Yes, that was my exact face at the end of the latest episode! :p
In last week's black and white episode, Ali (Sasha Pieterse) said something that has stayed with me. She said, "You have all the pieces." She was telling Spencer (Troian Bellisario) that she has everything she needs to solve the mystery of A - but I don't think she was strictly talking to her. I think she was talking to the viewer.
I think it's us who have all the pieces of the puzzle.
Over time, almost everyone in the show has been under suspicion of being A/Ali's murderer.
But this week, a new piece slotted into place - that of Spencer's former drug problem.
We have seen her recently. She's tense, not sleeping, looking like the walking dead, and having full on hallucinations in a world of black and white.
And now we have the bombshell. Two years ago, Spencer had the same problem. TWO YEARS. When Alison disappeared. Remember all that time ago, in the pilot episode where Spencer wandered back into the barn and announced Alison was gone. There was not even the slightest question about whether she'd just gone home. It was like fact. She's gone.
People who know me, and have read my early theories will know that Spencer was my number one suspect at the start. I didn't like her, and I didn't trust her. Over time, I fell in love with her, but I have never been able to shake off the memory of that first episode.
Spencer on drugs. Who else used to get off their heads on drugs around that time? Jason (Drew Van Acker), Ian (Ryan Merriman), Garrett (Yani Gellman) and their friends. Now, I don't believe those things are linked, but remember how Jason couldn't remember the night Ali went missing? Perhaps this is foreshadowing - and it was Spencer who did the killing.
Obviously, Ali isn't dead, but someone is. And I'm thinking Spencer may have been the one to do it.
As for Ezra (Ian Harding)- and his connection to Mona (Janel Parrish) and Jenna (Tammin Sursok). Well, that is somewhat more complex. Ezra revealed he was writing a book about Ali, and confessed he originally used Aria (Lucy Hale) for information. But what about all the A activity? What about all the watching, and the creepy notes? Him being a "reporter" - I use the word loosely, some of the things he filmed were downright creepy - explains the cameras everywhere, however unethical. But what of the threats? If he wasn't guilty of some of the horrific things A did - how did he know about Toby's tattoo and bike helmet? And why would he be involved in that if he genuinely loved Aria as much as he says?
Mona was helping him in some way - this has been confirmed. But in what way? Is she getting close to Mike (Cody Allen Christian) as a way to get closer to Aria? OR - another theory that has been brewing for a while is that it is Mike himself that is A. That boy has so far been the most pointless character ever to be in a TV show - there has to be a reason for him, right?
Let us not rule out the other thing that could be a clue. Wren's (Julian Morris) prescription pad in Spencer's purse. This was a tiny, tiny thing but along with my questions about Mike, I have often thought Wren might be A, or at least involved. Evidence? He helped Melissa (Torrey DeVitto) with Ian, so he knew where to find him, and he was working at Radley - and acting somewhat suspiciously there. He could easily have given Mona everything she needed to keep attacking the other girls. Keep in mind, when there is a British character in a US show, a lot of the time, they end up being the bad guy! But there are subtle things. He gave Spencer an amazing massage early on, and Emily (Shay Mitchell) once got some A treatment in the form of a massage at a spa - the joys of re-watching! What we don't have is a motive. Ali liked older guys for sure, but really? Ian, Ezra, Detective Wilden (Bryce Johnson), AND Wren? Not only is it creepy how many older men have been involved with a girl who was only fourteen or fifteen at the time, it's hard to believe Ali would have managed to get the attention of all them, no matter how beautiful she was. But stranger things have happened...MUCH stranger things.
The black gloved hands at the end of each episode since Ezra was revealed to be A suggest that we are still wrong. There is still someone else to be afraid of. If those hands belonged to Ezra, why not just show his face since we're supposed to "know" he's behind it all?
So -- I realise this is a little bit of a mish-mash of thoughts, but let's lay this out more clearly:
Spencer may have been the murderer (though who she killed is a bit of a mystery). I am quite into the "Ali had a twin" theory, there have been several hints about this.
Ezra hasn't yet been totally honest, and I think there is a lot more we don't know
Mona might not be the devil anymore, but it's not time to trust her completely just yet
Keep a close eye on Wren - he's not just a pretty face!
