Emily Fields
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Emily Catherine Fields is a fictional character created in 2006 by author
Sara Shepard Sara Shepard (born April 8, 1977) is an American author. She is known for the bestselling ''Pretty Little Liars'' and '' The Lying Game'' book series, both of which have been turned into television shows on Freeform. Early and personal lif ...
. She is a character of both ''Pretty Little Liars''
books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...
and
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
, and initially appears as a " jock girl" and one of the main
protagonists A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the story. She is part of the group known as the Liars; and is best friends with the four other members, who are also protagonists. Emily is known for her description and shyness, as well as being part of a conservative family, the Fields. Emily's characteristics and stories have the same methodology in both books and television. However, there are some perceptual differences between the two versions, since the television series usually didn't follow the books' scripts. For example, Emily's parents on the screen have different names from the books ones; and, in the books, she has siblings, while in the television series she doesn't. Another noticeable difference between the two versions are the physical and psychological characteristics. The character is portrayed by
Shay Mitchell Shannon Ashley Garcia "Shay" Mitchell (born April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress and model. She rose to prominence for her role as Emily Fields in the mystery thriller drama series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017), which earned her nom ...
in the television series. For her portrayal, Mitchell was nominated twice for a
Teen Choice Award The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
, once for a
People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...
, and shared a nomination for an MTV Fandom Award with Sasha Pieterse for Ship of the Year.


Character in print

''
Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...
'' is a series of novels which follows the lives of four teenage girls nicknamed the Pretty Little Liars or simply the Liars, whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their
queen bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female (gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...
leader,
Alison DiLaurentis Alison Lauren DiLaurentis is a fictional character in the ''Pretty Little Liars'' book series, its television adaptation, and the spin-off series '' Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists''. The character was created by American author Sara She ...
. Three years after her disappearance, the girls begin receiving threatening messages from an anonymous character named "A", who threatens to expose their secrets, including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew. Shortly after the messages begin, Alison's body is discovered buried in her yard. The books progress with the four girls trying to figure out who "A" is and facing many dangerous obstacles and twists. In the first book, Emily is introduced as a loyal, sweet girl who struggles with her sexuality. She is described as having hazel eyes and strawberry-blonde hair that is tinted blue-green due to chlorine. At her school, Emily is recognized by the students for her achievements in swimming. Emily is largely motivated by matters surrounding
family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
,
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
, and
ambition Ambition, Ambitions or Ambitious may refer to: Music * ''Ambitions'' (One Ok Rock album), 2017 * ''Ambition'' (Tommy Shaw album), 2014 * ''Ambition'' (Wale album), 2011, or the title song * "Ambition", a song by Band-Maid from the 2021 album ...
. Emily is also superstitious, although most of her superstitions are unique only to her; for example, making a wish at "4:56" instead of " 11:11".


Story lines

Emily develops a romantic attraction for her best friend Alison DiLaurentis. She dated a boy named Ben Coogan before realizing her true feelings were for girls. She falls for and secretly dates Maya St. Germain. When "A"
outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...
Emily to the whole school, her parents force her to go to Tree Tops, a "de-gaying" rehabilitation center. Failing that, Emily is shipped off to
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
to live with relatives; deeply unhappy there, she runs away. Her parents ask her to come home, stating that they will learn to accept Emily for who she is. Emily comes to discover that she's actually bisexual, when she falls for and eventually sleeps with a boy named Isaac Colbert. Although they break up soon after, Emily learns she's pregnant and secretly gives the baby up for
adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
during summer break. As a senior in high school, she accidentally meets Kelsey, a girl who Spencer framed for
drug possession The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...
the past summer; Emily ends up falling for her, but the relationship is ended when Kelsey attempts suicide. In ''Burned'', while on a school-hosted cruise for spring break, Emily begins a new relationship with Jordan, a criminal who is on the run and being pursued by the FBI. On a tip from "A"/Alison, Jordan is arrested and sent to prison. She is later murdered by someone paid by Alison, who had Jordan killed out of revenge for "stealing" Emily from her. Severely depressed and increasingly desperate, Emily contemplates committing suicide and very nearly attempts it; she is only talked out of it when the Liars remind her that it's what Alison wants: for them to die. In the last book, Emily and the other Liars are later put on trial after Alison fakes her own death and frames them for it (setting it up to look like the Liars took revenge on Alison for everything she did to them). Emily, unbeknownst the other Liars, fakes her own suicide in order to trick Alison. Emily tracks down Alison and Alison's mother, who are in hiding, and after a confrontation with them, is able to expose them as criminals. After Alison's trial, she moves out to California and begins a new relationship with a girl named Laura, finally feeling at peace. Having fallen in love with Alison in seventh grade, frequently fantasizes about Alison still being alive and loving Emily back. Emily admits to being somewhat obsessed with Alison, priding herself on knowing everything about her. For a brief period of time, when Alison comes back as "Courtney", the two have a romantic relationship; Emily is heartbroken when Alison reveals it was all a lie. Unbeknownst to the other girls, Emily attempted to save Alison from the DiLaurentis' burning Poconos house. She feels tremendous guilt over her actions, especially so after Alison once again returns as "A". However, eventually Emily begins to hate Alison; Jordan's death at Alison's hands sends Emily into a spiral of rage and deep depression. Following Jordan's death, Emily swears revenge on Alison and remarks that she would not mind killing Alison. Emily's closest friends are the other Liars, and during the periods when they are not associating with one another, Emily is very lonely. She is quite popular at school, but feels as though she's not close with anyone. She is constantly searching for a "best friend" to take Alison's place. Though she is well-liked by the other Liars, they are often annoyed by how sensitive she is and her devotion to Alison, especially Spencer. Emily's insistence that Alison is alive often causes problems for them as a group. Her relationship with her family is strained, predominantly due to her bisexuality and "A" related events. She ended up severing ties with her family at the end of the series.


