She’s back. After three and a half years, three and a half seasons, and hundreds of plot twists, Alison DiLaurentis has risen from the dead—or, rather, risen from hiding—to add yet another plot twist to the fourth season of ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. And that’s not all—the Halloween special in October revealed the identity of “A” in an unlikely character, which is sure to add suspense, deception, and more lies to the Liars’ lives this season. The winter premiere of part two of season four of “Pretty Little Liars” airs Tuesday, January 7, 2014 at 8 pm on ABC Family.
With so much hype on social media about the return of Pretty Little Liars tonight, a recap is necessary to refresh viewers’ memories on all the chaos so far in season four. Here’s what happened:
Season three ended with the fire in the lodge, where Spencer, Hanna, and Mona were convinced that Alison dragged them outside. Season four picks up with the girls trying to figure out if Alison really did drag them out of the fire or if “A” was just wearing a mask. With the possibility of Alison still being alive, the girls are on edge. When Jenna nearly drowns in a lake, the girls turn to Shana to see who Jenna is so afraid of, and they learn it is CeCe Drake. While Emily is staying with Mrs. DiLaurentis, she discovers Red Coat’s hiding place in the basement—CeCe is closer than they thought. One day, the girls end up chasing two Red Coats—one is revealed to be CeCe and the other is unidentified. CeCe gets away, but the other, who Spencer assumes is Ali, leads Spencer to “A’s” lair before disappearing out of sight.
Spencer, Hanna, Emily, and Aria snoop around “A’s” lair and determine that “A” is a male who has most likely also been following Alison. The liars run into Mrs. Grunwald, the house mother of a sorority who used to talk to Alison over the phone, and learn that on the night Alison supposedly died, Ali called Mrs. Grunwald asking for help finding out who was after Alison, so Mrs. Grunwald drove to Ali’s house, where she found her hand sticking out of the ground. Mrs. Grunwald saved Ali’s life, but Ali disappeared after she drove her to the hospital. Mrs. Grunwald warns the girls to stop looking for Ali because she does not want to be found. Viewers then learn that Ezra is “A,” but the Liars are unaware. In the Halloween special, the Liars see Alison, and Alison tells them that she wants to return to Rosewood, but it is not safe for her yet. Alison runs off, and Ezra shows up with Aria’s phone, which he says she forgot in his car.
The second half of season four hopefully contains numerous answers to questions all viewers have. Is Ezra really “A” or is this a misunderstanding? Who is Alison afraid of? Has Alison been participating in tormenting the girls? It seems certain that Ezra is “A,” so the girls—especially Aria—are sure to be in danger, but with so many plot twists one can never be certain. To find out what awaits the Liars, tune into ABC Family tonight at 8 pm for the winter premiere of Pretty Little Liars.
