he's obviously not perfect. He was blind to his teammate's sexist behavior in the first season and lied to Noa about being on performance enhancing drugs. But those feel like normal teenage guy problems, which are pretty mild compared to some of the others.
I don't think Shawn and Noa will stay together, either because of her cheating or because the relationship has simply run its course. But he seems to be a genuinely good guy. If anything, horror tropes indicate that he's likely to be the one to die. Their relationship almost certainly won't survive PLL: Summer School, but Shawn deserves some respect anyway.
3. Johnny
Of all the new love interests, Johnny seems to be the best. While he originally seemed to show red flags from his overly-flirtatious behavior, he was single and therefore doing nothing wrong by getting around. Since he has been dating Imogen, he has been incredibly loyal and supportive.
After Imogen blew up on him at work, Johnny did his research and assured her that he would never hurt her. He has integrated well with her friends and helps her when her PTSD kicks in. There aren't a lot of people who would show up for a girl they aren't even dating and then stay the night in their car, just to make her feel safe.
Is there a chance that Johnny is involved with Bloody Rose? Of course. Everybody is a suspect, and some fans have theorized that he might actually be Dr. Sullivan's son. But Imogen deserves a boy who likes her and cares for her with no strings attached. And so far, that's exactly what Johnny seems to be.
2. Ash
Three cheers for the most consistent boyfriend in the show, who has stood with Mouse through everything. Ash was an incredibly sweet character from the beginning, respecting Mouse's boundaries and trying to help her become more comfortable with herself.
While their relationship seemed the most precarious of those that survived season 1, Ash has put in the effort to make it work. He has supported Mouse through old and new traumas, while putting up his own boundaries in a respectful way. It's rare to see characters actually address their relationship problems in a healthy manner, but Ash seems to do it well.
Although he was never fully accepted into the group, he has shown his willingness to help even when a killer is on the loose. He was there for Mouse after her Final Girl Test, and he helped search for Rose even when it went against his instincts. There are theories that he might be Bloody Rose, and they might turn out to be true. But if not, this is the only current couple that I can see making it work in the long run.
1. Imogen/Tabby
Okay, this is technically not a relationship yet, but there have been teases toward Tabogen from season 1, and it's a great dynamic! Tabby and Imogen are the best love interests for each other so far on the show. They are there in the good times and the bad and seem to have the closest bond of all the Liars.
For those who are unconvinced about this relationship dynamic existing, the end of season 1 featured all the Liars with their significant others—except Imogen and Tabby, who were together. They both gave each other Christmas gifts based on their interests and the desire to move forward. Finally, the scene where Imogen and Tabby acted like husband and wife in episode 5 provided some of the best chemistry all season.
This is definitely a personal opinion, but I feel that these two could truly be endgame. They know and respect each other, stand by one another in their vulnerable moments, their fun times, and even their most impulsive actions. Romantic or not, Tabby and Imogen definitely feel like soulmates in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer School releases new episodes Thursdays on Max.