Ella Montgomery

"People aren't dolls. You can't just play with them and put them back in the box."

- Ella Montgomery

Ella Jane Montgomery (née Rose) is the mother of Aria, Mike, the ex-wife of Byron Montgomery and is in a relationship with Zack. She used to work at an art gallery in Rosewood, but left to teach at Rosewood High. She is portrayed by Holly Marie Combs.

Biography
Ella was born Ella Jane Rose to Judy and Jack Rose sometime in the late 1970s. Ella married Byron on November 22 (mid 1980s/early 1990s) and gave birth to her children in the mid to late 1990s. She cares dearly for her kids and respects there privacy. However, Ella and Byron got divorced. Ella is in fact currently in Austria with her boyfriend Zack.

Series
Pilot
 * -|Season 1=

Ella returns home with her family from her husband's sabbatical in Iceland. She and Aria discuss the anniversary of Alison's disappearance and how it feels to be back after a year away. Mike passes by and says he needs a ride to lacrosse to which Aria offers to take him. Ella and Aria go downstairs and find Mike searching in boxes for his stuff. Ella suggest that they look in the basement so she and Mike go to find it. When they return, Mike and Aria leave and Ella comments that they are officially home

At the Montgomery's home, Ella and Byron are making progress on unpacking. They discuss their adjustment back to Rosewood, and Byron reveals how nervous he is to lose the closeness he had with her in Iceland. Ella tells him that they were forced to bond because they didn't know anyone else there. He tells her that he misses it because things can get in the way. Ella questions this and he tries to avoid the question but she is persistent. He lies and says how he can get obsessed with work not completely revealing what he is actually afraid of. Oblivious to the nuance, Ella agrees that the adjustment is hard, considering that they once again live near the DiLaurentis house, and driving past it evokes bad memories. They declare their commitment to one another, and the two embrace over a glass of wine.

The Jenna Thing At breakfast Ella expresses her shock to Aria at Hanna's transformation and the dress she wore to the funeral. Byron comes down and says that he'll be working late. Ella asks why he has to work late as soon as they returned but he tells her he has a lot of catching up to do after being gone a whole year. Aria tells him that his family should come first then leaves for school. Ella questions Byron about Aria's strange attitude towards but he is evasive and says she's just a teenager.

Ella and Aria later go to the movies where they happen across Ezra. Aria introduces them and Ella asks if he's going to see the movie. When he says yes she says they'll see him inside. She whispers to Aria that she forgot to mention that her English Teacher was young and cute. When Ezra walks inside she calls to him to sit with them then offers him some popcorn.

Later that night, Ella and Mike go for Chinese takeout. When they return the family sit down to have dinner. Aria excuses herself to go get changed out of her wet clothes.

To Kill a Mocking Girl

Ella, Byron and Aria are out having breakfast. They discuss a book Aria is reading "To Kill a Mockingbird." Ella goes inside to get more food and misses the arrival of Meredith.

Later Ella meets Meredith at her art gallery. Aria arrives and Ella introduces her but Meredith says that they already met. Ella tells Meredith that Aria is a great help and that she'll see her tomorrow. When Aria asks about this Ella says that she invited Meredith to the opening.

Later at the opening, Byron and Ella are seen talking and laughing with the people present.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Ella is cooking dinner when Aria informs her that she won't be home for dinner that night. Ella mentions that Mike won't be home either so she and Byron have the house to themselves. Ella is curious when Aria suddenly calls her then asks for a carrot.

Aria comes home ready to tell Ella about Byron's affair only to find out that "A" has beaten her to it. Ella received a letter telling her about the affair and Aria's involvement. Ella hands Aria the letter then goes upstairs.

Reality Bites Me After Ella finds out about his affair, they argue about the possibility of him moving out. Ella says she doesn't want to be the bad mother who puts out the kids' father and forced to deal with their confusion alone. Aria comes downstairs then. SHe tells Ella that Mike knows something up and it's hard to keep it a secret from him. She tells Ella that she kept Byron's secret for a whole year which shocks Ella. Aria apologizes thinking that Byron had told her and she doesn't get mad at Aria.

