Let's Play The A Game: 4 Alternate Endings To 'Pretty Little Liars'
The "Pretty Little Liars" mid-season finale aired on Tuesday, and fans are still reeling from the unveiling of A. Show runner I.
Marlene King boasted about the episode’s brilliance, saying long-time fans would be satisfied with A’s identity, back story and accomplices (Red Coat and Black Widow).
It seemed promising, but fans were shocked to find out that Charles, or A, was actually Cece Drake, who revealed she was Alison’s transgender sister.
Red Coat and Black Widow turned out to be one person, Sara Harvey.
Harvey was not introduced until the beginning of this season, so for her to be two pivotal characters seemed a bit far-fetched.
Aside from the fact that Cece Drake has only been in 13 episodes throughout the show’s running, and Sara Harvey has only had screen time in nine episodes, these character choices can only be described as random.
"PLL" has always had a bevy of questionable individuals who seemed to have connections to the A storyline, and none of them were utilized.
Here are four alternate endings that would've been more likely to please "PLL" fanatics, and would have offered a more plausible storyline for A/Charles, Red Coat and Black Widow.
1. Wren as A
Yes, this was rumored for weeks leading up to the finale, but British babe Wren could've been a very believable A.
His past is mostly unknown, he has connections to Radley Sanitarium, he has showcased his shady nature by cheating on Melissa with her little sister, Spencer, and he was seen coloring a picture depicting a happy family with a son and a daughter on a farm.
"PLL" fans know this directly relates to Charles, since he had one of his lairs at the Campbell Farm. Although Wren wasn’t as present as some of the main characters (absent since season four), he has displayed enough shady behavior to make him a believable A.
His sidekicks would obviously be Melissa as Black Widow, and Mona as Red Coat. He reunited with Melissa after they broke up in season one, and they are allegedly living together in London.
So, it would be hard to believe she wouldn't be involved. He also spent considerable time with Mona in Radley, making her a likely red coat.
2. Ezra as A
He was unveiled as A in the season three summer finale, and it made so much sense.
He always seemed untrustworthy (dating his underage and former student, Aria, for most of the show), and we later found out he was once romantically linked to Alison before her disappearance.
Although he claimed he wasn’t really A, and that his spying was all for the sake of his tell-all book about the girls and their experiences with A, something still seemed off.
While his alibi was eventually confirmed, Ezra as A would explain his uncomfortable, odd actions for many of the show’s episodes.
His accomplices? Cece as Red Coat, and Jenna as Black Widow. Although Cece as Charles/A was unbelievable to most fans, Cece could have still fit in the equation as A’s collaborator, Red Coat.
Jenna would be Black Widow, due to her relationship with the liars and Toby, but also her connection to Ezra as a teacher.
Ezra showed an extreme interest in Jenna’s story writing in season one, and that could have been what sparked their alliance.
In addition, Black Widow was always suspected to be someone who lost a spouse or love interest, and Jenna’s boyfriend Garret died on the Halloween train in season three.
3. Lucas as A
From the beginning, Lucas was always a little misunderstood. He may not have fit the age given to us for Charles, who was supposed to be older than Alison, but he could have lied about his identity.
Alison bullied Lucas before her disappearance, and if he were her estranged brother, he certainly would have had a reason to hate her even more.
We know Mona and Lucas have worked closely in the past, so this A scenario could have potentially made her Red Coat once again. Black Widow? I’m going with Melissa.
She was engaged to Ian when he killed himself (according to King’s recent interview) in season one, and it would’ve been an interesting twist to see Lucas and Melissa in cahoots.
4. Jason as A
We were told since the season five finale that the phantom known as Charles had to be A, so most fans were on the lookout for a DiLaurentis lookalike. But what if he was right in front of our faces as Jason, who was really Charles?
In the "PLL" books, Alison has a twin sister named Courtney who was sent to Radley, when it really should have been Alison.
Due to this betrayal, she made it her mission to get revenge on her sister.
Courtney was finally able to frame her sister and send her off to another mental institution, but after, Courtney went "missing."
Then, Alison became A, as everyone believed "Alison" was the one who was "missing."
In the show, the plot could have been revised to reveal Charles had been posing as Jason, and Jason could be the sibling who was really missing.
Jason’s character has always seemed shady, brooding and bitter, so having him be Charles could have been very convincing.
As for his accomplices? It's hard to say, as most of Jason’s NAT club friends are deceased. (RIP Garrett and Ian.) At one point, he was romantically linked to Melissa, so she could potentially have been his Black Widow.
As for Red Coat, having Cece fill that role could have made sense, since the two were friends during their college years.
"PLL" fans may have to deliberate for a while about PLL’s true finale results, since the series does not resume until January 2016.
Until then, we can only hope the writers utilize some of these characters in realistic ways, instead of relying on characters like Cece Drake and Sara Harvey, who haven't had enough screen time to be truly relevant to the show’s big picture.