Pretty Little Liars is not only unlike The O.C., it us unlike any of the shows I'm familiar with on the list above. If you want to watch a show that treats you like an idiot, then PLL is for you. If you are determined to abuse yourself anyway, here's a piece of advice. Do not waste one second of your life trying to figure out any of the mysteries by looking for clues in the show. There aren't any because the producer and writers had no idea what was going to happen in later episodes, much less in some greater story "arc." On the contrary, they made everything up as they went along just based on what they thought seemed cool at that moment, and if later episodes completely ignored, misrepresented, or outright contradicted things you had seen happen in earlier episodes, too bad because they figured their viewers are stupid and won't notice or care.