loose threads

19 Lingering Questions About Pretty Little Liars That We Need Answered

SHAY MITCHELL, SASHA PIETERSE
Photo: Tom Ron/Freeform

Spoilers ahead for the mid-season finale of Pretty Little Liars.

Well, well, well, the end is really almost upon us, everyone. Following months of speculation that Pretty Little Liars would be concluding upon the end of its seventh season, showrunner I. Marlene King confirmed the news in a Facebook Live interview with the cast. You would think with ten episodes remaining that the show’s mid-season finale would finally provide answers to some long-standing questions — or, you know, give us an answer to anything, really — but alas, the most we can account for at the moment is Noel Kahn’s decapitated head and the somewhat satisfying revelation of Mary Drake being Spencer’s real mother this whole time. (Poor Veronica!) Ahead of the final season premiere tonight, let’s contemplate what questions are still left unresolved — new and old — in Rosewood.

Who is Uber A? The main thing driving Uber A — alias, A.D. — is discovering who killed Charlotte DiLaurentis and making the culprit suffer. He or she is also a virtuoso master of disguise, frequently stepping out in broad daylight in creepy masks and costumes. No black hoodies here!

Who killed Charlotte DiLaurentis? Charlotte suffered her fate at the season-six winter premiere, when someone broke her neck with a metal rod and pushed her body off the Rosewood Church’s bell tower. Alison was a prime suspect at first — as the two of them engaged in a brief fight at the church shortly before Charlotte’s death — but she was eventually cleared.

Who killed Sara Harvey? And how was her murderer able to get to and from her room undetected on the Radley’s security tapes?

Who kidnapped and tortured Hanna? Of all of the questions, this one is probably the easiest to deduce — it’s Uber A, because of the character’s drive to discover Charlotte’s killer. Hanna made a false confession to Uber A that she killed Charlotte, so she was subsequently kidnapped and tortured. Of course, we have no idea who Uber A is, or if it could even be an accomplice.

How were Spencer and Charlotte conceived …? If Mary Drake was locked up in the Radley Sanitarium during the time of their births, how was she able to get pregnant? During visiting hours?

… and who’s the biological father of Charlotte and Spencer? We now know that Mary Drake is their biological mother, making them at least half-sisters, but their respective fathers — or perhaps their same father — is now another question entirely.

Is that “five years later” flash-forward ever going to happen? At the conclusion of the season-six summer finale, the first five-year time jump occurs when we see Alison — who identifies herself as Mrs. Rollins on the chalkboard — in her Rosewood High classroom being warned by the other Liars that “he is coming” for her. This scene has yet to happen, and due to the fact she now identifies herself as Ms. DiLaurentis in the classroom, it’s questionable if it ever will. (And, for what it’s worth, who is “he” that they speak of?)

Who killed Jessica DiLaurentis? Her murder is still unsolved from back in season four, when Charlotte discovered her body in the DiLaurentis’ backyard and proceeded to bury her in the Hastings’ backyard. Someone switched out her usual, low blood pressure medication for a higher, deadly dosage.

What were Noel Kahn’s motivations for helping Charlotte DiLaurentis and returning to Rosewood? Lots of questions for this one. It was revealed earlier this season that Noel helped Charlotte torture the Liars in “the dollhouse” five years ago, but why would he be inclined to help her orchestrate such a big scheme? And why would he even bother returning to Rosewood — because Jenna called him up after all of these years? Why did he say the Liars knew “too much” and “never understood” him right before his untimely death? RIP Noel.

Why was Mary Drake in the haunted house/school for the blind when the Liars were summoned there? Perhaps she was also summoned by Jenna and Noel, but her unexplained appearance was a little odd.

Who actually shot Spencer? Although it appears Jenna did the deed, that’s later questioned when she asks Uber A in the van, “Did you shoot Spencer?” Hmmmm. Maybe Jenna’s was just a warning shot.

Why would Uber A kidnap Jenna? Perhaps Jenna knows way more than she’s letting on.

What happened with Toby and Yvonne’s car? At first glance it appears they were simply run off the road, but if the technologically savvy Uber A was involved, who knows what could’ve caused them to crash. (A hacked GPS system, perhaps?) Hoping the lovebirds are okay.

Who was the undisclosed buyer of Toby’s house? People sure aren’t moving to Rosewood for the school system, so you just know this isn’t a coincidental real-estate transaction.

What will happen with Aria and Ezra now that Nicole is alive? Looks like that wedding under the Tuscan sun will have to be put on indefinite hold.

Is Wren involved in all of this? It might seem silly to bring this up — Wren hasn’t had screen time on the show since 2013 — but Julian Morris has been confirmed to appear in the second half of the season for an undisclosed arc. It’s been presumed for years that he may be Uber A, and the fact that Alison’s now-deceased evil husband, Archer, was from Wales didn’t help alleviate those suave U.K. gentlemen theories.

Where are everyone’s parents? Not even the grimmest Rosewood deaths and cyberstalking correspondences could pry the Liars’ parents out from their oblivion. Besides Pam Fields delightfully raging at the Radley for her birthday celebration with Emily, we’ve barely had any parental interaction at all this season. (Seriously, Mr. DiLaurentis, your daughter was locked up in a psychiatric hospital and her husband ended up being a fraud and stealing her entire fortune. A visit and a hug would’ve been nice.)

Will Spencer survive her gunshot wound? Of course she will.

Why isn’t Mona getting more screen time? This is really getting ridiculous.

Pretty Little Liars: 19 Lingering Questions