Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead. Photo from ABC Family.
Diehard “Pretty Little Liars” fans know that A never works alone. It takes a whole group of evil masterminds to make up this malevolent, omnipresent entity. We already know that Mona (Gasp!) and Toby (Noooooo!) are working together to take the liars down, but the list of potential suspects grows longer with every episode.
If you’re dying to know who’s on the A-Team, check out our list below. But be careful–you’ll find plenty of major spoilers for both the TV series and the books if you choose to peek. You’ve been warned.
Ezra Fitz
Ezra may look cute, but he might just be the biggest liar of them all. Photo from Fan Pop.
Why he’s A: Where to begin? Ezra is a better liar than all of the girls combined. He even lied about his own last name. Ezra Fitzgerald is obscenely wealthy, which explains how the A-Team finances their elaborate schemes. Then there’s the issue of his typewriter. It may seem like a negligible detail at first, but think about how often A sends out those lovingly typed notes. Ezra’s also a talented writer, and A really knows how to turn a phrase. Could they be one and the same?
As crush-worthy as he seems, Ezra is a first-class creep. Normal, balanced twenty-somethings do not want to date teenage girls. They just don’t. This guy’s got a bigger “Lolita” fetish than Ali, and that’s saying something. Notice how his beloved Aria is never hurt as badly as the other girls by A’s schemes. A usually only messes with Aria as a way to test her love for Ezra. Freaky! He may have been stalking the girls long before he just happened to bump into her. Their first meeting and the timing of A’s first text is way too convenient to be an accident.
Why he’s not A: Ezra loves Aria. Why join an organization that wants to hurt her? We have no proof he knew anything about Alison prior to meeting Aria, which gives him no real motive to join the A-Team (other than straight up psychopathy).
Verdict: We’re watching you, Fitz. Your sudden appearance on the ghost train right as Ali’s body was discovered is too strange to be ignored.
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Lucas Gottesman
Why he’s A: Another victim of Alison’s ruthless bullying (seriously, don’t call him Hermie), Lucas started out as a lovable loser with a huge crush on Hanna. But we’ve always known he has a dark side. It obviously took a lot of hatred to destroy Ali’s memorial, no matter how cruel she was to him. And he’s definitely smart enough to pull off some of A’s more technologically advanced plans. Ever since Hanna rejected him, the boy’s been acting super sketchy. What’s with all the lurking? Why is he suddenly BFF with Mona? And the biggest question: Why was he stalking Ali in that creepy baby costume? We need explanations, ASAP.
Why he’s not A: Deep down, Lucas is just an antisocial nerd. He truly cares for Hanna, and might be working as a mole to keep her safe. He still resents Alison and is probably thrilled she’s met her maker, but the poor kid is just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Verdict: Lucas is hiding something big. We think he’ll be toeing the line between friend and foe for quite a while.
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Maya St. Germain
Why she’s A: Maya lived in Alison’s old bedroom. Who knows what she found in there? It’s highly likely the A-Team contacted her and made her an offer to keep her quiet and join in on the fun. We all know how much Maya loves a good secret.
Why she’s not A: Out of all the liars, A seems to hate Emily the most. Because of A, Emily was outed as a lesbian to her homophobic mother, kicked off the swim team and drugged (more than once). And now the love of her life is dead. For A, tipping off Maya’s location to her stalker was probably just the icing on top of the “let’s ruin Emily’s life” cake. Maya’s love for Emily was completely genuine, and her death remains the show’s biggest tragedy.
Verdict: Maya may have been involved with the A-Team at first, but her love for Emily likely got her killed. So sad!
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Byron Montgomery
PLL knows how to drop a drama bomb, but this one sent us reeling for days. Photo from Much Music.
Why he’s A: Mr. Montgomery is an even bigger drama queen than his daughter. If anyone had anything to gain from Ali’s death, it’s Byron. Alison was no paragon of virtue, but she really despised infidelity, and she made it clear that if Byron didn’t own up to his affair, she’d do it for him. Is that why he felt the need to angrily confront her on the night she died? Or was something even more sinister going on? Ali was obsessed with “Lolita,” it’s not entirely beyond the realm of possibility that she’d embark on an affair with a much, much older man.
Why he’s not A: This is ABC Family, not HBO. As shocking as an Alison/Byron relationship would be, it’s not really the network’s style. Plus, we have no reason to believe that Byron wasn’t just acting out of concern for Alison’s insane behavior. Ultimately, he’s a good dad who was trying to reach out to his daughter’s axe-crazy bestie.
Verdict: Though he’s definitely looking shady, there’s probably a perfectly reasonable explanation for his actions on the night of Ali’s death. At least, we hope so.
