Everyone is A! The Spoiler Thread

[raytch]

Ugh, gender politics. I really hope the root cause of why A is harassing the girls isn't blanket misogyny or something equally stupid. The attacks and texts against the girls always seemed too personal to be about some imagined gender wars.

And I thought one of the big themes of the show was the cruelty of women towards other women as you can see with Alison and Mona, Alison and Jenna, Spencer and Melissa, Mona and the Liars, and Alison and the Liars. I'm disappointed that A is a guy.

 

Honestly, I feel A being a guy is perfect given where the show has been going since season 3. This isn't cyber bullying anymore and girls fighting dirty.

This is a full on violation for each of the girls' privacy and taking away their agency (which is what MonA did in a way, but with pig cupcakes, this A does this with fashion accessories made out of dug up body parts).

The first text they get from New!A "Mona played with dolls. I play with body parts. Game on, Bitches." means this wasn't a hyperadrenalized reality game anymore, it's bad blood. And whoever took the game from Mona knew what they were doing all along.

 

I will personally be disappointed if Mona is clueless about Charles, because it would it would understate her intelligence for one. Even if Charles always wore a mask, there is no way that she didn't at least try to find out who he was. She had plenty of time to snoop around Radley when she was there and off her meds.

 

I also keep going back to the season 2 Halloween episode, the one that's all flashback to the beginning of the A messages. There has obviously been 2 sides for this story all along, one is Mona's with all the playful texts and voodoo dolls, and one with the aggressive note on the squashed pumpkin hanging from a knife.

Whoever left that pumpkin note was obviously psychotic, not deranged or unstable (as you may label MonA). This is someone capable of murder over and over again.

Which actually echoes a lot of the patriarchy in cinema back in the days, that women are crazy and men are terrorists.

Edited July 10, 2015 by raytch

[lion10]

Honestly, I feel A being a guy is perfect given where the show has been going since season 3. This isn't cyber bullying anymore and girls fighting dirty.

This is a full on violation for each of the girls' privacy and taking away their agency (which is what MonA did in a way, but with pig cupcakes, this A does this with fashion accessories made out of dug up body parts).

The first text they get from New!A "Mona played with dolls. I play with body parts. Game on, Bitches." means this wasn't a hyperadrenalized reality game anymore, it's bad blood. And whoever took the game from Mona knew what they were doing all along.

I will personally be disappointed if Mona is clueless about Charles, because it would it would understate her intelligence for one. Even if Charles always wore a mask, there is no way that she didn't at least try to find out who he was. She had plenty of time to snoop around Radley when she was there and off her meds.

I also keep going back to the season 2 Halloween episode, the one that's all flashback to the beginning of the A messages. There has obviously been 2 sides for this story all along, one is Mona's with all the playful texts and voodoo dolls, and one with the aggressive note on the squashed pumpkin hanging from a knife.

Whoever left that pumpkin note was obviously psychotic, not deranged or unstable (as you may label MonA). This is someone capable of murder over and over again.

Which actually echoes a lot of the patriarchy in cinema back in the days, that women are crazy and men are terrorists.

If it echoes patriachy, it seems the radical thing to do would be to flip that stereotype on its head.

To me, two major themes of the show have been deep friendships between women and deep hatreds/resentments between women. Bringing in a man as the person who's been terrorizing the girls seems a deviation from that theme and imo, makes the show less interesting. I've seen a ton of shows with the focus on women where the man or a group of men is ultimately the bad guy. Part of what drew me into PLL was the hint that A was a woman. Because there are plenty of shows that feature malevolent men, but for a woman to be purposefully ruining the lives of other women was fascinating to me as a guy. What could drive a woman to become so emotionally and physically violent to other women and how do those forms of violence differ from a more male-based violence?

It's kind of what made OITNB season 2 my favorite season of the show. To see how Vee emotionally manipulated the black women into becoming her army was so cool. Mono-gender settings for either men or women can be so interesting because I think both men and women as a group change their behavior around the opposite sex

[raytch]

I haven't seen OITNB yet. I intend to do it over the summer after PLL ends, because then it'll be a while before any of my favorite shows are back on air.
 

What could drive a woman to become so emotionally and physically violent to other women and how do those forms of violence differ from a more male-based violence?

That is one of the show's most interesting questions, but I think it was covered with Ali's relationship with her mom and Mona's relationship with Hanna.

