The A-Team

"You're not the only genius in this car. You bitches underestimated me!"

- A (Mona Vanderwaal)

The A-Team is a secret group of people who use the pseudonym "A" to threaten Alison DiLaurentis, Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Spencer Hastings, and Emily Fields. Mona Vanderwaal was a member of the "A-Team", as revealed in "UnmAsked", Toby Cavanaugh was a member of the "A-Team", as revealed in "The Lady Killer", Spencer Hastings was a member of the "A-Team", as revealed in "I'm Your Puppet". As revealed in the episode "The First Secret", the A-Team was created in October 2008.

When Mona was revealed to be A|Original "A", she tried to convince Spencer Hastings to join, what she referred to as the "A-Team". She also alludes to it when she says "You had to earn it, the right to be a part of it". After, Spencer asks her what she's going to do now, because "doesn't 'A' always have a plan?" Mona replies with "Yes, she does", refering to herself. After Mona was admitted into Radley Sanitarium, we hear in her mind that everything is going exactly as they planned. A mysterious person in a red jacket visited her and Mona told her that she did everything she told her to do. From that moment, it is presumed Charles DiLaurentis and Red Coat stole the game from her.

When Toby Cavanaugh was revealed to be helping Mona, there were plans alluded that referred to a mysterious phone call, that never got made. Also it was mentioned that if he and Mona knew that Nate was going to have Garrett Reynolds "off the hook" for Maya's murder then they would have done things differently. Toby's motives for being involved in the "A-Team" were to "keep Spencer safe" as revealed in "A DAngerous GAme".

The A-Team as of "FrAmed" has consisted of Charles, Red Coat/The Black Widow, Spencer, Mona, Toby, Lucas, Melissa and Wilden (according to Mona). In Game Over, Charles, we found out that Charlotte DiLaurentis/CeCe Drake is Charles and Red Coat/The Black Widow is Sara Harvey, both allies and part of the A-Team.

Series
The possibility of a team of more than one "A" tormenting the Liars was practically unheard of. Both the fans and the Liars were of the belief that "A" is only one person. This was mostly due to the fact that in the books, "A" (book character) is only one person, and a team of people has never been used in the books.
 * -|Season 1=

However, despite its team status, the "A" or rather the person in the black hoodie, who was after the Liars was primarily one person (Mona). After "UnmAsked", Marlene King confirmed that Mona was the "A" who did everything to the Liars in the first two seasons (except two things). Either way, however, there were always other people involved with Mona, like Lucas, who was Mona's helper in the first two seasons.

The possibility of an "A-Team" was also ignored up until "Touched by an 'A'-ngel". In the last few minutes of the episode, Spencer, Emily, Hanna and Aria talk about the possibility of "A" working with multiple people. At the time, the Liars were suspecting Jenna and Garrett of being "A", and that Jason killed Alison. The Liars talked about how Jenna, Garrett and Jason were all working together, and "playing for the same team". This was the very first reference to the "A-Team".
 * -|Season 2=

Later, in "A Hot Piece of A", the Liars begin to think that the person in the greenhouse wasn't actually "A", but a helper.

Throughout the season, the Liars continue to suspect Jenna and Garrett, and later, Melissa, of being "A". They often referred to "A" as "them". By the end of the Season 2 finale, most fans had an idea of there being more than one person. However, the current structure of the "A-Team" was not thought of at the time. It was believed by many people that there is only one "A", the person in the black hoodie, and that this "A" had helpers in case of emergency. It was not thought of there being multiple minor "A"s who wear a black hoodie, all controlled by a leader, the Big A, who wears a red coat.

In "UnmAsked", Mona attends the Rosewood Masquerade Ball with the other girls and later, goes with Spencer to the Lost Woods Resort, after Spencer deduces that "A" had rented the room next to the one Alison was staying in. In the room, they find sketches of a Black Swan costume and conclude that "A" must be wearing it at the ball. Mona offers Spencer a stick of gum, but Spencer turns her down. While going through "A's" belongings, Spencer locates a gum wrapper from the same brand of gum Mona just offered her. She tells Mona that she changed her mind and that she'd like a stick of gum after all. Mona agrees, but says she doesn't have any more on her, but that she can go get some out of her car while she goes to call Hanna. She leaves the hotel room while Spencer continues to search. A few minutes later, Mona returns to the room and angrily says "I found the gum!". Spencer looks up from the book and says "You didn't call Hanna.. because you're "A". Spencer turns around and we see Mona wearing a black hoodie. Mona admits she's "A" and congratulates Spencer on figuring it out, right before knocking her out with a flashlight.

