Last month marked the long-awaited "A" reveal on the Summer finale [1] of Pretty Little Liars [2], but we've come to realize we have more questions than ever. We now know CeCe Drake and Charles are one and the same [3], and that CeCe is also "A." And of all our new Red Coat suspects [4], it ended up being Sara Harvey. But before all these reveals, we had a pretty long list of "A" suspects. Keep reading to see our former candidates for the person under that signature black hoodie.
Paige McCullers
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Paige hates Ali. It becomes pretty obvious once Ali is back in Rosewood. Paige is one of the main people helping to assemble an army against her. This would add plenty of context to Ali's original disappearance [5].
- Paige has been absent recently, giving her plenty of time to wreak havoc.
- Paige is an athlete. So much of Ali's defense during her trial for Mona's murder is focused on how much strength the assailant showed in the video. Paige is certainly capable of tossing Mona around like a rag doll, and even killing her.
- Paige has a violent past. Remember when she almost drowned Emily?
- What if Mrs. Grunwald's comments on Halloween [6] were referring to Paige and not Aria or Ezra? It would certainly make sense, and it would obviously implicate Paige in a very bad way.
- Remember when Toby is revealed as a member of the "A" team? Well, turns out Paige and Caleb filmed the same scene [7], which means both of them were almost on the "A" team. It's not as far-fetched as you think.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- Regardless of what's happened in the past, we're pretty sure Paige loves Emily and wants to protect her. So why would she go to such great lengths to hurt her?
- The fact that Paige moves away could mean she's hiding out, or it could mean she's actually gone.
Andrew Campbell
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- You had to know we were going to go here. Andrew has been around for a long time (he's in the pilot episode, in fact), and he's been kind of floating under the radar. If he were "A," it would be devastating.
- Many have noticed how the DiLaurentis family used to hang out at Campbell farms. Hey, wait, isn't that Andrew's last name?
- Andrew seems to have computer savvy. Early on in season six, we catch him listening in on Veronica Hastings's phone call. That's sketchy and crafty.
- We've learned that Andrew was adopted, which leaves the question of his origins totally open to so many options. Like, say, maybe he was once a DiLaurentis.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- As of right now, Andrew is such an obvious "A," suspect. As we've learned time and time again (with Ezra, Toby, and more), that's a huge indicator that's he's not "A."
- Andrew was more or less eliminated as a suspect earlier on in season six, when he had an alibi that proved he couldn't have been involved in the latest "A" scheme.
- If you think about it, before he started acting all shifty, he seemed totally and utterly harmless. Maybe he's just the victim of unfortunate circumstances!
Lesli Stone
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Lesli's only been in a handful of episodes, but she's already proving to be pretty shady. She even lies under oath!
- We know Lesli has spent time in Radley Sanitarium, which means, not only is she shady, but she's not totally mentally sound.
- Remember when Mona fails to retrieve Lesli's Radley records, and Lesli gets super pissed off? Why would she care so much unless she has more to hide?
- She clearly doesn't really like any of the girls, which would align pretty well with the continued vendetta "A" seems to have against them.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- Lesli is pretty new to the whole scene, and we have a feeling we'd have seen traces of her before in order to make the "A" reveal more impactful.
- "A" is like, a mastermind, and if there were incriminating records out there, they'd never see the light of day. "A" would have them in a second.
- Mona really seems to trust Lesli, and that's really saying something. Mona doesn't just trust people willy-nilly.
Caleb Rivers
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- Caleb is easily the most tech-savvy character on the show. It would make "A"'s technological prowess much more believable.
- As we mentioned with Paige, Caleb was one of three characters considered for the big "A" team reveal. While it was ultimately Toby, the fact that it was almost Caleb says a lot.
- Caleb won't leave Hanna alone. He's been following her around, and he even put a tracker on her car! Is he concerned or keeping tabs?
- Caleb always seems to be pushing Hanna for new details about the mystery and about the girls. He could be trying to dig up as much dirt as possible.
- Let's not forget that Caleb initially started dating Hanna because Jenna wanted him to spy on her. If that's not sketchy, we don't know what is.
- Going back (again) to Mrs. Grunwald's comments from the Halloween [8] episode, Caleb is another character who fits into the context of her words.
- Caleb hasn't really fallen victim to any of "A"'s madness. We do know his mother is supposedly threatened in California at some point, but we never see any evidence to confirm what actually happens.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- It's clear Caleb is worried sick about Hanna so far in season six. Pegging him as "A" just doesn't feel right.
- Seeing as Caleb ends up sticking around in Ravenswood to figure out some of his own life's mysteries, it wouldn't make sense for him to be able to run the "A" game at the same time.
- In the end, all of Caleb's actions seem to be attempts to protect Hanna. If he secretly hates her and the rest of the girls, he's really good at hiding it.
- Near the end of season five, Caleb and Ezra are attacked by "A" with a slew of arrows. "A" then terrorizes and ties up Mike, all while Caleb and Ezra are looking for him. It seems impossible for Caleb to have been in both places at once.
