The Pretty Little Liars series finale not only did justice to the show but also left the door open for more deception and mystery.

Watching Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 20 was memorable for me because it felt great to finally get some answers. Learning the prevailing twin theory was true was icing on the cake.

Spencer having a twin was satisfying, if only because there are hints of it stretching as far as the early episodes of this season.

Hanna imagining Spencer in Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 1 was the tip of the iceberg, but at least the small hints made the actual reveal feel well deserved. 

First things first. Spencer trying to figure out where she was and then realizing she wasn't looking in a mirror when the other Spencer didn't put her hand down was pure gold.

Alex's British accent took away most of her spook factor, but somehow yelling boo and shocking Spencer at the very beginning was terrifying enough to make me jump.

Alex delivered above and beyond what a Spencer twin could have actually turned out to be. 

She was truly everything A.D should have been, including ruthless and ready to kill anyone in her way. 

Like I promised you, I will always be here for her.

Alison

• Permalink: Like I promised you, I will always be here for her.

Which reminds me, I wanted Wren to be A.D. but not like this, never like this. 

I get it, the dude just wanted a Hastings girl of his own. That wasn't working out, so he made a strange situation work out in his favor. 

But once your significant other asks you to shoot her so she can takeover her twin sister's life, that is when you get the hell out of there.

Wren in flashbacks made sense because he turned out to have a dark side. If only he had made it out alive. 

Nothing beat Alex showing Spencer a necklace made from Wren's ashes, though. Really, nothing will ever be as brilliant as a twisted happily ever after going the wrong way for someone like Wren. 

We were rooting for you! Well, at least I was. 

I may not be able to see, but I can smell a bitch a mile away.

Jenna

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Mona turning Mary and Alex into her actual dolls amazed because the twist continues the story without feeling bland.

The obvious path for them was jail. Who'd imagine they were in Paris with Mona?

Speaking of Paris with Mona, she did well for herself. I wish her boyfriend turned out to be Mike, though.

Although that probably wasn't possible since siblings were pretty much off limits for the finale. Jason, Mike, and Wes say hello by the way.

Mona continuing the game was her twisted way of getting the upper hand. The lack of control in her life was driving her crazy, and nothing screams power quite like kidnapping two people to do whatever you want.

As much as I wish Mona became part of the main group, the truth is it would never work out. Caleb and Hanna fighting over Mona's place in their lives was enough of an indicator that Mona could do her best to help, but that was her way of making up for what she did to them.

She wasn't on the same level if she was still trying to get them to trust her. 

Mona and Hanna's relationship was an important one, but Mona doing strange things alone in her doll store made it more entertaining and realistic.

Mona will never have a normal life in the traditional sense, but she will have the kind of normal that makes sense to her. Kidnapping people isn't exactly the best thing to show viewers; it is just what Mona had to do after all this.

Are you here to kill me?

Mona

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As for the girls, I would like to mention one thing that bugged me with this short, one-year time jump. 

There was a big return with Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Alison all with their journeys within the relationship. But what was up with all those mentions of pregnancies and babies?

I get it; after marriage, it only makes sense for the next step to be children. Yet it felt like those moments when Hanna was trying to get pregnant or where Aria found out she couldn't, they didn't fit in.

They stood out, having essentially this entire group of friends all focused on having babies. Even Aria and Ezra had seven years of obstacles, and I wasn't exactly rooting for them, but adoption right after a honeymoon?

Obviously, each couple has their own decision-making process; it just felt like those portions of the girls' lives were rushed so they could be included in the overall collection of moments.

They had to check off where we knew where the liars were headed now that almost everyone was married with the next logical step being children.

Is it only me who would have been happier seeing them succeed in their professional lives?

Settling down with weddings and babies answered what we could see the group in the years following the finale, if only that was what everyone was worried about when it came to the future of our favorite liars.

Ella: Sometimes I wish we were still in the basement.
Veronica: Oh my god. You remember how we got out of there?
Ashley: You know Pam didn't drink for a year after that.

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Another minor issues wasn't as much of a nuisance, but yet still felt out of place: the next set of girls.

It's a never-ending circle of bullying and of toxic relationships. It makes sense, but did it have to be included?

Personally, I didn't think this had to be included because it didn't change the trajectory of the story of the main group of girls.

It was a separate issue when Addison thought she could wreak havoc with Emily and Alison's lives, a clear setup for whatever it is now. But why?

Why should her disappearing matter when her original appearance within Rosewood High felt so unnecessary?

All of those young girls are copies of Aria, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Alison which is what makes their story flop.

Alison might not have been a character we related to when Pretty Little Liars was starting its journey, but it worked because the girls shared a bond because of her.

The original story sold. That's why there is no reason for a do over with the same type of premise just to bring it full circle.

This new group feels like a watered down version of the established core, except no one can care about them now because it is the same old story with complete strangers.

Besides that, things made sense and they were intense but entertaining. 

And after all this time, the couples that stayed together all managed to take their relationships one step further.

It is nice to see favorites like Spencer and Toby making it work. Or Emily and Alison finding even more happiness outside of that creepy pregnancy that turned into a happily ever after for them.

Hanna and Caleb had a brief issue, which, okay, might make sense in terms of Mona, but really took away useful time. In the time that it took for them to figure out their relationship that was never actually going to end, we could have gotten more answers.

For example: why was Noel Kahn involved with the A team for that long? He was working for them for a while, but was there ever a reason? 

Ezra and Aria were another one. They were figuring out what their future would look like if they couldn't have children the way they expected, at least. 

Brushing aside the fact that their relationship is the one that continues to baffle me, who thought they wouldn't actually get married?

That crawl to the altar could have been avoided because it took up such a chunk of time.

Overall, it was refreshing to have the girls finally at peace. It would have been a huge let-down if the series finale ended with another A or yet more threats in their future.

Their friendship was the important fixture that kept Pretty Little Liars meaningful. The ending remaining true to that was perfect.

Hopefully, they will all continue to stick around Rosewood now that it is safe, but more importantly, they will always have that friendship.

The girls telling each other how much they love each other was the scene that couldn't have been scrapped. Their happiness together is the true ending of the show.

For Your Consideration

• Wren is the father of Emily and Alison's babies. I was not expecting that, but it makes sense. Wren wanted to be all up in everything, and he was. Nothing happened without him being involved. Did he consent? How did all that go down?

• How did all the moms ever get out of that basement? We need to know. For science. 

• Alex must have really thought she cared for Toby if she appreciated his entire existence both during and after his full beard incident. Maybe there was really something there. Alex didn't give off a vibe that she cared about many people.

• Mona turned into Hanna's responsibility and got into many arguments over it. Alison was the only person to trust someone, her sister Charlotte. It didn't feel fair that Hanna had to keep convincing everyone that her gut feeling about Lucas and Mona was worth trusting.

• I. Marlene King made another appearance, this time interrupting the ceremony with her phone. That had to be the best way to introduce herself in her own show. I was going to object to Ezra and Aria, but I. Marlene King did it first.

What did you think of that wrap up? Did you get all the answers you were seeking? 

Let us know below.

And if you already miss the show like I do, you can always watch Pretty Little Liars online right here at TV Fanatic!

Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.