She and Byron later have a huge argument after Ella finds out the woman was Meredith. She expresses her embarrassment because she befriended Meredith and will have to see her in town. She is most hurt by the fact that Byron used Aria to keep the secret from her. She is very angry and breaks a family picture commenting on how stupid she looked because she was oblivious to the fact that Byron had an affair.

The Perfect Storm

Ella is also oblivious to Aria's romantic relationship with Mr. Fitz, but is aware that Ezra is a positive force in Aria's life. Quite awkwardly for the couple, she constantly praises Ezra for being an adult role model for Aria and lets Aria know that she has praised their successful teacher-student relationship to the principal. At one point, during "The Perfect Storm," she even asks Ezra how Aria is doing since her separation from her husband, though unbeknownst to her, they are not on dating terms when she asks!

Later, in If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again, "A" offers Hanna her mom's money back, in exchange that she give Ella a ticket to an art gallery that Aria and Mr. Fitz are to attend. However, Caleb messes with the gears in her car after Hanna told him that she's trying to undo her action and stop Ella from arriving at the art gallery and exposing Aria and Ezra's relationship. Ella is frustrated with the car not working and calls Byron, since she cannot call AAA, as all their points are used up. The encounter threatens to lead to a fight until Byron offers her a ride. He drives her all the way to the gallery, but by the time they arrive, their relationship has been so much improved that Ella opts for a date with her husband instead.

In "The New Normal" while eating lunch in the main cafeteria with some of the other English teachers, she witnesses Paige McCullers' overbearing father accusing Emily of being treated unfairly. She is very impressed with Mr. Fitz' professional response to the situation and control. She shares that thought with her husband, Byron, only to make him jealously suspect Mr. Fitz of wooing his wife. This leads Byron to also misinterpret Ella's plans to attend a book event with Ezra, not realizing that the invitation is not exclusive; it includes the other English teachers as well. Eventually, Aria fills him in on this detail, and he stops suspecting that Ella has a crush on Ezra.

With that component no longer a concern, Ella's and Byron's relationship starts repairing itself, but Ella is reluctant to share the good news with her children, for fear of letting them think that everything is completely better, when she is not sure how she feels exactly. So, one night Byron sneaks out of the house to meet Ella without telling the children, having agreed to keep things under wraps for now. Aria, terrified that her father is having an extramarital affair again, follows him, only to find her parents having an intra-marital affair!

In "Someone to Watch Over Me," Ella receives a text message from Aria meant for Ezra that is clearly a flirting text, meant for a guy. She is totally unaware that the intended recipient is Ezra and guesses that it is Caleb, when she sees the "cute" boy sharing words with her daughter in the hallway. (Meanwhile, Caleb had approached Aria to speak on his behalf to Hanna.) When she confronts Aria about it, Aria gets scared and tells her mother it is a secret, who in turn, respects her daughter's privacy, trusts her, and deletes the text. It eventually leads to a fight between Ella and Byron, who feels insecure about Aria's secret relationship and pries in Aria's room, almost finding out the truth until Ella stops him in an argument, unknowingly overheard by Mike, their son, who is upset by the spat.

Aria and Mike had agreed to make dinner for the parents as a way to a family date night, but due to the argument, Ella cancels, leaving the three to eat dinner alone.

In "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Ella is helping Byron with the mixer that's going to happen in their house later. Aria tells her to figure out if she's going to stay or not. Later that night, Ella and Byron meet outside the church, hearing about what happened with Ian.

It's Alive
 * -|Season 2=

Ella was with the other parents as they tell the Liars that they believe that the girls need to see a therapist.

Ella reports to Aria that she plans to move back into the house with the rest of the Montgomery family. She tells Aria that their conversation before made her realize that she wants to move back in. Aria questions if Ella is doing it for her and Mike, but Ella says that she wants to move back in as well.