Spencer wakes up in a car with Mona driving recklessly towards Lookout Point. Mona says that she wants Spencer to join the A-Team. Spencer asks if the reason Mona became "A" was her anger at them for letting Alison bully her. Mona laughs and says that she got over that a long time ago. Mona reveals that she became "A" because she hated them for stealing Hanna's friendship from her. Spencer pleads with Mona to stop, encouraging her that Hanna is still her friend. As they drive, Spencer is secretly recording their conversation on her phone and sending the video to Aria's phone. Aria, Hanna, and Emily leave the ball immediately and drive to Lookout Point. When they show up, Spencer and Mona struggle, resulting in Mona falling off the edge. Spencer reaches out, trying to save her, but fails even though she survived.

Mona was later put in Radley Sanitarium where she is visited by a mysterious stranger in a red jacket who seems to be giving orders to Mona.

It is confirmed that Mona has had the help of an accomplice. While Mona is still in Radley Sanitarium, the Liars are still getting texts from "A". Also, it is revealed that after the events of "UnmAsked", Spencer, Aria and Hanna returned to "A"s lair and all of "A"s pictures of the liars had been removed. Spencer also mentions several occasions where Mona was with them at the same time they received texts from "A" proving that she has "friends" who help her.
 * -|Season 3=

At the end of "Blood Is The New Black", the new "A" is seen buying various black sweaters and gloves while wearing a red coat. The cashier says "You're buying this for a team?".

In "Single Fright Female", two black hooded figures are seen together. One hands the other the room key to "Room A".

In "The Lady Killer", Nate St. Germain/Lyndon is revealed to have been Maya's killer. Mona walks with a black-hooded member of the "A-Team" back to Radley Sanitarium. Mona talks about how she wishes they could have made "the phone call", but says that even the best laid plans can go awry. She says to the "A-Team" member, "I'll see you soon". When he turns around, audience sees that the member is Toby.

In "She's Better Now", Toby tries to run down Lucas. He's wearing his hoodie so possibly "A" is afraid that Lucas may reveal something he shouldn't. Later a hooded figure tampers with someone's bike and the person (Brad from Decathlon Club - in which Mona later takes his place) crashes.

In "Misery Loves Company, Mona told Toby that "they" need to understand that she's in charge", confirming "A" is indeed a girl.

In "Dead to Me", a member of the "A" team was seen, by a drugged Emily, digging Alison's grave (confirmed later it was Mona). Red Coat was also there - to supervise - and leaves when Emily begins to yell stop. Spencer also found the second "A" lair, but it was empty.

In "I'm Your Puppet", Aria goes to pick up Malcolm from karate, but finds that he has already been picked up by an "Aria Montgomery". She goes to his cubby and finds a carnival flyer with an "A" circled. Aria heads over to the carnival; while talking to her mom, she sees Malcolm getting a balloon with a black hoodie standing by him. Malcolm watches a puppet show and eats popcorn with a black gloved person. After finding him, Malcolm tells Aria that her friend "Alison" picked him up. Spencer is shown putting her pills in her pillow and takes out a black hoodie, along with two puppet show tickets, and thinks about how she joined the "A" team, meaning it was her who took Malcolm.

In "A DAngerous GAme", the other Liars learn that Spencer is working with "A" and unbeknownst to Mona; Toby and Spencer infiltrated for the same reason: Spencer wanted to protect the other girls and Toby confirmed that he did it to protect her. In the fire, started by other "A-Team" members, Mona revealed that she started the "A-Team" and had few followers, but Red Coat wanted to start a partnership and then took over. Mona, Spencer and Toby are expelled off the team. Mona is now a victim of "A". A mysterious person in a Red Coat saves the girls lives. It was Alison. (Revealed later she only saved Hanna)

After Mona is kicked off the team, "A" is believed to work alone, but still has Toby under their thumb by promising answers to his mother apparent suicide for the first half of the season.
 * -|Season 4=

Another person they had help through blackmail was Jessica DiLaurentis who was protecting the one who attempted to kill her daughter while she buried her. She handed someone a suitcase in "Unbridled" indicating she was helping someone in the shadows leave for some place. After Jessica writes an email saying she can't protect the person anymore, someone killed her and buried her in the Hastings backyard.

