There’s no denying that the Pretty Little Liars series is full of unforgettable moments and twists. The writers of the popular ABC Family show always know how to make viewers gasp in fear while leave them craving more Rosewood drama. However, despite their ample creativity and knack for producing quality television, even they have a tough time with whipping up shocking scenarios — especially when they’ve grown attached to certain characters and couples. Find out which scenes PLL showrunners Marlene King and Oliver Goldstick revealed as the most heartbreaking ones for them:

Marlene: The reveal that Toby (Keegan Allen) was on ‘A’s’ team. He is my most favorite character on the show and I’ve said from the beginning that he is the moral compass. To then write that scene, where the black hoodie turns around and it’s Toby, it was like, “Oh my god!” It was one of those things where you knew it had to be done, it was the right thing to do, but I knew with the way people reacted when Maya died that Toby fans were going to be devastated. A viewer’s mom called the show the day after the episode aired and said, “I need to speak to the head of television.”

Oliver: When Aria’s brother hits his mother. It was a, no pun intended, a tender scene. It was a story that someone had told his friend and it was a question of how far I could take it. The network was concerned too; they did not want to damage his character and make him unredeemable and unforgivable. We had a whole arc of his depression; with teenagers, it’s very real but something we have to treat with some reverence. That to me was treacherous, it was potentially a minefield to walk through because you don’t want to trivialize something that is quite real and profound.”

Check out the rest of the interview over at The Hollywood Reporter!

The Mike Montgomery scene from Season 2 was very startling to say the least. We never would have expected him to get so aggressive with a family member even though he began showing signs of violence starting in Season 1 (when he was caught fighting in school). And as for the Toby situation? Let’s just say we never saw that coming — either that or we purposefully blinded ourselves to all the clues since we utterly adore the handsome recluse!

So tell us, pretties: What was the hardest Pretty Little Liars scene for you to accept? Was it a break-up, someone’s death, a major secret reveal? Let’s discuss it further in the comments!