Ali's mom wrecked her so bad that she ended up having this kind of inner turmoil in her that made her the kind of person who wanted to destroy everyone around her to feel good about herself.

 

My comment about the patriarchy above... I think the show is kind of flipping the stereotype on its head, but again in a subtle way. I could be dead wrong about this, depending on what's in store for the rest of the series, but this is what I take from it now:

Women are crazy and men are terrorists. The general consensus is that women will turn their hate and anger inward, while men will actually go and fight it out (I think Noel says something about this in season 2). The question is which is worse? The answer: it's bad either way.

 

I don't know in which episode this happened, but there was this flashback of Ali and her mom in a restaurant, and Ali holds her breath. That scene always gives me the chills, because you just see her face change and then the whole scene shifts with a different kind of tension, it feels like the whole restaurant is going to come crumbling down over Mrs. D's head if she doesn't take back what she said, and in a way it's as disturbing as a guy walking in and shooting people out f the blue or whatever Charles does in any given episode.

 

Charles is someone broken by the same people as Ali, which I find a nice parallel. Ali was never A, Mona was, but Ali did as much emotional damage to the girls as Mona. In the first few seasons, the liars constantly compare MonA's behavior to Ali's.

 

Mona became the very thing she feared the most, but she also learned to take agency and "stop dressing for the job she has, and start dressing for the job she wants".

The show has established both Mona and Ali as deeper characters than bullies and tormentors, as they have both evolved into something more. Ali isn't there yet, but my hope is that she will be (hopefully by this summer's finale).

Which is how I think the show is twisting the given stereotype on its' head, simply by showing us the tormentors after their demise. The story of Mona did not end with her being locked up in Radley, and the story of Ali only started with her murder and her being alive. I'm hoping that Charles' story will also stay after he's revealed, which will also turn the stereotype on its head because what the show will be saying that there's some light at the end of the path, and there is a way for everyone to make it out of the mess; not by denying what you've done, but by learning from it without letting it define who you have to be for the rest of your life.

 

I find it particularly interesting that Charles wants to reveal himself, as psychotic and as murderous as he is, I'd like to think that he's also looking for some kind of redemption.

 

Am I making sense or am I just going on a random tangent?

 

(Also, apologies to the mods if this isn't the right topic for this, let us know if we should move this elsewhere!)

Edited July 14, 2015 by raytch

[dwmckim]

There's something about the Reddit spoilers that's bugging me.  Not the spoilers themselves as they seem like what the show would do (major plotholes and all!)  But the claims/"story" of the person who posted them.

 

So these apparently are from a PA on the show who's worked on it for a couple years up until this season's tenth episode (mid-season finale).  These were supposedly posted out of reaction to having *just been* fired for failing a drug test (the tests themselves spurred as a reaction to an accident involving someone falling off a crane).  The poster didn't have any info regarding anything after 6x10 (and even parts of 6x10 he was unaware of as he wasn't present for the filming the day they were shot).  But the midseason finale commenced shooting a month ago.  At the time of the post, the show would been shooting this season's 12th episode (the second eppy of 6B.)  Something just doesn't add up there.  

 

Of course the spoilers themselves could be perfectly legit but the "identity" the poster went with about their position and motivation for posting the spoilers could all be deliberately bogus to deflect attention from what department the person actually hails from.

 

Something else that doesn't quite pass the smell test - the poster seemed rather cocky (upon initially posting - though seemed to get a bit more nervous later as he was sobering up causing him to then delete his account) that there wouldn't be any legal action taken against him because he never signed any non-disclosure agreement.  I find it really hard to believe that on a show like PLL where the need to keep spoilers from leaking out is so crucial and in 2015 where social media, texts, gossip, etc are so prominent and easily spread that anybody allowed on set no matter how small a position wouldn't be required to sign an NDA.  It seems to me anybody on or near the set be they a custodian, coffee guy, non-employee visitor, etc would all have to first sign something to be granted access to any shoot site,

 

Just food for thought.

Edited July 10, 2015 by dwmckim

[mercfan3]

Women terrorizing women is played out, and although is part of patriarchal norms..really doesn't address the true issue - which is..women terrorizing other women benefits the patriarchy. (Although, Hanna actually shamed that notion in the earlier seasons when Noel gave his little speech.)

 

If A is a representation of the patriarchy, it doesn't make sense for A to be a woman. 

