If you were looking for an episode of Pretty Little Liars this season that you could really sink your teeth into, this one would be it. There was plenty of momentum and a general feeling that you were taking an actual step toward figuring out the truth behind Alison’s (Sasha Pieterse) disappearance. Not that the last few seasons haven’t been a blast, because they were. Finding out that Mona (Janel Parrish) was A (err, the original A) and later discovering that Ali was still alive kept viewers at the edge of their seats. Even with those unparalleled moments, there’s always been a long list of lingering questions that created a thin line between intrigued and plain frustrated.
Heading into the final episode of the season, the Liars look like they’re about the uncover enough truth to keep fans satisfied until PLL returns in June. This is a huge victory for long time Pretty Little Liars viewers who may sometimes feel like they’ve spent entire episodes waiting for something, anything, to happen, only to be disappointed when the credits start to roll and they are no closer to finding out what’s going on than when they tuned it.
It’s a slippery slope when it comes to suspense versus story arc. You want an audience to feel compelled to keep watching, but you don’t want to just hand them the twists and turns either. Tonight’s penultimate episode was definitely not the silver platter fans may have been looking for, but it did set the stage for the big reveal. Alison coming forward with her story may seem slightly overdue, but it’s sure to be filled with juicy factoids that will blow our minds. Yet, let’s not forget that less than a year ago the Liars barely suspected that she was even still alive, and it was only a few months ago (TV time) that they began to follow clues about their working theory.
After authorities uncovered a body in the backyard of Ali’s old house and mistakenly confirmed it was hers, the Liars trouble may have just been starting, but their suspicions were still at a minimal. If anything, A is the reason that the Liars couldn’t move past this experience. Instead of dealing with their conflicted emotions, they were stuck in this in between place. They couldn’t leave it alone because it was constantly being thrown back in their faces.
The harsh reality of it all is that it’s possible that Mrs. DiLaurentis planned it that way. When Mona was taken down and sent to Radley, Mrs. D could have easily hatched a plan to take over operations. Whether her anger stemmed from knowing the truth, or from just a theory that somehow Spencer (Troian Bellisario), and by extension her friends, had something to do with what she thought happened to Ali, she has been tormenting them for her own personal enjoyment ever since. It’s an odd scenario for sure, but considering she’s barely able to contain her temper in public lately, she’s almost making it too easy for the Liars. At least when she was playing hard to get there was the element of plausible deniability. What does she have going for herself now?
Now that the Liars are face to face with Ali, will they be able to save her from whoever is out to get her? What do you think she’ll tell them about the night she disappeared? Does anyone think that Jason (Drew Van Acker) may have been helping her for the last couple months now that Dean (Nathaniel Buzolic) proved that he’s been lying about rehab? Let us know all your theories about Pretty Little Liars in the comments section below!