The 'PLL' Cast Says Goodbye To Keegan Allen

As fans hurtle toward the final season of Pretty Little Liars (too quickly, if you ask me), emotions are running high. And that doesn't just go for fans of the show, but also for the cast and crew, who are beginning to say their goodbyes to Rosewood, its characters, and its many wonderful mysteries. One of the first actors to receive an emotional farewell is Keegan Allen, who filmed his final PLL scenes on Tuesday. And sweet mercy, I hope you've got a big box of tissues beside you, because the tributes to and from Allen are devastating. Seriously, prepare yourself accordingly.

Taking to Twitter, PLL showrunner I. Marlene King spoke highly of Allen, calling him "one of the most special people I know." She described the day of filming his final scenes as "a tough one." Fellow cast members, including Ashley Benson, Troian Bellisario and Ian Harding, also took to social media to celebrate the love and utmost respect that they have for the actor, while declaring some truly heartfelt goodbyes. And there I go — I'm absolutely tearing up just reading through these. Are you ready? I'm not sure I ever will be.

Let's start with King's tribute first, which makes my bottom lip tremble:

To follow that up, here's Benson's simple, but enormously adorable, loving message to her co-star.

Next up? A supremely touching tribute from Bellisario, which made me clutch my chest as though my heart was about to melt.

And last but not least, here's a wonderful personal anecdote from Harding, which had me actually swooning as I read it.

How is everyone on this show so cute? You might want to keep dabbing at those overflowing tear ducts, though, because Allen's farewell message will also have you bawling. Brace yourself and keep reading.

But it's Allen's own tribute to Bellisario, which may completely and utterly finish you off emotionally. This man is truly a treasure, you guys.

Since the very beginning of PLL, Allen has played the sweet-natured, enigmatic character of Toby. And over the past seven years, he's become an enduring fan favorite. Of course, the majority of the characters of the show have all evolved greatly since Season 1 (in fact, that's been a reliable part of PLL — nobody is ever quite who they say they are), but Toby is definitely one character in particular who's experienced a pronounced evolution.

When thinking about exactly who the character has become, it feels incredibly strange to remember the Toby who was first introduced. Not only was he supremely odd and totally creepy, but his history with Alison made him deeply shady and completely suspicious. In fact, for a few episodes, Toby barely even felt like a major character, and instead seemed like he may be nothing more than Jenna's awkward step-brother.

For these reasons, it was genuinely gratifying to see the character become much more than that. Not only did he adorably win Spencer's affection (Spoby forever), but he also managed to really take control of his life. Throughout the series, he's become one of the main emotional pivots — the one who characters trust and depend on for unconditional friendship, love, and support.

And I mean, he's even gone on to become an actual good cop (and let's face it, there haven't been many of those in Rosewood). He made me swoon majorly by building an entire house from scratch for Spencer (or for Yvonne, whoever). Part of the success of Toby's evolution from total creep to total babe undoubtedly lies in the warmth of Allen's screen presence and charming performance as the character — and that's definitely something which makes saying goodbye even harder.

With this in mind, I'd like to take a final moment to reflect on the possibility that Keegan filming any scenes for the final episodes of PLL may also mean that Toby doesn't die in the car crash from the mid-season finale. Sure, he could just be filming flashback scenes (or appearing as a supremely chill ghost in Spencer's dreams, since these things do happen in Rosewood), but I'm hoping with every inch of my heart that Toby survives. And that him and Spencer finish the show together, as a couple (they did share that kiss after all).

Fans will find out when PLL returns in April 2017, but until then, I'm going to be an emotional wreck just thinking about the ending. And like the cast and crew themselves, I'm totally not ready to say my goodbyes to Rosewood just yet.

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