Character on screen


Casting

Shay Mitchell was cast in the role of Emily Fields in a regular capacity in December 2009. Mitchell had initially auditioned for the role of Spencer and then tried for Emily.


Background

In the television adaption, Emily's personality is almost the same as her book counterpart. She is the jock of the group and swims competitively at school. In the show, she is of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
/ Scottish,
Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...
and
Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
descent. She has long dark hair and brown eyes, and dresses fashionably. In addition, she is a
lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
, and has not been shown to be superstitious. She eventually takes off the
friendship bracelet A friendship bracelet is a decorative bracelet given by one person to another as a symbol of friendship. Friendship bracelets are often handmade, usually of embroidery floss or thread and are a type of macramé. There are various styles and pat ...
Alison gave to her in an attempt to let go of her feelings for Alison.


Season 1

Emily was a former student at Rosewood High School in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, a star and a non-competitive swimmer. A year prior to the start of the series, Emily had been best friends with
Alison DiLaurentis Alison Lauren DiLaurentis is a fictional character in the ''Pretty Little Liars'' book series, its television adaptation, and the spin-off series '' Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists''. The character was created by American author Sara She ...
(
Sasha Pieterse Sasha Pieterse-Sheaffer (; born February 17, 1996) is a South African-born American actress, singer and songwriter. She is known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform series '' Pretty Little Liars'' and its spin-off '' Pretty Litt ...
), a cruel popular girl who went missing one day. At the beginning of the school year, Emily befriends a girl named Maya St. Germain (
Bianca Lawson Bianca Jasmine Lawson is an American film and television actress. She is known for her regular roles in the television series '' Saved by the Bell: The New Class'', '' Goode Behavior'', ''Pretty Little Liars'', and ''Rogue''. She has also had r ...
), her new next-door neighbor whose family has moved into the old DiLaurentis house. Emily and Maya instantly bond, and the next day they kiss when Emily walks her home. With the appearance of "A", it is revealed that Emily is questioning her sexuality and may have been in love with Alison. After Maya stays over Emily's house for a night, Ben ( Steven Krueger), Emily's boyfriend, senses that Emily is losing interest in him; he attempts to
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
her in the school locker room, but is stopped by
Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...
(
Keegan Allen Keegan Phillip Allen (born July 22, 1989) is an American actor, photographer, author and musician known for his main role as Toby Cavanaugh on the Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars.'' Early life Allen was born and raised in California, t ...
). Grateful and not wanting to deal with her
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
, Emily grows closer to Toby, despite the warnings of her friends, who believe him to be "A"/Alison's killer. Emily goes with Toby to
Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...
, much to the dismay of her friends; Emily later admits to Toby that she really wanted to come with Maya. Convinced by her friends that Toby is dangerous, the two get into a physical confrontation; as Emily tries to run away, she trips and hits her head, falling unconscious. Toby drops her off at the hospital in Rosewood, which convinces Emily that he is innocent. When a tornado warning traps everyone inside the high school, Emily finds herself haunted by memories of Alison. That day, she is outed by Detective Darren Wilden (
Bryce Johnson Bryce Owen Johnson (born April 18, 1977) is an American actor. Early life Johnson born in Reno, Nevada. He has an older brother, Brendon, and a younger brother, Brett. He moved to Denver, Colorado, at the age of five. He graduated from high sch ...
