The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article contains spoilers.
By Briana Luca
Pretty Little Liars premiered on June 8, 2010. I sat down in front of my TV and was so excited to watch this new show. I had seen weeks of commercials, advertisements and interviews everywhere about this new story that would be taking the world by storm.
After that original first hour finished, I don’t think I had any idea that seven years later I’d still be fascinated with a group of girls from Rosewood and still waiting to find out the identity of A. There had been so many theories about who A truly was, and sometimes I actually had it right.
The first reveal was Mona, which made complete sense. Spencer and Toby were on the A team at some point or another. I had speculations about Noel, Jenna, Paige, Lucas and even Ali herself throughout those first few seasons.
When it was finally revealed that Charlotte was A, I was forced to believe this theory. It was confusing for me. How had CeCe Drake escaped our notice? Why was this story so twisted, instead of having a normal explanation? It didn’t make a ton of sense but I accepted it.
I came into this season needing answers and hoping I was finally going to get them. Marlene King wouldn’t leave me hanging, right? Spoiler alert: she didn’t. She definitely delivered something when she revealed Spencer had a twin, that’s for sure. As soon as I saw a second Spencer on the screen, I knew that this was what was going to happen. If you read the Pretty Little Liars books, you know that Ali was the one with the twin. However, I thought we were done with the twin theory after Jessica DiLaurentis and Mary Drake, but twins run in the family.
I was not excited about this reveal. The whole resolution felt very last minute––how could I care about the reveal of A.D. when she was a character I was just now meeting? I felt robbed. I felt like nothing added up, and that nothing Alex Drake did was justified. But in retrospect, I realize I’ve actually felt that for the last few seasons. I think it would’ve made even more sense to have Mona be A.D., or just anyone else who has actually been in the show with the Liars for years. Spencer’s twin didn’t cut it.
Even though I was disappointed in A.D., I was not disappointed with the episode. I actually thought the last few minutes were genius. From the wedding, to the Liars goodbye, to Mona’s strange ending in France, I was pleased with it all. After seven years, we deserved those resolution points.
The Liars not only took over the world, but they were dubbed the first “social media” show. It was the first-time young women were taking over social media, discussing the show they were watching together. The shockwaves heard on Twitter whenever a new member of the A team was revealed were rocking. We all tweeted along with the show whenever a hashtag popped up in the right hand corner. Diverse groups of women from across America were brought together by PLL, and it connected so many people on a meaningful level.
All of this being said, while I was disappointed with the reveal of A.D., I am glad that we got some of the closure we needed. It was a wild ride, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we’ll miss Rosewood forever.