Oh yeah, I can understand how the show can be triggery for some. Did you make it to the episode 6/7 two-parter? Because I think that's really where it kicks off. And episode 16, while a bit clunky, really gets into the brother's backstory.

And no, I haven't seen PLL. It's too bad that they used up the concept in the first season. For mystery and conspiracy theory type shows, I feel like the writers really need to have a good idea of how to extend the show. Otherwise it becomes a mess :(