Since the true identity of A was revealed on Pretty Little Liars, I, like many fans, have been looking back to see what I could have missed. I mean, having CeCe be behind all of this craziness was something that I really didn't see coming. I don’t know if anyone really did (if you say you knew from the beginning, you’re lying) I. Marlene King planted little Easter eggs throughout the series about CeCe being A, yet somehow, I missed them all. So I'm looking back in hindsight and watching important episodes of Pretty Little Liars , like "The First Secret," aka the first Halloween episode, to find more clues. Little did I know that this flashback episode held the key to so many future Liar secrets.
First off, I must say that watching Ali wreak complete havoc on everyone's lives was hard, mostly because Ali has done such a 180 in her life. She like, is a nice person now? Kind of? She's repented, if anything, so watching this snotty, awful mean girl was unseemly, at best. But besides Ali's former mean girl ways, I found myself noticing how many characters gave away future plot points in their dialogue. Was this a coincidence? I'd like to believe that in King's world, there are no coincidences. I rewatched "The First Secret" and analyzed it for clues based on the characters' dialogue, and boy, oh, boy, were there some interesting exchanges that we totally overlooked the first time around. And for more PLL details you might have missed, check out Bustle's podcast Taking This One To The Grave.
“If You Ignore It, It Will Go Away” — Ali, On Mona
Like I said, Ali was truly mean to anyone she didn’t like, and Lucas and Mona got the worst of it. All poor little Mona did was try to become friends with the Liars, and Ali treated her like scum on the bottom of her shoes. Of course, Pretty Little Liars fans know that it was Mona who eventually snapped and became the first A. Just goes to show you that you never know what someone is capable of until you push them just a bit too far. Everyone has a breaking point.
“She Gets What She Wants” — Toby, On Jenna
This is interesting because at that point in the series, we think that Jenna is the evil entity on the show, and while she was involved in some pretty shady ish, she mostly had her own protection in mind and not ill will toward the Liars. As she says later in the series, “I feel safer when I am in control of what happens to me.” Same, Jenna. Same.
“I Think Hanna Should Be Who She Wants To Be” — Emily, To Ali
When Ali asks Emily what Hanna's Halloween costume should be (bald Britney? Or hot Britney), this is what Emily says in return. This is also the episode in which Ali realizes that Emily is gay, so do we think that Emily is projecting self-acceptance and general tolerance because she is seeking it within herself? I do.
“We’re Making A Movie” — Jason, to Ali
What kind of movie are you making, Jason? Could you be making a movie for the NAT club? Are you the dark, shadowy figure in a baby mask that’s standing outside your sister’s bedroom window watching her friends get dressed? Well are you?
“Melissa’s Just Trying To Survive In This Family, Just Like Me” — Spencer
I would say that the “is-Melissa-actually-A” drama hadn’t hit critical mass yet at this point in the series, but it sure was on a steady climb there. This line is important because as PLL continued, viewers began to realize that Melissa was actually just trying to protect Spencer this whole time, because she thought her sister killed Ali. Viewers also know how screwed up the Hastings family is, so there’s another meaning to this line. Melissa is just literally trying to make it through.
“Do I Know You?” — Ali / “No, But You Will” — Mona
Maybe Mona putting on a slinky cat suit just changed her whole demeanor, but when she delivered that sassy line to Ali in this episode, I cheered. Little does Ali know how true this will prove to be, especially when Mona makes Ali’s life a living hell post-“kidnapping.”
See? The Pretty Little Liars clues are all there, you just have to know where to look for them.
Images: ABC Family; Giphy (6)