Aria Montgomery
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- The texts don't start until Aria comes back from her time abroad in Iceland.
- On more than one occasion, the girls have labeled Aria as "the best liar."
- A while back, creator I. Marlene King tweeted this [9]. Many think she's referring to this scene where Mona calls Aria "Big A." [10]
- If King has Aria pinned as "A," other seemingly harmless coincidences could be clues. Like Aria's name, and the fact that she's the one saying, "Sh," in the intro.
- Remember when Mona says, "Miss Aria, you're a killer, not Ezra's wife"? Even though the girls figure out it's an acronym, where the first letters of the sentence spell, "MAYA KNEW," the original sentence itself is an interesting choice.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- The dollhouse scheme makes it hard for ANY of the girls to be "A," it's true. Aria is obviously emotionally scarred by the incident, a lot of the time while she's by herself. Seems like pretty great lengths to go to if she's "A."
- Mike is badly brutalized near the end of season five. Not only does it not make sense for Aria to want to hurt Mike, but she's home worrying about him the whole time.
- Aria is more or less proven innocent by Ali in the season four finale [11]. That said, we still have our suspicions because of Miss Grunwald's comments in season four's Halloween episode [12].
- In the Halloween [13] episode in season three, Aria gets trapped in the box with Garrett's corpse, and she almost falls to her death off the train. Pretty strange thing to happen to "A."
- "A" fills Ella Montgomery's car with bees. Seems like Aria would have to be pretty committed to her master plan to put her own mother in danger.
- If she is, indeed, "A," she wouldn't get texts when the other girls aren't around and wouldn't expose her relationship with Ezra.
Dr. Wren Kingston
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- As you can tell, so much of this mystery is tangled up in Radley, where Wren worked. It makes sense for him to be in the thick of it, perhaps even as "A."
- Wren seems to have a thing for younger girls, between his flings with Hanna and Spencer. He could have dated Ali, too.
- He starts working at Radley Sanitarium after Mona gets admitted for treatment.
- During one of her surreptitious visits to Aria, Ali specifically says, "I'm surprised Spencer hasn't figured that out." It might mean "A" is closer to Spencer than the rest of the girls, and Wren fits in with that logic.
- He's a doctor, giving him access to the drugs, medical records, and other supplies "A" seems to possess.
- This scene [14], where Wren is having a strange phone conversation and coloring in a drawing of what looks like Red Coat. His last words in the scene: "Just goes to show, you can't trust anyone."
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- Wren hasn't been around much recently. In fact, hasn't he been in London with Melissa the past couple seasons?
- During the Summer finale of season four, when the girls find the "A" lair, they find a picture of Wren with the note "Wren at Radley," meaning he's under the mystery villain's scrutiny.
- When Mona starts talking to him about trust and loyalties, he tells her he has no idea what she's talking about. Is he just playing coy? Or is he actually clueless?
Melissa Hastings
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Melissa was one of the original characters involved in the NAT Club, so she'd make a pretty likely suspect.
- We know Melissa buried Bethany Young. It makes sense that she'd want to cover up her involvement, and eliminate anyone who could implicate her.
- She admitted to being one of the Queen of Hearts on the Halloween [15] train, so she has no problems disguising herself.
- There are scores of reasons for her to hate the Liars. She lost her baby, her engagement with Wren, and she lost Ian. There's plenty of revenge to be sought.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- In the end, Melissa was really acting on her own self interests, and to protect Spencer. She wanted to cover up her involvement in Bethany's death.
- Melissa has been in London for quite a while with Wren. And we have a feeling she'd have a hard time sneaking around Rosewood without getting recognized.
- "A" has done some nasty things that directly affected Melissa. Think about Ian's death, and Garrett's too!
Jason DiLaurentis
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- If Charles is at the center of this, his brother Jason might have a hand too. Regardless of whether Jason denies knowing Charles or denies his involvement, he could be lying.
- If there was anyone Mrs. DiLaurentis would want to protect the innocence of, it would be Jason. Plus, Mr. Hastings seems to be covering up that night too, and Jason is his son.
- Jason had been a part of the N.A.T. Club and had been in danger after Ali threatened to leak the videos she'd stolen.
- He doesn't remember the night Ali disappeared. There's even a point where he thinks he might have killed Ali.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- Um, remember when "A" drops Jason down an elevator shaft? Not really something you would want to inflict upon yourself.
- "A" has killed one other member of the N.A.T. Club. Jason may hate the girls and Ali, but he has no reason to want to kill Garrett.
Hanna Marin
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Some of Hanna's behavior in season five is so suspicious. How does she know where Mona's tape is? Why is the storage unit in her name? And how does she concoct such an expert plan to break into it?
- We know Mona's assailant is possibly blond (or wearing a wig). Could it just be Hanna? Was Mona going to betray her?
- Hanna was so close to Mona while she was alive. In fact, she visits Mona frequently in Radley. Could she have taken the game from Mona? Could they have been working together at various points?
- Time and time again, we've grown to realize Hanna is smarter than we think she is. Clearly, we might have underestimated her.