Shana follows the Liars in New York to kill them and Alison as justice for the Jenna Thing. Aria kills Shana and girls believe Shana was Big A, but it was confirmed it was justice for Jenna.
 * -|Season 5=

In "Miss Me x 100", "A" blows up Toby and Jenna's house and is later revealed the leader is working alone with no helpers at that moment.

Red Coat returns and appears to be working with Charles DiLaurentis. They sabotage Aria's art gallery and get tickets to the Rosewood High School prom.
 * -|Season 6=

Members and Motivations

 * Mona Vanderwaal - Mona was the original and first "A", motivated by a need for revenge due to the bullying she received from Alison. A new "A" took her place following the events of season 2. In the season 3 finale, Mona had revealed that Red Coat was her accomplice for a brief period of time, but Red Coat later took charge over her. From season 4 onwards, Mona has been expelled off the A-Team and is now presumably a target. It has been confirmed that Charles took the game over from Mona, planning his own revenge for years.


 * Toby Cavanaugh - Joined after "Stolen Kisses" to protect Spencer and find more information (expelled from the team).


 * Spencer Hastings - Joined in "I'm Your Puppet" to find information about Toby and Red Coat (expelled from the team).


 * Lucas Gottesman - Alison used to bully him and The Liars did nothing to stop her, but like Melissa, Lucas is a helper of the A-Team only due to being blackmailed by Mona. He gave the massage to Emily in "Touched by an 'A'-ngel". It's assumed he joined the team somewhen in Season 2, and left the team in Season 3.


 * Melissa Hastings - She was mad at Alison for trying to steal Ian from her and thought Spencer killed Alison so she buried the body to protect her. Melissa was the Black Swan (blackmailed by Mona) and the Queen of Hearts (blackmailed by Wilden). It's assumed these are the only two times when Melissa acted as "A".


 * Darren Wilden - Wilden was the Queen of Hearts along with Melissa on the Halloween Train. He also received a message from 'A' telling him to attend "our little barbeque" referring to the lodge fire. It is unknown, though, if he was a real member of the team or a blackmailed member like Lucas and Melissa. He was in Cape May during the Labor Day weekend before Alison's death, and he is also believed to be "Beach Hottie", but it is not confirmed.


 * Charles DiLaurentis - Charles is the one who took game from Mona while she was in Radley, nicknamed Big A. Charles had presumably started the team. Charles is current "A". Charles is revealed to be a transgender, Charlotte DiLaurentis, aka CeCe Drake.


 * Sara Harvey - Charles had her as a decoy Red Coat and The Black Widow. Why she became a part of the team is unknown.

Suspects

 * -|Season 1=
 * Jenna Marshall - She meets an unseen person (Shana, from the costume shop) in the park and hands them an unknown item with the instructions "You know what you need yo do". She was also seen associating with the Black Swan. Jenna hates the Liars for being involved in The Jenna Thing. Also, she and Shana moved Det. Wilden's body after Ashley ran him over. (Season 1, 2, 3, 4)
 * Ian Thomas - He may have started the N.A.T. Club to film people for someone other than himself, Jason and Garrett.
 * Noel Kahn - He has dated both Mona and Jenna, and hates Aria for cheating on him with Ezra. He helped Alison remain in hiding and is anxious to not be caught for it. (Season 1, 2, 3)
 * Alison DiLaurentis -  Alison's behavior is strikingly similar to A's. Alison was also the black hooded figure, who the girls referred to as "A", who pushed Ian off the bell tower. In Season 5, she bribed Cyrus in "A Dark Ali", and seemed to know Bethany, when her mother seemed to be having an affair with Bethany's father. She seemingly lured Bethany into Rosewood to kill her, and is now forming an army of her own when The Liars cut their ties with her. Later, The Liars found out Mona planted fake information about her. (Season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)


 * -|Season 2=
 * Jason DiLaurentis - He almost hit Ali with a hockey stick. There were also many pictures of Aria in his shed. In "She's Better Now", he and Mona are hanging out and he has a screwdriver sized hole in his side, and he disappeared when the Liars appeared in the hospital. (Season 2, 3, 4, 5)
 * Garrett Reynolds - He gave a page from Ali's autopsy report to Jenna to hold onto. (Season 2, 3)


 * -|Season 3=
 * Paige McCullers - She had a violent past with Alison.


