Ezra Fitz finally got what he’s deserved for more than a decade thanks to one line in the Pretty Little Liars: Summer School premiere. At the end of the spinoff series’ first iteration, which was called Original Sin, it sounded like Ezra and his now-wife Aria Montgomery could make their way back into the PLL universe. But much like how fan have realized Ezra’s relationship with Aria wasn’t as romantic as it seemed looking back, the series shot down any prospect of the English teacher’s return with a shady remark.
In the finale of PLL: Original Sin, Imogen decided to give her baby up for adoption and revealed Aria and Ezra were the couple she chose. However, the first episode of PLL: Summer School confirmed that Imogen changed her mind. The reason why? “Because I got a weird vibe from that Ezra dude,” Imogen explains.
The line is a nod to how Pretty Little Liars fans have reconsidered the character of Ezra in the years since the series aired. The dark drama largely depicted Ezra’s whirlwind romance with Aria as romantic, even though he was in his 20s dating a teenager. Fans have since loudly condemned the relationship as problematic, especially given that Ezra was Aria’s teacher.
While the choice to backpedal on Imogen’s decision to give her baby to Ezra and Aria was certainly inspired by fan response, it also served a narrative purpose for the new season of Summer School. Co-showrunner Lindsay Calhoon Bring explained to Entertainment Weekly that it was important Imogen chose adoptive parents that live nearby.
“Dr. Sullivan says it best in Episode 1,” Bring pointed out. “[She] gets to the heart of it and says, 'And also, the parents of your baby live in Millwood and you want to keep your baby close, you want to keep an eye on her. You're sort of obsessively stalking this child.' It really felt right to us that we would be able to play story, have the baby close, have Imogen be able to be stopping by unwanted and kind of let her play out her anxieties that way.”
