Entertainment

The 6 Big Issues With Sara Being Red Coat On 'PLL'

by Rachel Paige

Don't you hate it when you're really invested in something and the big third act reveal turns out to be... someone with barely any prior screen time? It feels like the rug has been ripped out from right underneath you, and now you're left scratching your head, wondering how and why the writers thought this would be a good idea. This is just a little dose of what the Pretty Little Liars Season 6 summer finale did to fans, especially with the big reveal that Sara Harvey is Red Coat. Oh, OK PLL. Sure. Whatever you say. However, I'm not going to stop trying to prove that Sara can't actually be Red Coat, and so far I've rounded up six pieces of evidence.

To preface this, let me just say that I love Pretty Little Liars. I have been a devoted Liar since the very beginning. But this Sara Harvey mess is something completely different. It makes no sense. It would have made more sense if the hood was pulled back, and it was Caleb standing there. It would have made more sense if it was Byron. It would have made more sense if it was just two cheese stick-eating raccoons in a big Red Coat. For more of the issues brought on by "Game Over, Charles," check out Bustle's podcast below, then find out why I'm so against Sara being the ultimate A helper.

1. She Just Can't Be Red Coat, OK??

I'm still trying really hard to process all of this. And nothing makes sense.

2. We Meet Red Coat Way Before We Meet Sarah

Red Coat's first appearance is in Season 2. Sara isn't even mentioned until Season 4. Sure, this can be blamed on "passing" the Red Coat torch from one A Team member to the next, but for her to be the endgame Red Coat? Are we really to believe that she's been helping CeCe since the very beginning of her picking up the A game from Mona in Season 3?

3. Red Coat Was Living In The DiLaurentis House

Remember the episode when it's discovered that (presumably) Red Coat had been living under the DiLaurentis house? This would make sense if it had been someone like CeCe living there, since Mrs. DiLaurentis might have just turned a blind eye. But are we instead supposed to believe Sarah was living there? Was she spying on the family and reporting back to CeCe? Did she ever actually live in the dollhouse?

4. CeCe At The Sawmill

Why did CeCe dress as Red Coat for this incident — you know, the one where Emily was almost sawed in half? Why didn't she send Sara to do her bidding for this? It's revealed that CeCe was using Red Coat/Sara as a decoy, and this would have been a perfect time for us to see that decoy in action. Instead, we actually see CeCe. Why would A have let the Liars see her and grow even more suspicious of her?

5. CeCe Was Red Coat... Sort Of

When Ali comes clean about her time on the lam, she tells the Liars that she knew it was CeCe in the Red Coat at the sawmill, and that she asked for CeCe's help... basically saying that CeCe was Red Coat in this instance, and that there was no "bad" Red Coat there. This implied that there was still some other third person out there who was responsible for the sawmill incident. In short, PLL is trying to tell us (I guess?) that Sara was responsible for that. Maybe. Big question mark right here.

6. Red Coat Was Supposed To Be Endgame

It's never clearly stated who is really in charge of the whole A game. Sometimes it's Black Hoodie A. Sometimes it's Red Coat A. Sometimes those two entities were working together, and sometimes they had two totally separate agendas.

But through all of this, Red Coat was always called "her" and "she" and usually followed with "calling the shots." It was implied for the last three and a half seasons that Red Coat was the one pulling the strings behind everything, and that includes A. If Sara is Red Coat, that means she was pulling some of the A strings, which I'm just not buying.

Pretty Little Liars may be jumping forward five years when it returns for Season 6B, but I hope it takes some time to look back and explain exactly how Sara managed to be Red Coat.

Want a whole new perspective on Pretty Little Liars? Watch people who have never seen the show try to solve its biggest mysteries in the video below.

Images: Eric McCandless/ABC Family; Giphy (6)