 * -|Season 4=
 * Nigel Wright - He is seen talking to Jenna and apologizing to her about failing to keep quiet about CeCe.
 * Wren Kingston - He was clandestinely talking to someone on his cellphone in "The Mirror Has Three Faces", telling this person about the Liars. Also, he made fake ID passes into Radley for CeCe Drake and Toby under Mona's request. He is seen on the phone with someone and is shady about it and later draws a woman with a red coat hinting he may know who Red Coat is.
 * Jessica DiLaurentis - She buried her daughter alive after she thought she was dead. Jessica was protecting the one who tried to kill her before she died.
 * CeCe Drake - Behaves strikingly similarly to Alison and 'A' and supposedly was furious when Alison got her kicked out of college, believing the Liars were involved.
 * Ezra Fitz - Has been known to keep major secrets and lie extremely well, dating Aria for over a year under false pretenses while keeping his past with Alison hidden. He also has amassed an arsenal of spy equipment which he used to track the moves of the Liars and everyone connected to them. He also seems to have great computer skills.


 * -|Season 5=
 * Shana Fring - In the season premiere "EscApe From New York", it was revealed that Shana was the person who shot Ezra. Ezra told Aria this, after he went into shock once he saw Shana at his bedside. She helped set fire at the Thornhill Lodge that night. The Liars found out shortly after when Shana held them at gun point. She claims that this was justice for Jenna, and Alison deserved it as even her own mother was afraid of her. However, Shana's plan to kill the liars was foiled when Aria pushed her off the stage with a large prop gun. Shana hit her head on a table. Shana was then suspected of being 'A', but it was later clarified that 'A' is still around so she has been cleared.
 * Gabriel Holbrook - After Alison is sent to jail, the girls are still threatened by "A", so they believe that Alison has a helper. Because of the alleged kiss in How the 'A' Stole Christmas between Gabriel and Alison and because of his questionable absence, The Liars start to suspect him of doing A's jobs. He helped Alison to cheat on the lie detector test, and he was later kicked off from his police's job because of that. Gabriel clarified in "Oh, What Hard Luck Stories They All Hand Me" to Hanna that Alison used him and he's innocent.
 * Mike Montgomery - The Liars found out he visited Alison in jail, so they think maybe he is her helper. The suspicion grows when he starts acting shady (stealing liars' blood from school's blood drive, meeting Cyrus and giving him an envelope). In "Pretty Isn't the Point", it's revealed he knew Mona wanted to fake her death.


 * -|Season 6=
 * Andrew Campbell - After "Welcome to the Dollhouse", he becomes a fugitive because the police found A's stuff in Campbell's farm, including Andrew's journal in which he stated he hate The Liars. After he was arrested, the girls find out he is adopted and it's supposed that his real identity is Charles DiLaurentis. However, soon after that, the police drops the charges and Andrew is released. When the girls confront him after his release, he tells Aria that the reason he was out at the farm was because he was looking for her.
 * Lesli Stone - Hanna and Spencer take Lesli's Radley file from Mona and they find out she was Bethany's roomate.
 * Rhys Matthews - In "FrAmed", Hanna and Spencer meet him at the "Carissimi Group". They immediately suspect him to be Charles, as he looks exactly like a DiLaurentis. Later they follow him to an old doll factory, where he meets Clark.

A's Lair
A's lair is "A|A's" base of operations. It is where "A" would meet up with the other members and would create their plans. The original lair was located in Room 2 of the Lost Woods Resort. The room contains pictures, newspaper clippings, and dolls resembling the girls and Alison. There is a hole in the wall behind a picture frame so "A" could watch Alison in Room 1 next door. Spencer concludes that "A" was stalking Alison. This is where Spencer figures out Mona is "A", due to the gum wrapper and the cashmere sweaters.

