Hanna Marin and Mona Vanderwaal had been best friends since childhood. That was until the popular Alison Dilaurentis decided that Hanna would join her posse, and Mona was doomed to loserdom forever. Conflicted, Hanna chose a life of popularity and abandoned Mona to fester in her solitude and bitterness.
After Alison disappeared, the two reconnected and reinvented themselves together as the new Rosewood it-girls. Hanna had no idea that Mona was living a double life, harboring data and collecting secrets like infinity stones.
The pair has such a complex dynamic that is explored throughout all seven seasons of Pretty Little Liars. We can’t unpack all of that without acknowledging the evolution of these characters and how it impacted their journey. Let’s chat about the Hanna/Mona duo and all the times they’ve made us want to scream.
Loser Mona & Hefty Hanna
Miss big-and-bad Alison Dilaurentis had nicknames for everyone. Including Hefty Hanna, whom she technically considered a friend. Mona was labeled a loser, deemed a dweeb with no friends and a desperate need to be seen as worthy of them.
Hanna ate the trauma of her father leaving, and with the guidance of Alison, developed an eating disorder to manage her weight and maintain her popularity. (I want to take a moment to note that this is absolutely absurd, and if you are struggling with your weight, please see a healthcare professional about it.)
These two girls needed one another but remained on their respective sides of the teen social hierarchy. They were both too scared of the backlash Alison would bring down on them. The control she had over them festered each of their resentment for the Queen Bee, but that resentment manifested in completely different ways, thus the birth of A.
The Birth of A
The Halloween before Alison went missing, Mona decided that she was going to do something about Alison. Maybe she couldn’t be popular, but she could make Alison regret that she was. Mona started sending her bully mysterious notes and death threats. The more fear she could invoke from Alison, the more addictive it became. For Mona, it was like a game. A game only she could win. An upper hand over the girl who made her a loser to all.
Fuming and desperate to end Alison’s torment for good, Mona found her way into the Dilaurentis backyard with a shovel in hand. Seeing Bethany parade to the house, thinking it was Alison, all the torture flashed before her eyes, and she swung. With the blond hair and yellow top as confirmation, she fled the scene of the crime, convinced that she had killed her lifelong bully.
So on her drive home, imagine the wave of emotions she felt, spotting Alison drifting on the side of the road, in shock and covered in dirt. She used the opportunity to convince Alison that she would only be safe if she evaded Rosewood, allowing everyone, including Hanna to believe she was dead. Terrified from the events leading up to this moment, Alison takes Mona’s advice, giving some of her own, to help Loser Mona become the new it-girl.
The Radley Effect
Mona had retired her A schnenegans when Alison left town, but everything changed about a year later. Mona was on a ‘discounted’ mall trip with Hanna when they spotted Spencer Hastings. Instead of ignoring her, the way Hanna would’ve ignored Mona when she was friends with Spencer, Hanna walks right up to her. They speak, and Hanna even gives Spencer fashion advice. It’s so easy to forget Mona in this situation because her reaction is off-screen, but I think seeing this exchange was hurtful for her.
Mall trip aside, school starts, and Aria has returned from Iceland. It’s only the first day of school, and she’d already caught Hanna’s – and everyone else’s attention with the “holy crap” fiasco from Fitz. Mona could not let everything she had worked for slip through her fingers. She had to do something, and I think that is why she started targeting the girls. Insecurity and jealousy.
It was only a matter of time before she got caught. In the season 2 finale, “Unmasked,” Mona was admitted into Radley Sanitarium, and that was probably the worst thing that could’ve happened for her recovery. There she met Cece Drake, who was able to pose as Alison due to the drugs they were forcing Mona to take. Cece appointed herself Mona’s silent partner and, after the lodge fire, took the game from her entirely. But the one person who was there the entire time, visiting Mona and praying for her recovery, was Hanna.
The Dollhouse
Post the Lodge fire in the Season 3 finale “A dAngerous gAme”, Mona was determined to find out Big A’s identity. It wasn’t just about taking back her power, but also redeeming herself with Hanna and the other liars. She was desperate to be liked by these girls. I think a huge part of that is her acknowledging that, Hanna and the liars were bonded for life. She wanted that too. She was desperate for it.
Thus, came the plan to trap Big A. Mona was going to fake her own death, get Alison arrested, and prove herself as a trusted ally. In order to do that, Mona collected her blood so she could use it to fake a crime scene and be declared dead. This is what caused Mona to faint in season 5, episode 10.
This plan, her attempt at redemption, is what got her kidnapped. I think a lot of people forget that Mona was in the dollhouse for months. The liars were only there for a little over one month. Mona went through all of that and went right back to being shunned by the girls.
Final Thoughts
Hanna and Mona’s friendship is one of the most captivating dynamics in all of Pretty Little Liars. Their journey is full of nuance, and I’ve enjoyed stepping back to analyze it more deeply. In hindsight, I do not think either of these girls was good for the other. Hanna felt indebted to Mona and, in a way, responsible for her mental health. Mona envied Hanna and would race to her A persona if Hanna didn’t want to skip school to shop.
If Mona had moved on and gotten popular without Hanna, or if Hanna had cut the ripcord once Mona got sent away, they would’ve been better off. I would love to know your thoughts, though. Do you think the friendship between Hanna and Mona was a genuine one?
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