 

But truthfully, I think that part of the show is symbolic, and although that is there..I think there will be a whole other story. It's just in terms of "motivation"...something along the lines of what they gave Andrew as a motive, would have actually worked..and quite frankly..been not nearly as absurd as whatever they are about to do. (Actually, it's not absurd at all, considering that is precisely the type of thing that makes the headlines all the time.)

 

Now I wouldn't have had it be Andrew that did it...to me...it would have been better as a better known character..Ezra/Toby/Lucas/Wilden/Jason 

 

edit: Did the poster really say there wasn't a confidentiality agreement? That sounds pure bogus to me...

Edited July 10, 2015 by mercfan3

[lion10]

Women terrorizing women is played out, and although is part of patriarchal norms..really doesn't address the true issue - which is..women terrorizing other women benefits the patriarchy. (Although, Hanna actually shamed that notion in the earlier seasons when Noel gave his little speech.)

If A is a representation of the patriarchy, it doesn't make sense for A to be a woman.

But truthfully, I think that part of the show is symbolic, and although that is there..I think there will be a whole other story. It's just in terms of "motivation"...something along the lines of what they gave Andrew as a motive, would have actually worked..and quite frankly..been not nearly as absurd as whatever they are about to do. (Actually, it's not absurd at all, considering that is precisely the type of thing that makes the headlines all the time.)

Now I wouldn't have had it be Andrew that did it...to me...it would have been better as a better known character..Ezra/Toby/Lucas/Wilden/Jason

edit: Did the poster really say there wasn't a confidentiality agreement? That sounds pure bogus to me...

Where is women terrorizing women played out? I'm failing to think of more than a few female "big bads" in TV shows. And not everything has to be about the patriarchy. Sometimes people are just dicks to each other because they hate each other, not because of internalized misogyny.

[mercfan3]

Everything doesn't have to be about the patriarchy. 

 

But this show, IMO, pretty clearly hints at it. (Like I said though, I don't think that'll be the ending story. My only point was that it could be a potential motivation that..you know..made sense..) 

 

As for women attacking women..how about every teen movie ever? "Mean Girls"? What would be different is actually a television show focusing on the patriarchy..the systemic oppression of women by men head on..and not in that typical DV victim defeats evil abuser and has a happy ending with the "good guy." 

 

This show had the layout to do so..it's had feminist themes sense the beginning and has been all about the patriarchy since season 3. The show isn't going that way. But it could have..and it would have actually made sense. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

I don't see how A going crazy with misogyny is any better than going crazy because "they stole Alison from him".  I mean, Nate was a murderous woman-hater and pretty much everyone hated that story arc, for good reasons. Repeating it with A is hardly going to make it any better.

 

 

What would be different is actually a television show focusing on the patriarchy..the systemic oppression of women by men head on..and not in that typical DV victim defeats evil abuser and has a happy ending with the "good guy."

 

There are plenty of misogynist killers on TV. As for the "systemic oppression of women by men", I really don't think that's what PLL is about.

 

 

I find it particularly interested that Charles wants to reveal himself, as psychotic and as murderous as he is, I'd like to think that he's also looking for some kind of redemption.

 

I sure hope not, we have more than enough absurd "redemption" storylines in this show.

 

 

I also keep going back to the season 2 Halloween episode, the one that's all flashback to the beginning of the A messages. There has obviously been 2 sides for this story all along, one is Mona's with all the playful texts and voodoo dolls, and one with the aggressive note on the squashed pumpkin hanging from a knife.

Whoever left that pumpkin note was obviously psychotic, not deranged or unstable (as you may label MonA). This is someone capable of murder over and over again.

 

Mona is quite capable of committing murder or at least trying to - see running Hanna over, locking Emily in the barn or whatever in 2.12., quite possibly killing Ian. Plus, I'm pretty sure they hadn't planned another A that point so the pumpkin message was intended to be from Mona at the time.

[mercfan3]

I think they were always going to do another A, the show was initially supposed to last for 5 seasons and Mona was revealed by the end of the second. I just don't think they knew who it was going to be. 

 

There are plenty of misogynistic killers too (I guess, I really can't think of an example), but that's not what I'm talking about..and I'm not going to go through it here, but there are plenty of articles explaining the feminist/patriarchal themes that run through this show. 

 

And it's better than the whole "stole Ali from him" ending..well....because that's the exact same reasoning they used for Mona. And it was stupid the first time. 

