The end is finally near. After seven long and hopeful years, the Freeform show (remember when it was ABC Family?), Pretty Little Liars, is now coming to an end with its final season. But, this is only the beginning of the end.
If you’re anything like me, you eagerly started watching this show in your adolescent, pre-teen years. Everything about it was great – the fashion, the friends, the romance, the mystery. But now you are a young adult and still trying to figure out who it is exactly that has it out for the liars, Ali, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer, and why exactly this mystery person wants to make them (and us) suffer.
And, if you’re like me, you really can’t wait for this series finale to culminate, if only to finally have some closure for the girls of Rosewood, PA. So without any further ado, here is a review of the first episode of the final season of Pretty Little Liars (spoilers ahead).
Primarily, it’s hard to give a completely positive review of this episode. In pure honesty, it was a bit slow and not very plot-driven. It seems that this episode served as a purpose of resituating the fans with everything that has previously happened in the final season (which is crucial when so many plot twists are thrown around like baseballs in this show).
Most importantly, of course, we are reminded that Spencer Hastings’ real mother is Mary Drake, the biological and mentally unstable twin sister of Mrs. DiLaurentis, Ali’s mom. When Spencer confronts the woman she thought was her mother her whole life, Mrs. Hastings confirms her suspicions and reveals that Spencer’s dad had an affair with Mary Drake, because he mistook her for Mrs. DiLaurentis who he had been having an affair with, and Mary Drake became pregnant with Spencer while in a mental institution. Mrs. Hastings could not let the baby be born into the foster system, so she took her husband’s illegitimate child into her home.
If you weren’t confused yet, you now need to reconsider the Hasting-DiLaurentis family dynamic. Spencer is half-siblings with Jason DiLaurentis, whose mother is Mrs. DiLaurentis and father is Mr. Hastings. Spencer is cousins with Ali, who is the child of Mr. and Mrs. DiLaurentis. Spencer is now only the half-sibling of Melissa, who is the actual child of Mr. and Mrs. Hastings.
Also, we cannot forget that Spencer was shot in the shoulder at the end of last season by whom she thought was Jenna Marshall, the blind assistant of the person who has a vendetta against the liars. But, we soon find out in this episode that Spencer was shot by a different gun, which is now missing along with Mary Drake. So Mary Drake and Jenna, two members of the A.D. crew which is trying to exact revenge upon and get information out of the liars, are missing. But, Mary Drake, she’s your daughter! You can’t just tell her you gave birth to her and run off (after possibly shooting her).
But enough about Spencer; let’s talk about some of the other liars. Aria seems to be more secure in her relationship with Ezra now that he has come back from visiting his ex-lover after she was abducted. She’s moving forward with the wedding and picking out venues with her good friend, Hanna.
Speaking of Hanna, she’s back with her high school sweetheart, Caleb, and designing dresses for a senator’s daughter to market her own name. She is, however, receiving marketing help from her old friend, Mona (who I still do not trust).
Then there’s Emily, who seems to have a new stable job as the high school varsity swim coach, but is stuck on a committee with her two possible lovers, Paige and Ali, who cannot stand each other. The two of them get into an argument at a meeting, which Emily has to break up. She always seems to be in the middle of everything. (All of this could have been avoided if Maya were still well and alive, just saying).
Lastly, there’s Ali, who doesn’t really seem to know what she wants. On the one hand, she seems upset with Emily for being friends with Paige but also really, really distracted by the baby growing inside of her, who shares DNA with her ex-fiancé, who also lied to her about his identity and tried to kill her.
Also, it is important to note Toby’s situation. He tried to leave the disastrous town of Rosewood with his new fiancée Yvonne, but ended up in a car crash before he made it far. He’s recovering slowly, but Yvonne is in a coma. That just goes to show that no one can escape the impending doom that is to come in this final season.
Oh, and most importantly, there’s a board game. A.D.sent over a black box with a shiny red ribbon, which contained a very high-tech board game that forces Ali, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer to play in order to receive prizes. It seems like they will also receive puzzle pieces with every task they properly complete. Will the game (and this show) finally be over once the puzzle is complete?
Although the liars agreed to avoid the game, Spencer began playing without them. Hanna then tried to destroy the game but it played a video of them participating in the illegal activity of graverobbing and now they’re all forced to participate. A board game has visual blackmail against the girls. That sentence pretty much sums up what this show has been all about for the past seven years.
If there is any good in this world, it will end with some serious closure for the loyal fans who have stuck by for almost one-third of their young lives. No pressure.