), who accuses her of destroying Alison's memorial in the park (when, in reality, Emily had been trying to salvage what she could from the wreckage). Emily tearfully confesses to her friends that she was in love with Alison; although surprised, they are instantly accepting of her being a lesbian. "A" later mails Emily's mother (
Nia Peeples Virenia "Nia" Peeples (born December 10, 1961) is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series '' Fame''; Pam Fields on the drama '' Pretty Little Liars''; Karen Taylor Wi ...
) a copy of the same picture of Emily and Maya kissing. Although devastated, she doesn't confront Emily about it, instead later showing it to Emily's father ( Eric Steinberg) when he returns home from his tour of duty in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Toby comes to visit Emily to prove that he is innocent, but when cats is arrested, he believes that she is responsible for it. Believing that Emily and Toby were involved romantically, Emily's father confronts her about it; after denying that anything is going on, she ends up coming out to her father, who is shocked. Emily's relationship with her parents soon becomes very strained due to the truth about her sexuality, although her parents attempt to accept her by inviting Maya over to dinner. Although Emily's father soon warms to Maya, Emily's mother tells her that she is disgusted by Emily being gay. Believing Maya has corrupted Emily, she is able to have Maya sent away to "True North", a camp for juvenile delinquents, which causes Emily and her mother's relationship to suffer even more. When Emily re-joined the school's swim team after a brief injury, she finds herself in a rivalry with
Paige McCullers ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King for Freeform. It is based on Sara Shepard's novel series of the same name. Some of the characters appeared in the spin-off shows '' Ravenswood'', ...
(
Lindsey Shaw Lindsey Shaw (born May 10, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for playing Jennifer "Moze" Mosely on the Nickelodeon series ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide''. She also co-starred in the 2007 CW sitcom ''Aliens in America'', a ...
), an excellent swimmer who had taken Emily's place in her absence. A title from an episode, If at First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again Highly competitive, Paige lashes out at Emily with homophobic insults, later even physically threatening her. Soon after, however, Paige apologizes to Emily, explaining that she was jealous of how "easy" Emily's life seemed. After Paige's homophobic and demanding father accuses Emily of getting preferential treatment, Emily's mother stands up to him, which helps to repair the relationship between Emily and her mother. Paige apologizes for her father later that evening and
comes out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...
to Emily by kissing her. Having grown close despite their rocky start, Emily and Paige begin to secretly date. They break up when Emily expresses dissatisfaction with having to hide their relationship and after Paige gets jealous seeing a girl from another school, Samara Cook (
Claire Holt Claire Rhiannon Holt (born 11 June 1988) is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles as Emma Gilbert in '' H2O: Just Add Water'', Samara Cook in ''Pretty Little Liars'', Chastity Meyer in ''Mean Girls 2'', Rebekah Mikaelson in ''The ...
), flirting with Emily. Emily's father is sent to
Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...
in
Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal city ...
, to help with military training, and Emily's mother reveals to Emily that they are moving down to Texas to join him. Emily is dismayed, feeling as though she has only just begun to fit in at Rosewood. Emily recalls a memory from the day Alison went missing: Alison visited her and gave her a
snow globe A snow globe (also called a waterglobe, snowstorm, or snowdome) is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sphe ...
, which, unbeknownst to Emily at the time, contained a key to a storage locker. Realizing Alison had hidden something away, the girls use the key to discover a series of videos that Ian Thomas had filmed. Believing that Ian is A/Alison's killer, the girls make plans to confront him. Their plans go astray when A kills Ian and take his body from the crime scene, leaving the police suspicious of Emily and her friends.


