If you are among those who quit watching PLL in the middle of the series, but want to get in on all the nostalgia of the final episodes, I’m here to help. I’ve watched every episode (more than once) and rounded up a rather long, but thorough, list of what you need to know post-time jump to get you ready for #PLLEndgame.
People You Need To Know
AD / A-moji – Yep, there’s another one. AD is the new A. Suspects have included Alison DiLaurentis, Sara Harvey, Jenna Marshall, and Noel Kahn.
Charlotte’s killer – Cece was murdered and while we still don’t know who did it, there have been suspects worth noting. Including, but not limited to: Aria & Ezra tag team mission, Ezra by himself, Aria’s dad, and Melissa Hastings.
Mary Drake – Jessica DiLaurentis’ twin. Right now it’s unclear which sister is crazier than the other. She’s also Cece’s mom who gave birth to her while she was in Radley. We found out she had another baby a few years later whose identity is unknown. The other child seems like a prime suspect for the new A.
Dr. Elliot Rollins (really Archer Dunhill) – Charlotte’s doctor/lover who plotted with Charlotte to get her released from the mental hospital she was put in. After Charlotte is killed, he gets Alison to marry him, convinces her she’s crazy, pushes her to admit herself into a psych ward all so he could torture her and steal her money to avenge Charlotte. The girls found out about this and—long story short—they killed him.
Jordan – Hanna’s rich New York fiancee who is actually a great guy and is totally supportive of her, but she broke up with him because they weren’t “meant to be” aka Haleb forever.
Yvonne – Toby’s new girlfriend who has all the personality traits of Spencer. Her mom ran against Veronica Hastings for Senate (and lost). Moral of the story is Toby has a type.
Nicole – Ezra dated Nicole while Aria was off at college. They went on a volunteer mission together where she was kidnapped and is presumed dead. She is the reason Ezra spent most of season 6B drunk and depressed.
Marco Furey – Rosewood’s newest detective brought in to investigate the murders of Charlotte and Dr. Rollins. Spencer made out with him once promptly after burying the dead body he’s looking for.
Breakups, Makeups, and Hookups – The Status of the Ships
A pregnancy scare while Spencer was in college made Spoby re-evaluate their life together. It seems that this is what led to their breakup.
Hanna’s rigorous work life alienated Caleb. He left for Europe—a trip they were both supposed to go on—and ended up running into Spencer in Madrid.
After bonding abroad, Spencer and Caleb got together and it was weird, but also hot. And the Spaleb ship set sail.
But then there was this emotional love triangle scene.
And now Haleb is back together and all is right in the world.
Toby chose to leave town with Yvonne, but he and Spencer shared a goodbye kiss that really didn’t feel like a goodbye.
After all of that, our favorite bromance isn’t going so well.
Jaria was brief, but it happened.
It seemed for a fleeting moment like there would be wedding bells in the future for Ezria.
But now it looks like Nicole is back in the picture.
Ali did get married, but now that she’s a widow, there’s still a chance that Emison is endgame.
Most importantly, our besties’ friendship is as strong as their drinks… which they have often now that it’s legal.
Important Plot Points
Charlotte/Cece/A was murdered after being let out of the psych ward for all of one day.
AD is the new A, they like emojis, and they really want to know who killed Charlotte.
Sara Harvey couldn’t use her hands because she was electrocuted the night Radley blew up. She blamed the girls and seemed like a prime AD suspect.
Until she was was murdered in her favorite place—the shower. And now we have another mystery to solve.
Hanna was kidnapped and tortured so she’s suffering with PTSD now more than ever.
Alison got into the definition of a bad marriage and was put through a regiment of Stone Age psych treatments.
The Liars may not have killed Charlotte, but they do have blood on their hands. After Hanna hits Dr. Rollins with her car, the girls bury him and make it look like he skipped town.
Hanna is going into business with Lucas who spent the past 5 years becoming insanely wealthy.
Ezra and Aria are co-writing a book about Ezra and Nicole.
The girls found out Noel helped torture them in the dollhouse.
So Hanna went rogue (and with a little help from Mona) kidnapped Noel to prove he was AD, but her hunch ended up being wrong.
But Noel got beheaded a few episodes later anyway… so there’s one more AD suspect to check off the list.
Alison is pregnant with Dr. Rollins’ child and Emily is the only one who knows.
Toby and Yvonne got into a car accident and we’re entirely unsure of their fate, but things look bad.
In the final moments of the mid-season finale, Spencer was shot by Jenna and that has yet to be resolved.
As if that wasn’t enough, Mary Drake rushes in to declare that she is Spencer’s mom. Yes, Spencer is the mystery kid and A’s long lost sister.
And for a little visual clarity, here is a family tree to sort out the Drake’s from the DiLaurentis’.
In true PLL fashion, the finale of 7A left most of our favorite characters in utter emotional turmoil with more than one life hanging in the balance. Here’s hoping our favorite characters make it out alive. Tune in tomorrow, April 18th at 8PM on Freeform to watch as Pretty Little Liars comes to close!