The Pretty Little Liars final midseason premiere aired last Tuesday, returning after an almost eight-month hiatus. The show began in 2010, and now it’s finally time for the final 10 episodes. I, for one, after having been obsessed with this show (even going so far as to purchase token items from the official clothing line and read all 18 books in the original series) am glad to finally get some closure and see this chapter of my life come to a close. I will, however, be sorely disappointed if the ending isn’t, well… good enough. This show has so many devoted fans that have been watching and almost scarily invested for so many years that it would really be a shame if the writers didn’t do that legacy justice and conclude the series in a strong, satisfying way (with no plot holes!)
That being said, I thought I’d discuss the premiere and what I think it means for the ending of the show.
1. Initial reaction
So, the tell-tale “Previously on Pretty Little Liars” sounds, and you know you have to sit down and get comfortable for the next hour of super dramatic, usually unsuccessful (but at least they try!) mystery-solving in the lives of these five** twenty-something* best friends.
*If you stopped watching, as most people have at this point, it’s important to note that there was an abrupt five-year time gap in the middle of the previous season. Not much has changed, except now the girls are free to drink wine whenever they want, which is usually every other scene.
**If you stopped watching a really long time ago, I hate to break the news (SPOILERS!), but someone you thought was dead has actually been alive all this time.
The iconic theme starts playing and no matter how long it’s been or how much you’ve forgotten in the eight-month span since you’ve seen any of the episodes in the former half of the season, you’re suddenly jamming out. We all do it, even the other people in the lounge in which I was watching started humming along to it, and they were just doing their homework on the other side of the room and had no interest in watching at all.
‘Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.
2. The characters
This episode was primarily character-based. Each of the main girls had their own life stuff going on: Spencer with the fact that she was recently shot and has to sift through a ton of life-changing family drama on top of that; Emily with her job as the new swim coach at Rosewood High, working alongside both Alison and Paige; Hanna trying to relaunch her fashion career with help from Mona; and Aria having to plan her entire wedding with Ezra. It was nice to see a glimpse of the girls’ reality in this episode, but it was a bit of a stretch to imagine they would be able to dive right back into normal daily routines so soon after the traumatic events of the midseason finale. It did allow for some old characters to return, though, (remember Holden?) and for Spencer to have some long-anticipated conversations with her mom.
3. The ships
At this point, the ships have basically become characters of their own. You’d have to be really far removed from the show if the words Spoby, Ezria, Haleb, Paily, and Emison don’t ring a bell. Since showrunner I. Marlene King confirmed that all the main couples will end up together in the end, it is a bit anticlimactic to watch this part of the show play out.
Spencer and Toby had a scene together which was bittersweet since it was entirely instigated in A.D., but on the plus side, we got to see the return of Toby-in-glasses, which is always nice.
Aria and Ezra are officially engaged, but things are rocky ever since Aria saw Ezra kissing his old flame Nicole in their emotional reunion on TV.
Hanna and Caleb are going pretty strong, and it’s almost as if that *cough* Spaleb *cough* disaster of last season never happened!
Last but not least, the show is really emphasizing this love triangle of sorts between Emily, Ali, and Paige. Dramatized by the setting of their old high school, they’re all supposed to work together like the mature adults they *are* BUT Ali and Paige still hate each other. Did the time jump between high school and now really happen, or…?
4. The plot
The main plot arc for this season, centered around A.D. (the actual mystery of the show) seems to be… a board game? (I guess it’s a creepy board game?)
And since this show makes amateur conspiracy theorists out of all of us (or is it just me?), I think I may have figured out Hollywood’s endgame:
1995- Jumanji
2005- Zathura
2017- #PLLEndgame
(An iconic scary board game coming to life every decade or so. I’m not quite sure about their motivation for doing this yet.)
All joking aside:
Even though this first episode was rather light on exciting plot points and more focused on individual storylines, I really do hope the showrunners will pull through and give us answers to all those questions left open from seasons past. I’m in it for the next nine episodes, and hopefully some of you have some faith left too.