Season 2

Hoping to convince her mother to stay in Rosewood, Emily considers faking a letter from a college swim scout; deciding it would be wrong, she rips up the letter. However, A makes an unaltered, undamaged copy and sends it to Emily's mother. Emily is able to stay in Rosewood, but feels guilty, confiding in Samara, her new girlfriend. When Emily's mother moves to
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, Emily goes to live with Hanna.
Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...
(
Ryan Merriman Ryan Earl Merriman (born April 10, 1983) is an American actor. He began his career at the age of ten and has appeared in several feature films and television shows. He is best known for a handful of Disney Channel original movies and for portr ...
) is found dead of an apparent suicide, but Emily realizes that Ian's suicide note is actually a mash-up of lines from A's messages. Emily then stumbles upon Logan Reed (
Tilky Jones Tilky Montgomery Jones (born June 24, 1981) is an American singer and actor. He was a member of the band Take 5 from 1997 to 2001. Life and career Jones was born in Vero Beach, Florida. He pursued acting after the breakup of his band, Take 5. ...
), the messenger who had been sent to pick up money for Ian, after the girls
blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
ed him in an attempt to reveal him as Alison's killer. When Emily relays this information to Officer Garrett Reynolds (
Yani Gellman Yani Gellman (born September 2, 1985) is a Canadian film and television actor, known for playing Paolo Valisari in ''The Lizzie McGuire Movie'', Garrett Reynolds in ''Pretty Little Liars'' and Diego Flores in '' 90210.'' Early life Gellman was b ...
), who has been assigned to "watch" the girls, he later pays off Reed to keep him quiet, preventing Emily from doing any further investigating. Emily's relationship with Samara begins to suffer when Samara tells her she isn't interested in dating exclusively; they later break up after "A" forces Emily to give Samara's friend her phone number as a sign of flirtation. A concludes that Emily is the "weak link" in the group and begins to torment her as much as possible. That, combined with the added stress and guilt from the fake college letter, lands Emily in the hospital with a
stomach ulcer The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach is ...
. While there, it is revealed that "A" secretly dosed Emily with
HGH Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...
, forever ruining Emily's chances of getting a swimming scholarship. Emily then reunites with Maya, who is now living a few towns over; they both decide to take things slow and see if they are interested in rekindling their relationship. Dr. Sullivan (
Annabeth Gish Anne Elizabeth "Annabeth" Gish (born March 13, 1971) is an American actress. She has played roles in films ''Shag'', ''Hiding Out'', '' Mystic Pizza'', ''SLC Punk!'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''Double Jeopardy''. On television, she played Special ...
), the girls' therapist, goes missing, and the girls are forced to go on a mission to save her. "A" sends Emily to a barn in the woods; she ends up getting locked inside and passes out due to
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
poisoning. Emily is then visited by Alison, who explains that she knows the identity of A, but can't reveal it to Emily, shortly before kissing her. Emily is rescued by her friends, but remains uncertain if Alison is really alive or if it was just a dream. The girls are then arrested soon after, having been caught with a piece of evidence the police suspect to be the murder weapon used on Alison. Emily and the other girls plot to try and trick "A" by pretending Emily is being frozen out of the group. The plan is only moderately successful; however, the girls are able to get access to A's phone. Meanwhile, Emily is forced to deal with her new relationship with Maya, who is desperate to avoid getting sent back to True North. Emily later finds out that she couldn't go back because her soon-to-be killer was there and wanted Emily to go with her to
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
to save her. When Emily rejects leaving, Maya disappears. Emily believes Maya has run off to San Francisco to stay with some friends, and is distraught. She attempts to find Maya, to no avail. Things are soon complicated by Paige; having recently come out, she hopes to rekindle her and Emily's relationship. Emily's father returns to Rosewood briefly to attend a father-daughter dance. He later tells Emily that he has been assigned on another tour in Afghanistan. After his departure, Emily's mother makes plans to return home to Rosewood. With the girls charged with the challenge of unmasking "A" at the school's
masquerade ball A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...
, Emily is on edge. At the ball, she meets Paige; the two talk and come to the mutual agreement that for now, they will be just friends. After Mona (
Janel Parrish Janel Meilani Parrish Long (born October 30, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She starred as Mona Vanderwaal in the mystery-drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017) and its spinoff '' Pretty Little Liars: The Perfecti ...
) is revealed to be "A" and subsequently arrested, Emily and the other girls come home to find the police at Emily's house. Emily's mother explains that Maya has been murdered and her body found at the DiLaurentis house. Upon hearing this, Emily breaks down, comforted by the other girls.