She later talks to Aria along with Byron about the girls' visit with Dr. Sullivan She and Byron tell Aria that she needs to stop seeing her friends temporarily.

Later, when Mr. Fitz resigns from Rosewood High to teach at the local university, Ella, having recently joined the English department staff, is hired to teach in his stead, as a full-time high school teacher. She is currently teaching her daughter's English class, which includes Aria's friends Spencer, Emily, and Hanna, along with her ex-boyfriend, Noel.

She has gone along with the rest of the Pretty Little Liars' parents and asked the girls to not see each other, in hopes that this will facilitate their healing from their supposed Alison trauma. Ella has an advantage over the other parents in enforcing their separation in the school hallways, where she can keep a close watchful eye on Aria. The separation is enforced in "It's Alive" and abolished in "The Devil You Know," after Ian is found dead.

Ella is later repentant about her role in splitting the girls up and especially upset by how unsuspecting she was of Ian. She recalls to Byron how they used to greet each other in Rosewood High. She is so distraught she washes perfectly clean laundry over in order to busy her troubled mind. Two episodes later, she visits Ashley after finally realizing that their daughters might be facing more threats than are normal for high school students, using the fashion show display as her barometer. Ashley lets Ella know that she regrets going along with Mr. and Mrs. Hastings suggestion to separate the girls and get them a therapist, and Ella agrees, but defends their decision as feeling like the right thing at the time.

In "Surface Tension," Ella and Byron plan a formal dinner party, signifying that their family life is returning to the way that it was pre-Meredith revelation. They invite Byron's colleagues at Hollis College, the Parthas, as well as Ezra and Jason. Mike doesn't show up, however, and they realize why when Officer Barry informs them that he has been arrested. When they go to pick up their arrested son from the station, Byron is verbally rough with his son, but Ella stops him, believing that they will learn more using a gentler approach.

In "Save the Date," Mike gets into a fight with one of his former friends and teammates at school. Ella swings by at just the right moment to split the two up. That night, she tries to unlock Mike's rationale, though at first he is non-communicative. At last, he harshly reveals that he is afraid that his mother is going to abandon the family again.

In "Touched by an 'A'-ngel," Ella gets professional advice from Dr. Sullivan for as to how to treat her son's teenage depression. Later that day, Ella sees Spencer in Ezra's car. At home, she takes her suspicions to Aria, who assures her that there is nothing between Spencer and Mr. Fitz. Still, Ella lets Aria know what she would think of such behavior on Ezra's part: that it would be an abuse of his position and a disappointment. She heads for the door, then turns, and on second thought, tells Aria that it would be worse: a betrayal.

Ella also asks Aria to discuss therapy with Mike and let him know how much she enjoyed it.

In "I Must Confess," Ella gets into a fight with Mike resulting in her wrist being injured. She initially tells Aria to keep it a secret from Byron, but after Aria reminds her parents how badly secrets threatened their family's dynamic once before, they open up. Mike is also repentant about his behavior towards his mother and talks openly to his parents for the first time in a while.

In "Over My Dead Body," Ella sees Ezra at the police station, and assuming he's there for Spencer, marches up to him and gives him a chance to leave, letting him know that she's onto him. Ezra is shocked and tries to stand his ground, telling Ella he loves "her," but when he realizes that Ella is referring to his relationship with Spencer, he becomes shocked. Whether or not he corrects her was not revealed until after the hiatus.

In "Through Many Dangers, Toils, and Snares," Ella acts coolly toward Spencer when she hands in her assignment. Then she breaks up a fight about to take place between Spencer and Emily. The next day, Ezra Fitz stands in her living room and confesses to being in love with her daughter. She is shocked to learn when their inappropriate relationship started and how long it has been going on. Ella shouts at Ezra, then tells Mike to go back upstairs.

