This week, instead of writing about the new episode, I’m going to write about the three male leads—Ezra, Toby, and Caleb—and their relationships with the girls.
EZRA FITZ: Ezra, Ezra, Ezra… He’s been quite the naughty boy! First, he illegally dates his student. Then, he secretly dates her behind her parents’ backs, even though they know and don’t approve. Not only does he secretly date her, but he also sleeps with her. Next, his girlfriend who is in high school learns that he got his high school girlfriend pregnant (but thank God, we find out that that was a lie). Later, Aria finds out that Ezra initially only spoke to her because he knew that she was a best friend of Alison DiLaurentis, a girl who was the subject of a book he was writing. Finally, he serves alcohol to five more of his underage students for Christmas dinner and later appears in front of them in only his boxers. Needless to say, Ezra may teach very well, but that doesn’t stop him from being a very bad teacher.
Regardless of his immoral tendencies as a teacher though, (almost) all of us still love and adore him. And it’s because of the way he treats all of his students, but especially Aria (I mean, aside from the whole “lying about the way they met” thing, but whatever). He treats them all like friends and helps them out whenever he gets a chance, like when Emily needed a tutor, he helped her out, and even gave her a make-up test of sorts when she failed, but still passed (thanks to Aria’s Mom), an English test. For more on Ezra go to the blog post I wrote about him called The Truth About Ezra Fitz.
TOBY CAVANAUGH: He’s the misunderstood troubled guy that every girl wants to love because the nurturing female instinct we have comes out at full strength when we see a guy like him. With his messy hair, black leather jacket, and constant run-ins with the law, he can’t help but wear an uneasy, brooding look on his face at all times. Behind his tough guy exterior though, we see a soft and warm heart of gold. He wants and tries to see the good in everyone, even though it’s sometimes very difficult for him, due to the fact that he’s been burned by just about every person who’s ever crossed his path. He’s sweet and he’s charming, and everything he does is in order to protect Spencer first, Emily second, and then, if he has time, himself. Even his darkest moment of all, the moment when he sold himself to the devil, aka “A,” as a minion, he was doing it because he was hoping it would keep Spencer safe.
CALEB RIVERS: Like the relationship of Ezria, the relationship of Haleb also started based on a lie. Jenna paid Caleb to get close to Hanna so that he could find a key that would lead Jenna to a USB stick that held her deepest, darkest, most regretted secret. When he realized he and Hanna actually had something going for them, though, he called things off with Jenna. Hanna found out though and ended things with him, for the first of many times. Eventually he came back though and made things right. They started dating again and everything was going fairly smoothly, until he broke up with her again because of what he learned in Ravenswood. (I’m not too sure what he learned, because I can’t find anywhere to watch Ravenswood, but it has something to do with that other girl dying and turning into a ghost) Finally, as of right now, Caleb and Hanna are happily dating again.
ARIA MONTGOMERY: Aria is the seventeen-year-old student of Ezra Fitz, the man who is not only her teacher, but also her twenty-five-year-old boyfriend (he was eighteen when he allegedly got Maggie pregnant, and Malcolm was mentioned to be seven years old in the episodes shortly following Ezra’s birthday.) Even though she has lied to everyone she knows because of her relationship with Ezra, their relationship has done a lot of good for her. In the beginning, it was a pleasant muse to distract her from her family drama and the drama that came with Alison DiLaurentis. Soon, it became a full-fledged relationship that has tested her in every way imaginable, though it has lead her to lie to everyone she’s ever known, it has also shown her how much she is willing to give for something or someone that she loves. She said it herself, “When you love someone, it’s worth fighting for no matter what the odds.” Furthermore, it has helped her grow up in ways that not even “A” could push her to grow up.
SPENCER HASTINGS: In the beginning, she was Toby’s biggest opponent, few people wanted him locked up more than she did, but then things changed. She watched him walk through the city as little boys crossed the street, just so they wouldn’t cross his path. She followed him into an alley and watched him lean against a wall, slide down it, and cry. Watching this softened her heart toward him and they eventually started working together to find out more about Jenna. As they worked together, they started to fall for each other, until they were eventually head over heels for each other. It got to a point that they were so in love with each other that Spencer put herself in Radley because she thought he was dead. Though it is still debatable whether she purposely landed in Radley or whether she was legitimately mental over Toby, we do know that she was willing to sell her soul to “A” in order to find him, and that in itself is enough to consider her crazy.
HANNA MARIN: She’s the peasant who turned into the princess and fell in love with a frog. A blonde with blue eyes who used to have money, Hanna Marin is the kind of girl who, based on stereotypes, is more fitted to be dating someone like Noel Kahn. Instead she dates Caleb Rivers, a long-haired boy with a dark past, unpredictable present and future, and the brain of a CIA agent who can hack into just about anything you want him to hack into. Their rollercoaster relationship is as typical as a high school relationship can get. They have broken up numerous times, fight about everything, and make up as if nothing happened, even if it’s been months since they were last happy together. They try to keep each other safe by lying to each other about what they’re doing sometimes, but everything they do is for the safety of the other.
In conclusion, Ezria has the unhealthiest relationship of all, based on the fact that everything has revolved around lying to each other and the people around them. In the end though, they are my favorite, because even though they have been toxic for each other, they’ve been able to filter out the things in their relationship that suffocate them and find the things that give them life. Spoby has the most passionate relationship. Of all the characters (other than Alison DiLaurentis), Toby is probably the most misunderstood character of all. Spencer is the only person in Rosewood who truly loves and understands him despite his tough exterior. She’s the only one who is willing to give up everything just to be with him. Toby understands Spencer in ways that no one else does; he’s completely and totally willing to drop everything and do anything for her, even if it means running away with nothing but her hand in his. Finally, Haleb has the most normal and healthiest relationship. They fight and break up, kiss and make up, and give each other all the space in the world to figure life out. They keep secrets from each other, hide things about their lives, and still trust each other with every ounce of trust they have.
Ezria: “It feels so good, but you’re so bad for me.” – Bad for Me by Megan and Liz
Spoby: “I fell in love with him the way you fall asleep—slowly, then all at once.” – Hazel Grace from The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Haleb: “If you love something, set it free. If it was meant to be, it will come back to you.” ― Meg Cabot
“Kisses,”
O.G.
Emily Fields: She has an interesting relationship with both Ezra and Toby. Her simple relationship with Ezra is that he tutored her and now they’re somewhat friends. Her complicated relationship with Toby is that of a homosexual girl who is lost and confused and might be falling for a guy, but learns that she isn’t, he’s just a very good friend who becomes the first person to really accept her for who she is and not who she pretends to be. In a way, Emily and Toby understand each other in a few ways that not even the girls understand Emily and not even Spencer understands Toby, but that’s what makes them a great pair of friends. They’re always there for each other, even though we rarely see them together.
Brittany Alexandria 