Season 3

Now a senior, Emily has spent the last five months away from her friends, helping build houses in
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
as well as partying and drinking heavily to the point of blackouts. She is still depressed over Maya's death, but is at the same time angry at being treated like she is "made out of glass". When the Liars reunite after their time apart, Emily goes missing during the night and is later found by the other girls standing over Alison's dug-up grave, unable to remember the events leading up to that point. Realizing it is a set-up, the Liars create an
alibi An alibi (from the Latin, '' alibī'', meaning "somewhere else") is a statement by a person, who is a possible perpetrator of a crime, of where they were at the time a particular offence was committed, which is somewhere other than where the crim ...
for themselves and cover their tracks. Emily's guilt over what happened distances her even more from the Liars, and she finds comfort in Nate St. Germain (Sterling Sulieman), Maya's cousin, who has recently moved to Rosewood to attend Hollis. In " That Girl is Poison" Emily discovers that her flask had been drugged with a
sleeping pill Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...
, causing her to black out. In "
Stolen Kisses ''Stolen Kisses'' (french: Baisers volés) is a 1968 French romantic comedy-drama film directed by François Truffaut, starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Delphine Seyrig and Claude Jade. It continues the story of the character Antoine Doinel, whom Tr ...
", she learns that on the night she was drunk, she had visited Paige, kissing her before leaving. Paige feels guilty about what happened, believing she took advantage of her, and Emily is shocked and confused about this new revelation. That evening she returns to Paige's house and explains that she realized there was a reason she ended up at Paige's house when she was drunk: she wanted to be with Paige. The two kiss, rekindling their relationship. Emily becomes depressed after watching old videos of Maya on Maya's website, but is cheered up by Paige. In "
What Lies Beneath ''What Lies Beneath'' is a 2000 American supernatural horror thriller film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a couple who live in a haunted house. It was the first film by Zemeckis' production comp ...
", Emily and Hanna discover that Maya had been hiding in
Noel Kahn ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King for Freeform. It is based on Sara Shepard's novel series of the same name. Some of the characters appeared in the spin-off shows '' Ravenswood'', ...
's (
Brant Daugherty Brant David Daugherty (born August 20, 1985) is an American actor, known for his recurring role as Noel Kahn on the teen drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars''. In 2013, he had a recurring role as Brian in the NBC daytime drama '' Days ...
) family's cabin, and had never actually left Rosewood. Upset by this, Emily and Nate comfort one another, only to end up kissing. She confesses to Paige about kissing Nate, who explains that Emily is simply confused over her connection to Maya through Nate. Emily then rebuffs Nate's further romantic advances, stating that she just wants to be friends. When the Liars suspect Paige of being "A" in the mid-season finale, " The Lady Killer", Emily steps in to defend her, putting up a wall between herself and the other girls. Stressed over the Liars' constant insistence of Paige's guilt and Garrett's upcoming trial, Emily joins Nate for the weekend at a secluded cabin in the woods. However, after being warned to "get out" by "A", Emily discovers that Nate was in fact at True North with Maya; Nate admits that his real name is Lyndon James. Angry at Emily for "taking" Maya from him, Lyndon reveals he has
kidnap In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
ped Paige and plans to murder her in front of Emily. Emily escapes, but is caught by Lyndon in a nearby lighthouse while attempting to call 911. During the ensuing struggle, Emily stabs Nate, fatally wounding him. She then reconciles with the other Liars when they realize Paige is innocent.


Season 4

Emily starts to struggle to know if Alison is alive or not. She takes some pills from her mother's medicine cabinet and gets drowsy and groggy, and causes an injury during a swim meet which put her out of action. The situation gets worse when someone calls Social Services to her parents in an attempt to get her away from them, which does not happen. In addition, Emily's mother is suspended from work because Emily stole a key from Pam's desk in order to invade Officer Wilden's office to find evidence about Alison, and the P.D. ends up blaming Pam for that. Shortly after, "A", driving a car, goes through her house, leaving her and her mother no other option but to rent a motel. Later,
Jessica DiLaurentis ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an Television in the United States, American teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King for Freeform (TV channel), Freeform. It is based on Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars (book series), novel series ...
(
Andrea Parker Andrea N. Parker is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles on '' ER'', '' The Pretender'', ''Less than Perfect'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and ''Pretty Little Liars''. Career Her first documented film role was at ...
) offers Emily Alison's old room to stay temporarily. Emily stays in the DiLaurentis house for a while until she moved to Spencer's, due to the house's creepiness. Throughout the season, Emily, Hanna and Spencer start to investigate Ezra in order to discover if he is or not "A." In the
season finale A season finale (British English: last in the series; Australian English: season final) is the final episode of a season of a television program. This is often the final episode to be produced for a few months or longer, and, as such, will try to ...
, Alison appears, and they finally get some answers about the night Ali disappeared.


