Much like with the little boy who cried wolf, Alison has lied about the truth so many times that believing in her innocence is almost impossible at this point. That's why she ended up in jail, and that's why it was so easy for the Liars to believe that Ali killed Charlotte on Pretty Little Liars . But, of course, it didn't help that she also seemed to confess to the crime during the Season 7 premiere. When Emily came right out and asked Ali if she killed her sister, she woke up with a start and said, "Please God, forgive me." Not exactly a confession to Charlotte's murder, mind you, but it's clear that Alison feels guilty about something that she did in the past. The only question is: what could it be?
Some fans may be convinced that Ali really was referring to Charlotte's death in this moment, but if Pretty Little Liars has taught me anything throughout these past six seasons it's that nothing is ever as clear-cut as it seems. Alison looks super guilty right now, so odds are she probably isn't. This show loves to mess with us and throw out red herrings at every turn. However, that's not to say that Ali hasn't done something wrong. Something has been weighing on her conscience lately and considering that Emily found the red jacket from the night of Charlotte’s death packed away in Ali’s room, there's a chance it still has to do with what happened that fatal evening.
Perhaps Ali and Charlotte got into a fight on that night, which prompted Charlotte to storm out (accidentally grabbing Ali's jacket) on the way out. It's possible that Ali blames herself for Charlotte's death, not because she killed her, but because she's the reason Charlotte left that night and she wants to be forgiven. Maybe Ali has been constantly haunted by the thought that her sister would still be alive if they hadn't quarreled. That would at least explain why she feels so guilty without actually having any blood on her hands.
On the other hand, maybe that really was Alison that Aria and Ezra saw going into the church. Maybe she was the one who arranged for her sister to chat with whoever A.D. is, not realizing the grim plan this person had in store. Perhaps she knows who killed Charlotte and is feeling guilty over not telling the police. Then again, this is Ali we're talking about, so it's also possible that she's completely faking this whole guilt thing and is actually playing a much bigger A game than we realize. Maybe she's A.D. and just wants to see how far her friends will go to save each other. It seems unlikely, especially now that Rollins keeps dosing her with meds, but hey, you never know!
Either way, Ali is hiding something big from her friends, which proves that even if she has changed for the better in many ways, she hasn't changed completely. Let's just hope that the truth (once it inevitably comes out) will help shed light on everything and allow Ali to be released from Rollins' clutches.
Images: Eric McCandless/Freeform (2); prettylittleliars/Tumblr