Edited July 11, 2015 by mercfan3

[Jack Shaftoe]

So let's say that A is indeed a lunatic misogynist. This still doesn't explain why he picked the Liars as his victims. He 'stole" Mona's game when she was already unmasked? Talk about lack of imagination. As half-baked as Mona's story was, the Liars were indeed hurt by a monster that Alison created, so it wasn't as if they were picked at random. Making A some guy who hates all women and chose those four because the script said so doesn't so particularly exciting to me.

 

 

there are plenty of articles explaining the feminist/patriarchal themes that run through this show.

 

Of course, I'm just saying it isn't really the main theme.

[lorikauai]

I never wanted big A to be one of the dads, Wilden, or Pastor Ted. The cat-and-mouse A game worked for me because A was presumably someone close in age to them, like Jenna, Noel, Toby, Mona, Ali/twin, etc and most of the initial A drama was relatively minor. The threats weren't so threatening. The idea of some man terrorizing teenage girls just seems like a shitty episode of Criminal Minds dragged out over multiple seasons. 

[dwmckim]

I think they were always going to do another A, the show was initially supposed to last for 5 seasons and Mona was revealed by the end of the second. I just don't think they knew who it was going to be. 

 

I highly suspect they did have a very clear idea who it would have been but that the original plan got changed either due to actor availability and/or network interference.

[joelene]

So if Melissa knows about Wren and brought him over to London to help him/save him from himself, I wonder where the hell she has been all this time Wren has been back in Rosewood kidnapping and terrorising the girls? Did he lock her up? Does the spoilers say?

[mercfan3]

I highly suspect they did have a very clear idea who it would have been but that the original plan got changed either due to actor availability and/or network interference.

 

I've wondered about Toby or Ezra...but those "Ships" are so core to the show (blah) that they probably couldn't go as completely dark with those two as they'd like. Toby in particular was handled...strangely. Although the whole Ezra situation might have just been the writers throwing shade at that couple. 

[Mabinogia]

Either Toby or Ezra would have made the perfect A. Jenna too. These three have reasons to be A. Jenna and Toby as revenge for what happened to them. They had no way of knowing that it was mostly Ali. All they know is the liars were all together and any one of them could have been responsible. Ezra, he's the one I wish had stuck because I love the twisted idea that he got so obsessed with writing his book that, upon finding the girls rather boring, he started torturing them to get a good story. That is awesomely twisted. But no, they are now love interests and only Emily's love interests can be psycho. lol

[truthaboutluv]

I've wondered about Toby or Ezra...but those "Ships" are so core to the show (blah) that they probably couldn't go as completely dark with those two as they'd like. Toby in particular was handled...strangely. Although the whole Ezra situation might have just been the writers throwing shade at that couple.

 

 

I definitely think they seriously considered making those two A but as you said, the fans of the pairings are so vocal, the writers backed off on it. The Spoby ship was particularly loud and vocal. I remember when Spencer got drunk and came onto Wren, after that episode, they were so loud that Marlene King was full on apologizing to some on twitter which was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen from a show runner. 

 

That said, while the vocal shippers factored, I actually think another reason they backed off on Toby on the A-Team and possibly being A is because of how awful Keegan is. Those episodes of Toby being a "double agent" or whatever he was doing were some of the most cringe worthy things I'd ever seen. Dude had zero subtlety and all his evil side glances in every scene with Spencer just made me think she was incredibly dumb to not realize what was happening because again Toby was the least subtle "bad" guy ever.

 

I was more positive of my theory with how that mess was handled. Spencer figured things out in like two episodes and then Toby just vanished for the rest of the season, only to show up again to blubber some lame "I'm sorry" and then all was forgiven. The writers realized that the actor was just not good enough to carry something that significant as opposed to someone like Mona for example. 

 

That's also why I've been set on the Wren theory for so long. I've suspected him from the beginning because I suspected all the guys in the beginning, particularly him and Ezra. However, the more it became clear that the writers wouldn't truly mess with their big ships Spencer/Toby and Ezra/Aria by truly making either guy legitimately evil, Wren seemed more and more obvious. There was also the fact that he was made creepier and creepier and by that token more disliked, with every subsequent appearance. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

That said, while the vocal shippers factored, I actually think another reason they backed off on Toby on the A-Team and possibly being A is because of how awful Keegan is. Those episodes of Toby being a "double agent" or whatever he was doing were some of the most cringe worthy things I'd ever seen. Dude had zero subtlety and all his evil side glances in every scene with Spencer just made me think she was incredibly dumb to not realize what was happening because again Toby was the least subtle "bad" guy ever.

