If you’ve been keeping up with Pretty Little Liars, you probably have your own theory about Rosewood’s most recent mystery.
Season 6B started five years after the girls’ traumatic high school experiences. The Liars – Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily – were living in different cities and countries when Alison summoned them back to their hometown. Her goal: get her sister Charlotte released from the mental hospital she had been held in since it was discovered she was the mysterious A who had tortured the Liars for years. With the exception of Aria, the girls stated they no longer feel threatened by Charlotte, and she was allowed to return home. But happy endings don’t last long in Roosewood: Charlotte was found dead less than 24 hours later.
Although her death was initially presumed a suicide, the police are investigating it as a murder. The second episode included scenes that suggested Aria and Ezra may be involved in the crime, but blog, The Best PLL Theories, has a different suspect in mind: Alison.
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Since returning to Rosewood, Ali seems to have turned over a new leaf and cultivated a closer relationship with her friends than when she left them. But fans who have watched the show since the beginning will remember Ali’s manipulative behavior. Flashbacks often depict her tendency to blackmail anyone and everyone for her own personal gain, and convincing her friends to get Charlotte released shows that she may not have changed at all. The following quote from this Tumblr post explains the theory in more depth.
“[Ali] begging the liars to say ‘I’m not afraid of Charlotte, release her’ was all part of her plan to set them up. With all of them saying ‘release her’ and one of them saying ‘I won’t feel safe with Charlotte released,’ it looks like they wanted her released so one of them could kill her — the Liars not [realizing] this is how it sounds at the time of giving their speech. ‘You don’t know them like I do’ — Alison knew Aria would say the truth which further makes them look guilty of wanting Charlotte released to kill her as a hate for Charlotte still remains.”
PLL is known for its unexpected plot twists, so this theory could very well turn out to be true. Ali seems innocent for staying in Rosewood to take care of Charlotte while the rest of the Liars moved out of state. And she worked hard to get her released from the mental hospital, but it could all just be part of an act. Ali’s benevolence toward her estranged sister may have simply hidden the anger she harbored toward her for the years of treachery she put her through. And getting the Liars to come back home made it easier for her to blame the murder on someone else.
A hint from one of the show’s writers further fuels the theory that Ali is the killer: “Charlotte had a rose in her hand whilst dead, but you’ve seen that rose before in Ali’s house, connect the dots, there’s your clue.”
Do you believe this theory, or do you think someone else murdered Charlotte? The season’s just getting started, so tune in to all-new episodes Tuesdays at 8pm on Freeform to uncover the truth.