These 'PLL' Finale Moments Are Too, Too Bizarre

To call the Pretty Little Liars finale action-packed would be the entertainment based-understatement of the year. Further twins were revealed, seemingly loved-up new couples partner-swapped or looked as if they were about to, the shocking Pretty Little Liars Season 6 finale may have killed off a character, and there were so many twists and turns that viewers were in grave danger of emotional whiplash. Before I go any further: if you haven't watched the episode yet or you haven't caught up on previous Pretty Little Liars series, please put reading this article on hold. I'd hate to spoiler a show where half the pleasure lies in its ability to keep on surprising you.

Sure, we've seen some crazy plot twists throughout the years: that A was Hannah's faithful bestie, Mona; that A #2 was a trans woman who was secretly related to Alison; that the ever-suspicious nefarious British doctor Wren so far hasn't been revealed to be involved in any of the Rosewood evil so far (so far). But I would argue that this finale was the most crazily plot-twist-packed of any of the episodes so far. I challenge you to spend 45 minutes of TV watching where you spit more half-masticated popcorn onto your bed as your jaw drops repeatedly open. Go on, try it.

The Zombie Moment

Ali's alone in the house, which, as all seasoned Pretty Little Liars viewers know, is never a good sign. I don't know why the girls don't just live life together in permanent sleepover mode given everything that happens when they try to fly solo. She's just chilling out on the sofa watching an old movie when she hears the sound of her music box playing. Clearly she's not alone. Even my goosebumps got goosebumps when we watch Ali bump into what appears to be her dead mother Jessica DiLaurentis, risen from the grave to haunt her. She screams, but the next second Jessica has disappeared as mysteriously as she first appeared. Which leads us to...

Another Ghost Of The Past

After seeing her dead mother with her flesh crusting off her face, Alison decides this is the perfect time to take a nap. An up close and personal experience with a reanimated corpse of a close relative who was mysteriously murdered always gives me sweet dreams, too. She's tucked up in bed when she feels someone cuddled up to her. Someone who feels like her husband. She snuggles back until she realises something's... off, somehow. She turns around to find herself in bed with her dead ex. The only thing worse than finding yourself in bed with your live ex.

At this point, I was fully committed to the idea of the episode as a rare exploration of one of the group's damaged psyche. After all, one of the show's biggest mysteries remains unexplored: how these girls keep on keepin' on despite years of ongoing torture (OK, sure: also why any of them still owns a cellphone given the text-based nature of their torture). But no. This wasn't going to be an in-depth exploration of the problems of mental illness in young women. Because the third plot twist was coming up...

The Scooby-Doo Switcheroo

Did Darren Wilden just rip his face off like a Scooby Doo villain to reveal himself to be Alison's new squeeze, Elliott? Why yes, yes he did. This is the level of plot twist we're at now. People with unbelievably realistic rubber face masks: I mean, how are they even manufacturing these things? Going to Steven Spielberg's special FX crew or what?

Anyways, as you may have guessed: Alison's new husband Elliott is the worst. And not because he had zero personality up until this episode. For a start, he's secretly British. Secondly, he's been in love with Charlotte the whole time, and the marriage was part of an elaborate plot to take over the Carissimi Group. Oh yeah, also, dead Jessica DiLaurentis? Totally not a zombie. She's actually Pretty Little Liars' favourite plot-twist: a twin. Jessica's twin, Mary Drake, who had a baby in the asylum who grew up to be... you guessed it, Charles. Oh, what a tangled web you weave, Pretty Little Liars writers.

Given these three plot twists (and the assorted romantic plot twists that I won't go into here), I would say it was the most shocking Pretty Little Liars episode ever. Which, considering the show's dramatic past plotlines says a lot. Wish me luck getting to sleep tonight without zombie nightmares please, everyone.

Images: ABC (4)