 

I would blame the directors more than Keegan in this case. He is a bad actor, but I am sure he could have continued playing Toby in the same (wooden) way as before the reveal when he was around any of the Liars because in-show there hadn't been any big reveal. But no, they had to include those "evil" grimaces in every scene for no reason. Even a much better actor would have looked ridiculous because there was no reason whatsoever for the character's behavior to change at all post 3.12.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe

[raytch]

I would blame the directors more than Keegan in this case. He is a bad actor, but I am sure he could have continued playing Toby in the same (wooden) way as before the reveal when he was around any of the Liars because in-show there hadn't been any big reveal. But no, they had to include those "evil" grimaces in every scene for no reason. Even a much better actor would have looked ridiculous because there was no reason whatsoever for the character's behavior to change at all post 3.12.

Preach!

Most of those evil scenes had no explanation. Like he would just walk in a creepy robotic way and mostly glare at things.

Still I think it was a combination of both. Keegan is definitely the weakest actor on the show, and his reveal never added up or made sense. It was just: now he's evil now he's not.

Ian Harding did a good job with the EzrA fiasco but on rewatch some of it was cringe worthy as well, and some just hilarious (chickpeas!)

Of all the male actors the only one I can imagine pulling off the psycho character of A is Wren (or Wilden, but chances are we're not getting that).

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

Of all the male actors the only one I can imagine pulling off the psycho character of A is Wren (or Wilden, but chances are we're not getting that).

 

If we include the actors who played characters that are now dead, Ryan Merriman (Ian) would be my choice. Wren, sorry, but I find him about as threatening as a wet paper bag and with only slightly more charisma then said bag. Not that I would mind if A turns out to be some totally pathetic figure, mind you, instead of a charismatic mastermind.

Edited July 12, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe

[mercfan3]

If it's a 20+ man who is A...I think pathetic figure is best. 

 

Also, to me, Ian Harding was fantastic. I think he was going for campy-evil. (Well, either that or he was just deliriously happy that he didn't have to eat cake for an entire season.) And it was just hilarious. 

Edited July 13, 2015 by mercfan3

[william0102]

But if A is pathetic, then you fall back to people seeing him as a misogynist.  I don't know how I would feel if it's Wren, mostly because everyone's questioned him showing up at Radley and treating the Liars (and Jason?). I feel like they made things too messy by having Charles be so much older, just makes it being Wren seem even weirder since he was supposed to be on a rotation when he was working at Radley. And if he was in Radley as a patient for so long, how is he even so tech proficient, better than Caleb good?

Edited July 13, 2015 by william0102

[raytch]

If we include the actors who played characters that are now dead, Ryan Merriman (Ian) would be my choice. Wren, sorry, but I find him about as threatening as a wet paper bag and with only slightly more charisma then said bag. Not that I would mind if A turns out to be some totally pathetic figure, mind you, instead of a charismatic mastermind.

 

Ian would be terrific! I didn't mention him because he's been dead for so long and there aren't many clues to point at him. Besides, if he is Charles it would mean he was dating his sister which I don't think they're gonna go for on ABC.

He was the best villain though. Creepy Milk and Creepy Sandwich Slicing!

 

Wren could surprise you because he's charming and calm, which makes me think he could have a Jekyll and Hyde in him (sort of like EzrA).

If those spoilers are true about him dropping his accent mid sentence I'm guessing it would be quite creepy. Except that Ali never had any interaction with him. So basically she's gonna get home, see him take off his mask and be like "who the fuck are you?"

[raytch]

But if A is pathetic, then you fall back to people seeing him as a misogynist.  I don't know how I would feel if it's Wren, mostly because everyone's questioned him showing up at Radley and treating the Liars (and Jason?). I feel like they made things too messy by having Charles be so much older, just makes it being Wren seem even weirder since he was supposed to be on a rotation when he was working at Radley. And if he was in Radley as a patient for so long, how is he even so tech proficient, better than Caleb good?

 

But why would that have to make him a misogynist more than someone who's getting back at the family that shunned him out when he was just a kid?

The way I see it it could either or both way.

I personally wouldn't want a full blow speech about the feminization of society, mostly because it wouldn't add anything to A's character (regardless of who they are), because his misogyny has already been hinted at long enough. I don't know if I'm making myself clear, but basically: A is a misogynist but that is not his ulterior motive, it just means he lets himself get away with what he does because of this specific mind frame.

