It’s the beginning of the end. Pretty Little Liars returns with the first of its final 10 episodes (sob!) on Tuesday, April 18, which means you’ll finally get the answers you’ve been dying for (although hopefully not literally dying for, unlike certain unlucky Rosewood denizens). But if you just can’t wait for the highly anticipated finale to get here, Us Weekly has you covered.
We were on the set during production on season 7B, where we got to chat with series creator Marlene King and the cast to find out what’s in store for fans. Read on to learn why A.D. is not who you think it is, whether Emison is endgame and which of the couples just might be tying the knot.
1. That baby is definitely coming.
“We will see a baby!” King tells Us of Alison’s (Sasha Pieterse) bun in the oven. “That story line is really one of the most out there story lines we’ve done, but I will say that it is honored in such a beautiful way in 7B. It’s really grounded, and it’s really beautiful, and it’s really some of the most emotional arcs and beats we have in all of 7B.”
2. But also: The baby story line will blow your freakin’ mind.
We can’t tell you everything we know, but be aware that there is a big baby twist coming. Remember how King said in the paragraph above that the story line is “out there”? Let’s just say you should take her word on that.
3. Toby is dead — or is he?
Keegan Allen assured Us that Toby dies in that car crash at the end of the first half of season 7. But we’re going to go out on a limb and assume he’s pulling our leg. “He is one of my favorite characters — it would be really hard for me to make that call to him to say that he’s not coming back,” King says.
4. However, two major characters will indeed kick the bucket.
King might have dreaded the idea of calling Allen to tell him his character is dead, but she did have to make that call to at least two — and possibly three! — cast members who play popular characters that get killed off in 7B.
5. A.D. is definitely not who you think it is.
Ashley Benson says she was stunned to learn the identity of main villain A.D.: “I don’t think anybody would guess it.” In fact, Tyler Blackburn claims about A.D., “You’ve never met them.” Say what?! He then clarifies, “You kind of have. When you see it, you’ll understand what I’m saying.”
6. Wedding bells for Haleb?
There will definitely be two weddings in 7B — one happens earlier in the season, and the other takes place during the finale. Benson says that Haleb will “100 percent” have a happy ending at the end of the series. So does this mean that one of the ceremonies will involve them? She says cagily, “We hope so! If it is, that would be amazing.” Benson then adds, “And if not, [fans] can pretend that we got married anyways. Because we are — that’s what we’re doing [whether it happens on camera or not].”
7. Emison forever — right?
Shay Mitchell (Emily) admits that it “would be satisfying” for Em and Alison to end up together, but she also thinks it would be fine if her character remained single. “Emily’s never been the one to be locked in a relationship, so I don’t know if she necessarily needs to be, either,” she explains. “There’s already two weddings. Are all the girls going to get married? No!” That said, Mitchell admits it would be “a shock of a lifetime” if Emison don’t ride off into the sunset together.
8. Say goodbye to Ms. Nice Mona.
Mona is going to retain her sinister side in 7B, according to Janel Parrish. “She will definitely be in the thick of things — she’s going to try to help the Liars figure out what’s going on and solve the puzzle of who is A.D.,” the actress says of her character. “You might see a little of darker Mona come back.”
9. Ezria will always be Ezria.
Perhaps Ezria will get one of the weddings? Ian Harding (Ezra) says that the pair will have a “rocky road” in 7B, but he also reveals that his character and Aria (Lucy Hale) will be getting quite hot and bothered at some point. He says of one upcoming 7B scene, “It will be the sexiest in history. I read it, and I was like, ‘Are we on HBO?’ But no, we’re on Freeform, also known as Freebase.” He adds that the same episode has a particularly gory scene, and when he read it, he thought, There’s no way that’ll pass because it’s so bloody.
10. That finale will give you what you want. Except when it doesn’t.
King is confident that the finale will give you what you want — but not necessarily what you think you want. “I’ve realized with the Mona reveal and the Toby surprise and the Charlotte reveal, there’s this fine line — hopefully I’ve learned from all of those — but there’s a fine line of people wanting to be surprised, yet not totally, completely surprised,” the producer tells Us.
“They want to be a little bit right,” King continues about the show’s fans. “Somebody said recently, ‘You always do the twist on the twist — that’s what makes your show different.’ This one has, I think, the biggest twist-on-the-twist we’ve ever done.”
Tell Us: Who do you think is the final “A”?
Pretty Little Liars airs on Freeform Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