Season 5

With Alison back in Rosewood, Emily gets supportive and protective of her. She befriends newcomer
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
(
Chloe Bridges Chloe Marisa Suazo Bridges, (born December 27, 1991), known professionally as Chloe Bridges, is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Zoey Moreno in the sitcom '' Freddie'' (2005–2006) and as Dana Turner in the Disney Channel ori ...
) and becomes her swimming coach. However, Emily discovers Sydney is a friend of Jenna and breaks all ties with her. Alison apologizes for the way she treated Emily in the past, and they kiss; however, any possibility of romance is squashed when Emily starts to think that Alison is "A." Emily and Paige rekindle their romance, which is rapidly ended when Paige is forced to move to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. Lonely and heartbroken over Paige's departure, Emily starts a relationship with her new co-worker Talia (
Miranda Rae Mayo Miranda Rae Mayo is an American television actress. She starred as Lacey Briggs on ''Blood & Oil'' (2015) and has appeared on '' Chicago Fire'' as Lieutenant Stella Kidd since 2016. Life and career Mayo was born in Fresno, California and be ...
). However, when Emily discovers that Talia is married and their relationship is calming down, she breaks up. Emily volunteers in a beauty pageant when Hanna, who was wanting money for college, loses. Later, the girls discover Alison's innocence and try to clear Alison's name and free Hanna. In the season finale, Emily and the others are arrested as accomplices to Mona's murder; however, on the way to prison, their van is hijacked by "A."


Season 6

In the aftermath of the Liars' abduction orchestrated by "A," Emily befriends a former missing girl, Sara Harvey (Dre Davis), who was also Charles/"A's" prisoner. She is trying to help Sara adapt again into society, with the cost of denying her own stuff. Nicole (
Rebecca Breeds Rebecca Elizabeth Breeds (born 17 June 1987) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as Cassie Cometti in the third series of ''Blue Water High'', as series regular Ruby Buckton in the soap opera ''Home and Away,'' Aurora de Martel in '' ...
), the supervisor of Habitat for Humanity,. offers Emily the option of moving to another country in order to help new people, and Emily gets forced to make a decision on her future. She chooses to stay in Rosewood and move on with Sara, only to betrayed when Sara is revealed to be "A's" right-hand woman. Later, Emily goes to Pepperdine University, but drops out later when her father dies. She starts to work as a bartender in Los Angeles, but returns to Rosewood at Alison's request, and also to depose on Charlotte's release from psychological hospital. A new "A", now entitled as "A.D.", surfaces, and steals Emily's eggs, which she donated in order to gain money for college. She starts to investigate Sara, who is free from jail, believing she's the new stalker. Also in this season, Emily befriends
Sabrina Sabrina may refer to: * Sabrina (given name), a feminine given name, including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name People * Sabrina (actress), stage name of Norma Ann Sykes (1936–2016), a British glamour model and actres ...
(
Lulu Brud Lulu Brud (born 1985) is an American actress and interior designer, best known for her role as Sabrina in ''Pretty Little Liars''. Career Brud is an actress and interior designer. Selected filmography Selected television *''90210 new generat ...
), the new-in-charge at the Brew, which in the following season lead to a brief hook up.