 

ITA with everything else you said. This was the reason why I turned to Wilden being Charles, because he seems more connected to certain key plots (NAT, Marion's death, Cape May etc...), and because if he checked out of Radley at 16, joined the police academy by the age of 18 and later came back to Radley as an investigating cop, chances are a lot less that he would be recognized (since he wasn't always there doing shifts, just popping in and out so maybe not every staff member there has seen him).

Edited July 13, 2015 by raytch

[william0102]

It would make him a misogynist because they've been going around saying "A has a soul". He's just misunderstood, he just needed more help from Radley. Wren is a doctor and personable- not someone stunted and haunted by his family turning on him. If it's Wren, then he either has a very serious mental disorder, more so than any split personality or bipolar (I'm sorry I know bipolar people aren't "crazy" but I'm going by how in-depth the show gets for most of it's explanations), Wren would have to be almost psychotic- sort of like like Dexter. And if he's charismatic and successful, then he doesn't fit the pathetic misogynistic "soulful" stereotype.

If A is pathetic both in his job and personal life, truly misunderstood, then his wanting to drown Ali, even though she's his doll or the one he loves the most, makes no sense. Drowning someone, even seriously burning/scarring them for life is sadistic and more along the lines of a psychopath. And if he's so misunderstood and dependent on his family, I don't see how he could have become super computer smart, so charming, and let's face it, just plain smart enough to come up with these convoluted but intricately planned plots. But more importantly if it's because of his hurt feelings and betrayal, then why hasn't he targeted Jason for forgetting him? Why hasn't he gone after his dad, who actually wanted to commit him. He knew Jessica didn't want to commit him, since she helped him, and Ali didn't even known he existed because she was so young. Going after Ali for being the catalyst is okay, but why stop after killing Jessica? And that's where you run into the misogynistic problem.

Now, I admit that last part hinges on Mr. DiLaurentis telling the truth about Charles trying to drown Ali, but scaring Ali enough to fake her death, then tormenting four other girls just to draw Ali out, is more sadistic than loving. If he's so tech savy and somehow had the connections to get that bunker in the middle of a state park, you can't tell me he couldn't have kidnapped Ali without involving the girls, that he is more present than someone with serious psychiatric problems/disillusions would have to be to even do a tenth of what A's done.

 

Edited July 13, 2015 by william0102

[Chairperson Meow]

Am I wrong for liking Wren and Spencer the best?

How do we know that Ian and Ali dated? We know he gave her a peck. Not even a good kiss. If anyone would be risen from the dead as A, I'd pick Ian.

[raytch]

Am I wrong for liking Wren and Spencer the best?

How do we know that Ian and Ali dated? We know he gave her a peck. Not even a good kiss. If anyone would be risen from the dead as A, I'd pick Ian.

There was a video where he either choked Ali or gave her an orgasm! OR he gave her an orgasm while choking her. Which would be super effed up if you think about it because Charles tried to drown her as a baby and maybe she developed a choking fetish growing up. Edited July 13, 2015 by raytch

[Chairperson Meow]

Aughh the video. I mentally blocked that.

I think he just choked her.

[raytch]

Aughh the video. I mentally blocked that.

I think he just choked her.

Another dropped storyline we'll never see resolved. Ugh indeed.

[SadieT]

Aughh the video. I mentally blocked that.

I think he just choked her.

I don't think it was either. They just made out on the ground for a few seconds before they both got up and went their separate ways...which is an odd thing to do, especially since we later find out Ali calls Ian to the kissing rock to blackmail him, but this show has never made much sense so whatever.

The video was such a huge deal is season one, where we were shown bit by bit to make it seem like Ian had killed her, but then in early season 2 the girls see the full video and Ali's very much alive at the end of it and Ian just walks away grinning before Ali completely changes moods and calls him back and tries to use the NAT videos against him. Basically the whole video plot was just another red herring because it ended up having nothing to do with who hit her or why she disappeared.

ETA: Here's

where the girls see the full video at the cemetery. And then this

is Alison's telling of the video, which includes her added attempt to blackmail Ian with the NAT videos because she thinks he or Melissa might be the ones threatening her. Edited July 13, 2015 by SadieT

[crazycatchick]

"I feel like they made things too messy by having Charles be so much older, just makes it being Wren seem even weirder since he was supposed to be on a rotation when he was working at Radley. And if he was in Radley as a patient for so long, how is he even so tech proficient, better than Caleb good?"

