When Pretty Little Liars began seven years ago, I came for the mystery. Who was A? And who killed Alison DiLaurentis? But the longer I stuck around, the more engrossed I became in the girls’ love lives. I stayed for the couples.
Whether you’re Team Spoby, Haleb, Ezria, Emison or all of the above, these are without a doubt the BEST couple moments in PLL history.
1. Aria and Ezra, perfect strangers (or so we think), make out in a bar bathroom
Forget the fact that Ezra was kind of staking Aria out so he could pump her for information for his book. This was the start of something beautiful, that would survive despite the age difference, a dead girlfriend who later came back to life and the illegality of it all.
2. Emily and Maya’s photo booth kiss
Emily was still hiding her sexuality at this point, which made her first girl-on-girl kiss with Maya so special. Plus, is there any cuter place to have a first kiss than in a photo booth?
3. Hanna hops in the shower with Caleb
While Caleb was showering, Hanna’s mom came in the bathroom, forcing Hanna to jump in with him. What ensued was a perfectly flirtatious exchange that set this soon-to-be couple in motion.
4. Spencer chooses Toby, despite her mother’s protestation
Having just been attacked by A, Spencer had a choice to make: listen to her mother and shun Toby because of his involvement in Alison’s murder case or ignore what people think and run to him. Of course she ran to him.
5. Hanna and Caleb have sex for the first time in a tent under the stars
After confiding in each other, Hanna and Caleb got it on in a tent. Was it a tent Caleb was living in because Ashley wouldn’t let him stay in the Marins’ basement anymore? Maybe. But that didn’t make it any less romantic.
6. Ezra and Aria kiss in the rain…again
Rain has always been Aria and Ezra’s thing, but this kiss, which brought traffic to a standstill in the middle of a downpour, was more memorable than all the rest.
7. Alison saves Emily
At a time when Emily and the other girls still thought Ali was dead, having her appear in a dream-like sequence when Em was nearing death from an A attack seemed like the best thing that could happen. Later finding out this moment was completely real only made it better.
8. Spencer buys Toby a truck
Pawning your sister’s wedding ring to buy your boyfriend a truck probably doesn’t seem like such a romantic gesture, but in Rosewood, it so is. She may have had to steal from Melissa, but the look on Toby’s face when Spencer tossed him the keys was more than worth the ensuing chaos.
9. Paige and Emily have a poolside reunion
No matter what state their relationship was in, Paige and Emily always seemed to find their way back to the pool. That’s what made this kiss so perfect.
10. Spoby makes up in a motel room
Seeing Toby as a member of the A team was one of the hardest moments Spoby fans ever had to endure. But once Spencer joined the dark side and confirmed what everyone was thinking—that Toby was working for A to protect his lady love—the two made up in a motel room. It was everything the Spoby faithful (myself included) wanted needed.
11. Emily and Alison, sealed with a kiss
Shortly after Ali came back from the not-so-dead, things heated up between her and Emily. The squealing feeling Emison fans had when Alison and Emily kissed in bed faded when Ali messed up later in the episode, but this kiss will still go down as their best.
12. Ezria gets back together
Aria and Ezra broke up in Season 4 after she found out about his little book project. But after he took a bullet at the hands of Shana, these two fell into their familiar couple routine, and we didn’t have to wait long for them to reunite.
13. Caleb stays with Hanna after the dollhouse
All the girls had a tough time after coming back from the dollhouse, but Caleb was the BF who held Hanna in his arms while she slept on an air mattress in her torn-apart room, making this one of the couple’s sweetest yet simplest moments.
14. Mike and Mona reunite
Mike and Mona were a short-lived couple, but when they were together, it definitely worked. Just as Mona deserved a spot in the PLL squad, she also deserved a little lovin’. Call me crazy, but I’m still hoping she’ll end up with Mike before the show ends.
15. Ezra proposes to Aria
We knew a PLL proposal was coming, but we didn’t know which couple it would be…until Aria was greeted by what seemed like a thousand candles and Ezra on bended knee at his apartment. As the first ship to get engaged, this meant everything.
16. Hanna and Caleb kiss even though he’s with Spencer
You either loved or hated Spaleb, but wasn’t everyone rooting for Hanna and Caleb to kiss while they set a trap for A.D. at the Lost Woods Resort?
17. Spaleb and Haleb collide
This is by far one of PLL’s most powerful scenes. Caleb came to apologize to Spencer, not knowing Hanna was also on the other side of the barn’s bolted door. The raw emotion and devastation each of these characters was feeling in this moment jumped off the screen, and you couldn’t help but feel it with them.
18. Spencer and Toby say goodbye
With Toby moving away from Rosewood with Yvonne, it seemed Spoby was over, once and for all. But the goodbye kiss they shared, at Spencer’s request, gave us hope that they were anything but done.
19. Haleb becomes endgame
As Caleb listed all the things about Hanna that annoy him, one stood out: she wouldn’t admit they’re meant to spend the rest of their lives together. #swooning
20. Spencer comforts Toby after Yvonne’s death
Toby and Yvonne had just gotten married; he should’ve be the happiest guy in the world. But seeing as his bride died minutes after their union, Toby was understandably upset. Without a word, Spencer knew exactly what was wrong and just held him while he broke down, proving their love for each other is more than romantic.
21. Alison wants to be a family
After years of false starts, Alison being impregnated with Emily’s baby was enough to make Ali admit she was in love with Em and wanted to be a family.
22. Hanna and Caleb “get married” in a tent made for two
This wedding might not have been official, but it sure was romantic. The perfect callback to Haleb’s Season 1 tent hookup, I couldn’t think of a better way for them to commit their lives to one another.
23. Three sex scenes and a wedding
PLL shippers, all your wishes are coming true. In the course of one scene, not only did Haleb get (legally) married, but Ezria, Spoby and Emison solidified their relationships with some piping hot sex.
I'm sure there will be even more legendary couple moments in PLL's series finale. But for the purpose of this list, did I miss anything?