Alison DiLaurentis's Disappearance - Chronology of Events of June/July/August, September 1 and September 2 of 2009 (about eight years before show's current timeline).
This is a list of events leading up to the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis. These events occur after "The First Secret" (October 2008).
A majority of the following took place before and within the first episode, "Pilot" (offscreen).
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The Summer - June, July, August
The Summer and the Jenna Thing
Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna begin to prepare for Alison’s memorial. The memorial sparks memories of a summer day that the girls had spent lounging by the shore of the lake. Ironically, the girls had spoken about immortality and the fantasy of living in this moment forever. Alison had said that one could attain that only by dying young and leaving behind a beautiful corpse. Getting into it, Alison had romanticized how fabulous it would be to die in a mysterious way.
Jenna had come to start a barbecue, wearing her now familiar shades then taking them off. Alison expressed her annoyance, and Emily commented on Toby's conspicuous absence. When Alison responded by mocking him in conversation, Spencer rolled her eyes and pointed out how typical it was of Alison to taunt others. But, she softened when the girls all agreed that this day was perfect and then shared their dream that they would be friends until they grow old.
Alison had spotted Noel with a girl named Prudence. Alison had torn into her too, suggesting that she was anything but chaste with Noel and provocatively suggested that she had gotten a boob job. Aria had ogled at Noel applying sun block on her enviously. As if reading her mind, Alison asked if she would "also" do something like that to get Noel's attention. She then teased Aria for falling for brainy guys. She also called Noel immature and simultaneously perfect for Aria, flustering her. Ali said she preferred more mature guys.
When Lucas had run in front of them to pick up his toy motor boat, she had incessantly made offensive comments to him. Finally, Hanna had exclaimed "hey" as if to stand up to Alison and stop her from teasing him, but she recoiled and sat silent. Alison then turned on her, warning her to never let a moment pass, as Lucas trudged away.
Alison had commented on the pair of Noel and Prudence heading to where assumed was The Kissing Rock. She had, as a matter of fact, informed Emily that people had gone there to kiss for hundreds of years. She then looked Emily daringly in the eyes and asked her who she would like to take to The Kissing Rock. Emily had just smiled shyly while staring back.
(All Flashbacks from "Please, Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone")
At a party, Ali send a text to Prudence that causes her to break up with Noel for Aria. Noel coldly says "Happy now?" before chasing after her. When Aria asks why, Ali answers "I only kill when I eat, or when I'm bored."
(Flashback from "Salt Meets Wound")
It all starts when Alison claims she spotted Toby peeping through her bedroom window while the girls were getting dressed (later proven to be a lie). To get revenge, Alison suggests that they go to Toby's house to set off what Ali claims is a stink bomb in the garage (which was Toby's hangout at the time). Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer all don't think it's a good idea and Emily and Aria want to go back but Alison won't let them. She tells them it's a harmless prank to teach Toby a lesson and assures them no one is inside. Alison gets a match from Spencer, lights the stink bomb, and throws it into the garage.
She then tells the girls to run, without explaining what she sees inside. The stink bomb, which is actually a firecracker, causes an explosion and the garage catches fire. that ends up blinding Jenna. After the accident, Hanna insists that they go to the cops and fess up, only to be yelled at by Alison. Toby lies to the police about the incident, saying it was he who set the garage on fire after Alison blackmails him with information about his and Jenna's physical relationship, thus making "The Jenna Thing" a huge secret for Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer, who were accomplices to Alison's prank and all lied to the police about it.
Toby is sent to a reform school for a year after the incident.
In the aftermath of The Jenna Thing, Alison bought the other Pretty Little Liars friendship bracelets with their names on them to seal their friendship so the secret will never get out. Alison had given the girls the bracelets in the same restaurant in which Emily is now sitting, having the flashback. At the time, she had even suggestively asked Emily to tie hers for her.
(All Flashbacks, "The Jenna Thing")
Alison and Emily kiss in the library. Emily later kisses Ali's neck in the locker room but she rejects her (Flashback, "The Perfect Storm").
Toxic Relationships
Alison visited Toby in the juvenile facility. She thinks he was the person writing notes to people as "A" while Jenna was in the hospital. He says it wasn't him and that he wishes he knew who was doing it because he'd love to help them. He thinks that Alison and her posse deserved to get those notes. (Flashback from "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno")
Spencer flashes back to a college party Alison had snuck them into with fake ID's, probably in an effort to spy on Ian. Ian had been flirting with a particularly tipsy girl and had gone off with her to one of the rooms upstairs. Looking back, the girls wish they had said something to Melissa sooner about Ian.