- If "A" is one of the girls, Hanna has the biggest motive. Ali used to terrorize her for being overweight. Maybe there was a point where she just got fed up and decided to take action.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- As we mentioned before, given the dollhouse circumstances, it's pretty hard for any of the girls to be "A." Hanna looks as damaged as everyone else.
- Why would Hanna willingly sabotage her mom in so many ways? Ashley Marin is almost incarcerated for the murder of Wilden. We get hating Ali, but hating her own mother? It's far-fetched.
- If Hanna is "A," the last thing she'd do is put a storage unit in her name. Just saying.
- Hanna's had her fair share of "A" scares. So unless someone else is working against her, she can't be the head honcho.
Noel Kahn
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- Even if Ali trusts him, he could be working for the other side. Plus, Shana betrays Ali, right? Noel could too.
- Noel totally has a bad-boy streak. He's been involved with Mona, and we've seen him hanging out with older crowds, just like Ali.
- He's the only other person in NYC with the girls. He takes their cell phones, and he's noticeably absent when everything goes to pieces.
- Come to think of it, Noel's been absent a lot recently. And he hasn't really accounted for all that lost time.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- Ali's been pretty smart this whole time. She wouldn't trust Noel unless she really knew she could put her faith in him.
- Noel's been gone for a long time, and he doesn't have a strong motive for wanting to hurt any of the girls.
- He personally organizes Ali's escape. If "A" comes after her, she'd have one big suspect on her list. He wouldn't risk it. Then again, if Ali's involved with "A," it could mean something else entirely.
Alison DiLaurentis
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Underneath this whole mess, Alison is still Alison: mean, manipulative, and spiteful. She seems like she's turned a new leaf, but how can we know for sure?!
- Before Mona's murder and Ali's arrest, Ali spends her time assembling a new army against the girls.
- Ali likes to play games. Even in the Christmas episode, we learn she was a liar from a very young age. Who says this isn't her latest masterpiece?
- Um, she fakes her own death for two years. And a lot of that time is totally unaccounted for!
- The girls' gut from the start is that "A" is for Alison, and they jump to that conclusion for a reason.
- Ali is revealed as Red Coat (or one of them, at least), and there's no way to prove which misdeeds are CeCe's and which are Ali's.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- Ali is just as much a victim in this as any of the other girls.
- She was locked up in jail for quite a while. How can she run the "A" game behind bars?
- She's alive, and it seems like she's genuinely scared for her safety. She's also had direct encounters with "A."
- With the way she acted before, there are a lot of people who could want hurt her; perhaps she's telling the truth . . . and hiding for a reason.
Detective Gabriel Holbrook
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- The fact that Holbrook is somehow involved with Ali and CeCe makes him a very plausible suspect.
- He seems to be around the same age as Ezra, which means he'd tie into all the "Board Shorts" drama pretty easily.
- His position in the police force affords him tons of opportunities to fudge evidence, have access to secret files, and even conduct dirty, malicious business without gaining much notice.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- Given the fact that Holbrook is a pretty late addition to the PLL family, he's probably pretty far down on the list of probable culprits.
- Holbrook comes into play only after the murder of Detective Wilden.
- We haven't seen any established prior connection to any of the girls (yet), so pinning a motive on Holbrook would be hard.
Lucas Gottesman
Why We Thought He Was "A":
- Lucas is back in Rosewood, so he could easily be in on any and all dirty business.
- Lucas has always been a little on the weird and creepy side, plus he's admittedly interested in photography.
- He's shown before that he's obsessed with Hanna. Would he try to get the other girls out of the way to get close to her?
- He's been on the "A" team before! Mona blackmails him into joining.
Why We Figured He Wasn't "A":
- He's seemed pretty harmless lately. What's more, he even helps the girls with their plan in the Christmas episode.
- Lucas is attacked by "A" in season two, just outside Spencer's lake house.
- He initially leaves Rosewood High because he's afraid for his safety. He's been homeschooled only until recently, and now he's back in Rosewood. Could he be in danger just as much as any of the girls?
- He may be a little weird, but he doesn't seem like he has what it takes to pull off something like this.
Maya St. Germain
Why We Thought She Was "A":
- Maya could be alive. We don't ever see the body, nor do any of the girls. Could she have faked her death like Ali?
- Mona's cryptic acronym implicates more than just Aria. The core message is "MAYA KNEW."
- If Maya is alive, she'd have plenty of time in her schedule, say, to orchestrate everything "A" manages to pull off.
- She lives in Ali's house while she was alive. Not to mention the fact that when Alison's mom comes back to Rosewood, someone's hiding out in the basement. Could be Maya.
- Bianca Lawson, the actress who plays Maya, has hinted about Maya's return [16], saying, "You never know. Maybe."
- Maya's crazy website, full of photos, videos, and blogs, is one of the big things she leaves behind. She could easily have created similar sites for other Rosewood citizens.
Why We Figured She Wasn't "A":
- She doesn't have a strong motive. The only way she's related to the girls is through Emily.
- Um, she's very likely dead. Like, actually dead. Not just pretending.