Ella and Byron discuss what just transpired. Byron accuses Ella of knowing about this. She explains she thought she knew about Ezra and Spencer Hastings, but never gave him the chance to deny it. Byron declares the man is finished and Ella supposes he is right, but they have to consider what Aria may have been thinking when she got involved with Ezra, at a confusing time when she was still keeping the secret of her father's affair. Aria comes downstairs and asks them not to make a decision tonight, to consider for a moment that their relationship is real. They don't seem to accept this possibility. Ella can barely look at her. They send her back upstairs to her room.

The next day, in "A Hot Piece of A," when Byron tells Aria to change her clothes, Ella steps in and tells Aria to pick her battles while choosing new clothes for her to wear. Aria had hoped perhaps Ella would be more accepting of her relationship with Ezra, but Ella is in agreement with Byron and forbids Aria from seeing, and even saying goodbye to, Ezra. She admits to having liked Ezra prior to his confession yesterday.

Ella gives Emily a makeup exam which Emily is unable to finish. Ella agrees to reschedule it for Monday after school. As Emily is leaving, Ella asks if there is anything else she doesn't know about her daughter, then apologizes for asking an unfair question. Emily answers anyway, saying Aria hasn't changed and is still someone Ella can be proud of.

Ella and Byron argue over what to do about the situation with Aria and Ezra. She wishes he hadn't gone to speak with him without her. She tells Byron that they cannot go to the police, much as they would like to, because it would ruin Aria's reputation. She is already considered a liar by many in town after the bell-tower incident and the recent arrest. They have to do whatever they can to protect their daughter. Byron can't argue with that.

Aria and her parents walk toward a restaurant in town for dinner, but stop short when they see Ezra through the window dining alone. Byron insists they go somewhere else and bickers with Ella about their earlier conversation.

Ella walks into Aria's room while she was presumably on the phone with Holden, making plans to see a movie, assuming she's not still grounded. Ella says maybe they can make an exception. She is as of yet unaware Aria was really leaving a voicemail for Ezra.

In "The Blond Leading the Blind," Ella asks Aria why she has to go to Philadelphia for her date with Holden. Aria says Holden picked the restaurant. Ella recognizes it as a place they stopped at on the way back from a family vacation then insists that she drive them to the date.

Ella drops off Aria and Holden outside Machelli's. He asks if she feels bad about lying to her parents. She asks him why he is willing to help her out the way he is. Holden picks up on the subtext and says he's not gay. He leaves her without telling her where is spending the evening. Aria goes to wait for Ezra on a nearby bench.

Ella pulls up outside the restaurant, but Holden isn't back yet. Ella questions Aria, who is momentarily speechless, until Holden shows up with ice cream, explaining his absence. He offers some to Ella then exchanges a relieved look with Aria.

In "The Naked Truth," Ella arrives and tells everyone to line up and sign in.

In the courtyard, Hanna, Kate and Noel participate in an activity where they make suggestions on how to improve the school. Noel suggests hot tubs, and Kate simply says she wants to go back to her old school. Ella intervenes, asking for reasonable suggestions. She asks Kate what her old school has that Rosewood doesn't, and Kate simply says "nice people." Ella asks what else, and Kate says that students should have their own say, and if someone has messed with them, they should get to choose how to punish them, which Noel agrees to. He says that if someone messed with him, he would want payback, and explains how bad boys have nothing on mean girls, as a guy throws a few punches, whereas girls gang up on one another and don't fight fair, while glaring at Hanna. Hanna snaps back, saying Noel is the worst person in Rosewood, and when Ella tries to intervene, Hanna asks if she really thinks she is as bad as Noel described. Is she really a bully? When Ella doesn't respond, Hanna storms off.

Outside, Ella, Ashley and Veronica sit together, sipping coffee. Ella says that she doesn't believe Hanna would do what she is and that she believes someone is trying to make her look bad. Veronica asks why someone would do that. Ashley says that something has been happening to their daughters ever since they lost Alison. Ella says that it was the reason they moved to Iceland, as she wanted to give Aria something else to think abut. Veronica says she doesn't think the problem started when they lost Alison, but when they met Alison.