The girl that Ian had left with had suddenly taken a nasty tumble down the stairs in the middle of the party. They had all exchanged looks after her fall, although Ali had been nowhere in sight, but Ian had been at the top of the stairs. In hindsight, the girls are left to question whether Ian had pushed that girl.
When Alison had shown up, she had seemed either oblivious to the girl's accident or indifferent. Later, when the police had come, the girls were afraid of being caught underage at a drinking party. Alison took charge of the situation, brazenly asking the police officer for a ride home in his car, not wanting to take the bus, claiming that she felt too tipsy to drive when really she wasn't old enough to even have a license. The girls got into the car, and Ali and Ian exchanged looks from across the lawn.
It was revealed in Season 4 that the police and others thought CeCe was the one who pushed the girl and it prompted her expulsion from college.
It was revealed in Season 7 however that Noel Kahn had been the one that push the girl down the stairs and that Alison used the information to Blackmail him into help her. Although they paid off the police into not arresting him so the blame was placed on CeCe Drake.
(All Flashbacks, "The Badass Seed")
Alison catches Ian and Spencer kissing (Flashback, "Know Your Frenemies").
While standing on the DiLaurentis porch, Spencer flashes back to one summer when Ali and the girls were lounging in the DiLaurentis' front yard. Jason had stormed out of the house, accusing Alison of messing with his stuff. She retorted back sharply, mocking him and his friends for being stoners; the girls laughed. When Jason went back into the house, they questioned Alison whether she had stolen what he claimed she had. She had admitted it gleefully. When Emily asked her whether she was worried that Jason would rip apart her room in search of his things, she mischievously replied that he would never find what she hid. Just then, a smashing sound was heard from inside the house. (Flashback, "The Goodbye Look")
Jason was having a party with his friends, and a distraught Alison had come to Spencer's house seeking refuge from the drunk boys at the party. She had been in a tearful state, but had lashed out when the girls tried to show her compassion and support, insulting them and turning impersonal. Emily had been over at the time as well, and the two girls wondered what had happened to Alison that upset her so much, other than party boys stumbling into her bedroom for all sorts of reasons. She makes up a story about her grandmother not being well, but the girls don't buy it. (Flashback, "My Name Is Trouble").
Alison attempts to blackmail Spencer into telling Melissa about the kiss (Flashback, "Pilot").
Alison and Jason fight with Spencer's field hockey stick (Flashback, "Surface Tension").
Flashback to a chubby Hanna entering a hair salon and being sat next to a dark-haired girl named Vivian Darkbloom. Hanna recognizes Ali's voice and is surprised to see that Vivian is actually Alison! Ali says she is pretending to be someone else and asks Hanna to play along. When Hanna asks why, Ali says she does it all the time because she is bored and suggests Hanna do the same sometime. Ali hints she gets sick of being herself sometimes, and pulls off the wig. (Flashback, "A Kiss Before Lying")
Alison playing the piano in the living room. Ali's mom very angrily slams the cover on the piano keyboard down, nearly crushing Alison's fingers. Jessica asks Ali if she thought the stunt she and CeCe pulled was funny. Ali has no idea what she is talking about. Jessica explains she had gotten a call from the Radley staff saying that Alison may be a danger to herself and she wants to stay in Radley. Ali's mom had then panicked and rushed off to Radley, running red lights to get there quickly. The girl she found was dressed in Ali's clothing, but it was CeCe Drake. Ali laughs and says she can't believe "that crazy bitch actually did it." Ali's mom says that their friendship is toxic, to which Ali says so are a lot of things, and that Cece is no longer welcome in their house. Unruffled, Ali continues playing the piano. (Flashback, "The Mirror Has Three Faces")
The Start
Alison tells the girls about meeting Ezra at a pub while hanging out with CeCe. Alison tricks him into thinking she's a literature buff.
Alison and Ezra have a date at a bar where she reads him a story she wrote (Flashback, "Bite Your Tongue").
Ezra takes Alison to the Fitzgerald Theater in New York City (Flashback, "EscApe From New York").