Season 7

In " Tick-Tock, Bitches", Emily goes to Welby State Psychiatric Hospital to see Alison, who is blaming herself for something. Worried, Emily drives to Alison's house and finds the sweater that a blonde girl was using the night Charlotte died. Meanwhile, Hanna is held captive by "A.D.", who asked to the Liars, Caleb and Ezra to find out who is Charlotte's killer. Emily gives the sweater to the group and Caleb flees, giving it to "A.D." in hopes of saving Hanna. After, in " Bedlam", Hanna returns home after being rescued by
Mary Drake Mary Drake is a fictional character created by I. Marlene King for the American television series ''Pretty Little Liars'', based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard and portrayed by Andrea Parker. The identical twin s ...
. Emily explains to Hanna who Drake is, confirming that she was a patient at Radley Sanitarium, and is
Jessica DiLaurentis ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an Television in the United States, American teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King for Freeform (TV channel), Freeform. It is based on Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars (book series), novel series ...
' twin sister. Hanna then concludes that Mary is “Uber A.” They take her to Lucas's apartment, where Hanna retains a strange and rude behavior. Emily calls Spencer to talk outside the apartment, saying that Hanna has the look of fear she had while she was stuck in the Dollhouse. They also argue about Alison's safety at Welby State, with Spencer saying she's safe locked up, and Emily denying it. Back at the Welby State, Emily tries to visit Alison, but a nurse confirms that only family members can see her, and, following, Elliott (Huw Collins) repeated that Alison's conditions aren't the bests and rapidly avoid his conversation with Emily, leaving her unresigned. Following, Emily tells Spencer that Alison sounded frightened, and Emily urges the possibility of using Mary to visit Alison, since Mary's family. However, Spencer declines the idea. Aria, Emily and Spencer go talk with Elliott in order to gain the opportunity to visit Alison, and he continues to deny it. While Elliott is talking with someone on the phone, the girls receive a new message from “A.D.” and they realize that the stalker maybe is not so far as they think. At the Radley Hotel, Mary shows up and starts remembering the old Radley Sanitarium. Emily helps her and they deal to visit Alison together. At the psychiatric hospital, Alison wakes up and sees Emily. Alison claims for Emily's help, stating that Elliott is a bad person, and Alison sees Mary and starts thinking that she is her mother, Jessica. However, Elliott enters the room, and he kicks out everybody, including the nurse (Gwen Holloway). In the hallway, Elliott asks to talk with Mary; and, inside an office, Mary complains that she was calling Elliott for two days, without an answer and tells Elliott that he has gone too far. Elliott says that Mary should not appear in the hospital and tells her to leave him to his work. Emily, meanwhile, is watching their shadows through an unfocused window. Later, during "
The Talented Mr. Rollins "The Talented Mr. Rollins" is the third episode of the seventh season of the mystery drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars'', which premiered on July 5, 2016, on the cable network Freeform. The episode was written by Jonell Lennon and ...
", the Liars come up with a plan to help Alison, and, while in the woods, Hanna accidentally hits Elliott with her car, killing him instantly. Afterwards, Emily, Spencer and Aria bury Elliott's body and cover their tracks towards his death. Emily and Aria goes to visit Alison the next day at Welby State and discover that the police knows about Elliott stealing the Carissimi Group money and is after him. Throughout "
Along Comes Mary "Along Comes Mary" is a song composed by Tandyn Almer, originally recorded by American sunshine pop band the Association. It was the group's first hit, released on their debut album, '' And Then... Along Comes the Association'' (1966). Backgr ...
" and " Wanted: Dead or Alive", Emily and Sabrina spend the night together and Emily gets late for a test. However, days later, while preparing a type of drink, Emily receives a message, which alleges that she scored 92% in the exam. Sequentially, a message from "A.D." is received, revealing that he took the exam for Emily. Emily contacts the mysterious person who was helping Elliott through his burner phone, and she and Aria drives to Elliott's secret apartment. Aria and Emily find a mess that had been used to cover up Elliott's traces. The two discover that Acher surname is Dunhill, and connect directly to the acronym "A.D." They also found a fake head, several pictures of Darren Wilden's physical characteristics, passports, and a notebook with different types of payments. Emily and Aria get scared when someone tries to enter the apartment; however, they open the door when discover that is Toby. He says the police found out about the apartment in a document found in Elliott's car. Toby commands the girls to leave, and gets angry when he discovers that they have left fingerprints in some objects. Emily and Sabrina mark a new encounter on Saturday. At the Radley, Emily arrives at
Jenna Jenna is a female given name. In the English-speaking world it is a variation of Jenny, which is itself a diminutive of Jane, Janet, Jennifer and is often used as a name in its own right.Katie Martin-Doyle, ''The Treasury of Baby Names'', Worth Pre ...
's room in order to deliver two drinks. Emily peeks into Jenna's laptop, but is stopped by Sara, who screams at her. Emily reveals to the two that someone is stalking her and her friends, after which Jenna (
Tammin Sursok Tammin Sursok (born 19 August 1983) is a South African-born Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles on television as Dani Sutherland on '' Home and Away'', Colleen Carlton on ''The Young and the Restless'', and Jenna Marsha ...
