TV REVIEW: Pretty Little Liars Season 5 Premiere Asks Is This The Last We’ve Seen of A?

By Nicole Bozzani

When viewers last saw the Pretty Little Liars of Rosewood they were far from home. Manhattan to be exact. And many of the questions being asked about Ali’s disappearance over the last 4 seasons finally had their answers.

Let’s recall “A is for Answers”: The girls are all reunited by Noel Kahn in a Manhattan apartment. They run through the series of events of the fateful night Ali went missing. New pieces begin to come to light and the flood gates open revealing much more then viewers first knew. Who could possibly be trusted? Certainly not Mona or Mrs. DiLaurentis. The girls attempt to chase A onto the rooftop where Ezra appears to reveal he knows who A is only to be shot before he can utter a word. Meanwhile back in Rosewood, the hunt for the girls is on. Will they find them before it’s too late? And what will become of Ezra?

Fast forward to “EscApe from New York”, the season five premiere. Picking up mere minutes after Ezra is shot by the illusive A, the girls are watching from the sidelines as Aria’s beloved Mr. Fitz is loaded into an ambulance which A just so happens to be riding atop of. Something only Ali notices. In order to protect Ali, the girls construct a plan to distract A. Meanwhile, in Rosewood, the news is breaking that Cece has escaped police custody and a very alive Ali and the other girls are missing. The girls move forward with their plan to capture A once and for all which eventually leads to the end of the mysterious A. Or does it? 

(ABC FAMILY/Eric McCandless)
ASHLEY BENSON, TROIAN BELLISARIO, SHAY MITCHELL

One thing Pretty Little Liars does in spectacular fashion is keep the audience guessing. Just as soon as we think a major detail is falling into place and that A’s identity is about to finally be revealed, they flip the script. It’s a never ending cycle which, most of the time, requires regular real world logic be tossed aside. This is a brand new world where blackmailing nearly an entire town of characters requires such intricate details  – not to mention an abundance of time. As an audience, expecting twists and turns is nothing new and with all of the answers being given slowly and now all at once, it’s clear they are ready to head in a new direction. With Ali being alive and well, she’s now going to be readapting to a world she used to know but which continued to grow without her. The story can now shift less from the night she went “missing” or “died” to why this A was blackmailing her to begin with and how it has snowballed to nearly every other person she has ever contacted in her short life. There can only be more twist and turns from here to keep audiences coming back for more.

As for the revelations and events of “EscApe from New York”, many things can be questioned. Is Melissa and the other Hastings hiding something? Their father in particular seems shady. Not to mention that he’s great at keeping secrets. Remember the entire Jason DiLaurentis debacle? What is up with Mona and her “can’t just let it go” agenda against Ali? Is this really over popularity? Why is Paige willing to risk her entire relationship with Emily over this crusade, and most importantly, what does Melissa have to do with this merry band of unpopular, picked on misfits? The only (hopeful) answer about Paige’s joining the group is the edge she could have on protecting Emily and her friends rather than taking down Ali. Despite the fact, yes, Ali was particularly horrible to her.

(ABC FAMILY/Eric McCandless)
TROIAN BELLISARIO, SHAY MITCHELL, SASHA PIETERSE

Not only are these entirely valid concerns but as a viewer it’s not hard to ask one of the biggest questions: Is Ali really that trustworthy? The entire series up to this point has brought her personality and mistreatment of nearly everyone in her life. So why is it now her friends are desperate to help her and keep her safe? Sure, they would absolutely love to have A leave their lives forever but hasn’t Ali done enough? Can Aria trust that Ali is telling the truth in regards to Ezra. Does Ezra really love Aria that much or could this be one of Ali’s many ploys at the attention she so desperately enjoys? Not to mention and most unsettling, as an author himself, why would Ezra call Ali his “Holly Golightly” in that flashback? That’s not necessarily a compliment. Could Ali also be a high class call girl and he the author that loves her so dearly? She certainly has had enough gentleman callers right?

One thing EscApe from New York” managed to do was end A or at least give the illusion A is gone for good. Ezra finally was able to alert Aria to the untrustworthy Shana just in time for her to save her friends from the evil woman. But could Shana really be the one true A? Or could she just be one of her many minions falling into the ranks with Mona and even Toby? It will be interesting to find out where they are going to bring A for the rest of the season not to mention the series which was just renewed for two more seasons.

But what will become of the rest of the characters under this web of uncertainty? Cece has escaped to France, but this can’t be the last viewers have seen of her? What exactly is Melissa doing bursting in the meeting on the Island of Misfit Toys? What happened once and for all to Mrs. DiLaurentis? Will Ezra pull through and live long enough to tell the tale of A and the Liars? In the coming weeks, Pretty Little Liars is sure to deliver some twists and turns viewers won’t see coming. But one thing is for sure, this certainly isn’t the last we’ve seen of A.