Before she went to Cape May, she had a sleepover at Spencer's house. During the night, she came into the house teary-eyed with a bloody lip. Mrs. Hastings asked her what had happened, and Ali told her that she had to promise not to tell her parents. Mrs. Hastings embraced her, and Ali suddenly quit her tearful act and smiled, telling her that she was just overreacting. (Flashback, "I'm Your Puppet")
Jessica tells the story of the summer before Ali went to Cape May to Hanna. While at a restaurant/cafe with Alison, Jessica agrees to buy Ali the Yellow Tank Top she wants even though she said earlier that it was too revealing.
Ali then asks her mom if she and the Liars could go to Cape May for the last weekend of summer because they "need a major sleepover" and they need to go there because if they have a sleepover at Rosewood "it would suck." Jessica says no but Ali holds her breath to gain her approval, her mom gives in after 45 seconds of her holding her breath but only for 1 night. Hanna then reveals that Ali never asked them to go and Jessica says that she suspected her being with an "older crowd".
Spencer starts using drugs, causing her and Melissa to get into a huge fight. Alison walks in on Veronica cleaning up their mess (Flashback, "Unbridled").
Staying at her Grandma's and Cape May
Jessica finds out that CeCe Drake is actually her daughter Charlotte as she and the rest of the DiLaurentis family prepare to leave for Cape May. (Flashback, "Game Over, Charles").
In her first visit to Cape May (probably with CeCe), she met this boy commonly known as "the Beach Hottie" and they had a sexual relationship with each other. And after 1 night she returned to Rosewood. (The Liars, discovery in Ali's notebook, "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno").
When the girls had all been hanging out in Hanna's kitchen with Regina, Alison had mysteriously questioned Hanna's grandmother. She had been talking about her two sons, Tom and Patrick, when Alison had suddenly asked what it would take to have one of them removed from her will. Regina had been taken aback by the question, but Alison had pressed on with: if one of her sons sold an expensive family heirloom to buy drugs, would that constitute dismissal from the family tree? Regina had gone along with it, saying that anyone that messed up would constitute a truncated family tree. (Flashback, "I Must Confess").
Ali asked her mother to have a vacation at her Grandma's and she agreed. Alison left Rosewood again and went to her Grandmother's in Georgia, but she only went there briefly so that she had an alibi to go to Cape May. During her stay she spent time with Tippi. (Jessica told Hanna, "Turn of the Shoe").
Jessica tries to convince Ali that Spencer is "A" (Flashback, "Unbridled").
During her stay at her Grandma's she was calling Mrs. Grunwald in her secret room in Cicero College to help her find out who A is. Because of Ali calling her Tippi picked up Carla's number. (Carla told the Liars, "Now You See Me, Now You Don't")
Other than calling Carla, Ali was also calling Board Shorts because Tippi knows him.
After briefly staying at her Grandma's again she returned to Cape May, New Jersey with CeCe. There she met up with "the Beach Hottie" again (The Liars, discovery in Ali's notebook, "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno").
While CeCe and Ali were in Cape May, Detective Wilden and Melissa were also there. Wilden was on vacation with some friends while CeCe only told Emily that Melissa was there.
Ali thought she was pregnant with Wilden's baby and went to CeCe (Flashback, "Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno") but it was actually a false alarm (Mona told Spencer this in "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?").
Tracking down "A"
As the summer was ending she secretly went to Rosewood again to track down "A".
In Hector's flashback, we see Ali demanding Hector give her the money he owes her. He hasn't been paid yet, so he doesn't have the money for Ali, but she is desperate and tells him to give her whatever he has on him and they can call it square. He hands her some money not even close to the amount he actually owes her, but Ali doesn't care. She just asks what the fastest way is to get to Route 30. He gives her the directions and she runs out, jumping into a mysterious black car. Hector says that he couldn’t see the driver. This flashback takes place the summer Ali disappeared. Aria asks Hector why Melissa was here, and he says that she wanted to know about the Ali masks so he made her the same deal as he did with Emily - her face in exchange for information. (Flashback, "Face Time").
Alison and A sent messages to each other using the Rosewood Observer's Classified Ads, this was going on for a month before A arranged for them to meet in Brookhaven on Labor Day Morning. (Spencer's discovery in newspapers, "If These Dolls Could Talk").
During the Masquerade Ball, Spencer is chatting with Mona, she brings up the last time Mona saw Ali - at a vintage shop in Brookhaven. She had seen Ali, dressed strangely, spying on someone. Mona tells Alison that in exchange for keeping Ali's secret she wants to be popular, Alison then takes out a postcard and writes a phone number on it, which she tears off and hands to Mona. (Mona told Spencer, "UnmAsked"). This "flashback" never actually occurred, because after the girls found out they couldn't trust Mona, one Liar questioned the reality of this story and Mona did not defend its validity. Also, Alison doesn't mention this meeting in "A is for Answers."