) tells Emily a story of when Charlotte was still checked in the psychiatric hospital. In the flashback, Charlotte enlists Jenna's help to find her birth mother and make Archer Dunhill the alias of Elliott Rollins in order to purposely meet Alison and take advantage of her good intentions for her eventual release. Jenna then reveals she's angry because of Charlotte's death. Emily leaves the room, but before she does, Sara warns Emily, trying to say that someone is dangerous. However, she is interrupted before saying who is in danger, when Jenna calls her. Emily tells Alison about what Jenna revealed to her, and Alison gets angry. After, in the DiLaurentis' house, Alison receives Hanna's call warning her about the danger; after, Alison invites the cop who is securing her house to enter. However, when she goes to her room, the officer—who is actually "A.D" with a mask—attacks her. During the struggle, Alison rips off part of the mask, claiming that she saw Elliott, but A.D. retreats when the police's siren is heard. Emily comforts Alison after the confusion faded. By the end of "Wanted: Dead or Alive", a maid discovers Sara's dead body in her apartment. In " Original G'A'ngsters", Emily and her mother, Pam (
Nia Peeples Virenia "Nia" Peeples (born December 10, 1961) is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series '' Fame''; Pam Fields on the drama '' Pretty Little Liars''; Karen Taylor Wi ...
), are running and exercising through the city forest and Emily decides to take her to celebrate her birthday in the Radley. They celebrate later as her mother enters a group of brides-to-be women. During "
Exes and OMGs "Exes and OMGs" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the mystery drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars'', which aired on August 16, 2016, on the cable network Freeform. The hundred and forty-eighth episode, it was directed by ...
", she receives a job-offer from Principal Hackett (John O'Brien) to work as a swim coach at the school, and finds out that Paige (
Lindsey Shaw Lindsey Shaw (born May 10, 1989) is an American actress. She is known for playing Jennifer "Moze" Mosely on the Nickelodeon series ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide''. She also co-starred in the 2007 CW sitcom ''Aliens in America'', a ...
) has returned to Rosewood and is also a candidate for the job. Paige reveals to Emily that she almost joined the Olympics, but a car accident ended up destroying that possibility. Plus, in "
The Wrath of Kahn "The Wrath of Kahn" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the mystery drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars'', which aired on August 23, 2016, on the cable network Freeform. The hundred and forty-ninth episode, it was written by ...
", Emily reveals to Paige about the new "A.D.", and her relationship with Sabrina plummets. Meanwhile, in "The Darkest Knight", Alison reveals to Emily that she's pregnant with Archer's baby, and they kiss. Paige accuses Emily of being Alison's "puppet," though she didn't know about the hookup or the pregnancy. Later, the Liars goes to a school for the blind in order to find out more about Mary Drake and "A.D.", and Jenna, armed with a gun, attempts to murder the Liars with Noel. However, Noel, while attacking Hanna and Emily, trips on his axe and accidentally kills himself via decapitation. Jenna then shoots at the Liars, as they run, but get separated from Spencer, who is shot. Before Jenna could cause more damage, she is taken down by Mary Drake and pulled away by "A.D." unseen. Mary then reveals that she is Spencer's biological mother. In the mid-season premiere, Emily and Paige are introduced to Rosewood High's staff as swimming coach and athletic department supervisor, respectively, which cause Alison to feel jealous about Paige. Alison and Emily discuss Alison's jealousy towards Paige. Ultimately, Alison verbally fights with Paige during a school staff reunion, leaving things awkward. After, in "
These Boots Were Made for Stalking "These Boots Were Made for Stalking" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the American mystery drama television series ''Pretty Little Liars'', which aired on April 25, 2017, on the cable network Freeform. The 152nd episode overall, ...
", Emily is accused by high school student Addison Derringer ( Ava Allan) of being inappropriate, while Addison gathers photos of Emily with Alison. Paige tries to solve the situation, but Emily ends up screaming at Addison; ultimately, Paige calls Addison's father and she's called to the Principal's room. Following, in " Hold Your Piece", Aria and Emily team up to investigate Sydney for more information about Jenna and her connection to "A.D".


Reception


Critical

Drusilla Moorhouse of
E! Online E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversa ...
writes that the character has "transformed from a confused girl to a badass babe". The
Florida Family Association The Florida Family Association (FFA) is an American non-profit organization founded by David Caton and based in Tampa, Florida. It campaigns against homosexuality and Islamic-American relations. The organization is classified as a hate group by th ...
has condemned the character for her sexuality, and
General Mills General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, the company orig ...
has subsequently pulled their advertising. However, GM denied that they did so over the character's sexual identity. The character debuted on After Ellen's Hot 100 at number seven.


Awards and nominations


References


External links


Emily Fields
on
IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Emily Pretty Little Liars characters Characters in American novels of the 21st century Female characters in literature Literary characters introduced in 2006 Fictional LGBT characters in television Fictional bisexual females Fictional drug addicts Fictional LGBT characters in literature Teenage characters in literature Teenage characters in television American female characters in television Fictional bartenders Fictional characters incorrectly presumed dead