In "Breaking the Code," Ezra on the phone about his upcoming interview. Before they are able to discuss it more, Ella walks in and Aria pretends to be talking to Emily and quickly ends the call. Ella shows her the letter "A" had sent to Byron and asks Aria if she knows who sent it. Aria replies she does not, getting visibly nervous. Ella wonders if Ezra knows the person who sent the letter to which Aria quickly says no. Ella brings up the letter she got last year about Meredith, stating how that was signed by "A" too. Before leaving, she assures Aria that she and Byron will be looking into the matter.

Back at her house, Aria curls up in her bed and continues to cry. Ella asks Aria what's wrong and Aria tells her to go away. Ella says she won't until Aria tells her why she's upset. Aria reveals to her that Ezra is leaving and so Byron's getting his wish. Ella is confused, but Aria doesn't believe that Ella wasn't a part of the scheme to get Ezra out of their lives. With some cutting words, she storms out.

Later, Aria and Ezra eat and talk at Ezra's apartment. Aria wonders when he is leaving because it feels like he's left already. He assures her he won't be leaving right away. There is a knock at the door. Ezra opens it to find Ella. Initially surprised, then prepared for the fallout, he lets her in. Outraged, Aria wants to know if Ella plans to bring her home in handcuffs or just yank her out by her hair. Ella says neither. She came to listen.

In "Father Knows Best," Aria packs her books for school and Ella tells her Byron will be returning home today just in time for the father-daughter dance. She asks her mom to try to convince him Ezra is not a bad guy, but Ella can't promise anything. They agree to keep the conversation from the night before to themselves until Ella can wrap her head around their relationship herself.

The next morning after the dance, Ashley makes Ella coffee and tells her about Aria's lie. She is sure the girls are all lying about something or someone (namely "A") they are afraid of. Ella reveals that "A" sent her family a letter with personal information in it. Ashley tells her to get the police involved, but Ella is hesitant because "A" knows things that could hurt Aria. Nonetheless, Ashley thinks they owe it to themselves and their daughters to get some answers. A shadowy figure moves outside. Has "A" been listening in the whole time?

In Eye of the Beholder Ella shows up to Ezra's office while he is reading papers. He hops up and offers her a refreshment even though all he has is chocolate milk and an apple. She makes it clear that this isn't a social call and the fact that she is willing to talk about his relationship with Aria doesn't make her an ally. Compared to Byron, she may seem that way, but the only person she cares about is Aria. Ezra asks if she wants him gone too. Ella pretends not to have an opinion on the matter, but he calls her out on it, and she implies she would like him to take the job in New Orleans as well. Ezra tells her it does actually matter what she thinks of him. Before exiting, she asks if he knows of anyone ever bullying Aria, or using their secret relationship against her. He says no, so she asks if anyone would try to hurt him intentionally. He says there might have been, but not anymore.

Ella reproaches Byron for trying to buy off Fitz. Byron accuses her of defending him and is not happy to hear she went to speak to him, thinking she was sending mixed signals. He thinks the solution is very simple, but Ella disagrees. She is worried Aria might run away or elope and neither of them want that.

In "If These Dolls Could Talk," Aria comes home to find her mom folding laundry in her room. She angrily brings up the boarding school application, accusing her and Byron of trying to ruin her life. Ella tries to explain that it's not only about Ezra; she believes Aria is being bullied and needs to be kept safe. Aria believes Ella's heart might be in the right place, but Byron is only trying to punish her. Aria hints at having the ability to hurt Byron's career by revealing his past affair with his grad student.

Aria visits Ella in her classroom. Ella tells Aria the boarding school idea has been shelved "for the moment." She says it had nothing to do with her threat. Ella tells Aria she can't even recognize her anymore, turning on her own family. She is ashamed and isn't sure whether their family can ever return to what it used to be.

In the third season she has divorced Byron and moved out.
 * -|Season 3=

In "Blood Is The New Black," Ella gives Emily a makeup test but Emily gets distracted and doesn't finish, so Ella secretly completes the test for her, as she feels sorry for Emily because of Maya's untimely death. She then confesses to having finished the test to Ezra Fitz. She plans to tell the truth to the principal, but Esra beats her to it, taking the blame for the test, and Ella gets to keep her job at Rosewood High.