Once the original lair was discovered by Spencer, the other "A"s cleared out the room and began to find and rent a new room elsewhere for the lair. We know the new lair is "Room A" of its building, and is basically an exact replica of the original lair. Mona was seen in the lair in "The Lady Killer" discussing plans with another "A", presumably Toby. In "Dead to Me", Spencer finds the second lair, with the help of a PI, but it is empty when she arrives.

The lair was housed in an R.V.; which Big A got Toby to hand over to them via blackmail.

In "Now You See Me, Now You Don't", Big A's lair appears to be revealed, upstairs in an abandoned building in the town of Ravenswood. The lair is run by Ezra Fitz. The room contains pictures of everyone, a payroll, a closet of black suits, newspaper clippings, letters and laptops with cameras that have street view in order to monitor them at all times. However in in "Free Fall" it is revealed Ezra is not "A", and that he was just writing a true crime book about Alison. He was using all the technology to see if he could get to the bottom of the case.

In "Miss Me x 100", Big A's lair is revealed. She is setting up an apartment in Rosewood with Police radio equipment, the familiar dollhouse and dolls, the Black Widow outfit and other packed boxes.

In "Welcome to the Dollhouse", it is revealed that Big A (Charles) built a dollhouse, which they used to kidnap, Mona, Sara, Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily. He also used the Campbell Farm as a temporary lair, in order to frame Andrew.

Later in "Game On, Charles", Charles attempts to lure Ali into their lair, but Ali manages to not be kidnapped, and along with Ezra and Caleb, succeeds in saving the girls.

Trivia

 * The betrAyer and the second member of the A-Team is revealed to be Toby. Multiple endings were shot to avoid the real one from being leaked. Alternates for the betrAyer role were Caleb and Paige. These alternate endings are available on the Season 3 DVD.
 * Some fans suspect Aria of being "A" because she was the last person to have Vivian Darkbloom's (the alter ego of Alison DiLaurentis) red trench coat, which Red Coat has been known to wear.
 * It's further speculated that Jenna Marshall is on the "A-Team" because during "UnmAsked", she meets an unseen person in the park and hands them an unknown item with the instructions "you know what to do". Some believe this person to be the same person who visits Mona at the end. This might make sense if Mona and Jenna formed a friendship after Halloween 2008, as alluded to in "The First Secret". In "A DAngerous GAme", It was revealed that Shana Fring is the person Jenna met at the park.
 * The leader of the team could be the mystery person seen at the end of "UnmAsked" wearing a red coat, just as it could be the same person seen at the end of "Blood Is The New Black", while wearing a red hoodie buying black hoodies and gloves from a man, who asks whether "A" is buying this merchandise for a team. But after the reveal of Charles, it is assumed both Charles and Red Coat stole the game from Mona.
 * Producers revealed Mona didn't do two of the things "A" did in the first two seasons. This is most likely Emily's massage (she was with Hanna) and killing Ian (she has no known connection to him, and he clearly knew the person that pushed him off the bell tower). The person that gave Emily that massage was Lucas revealed by Mona in "'A' is for A-l-i-v-e". Alison is revealed to have pushed Ian in "A is for Answers".
 * In "The Kahn Game", we see "A" coming to Mrs. Pillsbury (who is obsessed with cats) to rent a room/apartment. Mrs. Pillsbury names "A" as "dear" and talks to her which makes it obvious that this "A" is female. (It is possible it was Mona, since she was still on the team then)
 * It's possible that the leader wears red while the recruiters wear black, such as the person who visited Mona at Radley.
 * We have seen "A" or someone presumed to be "A", in many different disguises: the Red Coat, the Zombie Baby Doll Stalker costume and the Queen of Hearts costume. This leads us to question the size of the A-Team.
 * Hanna finds the key to "Room A" in "Misery Loves Company".
 * Ashley Benson said that there are a few members of the "A-Team" and we will know who they are during season three. She talked about Toby and Spencer.
 * "A" carries around Vivian Darkbloom's driver license and uses it.
 * In Season 4, Toby is a victim of the "A-Team" because "A" knows what happened to his mom and uses that information to get Toby to steal the lair.
 * "A" was revealed to be Charles/Charlotte DiLaurentis aka CeCe Drake.
 * It was revealed that "A" has only one helper, and it was also revealed that Red Coat and The Black Widow are the same person.
 * This person was then shown to be Sara Harvey, who was working with Charlotte at the time. It is unknown what other identities Charlotte made Sara dress up as.