I was pretty nervous when Pretty Little Liars went into mid-season hiatus after Season 6A wrapped up. A lot can happen in a five-year flash forward, and the series could have a totally different feel. Well, true to Pretty Little Liars fashion, just one episode into the new season and the you-know-what has already hit the fan. Charlotte was seemingly found dead near the church very soon after coming home to Rosewood. But is Charlotte DiLaurentis really dead on Pretty Little Liars ? If the past six seasons have taught us anything, it's that supposed death doesn't always stick in Rosewood.
At the end of Season 6A, Charlotte was unmasked as A. The oldest sibling of the DiLaurentis family, she was locked away in Radley when she was a child and hidden from the rest of the world. Mrs. DiLaurentis told everyone that Charlotte was dead, but really she was sneaking in and out of Radley, and eventually stole the A game from Mona when she was sent to the institution. Again, all of this was happening while everyone thought Charlotte was dead. At the beginning of Season 6B, it’s five years later, and Charlotte has again been in a mental hospital, but this time it's not Radley, and she has the support of Ali. When she is released at the end of the midseason premiere, Alison is thrilled to have her sister back, but it’s not for long.
The morning after Charlotte arrives home, she’s found dead outside the church. While her death was thought to be a suicide at first, Detective Lorenzo tells the Liars that Charlotte was dead before she hit the ground and, thus, was murdered. That’s sets the train running for this season’s new mystery, but I don’t think Charlotte is actually dead.
Charlotte was on the run for a long time. She’s never experienced having a real home, and so when she went from the institution to the warm, welcoming arms of her sister, she could have panicked and bolted. Whether flying to France to avoid prosecution for the murder of Detective Wilden or hiding in plain sight from the Liars, Charlotte has always gone under the radar when she wanted to. She easily could have faked her own death to escape Rosewood.
If the Liars and Charlotte have anything in common, it's that the town probably isn't safe for them. As A, she made a lot of enemies, and likely didn't want to constantly be reminded of her traumatic past and mistakes. Maybe Charlotte juat couldn't stay, or didn’t want to cause Ali any more pain, and bailed. I don’t care if Lorenzo said that Charlotte was dead — she's always had access to all kinds of crazy drugs. Remember the ones that she used on her father and Jason that rendered them catatonic? You don’t just forget that stuff.
It's also possible that someone else with ties to Charlotte is responsible for her disappearance. Both Aria (who testified against letting Charlotte out) and Ezra (who is now going through a lot after the kidnapping of his girlfriend) have motive to get Charlotte out of Rosewood. She ruined their lives for years and they don’t trust her not to do it again. I know Pretty Little Liars would lead us to believe that Charlotte has departed this earth, but I’m willing to bet that we’ll see her alive and well some time in Season 6B and beyond.
For more on this season's mysteries, check out Bustle's PLL podcast, Taking This One To The Grave.
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