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To find out what happened on the Pretty Little Liars season–four finale, go here.
Alison finally reveals all on Pretty Little Liars.
The theme for the fourth season has been “a season of answers,” and on Tuesday’s episode, simply titled “A Is for Answers,” viewers will get to check off one series-long question: What exactly happened the night Alison disappeared? In the flashback-heavy episode, Alison brings Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer together to give her honest (or not so honest) account.
“Fans of the show have had suspicions and their own theories, so I think some of those theories will be fulfilled. But you have a lot of questions that will be answered with this episode, because you have the source right there, which is Alison,” Lucy Hale told The Hollywood Reporter. “She lays out exactly what happened. Now that Ali is back, we can hopefully figure out who ‘A’ is.”
STORY: ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Gang on Ali’s Homecoming, ‘Ravenswood’ Wrap-Up and Caleb’s Return
Executive producer Marlene King called the Pretty Little Liars finale one “we’ve never had before, and whenever we get to shake things up, whenever we get to do something that looks different than what we do, it’s exciting.” She added: “The finale leads us to a premiere that is really an extension of the finale — it’s almost like a two-part action movie,” with season five picking up almost immediately after.
THR caught up with the cast and producers for hints on Tuesday’s finale and beyond.
Four becomes five: “There’s no longer four [Liars], there’s five again,” Hale said of Alison coming back into the fold. “It’s going to be more exciting, probably more mysterious and more intense.” Executive producer Oliver Goldstick described the change in the core group as a “tectonic shift” — and Alison may not be with them. “It’s very dark and twisted; it’ll leave you with some crazy stuff going on,” Sasha Pieterse told THR.
Holding out hope for “Ezria”: If the season-five opener calls for an “Ezria” reunion, Ian Harding observed that it would be difficult for things to go back to the way they were — and appropriately so. “There’s no way it could possibly be the same, so it’s going to be a huge adjustment,” he said. “But maybe they can survive it — as you have seen through [Ezra] ignoring the law.” But he had hope that the two will rekindle their romance: “I’m hopeful [that they’ll] have another go at it.” Based on where things stand, Hale said that “it’s hard to say at this point. Where we end up in season four, it’s all up in the air. They’re the one couple on the show that’s gone through so much together, but have still been magnets… It’s like the perfect definition of soulmates, in my opinion.” King hinted that there is a “shocking ‘Ezria’ twist” in the finale.
STORY: ‘Pretty Little Liars’: Tyler Blackburn to Return as Series Regular
Alison’s tell-all not 100 percent truthful? Should the Liars trust Alison’s recollection of the night she disappeared all those years ago? That remains a question. “The show is called Pretty Little Liars,” King said. “For the sake of the episode, I believe what she’s saying, yes. She’s very genuine. Either Alison is the greatest actress in the world or she’s telling us a lot of truth.” Goldstick offered this observation: “I’d say this: Always take everything Alison says with a grain of salt — possibly a mountain of salt. But there’s a lot of truth that’s being told, and it’s pretty startling. The tension will mount right into season five.”
The origins of Alison and Ezra: “You find out in the finale how they met and you find out what Alison thinks about ‘Ezria,’ as they’re called,” King said. “There are some interesting moments between Alison and Aria in the finale, and that sets us up for an interesting dynamic in season five.” Added Pieterse: “It’s awkward and it’s weird, and now that they know Alison’s alive, it’s this weird love triangle in a way. When Aria sees Alison face-to-face, it’s awkward.”
Introduction of new combinations: “Tyler [Blackburn], Sasha [Pieterse] and I were talking about this — that Alison and Caleb have never met. That’s a pairing we’ve never seen. He comes in knowing about this persona, this mythical figure Alison, and now he gets to meet her for real,” King said. “That’s going to be chemistry we get to see.”
Where does Ezra go from here? Harding likened Ezra’s dark turn to Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde and told THR that it was “a nice change” to explore the grittier side. “I’m interested to see how it’s going to progress in season five when we start filming that,” he said.
The state of Ezra’s novel: Aria’s ex-boyfriend may not be the trouble-rousing “A,” but after she discovered he was writing a book based on Alison and the other Liars, things between Aria and Ezra went from bad to worse. When asked whether Ezra’s novel would see the light of day (in Pretty Little Liars and in real life), Harding was open to the possibility. “It’s one of those things where, if this book gets published, are they all in danger, or does this clear their name? Am I going to be helping the girls? Am I not?” King revealed that “maybe” Ezra’s novel will resurface. “We’ve talked about season five. It’s going to be a part of his story still, and we’ve talked about writing that book [as a possible tie-in]. It would be interesting.”
Future of “Spoby”: “We’ll find out in season five” how strong the Spencer and Toby bond is, Keegan Allen told THR. “It’s definitely a core structure in the show’s relationships. As with any relationship, there’s ebb and flow, so we’ll see.”
A big plan for the 100th episode: “We’re planning that episode right now, and I’m going to write the script,” King said. “We hope that it’s emotionally epic for us. There will be a big reveal: One of our mysteries that we’ve had for a long time on the show will be revealed in the 100th.”
The Pretty Little Liars season-four finale airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
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