In "What Lies Beneath," Ella is being spoiled by Zac and later kissing which ended when Aria made herself known to the room. Ella later talks about why she isn't only having dates with Zac due to her intuition that probably many girls goes to the coffee shop for him and then goes on to her coffee date.

In "Mona-Mania," Ella reveals to Aria that she sneaked a bottle of wine from the party they were attending and thought she and Byron would save it. However, they began to drink when they got home, and she had to much and fall asleep. She also states that Byron was at the house the whole night, but it was confirmed he wasn't.

In "Misery Loves Company'," Ella is briefly seen talking to Meredith about a sick Aria. However, when she tries to call Aria when she walks away, Meredith is revealed to have Aria's phone.

In "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno," Ella is seen in Spencer's study hall class talking to the teacher and then tries to get her to tell her why she is leaving the room.

In "I'm Your Puppet," Ella talks to Hanna in between classes. She has been trying to get a hold of Ashley, but Hanna explains shes out of town for training. Ella reveals shes on a church committee who is trying to figure out what happened with the bell Jamie had sent out for repair and the one that was returned to them was worth $8,000 less. She wants to give Jamie the benefit of the doubt but needs to know what's going on. She asks Hanna not to share this information with Caleb. In a later scene, Ella sees Aria at the carnival when she is trying to find Malcolm. Ella tries to talk to her about her and Ezra's relationship, but Aria spots A and Malcolm and runs into the crowd. Although Ella is not in "'A' is for A-l-i-v-e," we find out she is home and sick as Principal Arthur Hackett sends some paperwork home with Aria for Ella to sign.
 * -|Season 4=

At the beginning of "Cat's Cradle," Ella canoodles with Zack at The Brew. He asks her to go to Vienna, Austria with him for a year long pastry workshop. Ella gives her motherly responsibilities as reason not to go then further says its impractical. She discusses the opportunity with Aria who points out that a year is a long time to be away from someone. At the end of the episode Aria talk's Ella into going, saying she needs her to be a role model doing something bold and that it would make for great stories for the grandchildren. Aria points out she and Mike will be fine with Byron as long as he doesn't try to cook.

In "Gamma Zeta Die!," Ella is acting strange, so Aria goes to talk to her in the car. Ella reveals that she's not going on the trip with Zack because Mike's not comfortable with her leaving. Aria is surprised. When Aria leaves the car, a swarm of wasps/bees, planted by -A, attack Ella.

At home, Aria confronts Mike about what he said to Ella. Mike rudely says she just wants their mom to leave so she can start seeing Ezra again. Aria gets mad, shoves him, and leaves.

After hearing about what "A" did to their mother, Aria really wants her to go to Europe with Zack so she won't be able to get attacked by -A any longer. She knows the further she is from Rosewood, the better. But Ella won't go without Mike being alright with it, so she plans on making sure to sort everything out.

Aria tries to convince Byron to convince her to go, and convince Mike to let her go. Byron talks to Mike. He tells Ella that he talked to Mike, and she should enjoy herself in Europe with Zack.

In "Under the Gun," Ella is mentioned. It's revealed that she went to Europe with Zack, and Mike has now accepted it.

Byron Montgomery
1st Relationship 2nd Relationship
 * Started: Before Pilot
 * Ended: The Homecoming Hangover
 * Reason: Ella finds out about Byron's affair with Meredith
 * Started: The New Normal (1x17)
 * Ended: Before It Happened 'That Night' (3x01)
 * Reason: Ella believed that she and Byron are different people now. They get a divorce.

Zack

 * Started: Crazy (3x07)

Book Comparisons

 * In the books, Ella kicks Aria out after finding out that she kept her father's affair a secret. In the show. Ella is the one to move out.
 * In the show, Ella is an English teacher that paints occasionally and used to work at a gallery. In the books, she's a full-time painter and displays her work at art galleries.