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Paige McCullers
Why she’s A: If anyone should still be holding a grudge against Alison, it’s Paige. Ali bullied her for crushing on Emily to the point where she felt suicidal, and that’s not okay. Though she’s normally a total sweetheart, Paige might be capable of some dark stuff due to her tortured past. Like when Spencer calls her a snake? Guess what shows up in her dressing room. She also seems to want Emily all to herself… Creepy.
Why she’s not A: Poor Paige. So misunderstood. Someone who’s been bullied so severely could never inflict that kind of harm on someone else. The girls proved the A-Team already tried to frame her as Maya’s murderer, so why would she join them? And even though she and Spencer aren’t on the best of terms, Paige saved her life on the ghost train. She’s completely devoted to protecting Emily, and that goes for her friends as well.
Verdict: Paige is awesome. If she’s A, it will break Emily’s heart. And ours.
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Wren Kingston
Why he’s A: Wren may be super cute, but he’s also kind of a perv. (Melissa sure knows how to pick ’em.) There’s a surplus of creepers in Rosewood who just love underage girls, but Wren locked lips with both Spencer and Hanna. That’s just weird. Since they both rejected him for other (age-appropriate) guys, he definitely has a reason to wish them harm. Could he have somehow had a fling with Ali, too? There’s also the fact that he made sure Mona wasn’t transferred from Radley, keeping her and her insane antics in Rosewood.
Why he’s not A: For all of his creepiness, Wren is actually a pretty nice guy. Maybe he only kept Mona in Rosewood as a favor to Hanna. He also doesn’t have much of a reason to hate Alison, unless he’s hunting down all of Melissa’s enemies one by one.
Verdict: Wren’s A-status would be a huge shock (in a good way) and his continued presence in Rosewood is just too weird to be ignored. Keep an eye on him.
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Courtney DiLaurentis
Just your average play date. Except this one ends with murder. Photo from ABC Family.
Why she’s A: Fans of the source material probably saw this one coming, but here’s a little book spoiler for those out of the loop: Alison has a secret identical twin, Courtney, who suffers from some unspecified mental illness that caused her parents to send her off to an asylum long before the family moved to Rosewood. (“Single White Female” alert!) For a while, it seemed unlikely that she’d ever make an onscreen appearance, since the show deviates pretty drastically from the original books (and thank goodness, or else we wouldn’t have the miracle that is Haleb). That’s when the little dead twin started showing up. From Ali’s creepy Halloween story to Ashley Marin’s ghostly visitor, it’s clear that Alison is hiding a major skeleton in her closet. Still not convinced? Check out the pictures on Ali’s bedroom wall. Alison is vain, but it’s still pretty weird for her to have two pictures of herself next to Jason. Then there’s show creator Marlene King’s not-so-subtle twin tweets. King flat-out confirmed that the series will remain different from the books, which means the twin storyline will probably get a new twist. Since the ghost girl is so young, does that mean Ali murdered Courtney (or vice-versa) back when they were kids? Has Courtney been masquerading as her dead sister this whole time? We can’t wait to find out.
Why she’s not A: Seriously? There’s no way she’s innocent. Unless she’s the dead twin, and Ali’s been the evil mastermind the whole time, she’s been Big A all along.
Verdict: Oh yeah, we’ll definitely be seeing more of Courtney very, very soon.
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Aria Montgomery
Hey, Big A! You might want to watch your back. Photo from TV Fanatic.
Why she’s A: Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Aria is hiding the darkest secret of them all. Out of all of the liars, Aria is the best at deception. When you’re dating your former English teacher, you kind of have to be. She’s such a good liar, it’s likely that even her best friends don’t know all of her secrets. For example, why did A only start stalking the girls when Aria returned to Rosewood? She could have easily planned years worth of torture while abroad. And why has Aria never been visited by Alison’s ghost? What is her mysterious connection to Adam Lambert? The opening credits are also a major giveaway. Aria isn’t exactly the main character, so why is she the one “shhh-“ing the audience? What does she know about Alison that the other girls don’t?
A also doesn’t torment Aria like she does the other girls. The worst thing that’s happened to Aria is her relationship with Ezra went public, which only made them stronger. Plenty of subliminal hints, like when Mona calls her “Big A” and her black swan costume, were spotted by some super-sleuth fans as well. Not as sneaky as you thought, eh Aria?
Why she’s not A: A started texting the girls on the anniversary of Alison’s death. The fact that the date coincides with Aria’s return is strange, but not completely incriminating. And even though Aria hasn’t been tortured by A like the other girls, she still spent an evening locked in a coffin with Garrett’s corpse. If she did that willingly, she’s beyond hardcore.
Verdict: The supporting evidence is just too strong. Aria definitely has some sinister ties to the A-Team.
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Who do you think is on the A-Team? What are your predictions for the rest of season three? Leave us a comment and let us know your theories!