Alison was also blackmailing Byron Montgomery that summer about his affair with Meredith. (the Liars' discovery, "She's Better Now").
Hilton Head
When Ian and Melissa were still dating, she got pregnant and she went to Hilton Head to get a secret abortion, but it never happened as she miscarried, that's why Melissa's new pregnancy was much more important to her (Melissa told Spencer, "Know Your Frenemies").
When Melissa, Ian, and Spencer are chatting with Mrs. Ackard at the Rosewood Founder's Festival, the Hilton Resort is brought up by Mrs. Ackard, and based on Melissa's initial responses, it seems that Melissa and Ian stayed in different rooms while they were there, why they did that was because Alison was in the same room as Ian at the time. (Conversation with Mrs. Ackard, "Monsters in the End")
Alison and Ian went to Hilton Head the same time as Melissa did, to get her mind off "A". (Flashback, "Salt Meets Wound" and airplane scene between Aria and Duncan, "Eye of the Beholder")
The Day Alison Went Missing - September 1
Morning
Alison went to Hilton Head with Ian in order to focus her mind off of "A". She was staying in the same room with him, when she overhears a conversation between Melissa and Ian. Melissa tells Ian she knows Alison in the room, and tells her he can't see her again. Ian tells Melissa Alison means nothing to him. Alison notices Ian's videos and notices the Jenna and Toby video. She makes a copy of the videos and leaves to meet Jenna.
Alison (presumably dressed as Vivian Darkbloom) calls Duncan Albert to come pick her up in his airplane from Hilton Head, South Carolina. He drops her off in a field nearby Philadelphia, concluding that Alison was secretly in town 6–7 hours before the girls believed her to have arrived. (Flashback, "Salt Meets Wound" and Airplane scene between Aria and Duncan, "Eye of the Beholder")
Alison checks into the Lost Woods Resort under the alias "Vivian Darkbloom". She has also checked in once before. She checks into Room 1. (The guestbooks found by Spencer and Aria, "UnmAsked")
Sometime after, it is assumed Alison, after a long correspondence through personal ads in the The Rosewood Observer, goes to finally meet/confront "A" on Spruce Street (in front of the creepy Doll Hospital in Brookhaven). It is unknown at this time how the meeting went, or if they met at all. All that is known is that the meeting was scheduled. (Spencer's discovery in newspapers, "If These Dolls Could Talk").
At an unknown time (unknown if it's before or after the meeting), Ali was believed to have called the police on a payphone on the junction of Spruce street. (Hanna's discovery on the internet, "Who's In The Box?").
Alison visits Jenna at the hospital and shows Jenna a video of her and Toby together and blackmails Jenna into keeping "The Jenna Thing" a secret, stating that if Jenna ever returned to Rosewood, or send her another text, Alison would bury her. Alison tells Jenna that the video will be kept "under lock and key." Alison walks out and gets a text from "A", stating they will kill her tonight. Alison realizes Jenna is not "A". (Flashback, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "A is for Answers")
Sometime before visiting Emily later in the day (presumably on her way back home), she bought a storage locker, into which she deposited a flash drive containing Ian Thomas' creepy/pervy videos, including the video of Jenna and Toby, inside one of her old lunch boxes. (presumed from "Monsters in the End")
Afternoon
Alison returns home, pulling up in a taxi, and is greeted by the girls after "supposedly" returning by bus from her summer vacation at her grandma's house in Georgia. She is beautifully tanned, but also complains that her arms are sore. Spencer sees a Hilton Head resort tag on Alison's luggage. After Spencer asks her about Hilton Head being in South Carolina, Alison responds, "Why so many questions?" Alison seems excited, saying she can't spill every detail and to "wait for it." (Flashback, "Salt Meets Wound")
Alison returns to her home. Alison goes into her bedroom, and notices a gift from her mother. It is the infamous Yellow Blouse. Alison puts it on, and turns around. She sees written on her mirror in Jungle Red lipstick: "I'm everywhere. And soon, you'll be nowhere. -A".
