The ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Finale is tonight — here’s why everyone is probably A
Liars, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. As the promo for tonight’s Pretty Little Liars tells us, this is a moment 120 episodes, 123 texts, 9 deaths, and a bazillion theories in the making. We’ve been agonizing over the identity of A for five seasons now and — supposedly — we’re going to find out FOR REAL who’s behind that black hoodie. Are you ready?
Everyone’s got their own A theory, and saying that there are a bazillion A theories out there is not an understatement. There are probably a bazillion and one theories, TBH. But in the end, only one person can be A — ummm, right?
So, let’s round up the usual A suspects, and try and figure this out before the big reveal.
Aria Montgomery
Why Aria is A: for starters, she’s always wearing an A necklace around her neck. I get that her name begins with an A… but come on. Going all the way back to the pilot, the Liars only started getting texts when she came back from Iceland. She’s also the best liar of the group and she did (accidentally) kill Shana.
Hanna Marin
Why Hanna is A: Hanna idolized Ali way back when. And Ali tormented her relentlessly. The reason Hanna went from “Hefty Hanna” to the Hanna we know and love know is all because of Ali. And after Ali’s disappearance, she teamed up with Mona as BFFs, leaving the others behind. Could everything be her way at getting back at Ali?
Spencer Hastings
Why Spencer is A: Spencer is whip-smart. It’s common knowledge that she is the smartest of the group. So who better to pull a sprawling long con like this? She’s had mental issues before, and A might be a manifestation of that — Spencer might not even realize she’s doing it.
Emily Fields
Why Emily is A: Emily was in love with Ali, and Ali toyed with her feelings — not cool. But honestly, out of all the Liars, Emily has the least amount of evidence against her. She’s just too sweet, you know?
Ezra Fitzgerald
Why Ezra Is A: ….wasn’t Ezra A already? Sure, he claimed that he was “writing a true crime novel” about Ali and her friends, but come on, Ezra. Do you expect us to really believe that? All along he has been way too invested with not just Aria, but all the Liars. That might seem cute and protective… but really, Ezra? He still knows more than he’s letting on. Also, Ezra always seems to be in the exact right place at the right time. Also also, A loves literary references. Coincidence that Ezra does, too?
Caleb Rivers
Why Caleb is NOT A: Unfortunately, there is no way Caleb is A, and no theory about him being A will ever be entertained, OK? Also, for a short he was written out of the show and moved to the spooky Ravenswood, remember? So there’s no way that A could get his own spin-off show, because that’d mess with our heads too much. It’s not Caleb.
Toby Cavanaugh
Why Toby is A: Remember back, way back to the beginning, Toby was part of the A team for a while. Mona “recruited” him for help. The season three finale even had Toby revealed as A — or one of the many A’s. It takes a lot to teach an old dog new tricks, and Toby might have been at this game all along. Is it possible that this is his retaliation for the fact that the Liars blinded his step-sister, Jenna?
Paige McCullers
Why Paige is A: Ali bullied Paige and gave her the nickname, “Pigskin.” Turns out, Ali was actually afraid of Paige at one point. There’s also the time that Paige tried to drown Emily in the pool. Paige is also ridiculously strong, and probably strong enough to throw Mona down a flight of stairs. She could be trying to teach the Liars a lesson about bullying in high school.
Ali DiLaurentis
Why Ali is A: Ali’s been a part of A all along, but is she the BIG A? She’s been able to manipulate and organize things from a far before, has secrets hidden all over her room, and a band of loyal followers, too. A might have been right under our noses this whole time.
Jenna Marshall
Why Jenna is A: In an effort to “scare” Jenna, Ali & Co wound up blinding her instead. It turns Jenna cold towards the rest of the world, and she could be giving the Liars a taste of their own medicine.
Mona Vanderwaal
Why Mona is A: Mona’s already been A once before, so unless we’re talking a double jeopardy situation here, she won’t wind up being A again. Or, she could be A. She could still be alive. Ali messed with her, the Liars messed with her, and now she continues to mess with them.
The Ghost of Mona Vanderwaal
Why Ghost Mona is A: I dunno, I just think it’d be really fun if the explanation for all this A stuff turned out to be “it’s a ghost!!”
Mrs. Grunwald
Why Mrs. Grunwald is A: Who is she? What is she? She’s popped up a bunch of places before, and almost appears to be all knowing and all seeing. She’s the one who pulled Ali out of the ground after she was buried alive, and then tried to help her figure out who had framed her. But maybe she was only helping to throw her off her own trail.
Melissa Hastings
Why Melissa is A: The Hastings family has lots of secrets, and that includes a boat load of secrets for Melissa alone. She’s the one who ultimately (accidentally) killed Bethany Young. There’s also the long forgotten N.A.T. Club, which still hasn’t been fully explained all these years. Sure, Melissa’s now in England, but that doesn’t mean she’s still not running everything.