This. Like how would no one see him ever. And so after he escaped/faked his death from Radley, how did he even come to meet Melissa? Because when the show started she brought him home as her fiance. So in between Ali disappearing and that time, did she meet Charles/Wren and then the whole engagement thing was a sham so that he could come back to Rosewood and try and find Ali? Was he supposed to kiss Spencer--was that part of a grand plan? And also, did the Radley staff remember him and just let him come in to pretend to be a doctor there? How would that work, didn't they think he was dead? Oh this is so confusing my head hurts!

Secondly, if the Spencer spoiler is true and the dancing girl was actually her when she was in Radley, why can she not remember? She said the girl was 11-12, which means Spencer was there about 6-7 years ago. How can she not remember?! That was not that long ago. Did they do some hypnotherapy to make her repress that? Why does no one in this town remember anything significant ever. What's in the water?!!

[ottoDbusdriver]

This. Like how would no one see him ever. And so after he escaped/faked his death from Radley, how did he even come to meet Melissa? Because when the show started she brought him home as her fiance. So in between Ali disappearing and that time, did she meet Charles/Wren and then the whole engagement thing was a sham so that he could come back to Rosewood and try and find Ali? Was he supposed to kiss Spencer--was that part of a grand plan? And also, did the Radley staff remember him and just let him come in to pretend to be a doctor there? How would that work, didn't they think he was dead? Oh this is so confusing my head hurts!

 

My money is still on the creepy twins -- they've been around since the start of the show, there's two of them so they can appear to be in two places at once while wearing hoodies, they were Alison's minions at one point (so she'd never suspect) and, well, they have to be evil because they're creepy twins.  </snark>

[Chairperson Meow]

If the Dancing Girl is Spencer, I'm so exhausted from all the dropped stories, I'm just fanwanking that Dancing Girl was about 8 or something. She's tall, Spencer is tall. It's easier to wrap my head around that not dead, not twin brother who's not even an imaginary twin.

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

--> time jump directly to find them at Aria's thing when there is a small talk like "oh Aria, you're so awesome, it's fantastic, you look so good with your new glittered jumpsuit paired with a feather hat, macramé bag, 6 inches red pumps and blue hair"

 

OMG you almost made me choke on my gum!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Anyway I'm gonna quote a user from reddit that said: "Sorry, PLL fans, but unfortunately there will be no Big A reveal at all. We've surveyed all the options, and every single one is logistically impossible. We understand your disappointment, but no one wants to see television that simply has no grounding in reality. We don't want to write it, and you don't want to watch it. Enjoy four more seasons where we take a deep dive into Aria's delightfully boring love life!". Best comment ever! XD

[Crim]

But more importantly if it's because of his hurt feelings and betrayal, then why hasn't he targeted Jason for forgetting him? Why hasn't he gone after his dad, who actually wanted to commit him. He knew Jessica didn't want to commit him, since she helped him, and Ali didn't even known he existed because she was so young.

This is excellent. I'd add that going after the Liars and recreating the prom, specifically, make zero sense for someone older who was in Radley since childhood. WTF is so special about his sister's prom? He would have been too old to attend hers, and it's not like she would have been his date. And instead of her friends, why is he not more jealous of Jason, i.e. the brother who did get to live with the family? This stuff would have made sense for Ali's twin because s/he would have been obviously focused on Ali's life, but for an older brother...?

 

If the Dancing Girl is Spencer, there is no way they can sell it, be it 12 years old or 8 years old. Maddie Ziegler is great, but they should have cast a younger actress. Also, Spencer didn't just forget it, she didn't have even have a flashback while she was in Radley. And her parents risked her remembering or some long-term patient (or even a chatty employee) recognizing her by sending her to Radley instead of anywhere else. If the plot needed Spencer with a Radley past, it could have been handled much better.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Crim

[raytch]

This is excellent. I'd add that going after the Liars and recreating the prom, specifically, make zero sense for someone older who was in Radley since childhood. WTF is so special about his sister's prom? He would have been too old to attend hers, and it's not like she would have been his date. And instead of her friends, why is he not more jealous of Jason, i.e. the brother who did get to live with the family? This stuff would have made sense for Ali's twin because s/he would have been obviously focused on Ali's life, but for an older brother...?

