10 'Pretty Little Liars' Fan Theories the Show Needs to Address
It seems like every week, there’s a new mystery unraveling on Pretty Little Liars. We’ve asked ourselves no less than a dozen major questions over the course of the first half of season 7. Who killed Charlotte? Who is Uber “A?” Who is Mary Drake’s second child? Who kidnapped Hanna? Why do the police think Archer (AKA, Elliott) is in France? Will Aria and Ezra get married? Where did Ali get that cat sweatshirt? Why won’t the girls just go to the cops already?! You get it.
Luckily, the PLL Army has been hard at work looking for clues over the past few weeks. In anticipation of the 7A finale, we’ve rounded up 10 of the greatest fan theories that are out there. Just a warning...no one is safe from suspicion.
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY1/10Toby is Uber "A."
Sorry, Spoby shippers, but Toby has been acting awfully shady this season. One fan pointed out not just one but ten solid reasons why Toby might be “A.D.” One of the most compelling points is Toby’s connection to Radley – something he has in common with both Mary Drake and Charlotte. Additionally, this fan mentions the fact that Toby is one of the only characters who has stayed in Rosewood during the time jump, which could have been spent visiting with Charlotte or trying to learn more about his mother’s murder. Lastly, another fan on Reddit mentioned that Toby’s glasses are the exact same that are shown a mask in one of the ending “A” scenes earlier in the season. And let’s not forget the recent callback to “Pretty Eyes.” Yeaaahhh.
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY2/10Spencer is Mary Drake’s daughter.
There have been a lot of signs that point towards Spencer being suspicious (remember that “Spencer is Uber ‘A’” theory from earlier this summer?) While we know that Eric Kahn signed the adoption papers for Mary’s second child, some fans think that he was blackmailed or bullied into doing so... by the Hastings, who are both lawyers and extremely manipulative. There’s speculation that Peter might have fathered Mary’s child, thinking that she was Jessica. We can’t even begin to think about how twisted this all is! Another Reddit user theorizes that Spencer might be the one to get shot in the summer finale, and her relationship to Mary Drake will come out if she needs a blood transfusion in order to save her life.
3/10Noel was a prisoner in the dollhouse.
Last week, we learned that Noel was in the dollhouse with the Liars, and that he helped torture them. But PLL has a habit of trying really hard to make us believe that a character is evil when they’re really a red herring (remember what happened with Andrew Campbell?) For that reason, many fans suspect that Noel is actually trying to help our girls. One member of the PLL Army posted on Reddit that Noel might have also been a prisoner in the dollhouse, and that Charlotte was blackmailing him into agreeing to help her. After all, Ali had some dirt on Noel, so it’s likely that Charlotte knew the same secrets. With that, it’s also possible that Noel was the one dressed in the tux at the faux-prom. Remember when Spencer described the tux-clad person as “familiar?” Noel would certainly be a familiar presence.
4/10Bethany Young is alive — and is also Mary’s child.
Bethany Young has been messing with our minds since she was first mentioned – and we still haven’t seen her face (those flashbacks don’t really count.) For a character with almost zero screentime, she has been a major player in some big plot twists. This theory suggests that Mary could be Bethany’s mother, due to their Radley connections. It would also explain why Bethany was seen at the stables with Jessica and calling her Aunt Jessie. Right?
5/10Maya is endgame.
There’s a group of PLL fans who will NOT let go of the idea that Maya might actually be alive...and maybe she’s also Uber “A.” Last week’s episode sent the theory into overdrive, thanks to the mention of Noel’s secret society parties at his cabin. One Reddit user reminded us of the time Mona used that anacronym game to spell out the words “Maya knew.” This fan thinks that perhaps Maya knew more about the Mary Drake mystery, and that something major had happened to her while she was at the cabin.
6/10Caleb is “A.D.”
It might be worth noting that Caleb continues to pop up in fan theories every few months even though he’s never once been a legit suspect on the show. This Tumblr user points out that Caleb is the only character with the technological expertise to realistically pull off some of the techniques that Uber “A” has used since the time jump. Additionally, the post mentions that Caleb recently gave the Liars new phones to “make sure they weren’t bugged”...which would actually be the perfect opportunity to give the Liars phones that definitely were bugged. This fan thinks that Caleb could also be Mary’s second child, considering we know very little about his past.
7/10Wren is pretending to be Archer in Europe.
Here’s a few things we know for sure: the police somehow think Archer is in France, even though we’re fairly certain he’s dead. Granted, we can never be 100% sure that anyone is dead on this show, but we did see his body rotting in the ground, so that’s a pretty solid sign. Secondly, we know that Wren has been in London since the time jump, and that he’s coming back in season 7B. As many have pointed out, it cannot be a coincidence that Archer was hiding a British accent and pretending to be a doctor. Many fans think that there’s some connection between Wren and Archer that will be unveiled in the winter episodes. Along those lines, this post on Reddit theorizes that Wren has caught wind of what happened with Archer and has taken over his identity in order to create a “breadcrumb trail” and make the Liars suffer with guilt. This fan also reminds us that Wren was in touch with Charlotte throughout the time jump, which is when she was becoming romantic – and scheming – with Archer.
8/10Jenna and Sara were actually trying to help the Liars
For all the times that both Jenna and Sara have been creepy, they haven’t actually done anything tangibly evil in a while. In fact, Jenna has repeatedly indicated that she’s just as afraid as the Liars are, and that all she wants is to feel safe. One fan listed all the reasons why Sara and Jenna might have actually been trying to protect the Liars, rather than hurt them. Additionally, this fan thinks that Jenna might eventually reveal that she had befriended Charlotte because she was afraid of her, in a parallel to Jenna’s strategy with Alison earlier in the series.
9/10Lucas has been working towards becoming “A.D.” all along.
Of all the questionable characters on PLL, there are very few who have been there since the beginning. Lucas has been around since season 1, and we know that there’s several devious things that he’s done in the past. Remember when he gave Emily that creepy massage? Or when the drugs that were used on Emily were found in his possession? A fan speculates that Lucas went “dark” after visiting Mona in Radley earlier in the series. In fact, it’s also possible that he interacted with Charlotte while in the hospital. Additionally, this theory mentions that Lucas has a huge advantage in season 7: the Liars are literally always at his loft, and he’s never there. What if the apartment is bugged, and Lucas is listening in on every last word of their conversation?!
10/10Charlotte is still alive.
Ever since Alison was revealed to be alive — and, like, the entire premise of the show up until that point revolved around her death — it was established that pretty much anything is game. This theory draws attention to the fact that seasons 6B and 7A have both utilized masks to deceive the characters and the viewers. Hanna was believed to be dead in the bell tower, but it was just a Hanna mask on top of a doll. NBD. With that, couldn’t Charlotte have just been wearing a mask? This fan also thinks that perhaps Charlotte’s dead body was really Nicole’s dead body. Mind. Blown.