Jason DiLaurentis
Why Jason is A: Oh, where to even begin with him? The oldest DiLaurentis child is always up to something. One second, he’s in Rosewood, then next he’s disappeared again. He and Ali never got along. He’s also Spencer’s half-brother. Quite possible that this A game has been all about keeping more secrets not only from his sister, but the rest of Rosewood, too.
Lucas Gottesman
Why Lucas is A: Lucas has been both a friend, and enemy, to the Liars so far. He destroyed Ali’s memorial in the first season. He also worked alongside Moan for many A-related things. He easily could have picked up the A torch from her after she relinquished it, and he is quite a techy, too. A certainly knows how to hack a computer.
Veronica Hastings
Why Mrs. Hastings is A: The Hastings are an odd family, and Spencer will attest to that any day of the week. They’re odd in the sense that like, they won’t let anything stand in their way, they get the job done, they won’t back down from a challenge, they love challenges, etc. etc. The Hastings have done a lot to protect Spencer over the years, and this whole A thing could be one big scared straight lesson for their daughter. Mrs. Hastings would make the perfect A ring-leader.
Byron Montgomery
Why Mr. Montgomery is A: For a while, it was believed that Mr. Montgomery was in fact A, since he saw Ali the night she disappeared. But that was because Ali was trying to blackmail him about his cheating habits, and his name was cleared. But was it really cleared? Where is Mr. Montgomery, anyway? Is he always just off screen, lurking in the shadows? Could he have more motive to terrorize his daughter and her friends?
Noel Kahan
Why Noel is A: Noel’s not just not another Rosewood pretty face. He once tried to blackmail Ezra after he found out about his relationship with Aria. He’s teamed up with A before. He’s teamed up with Jenna, and Mona, on a few occasions. He even helped Ali during the time she was still MIA. Last time we saw him, he had just gotten into a fight with Spencer and then disappeared into the night. He’s been a part of the greater A mystery all along, so might he be the one behind everything?
CeCe Drake
Why CeCe is A: Raise your hand if you frequently forget that CeCe Drake is a character on PLL. OK, that’s just about everyone. She and Ali go way back, and it feels like we should know a ton about her, and in reality we know nothing. She’s been involved in a lot of stuff over the course of the show — from her red coat shenanigans, to even the fact that she was dating Jason pre-Ali disappearance — and she supposedly died. But nope, she survived, then killed Det. Wilden, and then fled to France. All in a day’s work, I guess? Basically, she’s prime A material.
Andrew Campbell
Why Andrew is A: Andrew’s been MIA for a little bit — when first me him when he was on the Decathlon team, and needed to diffuse tension between Spencer and Mona. Then suddenly, he’s back in town, and all over Aria. Seems highly suspicious. Also, I don’t believe for a second that this kid is still 17/18 years old, becasue his muscles say that he’s like, 35. He’s a top A contender for that fact alone. What is his deal??
Wren Kingston
Why Wren is A: You’d think a minor character from season 1 who had things with both Melissa and Spencer would be long gone from the show by now. Instead, he’s still around. Why is that? He keeps popping up in weird places — and even has a thing with Hanna, too — and now he’s living in London with Melissa. But if you look at all the evidence that Wren could be A, he seems like a big contender. Like, his board shorts in the pilot, the fact that he has access to medical supplies, the fact that people at Radley didn’t trust him, his charming British accent… the list goes on and on.
Maya St. Germain
Why Maya is A: Whoa, Maya? Yes. Maya. If you fall down a big enough PLL hole on the Internet, you’ll find all sorts of crazy fan theories, and one of them suggests that Maya is A. It’s actually a pretty convincing theory, too. It’s only assumed that she died — but we never saw a body, we never saw a funeral. Might she have faked her own death LIKE ALI??????? A pretty convincing theory is that Maya is Ali’s half-sister. Crazy, right? But then again, so crazy, it just might be true.
Tippy the Bird
Why Tippi the Bird Is A: What secrets does this bird know? This bird probably knows enough secrets to blackmail all of Pennsylvania, and maybe she’s doing just that. Polly want a cracker? No, it seems that Polly wants revenge.
Adam Lambert
Why Adam Lambert is A: That Ghost Train Halloween episode was really weird. Do they ever fully explain that he was the runner-up during American Idol‘s eight season? Hmmm. Suspicious.
I’m A. You’re A. We’re all A.
Why Everyone is A: Come on, at the end of the day, this is really the theory that makes the most sense. I’m A, you’re A, everyone is A. Mystery solved. See you all at the next black hoodie convention.
(Images via here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
