So this Varjack plot twist on Pretty Little Liars has been pretty stressful, huh, guys? There a has been an awful lot of speculation on who Varjack is, from Aria paramour Ezra Fitz to Ali conspirator CeCe Drake, but I’m here to introduce another Varjack theory into the mix: Detective Holbrook. Sean Faris’ Detective Gabriel Holbrook has been the “hot cop” to Detective Linda Tanner’s “bad cop” on Pretty Little Liars for a while now, and boy has he been fun to watch (besides the fact that Faris is a total smokeshow and I’ve loved him since Life As We Know It and call me, Sean). Taking it back to Season 4, Holbrook showed up on the scene to investigate the murder of Detective Wilden (aka Josh from Ryan Murphy’s underrated WB dramedy Popular), and he stayed on with his partner Tanner to get to the bottom of Ali’s disappearance and subsequent reappearance and the murder of Bethany Young. Still with me?
So why do I think that he’s Varjack? Holbrook has the kind of personality that allows him to become obsessed with whatever he’s doing, and as we know from any Lifetime movie of the week, addictive personalities kidnap, set fire to buildings, and just really bring the party down. Add to that the following facts and things aren't looking so good for Holbrook’s innocence:
He’s Obsessed With The Liars
Since the minute he stepped foot in Rosewood, Holbrook has been single-mindedly following around the liars. He was convinced that they had something to do with Tanner's death (they didn't — CeCe Drake took care of that one), the death of Bethany Young, and Ali’s disappearance. I recognize that this is Rosewood — a place with more misfortune than Grey’s Anatomy’s Seattle Grace Hospital — but suffice it to say that the liars are not criminal masterminds. There is no way that they could have orchestrated all of those murders. Holbrook, however is convinced otherwise. Holbrook follows the girls around after hours, visits their school on the regular, and generally peeps at them from behind bushes and around corners like, all the time. If there were any parents at all in Rosewood (there are not — I checked), they would have already filed multiple complaints for harassment against Holbrook.
He Had A Relationship With Ali
Holbrook and Ali were seen smooching at the ball during the Christmas special, so it’s safe to say that they had a smidgen of a romantic relationship. (And this is pulled from the Ezra Fitz playbook: Ali is about 17 and Holbrook is at least 25.) Ali is a master of deception, so I am sure that whatever she did to get close to Holbrook, she did to get out of jail. We’ve seen the obsessive effect Ali has had on men: They pretty much do anything to get her back. If Ali dropped Holbrook like a bad habit, he’s probably feeling scorned, sad, and pretty pissed — all of which would cause a man to seek revenge, no? Remember, the liars actually seem worried about this Varjack business. This is not a drill.
He’s Desperate
Because of the two aforementioned points, Holbrook has been suspended from the police department. I guess we can say he did his job too well? He also has no romantic relationship at present, so let’s tally it up here: jobless, loveless, and hella pissed. I’d say that’s a perfect cocktail to cause a man with control issues to snap.
Images: Ron Tom/ABC Family; giphy (3)
