10. Game Over, Charles

Complete story — includes the ending

Mona locates ‘A’s base of operations at The Carissimi Group. She, Sara, and the liars find ‘A’s lair, but Sara hesitates to go inside and is separated from the group. A holographic projection displays a live stream of Alison talking to a hooded figure. Kenneth and Jason lie paralyzed on the floor nearby. ‘A’ turns around, and the girls are shocked to see that it’s Cece Drake. Cece confirms that she and Charles DiLaurentis are the same person. As a child, Cece lacked a necessary awareness of human mortality. Her efforts to care for baby Alison often ended in disaster, and she was committed to Radley after one too many incidents. Jessica routinely visited her daughter while Kenneth kept his distance. Cece began to present as Charlotte around her trusted friend, Bethany Young. Bethany’s kind disposition flipped when she killed Marion Cavanaugh and pointed the finger at Cece. Jessica bribed Detective Wilden to rule the death a suicide. After a symbolic funeral for “Charles,” Cece began living as Charlotte. She used her out privileges to attend college and pay unauthorized visits to her siblings. Cece developed a friendship with Alison, as well as a controversial romantic relationship with Jason. Jessica warned Cece that Kenneth believed “Charles’s” grave to be real. The night Bethany snuck out of Radley, Cece followed her to Rosewood. She mistook Alison for Bethany and hit her with a rock. Jessica buried one daughter to save the other, and Wilden accepted another bribe. Cece learned about the ‘A’ game from Mona, took the reins, and quickly found herself obsessed. Cece treated the liars like her dolls, “taking care” of them in much the same way she did Alison when they were young. Mona realizes that she is the one who hit Bethany that fateful night. Sara reveals her allegiance to Cece, and Emily is outraged. Spencer and Mona identify Radley as the source of the live stream. The girls race to the asylum where Spencer diffuses a bomb Cece had planted. Cece goes to the roof of the building and debates jumping off the edge before opting to surrender instead. Once the dust has settled, the girls see each other off to college and go their separate ways. A flash forward shows Alison writing on a chalkboard at Rosewood High. The liars storm into the classroom and warn Alison that someone is coming after her.