All the ‘PLL’ fan theories you need before 6B

Pretty Little Liars won’t be back until January, but that doesn’t mean the show’s fans aren’t doing detective work about what could be coming for Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily in season 6B. “Game Over Charles” gave some hints about the Liars’ futures: Spencer’s off to Georgetown to get bangs, Aria’s off to Georgia to get blonde, Hanna’s off to New York to get engaged, and Emily’s off to Malibu to wear the 18 pairs of flip-flops she packed for college. Alison volunteers to stay behind, presumably to take care of her long-lost sister, Charlotte, who’s trading in the A game for some good, ol’ fashioned therapy.

However, we still don’t know what will trigger the events of season 6B: In the summer season finale, the girls warned Alison that “he” was coming for her. Is he the new “Big Bad,” that showrunner I. Marlene King has teased? Are we supposed to call him B? Why are the Liars back in Rosewood?

Here are a few fan theories about what could go down this winter …

1. Wren has secretly been the mastermind this whole time.
There is definitely a corner of the PLL fandom that has fiercely stuck to theories that the handsome Dr. Kingston is/was A. Some super sleuths connected Wren to the slightly mad Dr. Palmer, others tried to prove that his entanglement with the Hastings sisters was completely calculated. Many theories claim that Wren isn’t even a doctor. With the promise of a “Big Bad,” in the coming seasons, Wrenifiles are crossing their fingers that all their pointing wasn’t a waste and that there’s still a chance the British doc has a vendetta against the Liars. For instance, Reddit user 0211 posted that she believes that Wren somehow manipulated Charlotte into confessing to being ‘A.’ Meanwhile, Tumblr user Little-Pieces-of-Light theorized that Wren is not only a legit doctor, but he’s the doctor that helped Charlotte to transition while in Radley, eventually becoming part of the A team. If that’s the case, could he continue terrorizing the girls, even when Charlotte has hung up her hoodie?

2. Charlotte doesn’t survive the first episode of 6B.
Obviously, an event has to bring the four Liars back to Rosewood, and lots of fans are wondering if it will be a funeral. Opp0rtunist on Reddit thinks the show’s newest (or oldest, depending on how long the “Big Bad” has been around) villain will murder Charlotte to make a statement. Tumblr’s ThePLLTheorist mused recently that not only will Charlotte’s death reunite the girls; they will be framed for her murder. If this kind of dirty work really does go down, it will be disappointing to viewers who are looking forward to getting to know Charlotte better, without her hiding behind her alter-ego CeCe Drake. She was responsible for so many of the mysteries that have kept us awake for the past few years, so hopefully she has a few more episodes to live. And explain her motives more.

3. Mona really did die, and a twin took her place.
Because the Pretty Little Liars books contained a huge plot twist involving twins (I won’t give it away, because – ugh – it is so good), fans have been waiting for the show to somehow incorporate a similar Parent Trap moment into the TV series. One Sherlock-type shared a mind-blowing idea on Twitter: what if A killed Mona for real, and the Mona who the Liars found in the Dollhouse is actually Mona’s identical twin. This switch-a-roo would take some serious explaining, especially after the initial shock of finding out that our favorite ex-villain wasn’t brutally murdered in her own home after all. But, hey — it kind of makes sense.

4. Sike! Sara Harvey is the twin.
In an extensive investigative post on Tumblr, user drake-dilaurentis wrote that Sara “I need a shower” Harvey could plausibly Hanna Marin’s twin. A definitely tortured Hanna relentlessly, sometimes even more than she did the other Liars. Could it be because Red Coat was whispering suggestions in her ear? Mr. and Mrs. Marin both have shady pasts, and maybe could be considered capable of abandoning Hanna’s twin. This theory might explain why Sara and Hanna had virtually no scenes together since little Miss Harvey “escaped” that underground bunker.

5. Wayne Fields kicks the bucket.
I’m a huge fan of Emily’s dad – he scaled a building to rescue her that one time – so this theory saddens me. There are lots of conversations on Reddit where folks are trying to predict what brings Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily back to Rosewood. One really popular opinion is that they will be returning to attend Mr. Fields’ funeral. Emily’s dad did reveal that he suffered from serious heart problems, and his job isn’t exactly low stress. And this theory strangely aligns with a few images from the teaser for the first episode of 6B: someone moves a framed picture of Wayne, and Emily is crying in a graveyard. Even if the season does start with a funeral for Mr. Fields, Rosewood is a hotbed for fake deaths. It could all be a prank. Or Mr. Fields is A. You never know!

6. This is all Aria’s fault.
Blame it on her infamous “shh” in the credits, but Aria is the subject of so many of the Internet’s A theories that it can be hard not to suspect her. Some believe she has multiple personality disorder, while others have accused her of acting as A with Ezra to glean material for a true crime novel. Wow. Tumblr users BookStainedSoul and Aria-is-A-pll referenced Charlotte’s explanation for how she comes up with such intricate lies, like “Hi, I’m CeCe Drake.” In “Game Over Charles,” she said, “My mom always says nothing is more believable than a really good lie. We just need to come up with a good story. Something fabulous and devastating at the same time.” Could Charlotte have lied about being A to cover for Aria? That would be … a lot to take in.

7. The moms are getting a spin-off.
This is less of a theory and more of a personal dream, but there’s a chance that after the moms were locked in the DiLaurentis basement for so long, they decided to team up as a vigilante crime-fighting group. Their super powers are thwarting the Rosewood P.D., making popovers of truth, and wine.

It could happen.

(Images via here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and ABCFamily.)