'PLL' May Want Ali Dead

It's not exactly a secret that obsession with the ABC Family show Pretty Little Liars is inevitable for most fans, but some diehards (like myself) are also quite taken with the material that inspired it all: Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars book series. I totally love these books, in all of their soapy, silly, glory. Non-book PLL fans, consider me your source material guide: I started reading the YA novels when the first one hit shelves in 2006, and just finished book 15, Toxic, last week. And as an avid reader, I must say Alison's PLL future isn't looking so bright if the series continues to pull from the books.

As both a reader and a viewer of everything in the Pretty Little Liars universe, it's fun to compare the source material with the TV show. While the show has drifted far from the original source material (the pilot episode was the closest the show has stayed to the books) the show does, on occasion, pick up plots from within the novels. For example, Season 2's reveal of Mona as A was plucked straight out of the books series. Then there are the things that happen in the books that I really want the television series to pick up on — specifically, a huge plot twist that happened at the end of the newest book in the series.

Spoilers for the Pretty Little Liars book series and TV show to follow.

In the Pretty Little Liars book series, the Alison that the girls knew from junior high — the one whose body was found buried in her own backyard — wasn't exactly Alison, but her identical twin, Courtney. Courtney, a patient in a mental institution, had impersonated her twin in order to take over her life, which she did for years without anyone being the wiser. Courtney was the one who befriended Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily, and was the one who was murdered by a jealous Alison, who hated that her sister took over her "perfect" life. Essentially, Alison was the evil twin in this scenario — and was the book's "Ultimate A," wanting desperately to get back at her sister's friends.

In Toxic, Alison seeks the ultimate vengeance on the little liars — and boy, is it dark. The liars finally think that they have caught up to the elusive Alison at the safe house where she appears to be staying, only to realize that their meeting is nothing more than one twisted trap. Alison is nowhere to be found, but as a "parting gift" she has left her blood all over the house — enough to make the cops think that she has to be dead. Alison also leaves along a fake diary that chronicles how the liars tortured Alison to death — which is exactly what the cops think that they did when they arrive on the scene.

This jaw-dropping twist from the book series could be a natural next move for the television show's Ultimate A. Consider how A operates on the television show: A has had plenty of opportunities to off the liars, and yet prefers to psychologically torture them instead. The girls constantly feel like they are in danger, but the reality is that A would prefer to play cat and mouse than actually end the game. A's endgame isn't to kill the liars, but to ruin their lives — what if A does that by framing them for Ali's murder?

It would connect plenty of dots along the way. A wants Alison, sure, but why would A want Ali's friends? After all, Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna really just found out that Ali was alive — and A's been torturing them for years. A wants all five of the girls for something, and this would be the easiest way for him (or her) to torture them all. A would have Ali, and the girls would go to prison for her murder. Five birds, one stone.

Or, you know... rock.

Images: ABC Family, bitchgirlblog/tumblr (3), prettylittleliarsmoments/tumblr (2)