HOLLYWOOD—The mystery on ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” has been ongoing for almost five seasons. Just when the audience thinks they’ve figured out the identity of the elusive “A,” a surprise twist is thrown their way. At the end of the second season, we learned the identity of “A” which was none other than the liars’ nemesis, Mona (Janel Parrish). It was later revealed a bigger party was in play known as ‘Red Coat.’ At the end of season three we discovered ‘Red Coat’ might have been Alison (Sasha Pieterse) or another party dressing like the former Queen Bee.
Fast-forward to season four where it is finally revealed that Ali is very much alive, and her friend CeCe was a doppelganger ‘Red Coat.’ In the midst of all this chaos, the finger pointed at Ezra (Ian Harding) as being uber “A.” We soon learned that he was actually gathering research on the liars for his book, so he’s not the big bad villain.
At the end of season four leading to season five, Shana (Aerial Miranda) was pegged as being “A” and taken out by Aria (Lucy Hale), but the liars soon discovered that was not indeed the culprit. So who is “A?” Well, it’s someone who wields lots of power and potentially has multiple parties working for him or her. The biggest clue as show runner Marlene King has pointed out is “The Lady in Black.” Yes, this character is quite important as they appeared in the season four premiere at Detective Wilden’s funeral.
In addition, the audience saw this same figure in the 100th episode of the series where they were planning to send a bouquet of flowers to the family of Bethany Young. I have the inkling that this mysterious figure is indeed a woman, but I could so be wrong, but I think it is a lady. In addition, I suspect the mystery figure is also a parent. I just can’t see a teen in such a power position, but I could be wrong.
Other clues that might be important to decipher are the bevy of mysteries that have yet to be solved. We still don’t know who murdered Ian, we have no idea who was responsible for Detective Garrett Reynolds murder, we still don’t know who was the other person dressed in the Queen of Hearts costume on the Ghost Train, we have no idea who murdered Detective Wilden, Mrs. DiLaurentis or Mona. Solving some of these mysteries would be critical in my opinion because it can shed some light onto the audience about who the elusive figure is. I have reason to believe if “A” did indeed murder each of these individuals it’s because they came too close to figuring out the truth.
The audience has the perception that Melissa may have been the second party dressed in the Queen of Hearts costume on the Ghost Train, but we never got confirmation. We know she supposedly buried Bethany Young thinking it was Alison, but who is to say it wasn’t Alison to begin with. We never saw a face, and I find it odd for Melissa to bury someone without looking at a face, could the twin theory be in the mix here. Without a doubt, the writers have mentioned they are not following that twist for the TV series, however, rumors have surfaced that someone on the series has a twin and that is expected to play out. My thinking is the story Alison shared with the liars is a complete lie, Mona might have known the full truth, but she took that secret to her grave.
I suspect Alison saw whoever struck Bethany Young and buried her alive and later became a target for it. Her mother tried to cover her tracks and protect that person, but “A” decided Mrs. D could turn them in at any given moment. The critical clue we learned this summer was that Ali knew about Bethany, but more importantly Mrs. D. was having an affair with Bethany’s father. We already know Mrs. D had an affair with Peter Hastings which resulted in Jason, but could another sibling be out there. In addition, it’s possible that Bryon Montgomery could have been the other guy. He did cheat on his wife Ella, so both guys are equal candidates on the list.
There are plenty of important mysteries that we have not yet uncover, which creates additional confusion for the audience. Just when one mystery appears to be solved, three more mysteries surface throwing the audience for a loop! I’m still trying to discover how Shana, Jenna and Detective Wilden know each other, not to mention why Sydney is helping Jenna. No one suspected this, but is it possible that Jenna or Sydney took out Mona because she knew too much?
With a sixth and seventh season already approved by the network, it has caused many fans to speculate at the earliest we’d learn the identity of “A” at perhaps the end of season six or the start of season seven. However, King tweeted that perhaps the revelation of “A” could be a lot sooner than we think.
Now, that would indeed be an interesting twist. Could it be possible that the audience could learn the MAJOR secret in the upcoming Christmas episode or the cliffhanger finale of season five? My gut says at the end of season five and if the revelation is made, my guess is the audience will know, not the liars. I’d say once we begin to see mysteries from season one, two and three wrapped up, then we’ll be that much ‘closer’ to learning the TRUTH. “Pretty Little Liars” returns in December with a special episode before returning in January 2015 with the second half of season five.
By LaDale Anderson