If the Dancing Girl is Spencer, there is no way they can sell it, be it 12 years old or 8 years old. Maddie Ziegler is great, but they should have cast a younger actress. Also, Spencer didn't just forget it, she didn't have even have a flashback while she was in Radley. And her parents risked her remembering or some long-term patient (or even a chatty employee) recognizing her by sending her to Radley instead of anywhere else. If the plot needed Spencer with a Radley past, it could have been handled much better.

I've convinced myself that Charles went after the Jason prom first. Jason was high all through high school. Pot doesn't make you have memory holes! It just makes you slow and woozy. If Jason really doesn't remember anything through high school, there's a big chance A took advantage of his burgeoning substance abuse problem and magnified it (we've seen A put drugs in Emily's PAIN CREAM,it would have been so easy to put something in jason's beer or whatever). He could have been the one to give Jason the idea of the NAT club to begin with, except Jason remembers it wrong and thinks it was his idea.

[Crim]

So... the reddit spoilers are legit yet again (Charles coming home for his birthday being the one reveal that convinced me.) I'm kinda starting to wonder if the leaks are intentional. I seriously do.

[SadieT]

Charles coming home for his birthday was made known in the upcoming episode descriptions which have been available for a while now. The only spoiler for last night's episode that came true so far was Sara and Emily hooking up, which we all saw coming so that doesn't necessarily prove anything.

[raytch]

Also the Dean Spencer scene was pretty close.

He wasn't high but the spoiler said that he wants to kiss her...

Oh and Spencer being valedictorian!

Which makes no sense because she never ever goes to school! Another reason for Andrew to hate her!

[Sakura12]

Does anyone know if Jenna's going to be on this season at all? Or is she stuck in a hole somewhere. 

[raytch]

I haven't read about it anywhere but my guess is the finale? There's gonna be flashbacks in that episode for sure and if we're really getting answers, Jenna better be in them!

[Cranberry]

What did the Reddit spoilers say about Sara, just that Emily sends her away? I really want the "Sara is Bethany Young" theory to be right. It actually makes sense! (Well, more than most things on this show, anyway.)

[raytch]

What did the Reddit spoilers say about Sara, just that Emily sends her away? I really want the "Sara is Bethany Young" theory to be right. It actually makes sense! (Well, more than most things on this show, anyway.)

 

Sara is supposed to run away (again) and the liars eventually find her in the dollhouse, because it's the only place where she can sleep. That's when Emily leaves her because she sees just how damaged she is.

 

Actually I read something super interesting last night. It's the only Sara is Bethany explanation that didn't get my eyes rolling. 

http://prettylittlethe0ry.tumblr.com/post/124125608622/bethany-and-charles-bonnie-and-clyde

[Cranberry]

I like that! I was always annoyed that there were so many similar-looking girls involved that night, and that explanation would at least make some sense.

[insubordination]

I'm tired of all these new characters that are just going to go nowhere.  Maybe A is a recipient of Charles' organs or something.

[raytch]

I like that! I was always annoyed that there were so many similar-looking girls involved that night, and that explanation would at least make some sense.

 

And this:

http://whothefckischarles.tumblr.com/post/124177102333/omg-wth-its-not-the-same-girl-right

 

I think it would make more sense if Ali lied about that night. We've seen her mom brainwash her to lie until she starts believing it, maybe that's what happened?

I don't know. Maybe we've been looking at it wrong!

Honestly this would be a cool way to turn the mystery up on its toe. I just wish the build up was better.

[mercfan3]

some of this other stuff was in episode synopsis or obvious. 

 

But I think the preview of the girls in their prom dresses finding out who A is makes them seem accurate. (I don't believe episode10s synopsis has come out yet)

 

However, the real test is whether Clark is gay or not. But he probably is seeing as he's gone about four episodes now and there has been no sign of creep. 

[raytch]

Maybe he'll be the red herring for the next episode and when the liars corner him he'll be like: I'm not creepy! I'm just gay!

And the hashtag says: #creepyorgay

Lovely message to send out

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

Maybe he'll be the red herring for the next episode and when the liars corner him he'll be like: I'm not creepy! I'm just gay!

And the hashtag says: #creepyorgay

Lovely message to send out

 

I like #Aorgay better, it even rhymes!

[raytch]

Hahahaha that cracked me up!

[Artsda]

Pretty Little Liars First Look: The Girls Are Dressed to Kill (Charles?) at Prom

http://tvline.com/2015/07/16/pretty-little-liars-prom-photos-season-6-spoilers/