Alison after returning home then visits Emily and gives her a snow globe: a key to said storage locker (with the label) is hidden inside of it. Alison tells Emily to keep it safe because it's "a lot more valuable than it looks." Alison tells Emily she needs to go because she has "a prior engagement" but that she will meet up with the girls later. Alison then leaves Emily's house. (Flashback, "Monsters in the End")
Alison has dinner with her family before the sleepover. (Mentioned by Aria in "Never Letting Go")
Mrs. DiLaurentis is on the phone with someone, seemingly upset. She says "How could this have happened? Please send someone!" She was most likely talking about her son and Bethany Young escaping Radley. Alison is about to leave for the sleepover, when her mother tells her she cannot go out. She tells Alison she knows things about Spencer's family. Mrs. DiLaurentis returns to her urgent phone call, and Alison sneaks some of her mom's pills. Alison leaves when her mom's not looking. (Flashback, A is for Answers)
The Sleepover
Alison arrives at Spencer's barn, purposefully scaring the other four girls in process, before proceeding to hang out at their sleepover party. Toby calls Ali but she doesn't answer. Ali sits down and drugs the girls to see whether they are A or not. Sometime later in the night, the girls, except Alison, all fall asleep drunk. (Scenes, "Pilot")
Alison meets up with Toby. He and Alison met outside of Spencer's barn, and Alison borrowed his sweater because it was cold. They met so Toby could thank her for helping him be free of Jenna's manipulations. When they part, Toby sees Alison get into a car with Ezra, and she is still wearing Toby's sweater. (Scene, "Keep Your Friends Close," Toby to Emily).
Ali gets in the car with Ezra. Ezra is mad because Alison lied about her age. Alison's bracelet falls off, and she puts it on the other wrist. Ezra leaves, and tells Alison this is goodbye, ending their relationship. (Flashback, "A is for Answers")
Spencer wakes up and sees Ali not there and waits for Ali to come back. (Flashback. "A is for Answers)
Alison meets with Ian at The Kissing Rock, where they make a makeout-tape. Alison teases Ian, "I know you want to kiss me." Ian replies, "Come closer." A struggle appears to occur, and the camera falls to the ground, losing focus on the other two. Then, Alison's hand falls into view of the camera; her hand grabs onto some leaves and dirt, before going limp. Alison giggles and gets up. Ian kisses her. After the video, Alison threatens Ian with the videos, and to stop threatening her. Ian warns her not to tell anyone, or else people will get hurt and storms off. (Scene with video that "A" sent, "Know Your Frenemies") (flashbacks, "A is for Answers")
Alison goes back to the barn. All the girls are asleep...except for Spencer. Spencer stares at Ali and says "I've been waiting for you." Alison and Spencer go into the house and argue. Alison pressures Spencer to tell Melissa about her and Ian, or she will. Spencer says to Alison that she is sick of her games. Spencer says, "You are dead to me already." Alison then leaves with Spencer angry trying to go upstairs but Spencer decides to go outside instead of her room. Someone takes a picture of Alison in front of Spencer's barn, with Spencer's shadow in the shot. (Flashback, "If At First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again")
CeCe Drake/Charlotte DiLaurentis went to Alison's house after escaping Radley. She witnessed the fight between Ali and Spencer, as they go outside, Mrs. DiLaurentis also saw the fight and paid CeCe to not tell anybody. (Spencer's discovery in Ezra's research, "She's Come Undone").
Spencer follows Alison, telling her that their conversation isn't over but Alison says it is and so are they. Spencer yells at her to stop walking, and she grabs a nearby shovel. Alison looks at her, a bit frightened and tells her to put the shovel down before she hurts herself. (Flashback, "She's Come Undone").
She tries to attack Ali but collapses, Spencer's ADHD pills falls out of her pocket and gets picked up by Ali. Spencer runs away from Ali but Ali follows trying to catch up to Spencer. When she did catch up, Spencer then begged Ali to not tell anyone. Ali agreed, and tells her not to take the pills anymore. Alison sends Spencer back to the barn to sleep. (flashbacks, "A is for Answers")
Melissa watches Spencer and Alison fight and sees Spencer walk away with the shovel. (Flashback, No One Here Can Love or Understand Me)
Sometime, presumably after Alison and Ian's encounter at the Kissing Rock, Ian arrives at Ali's house before Ali can get home, and he meets up with Garrett Reynolds and Jenna Marshall who are gathered in Alison's bedroom and looking for N.A.T. Club videos that she had stolen from them ("The Blond Leading the Blind"). While searching, Melissa arrives distressed and looking for Alison (because she thought Spencer hit Ali).
Garrett and Jenna leave Ian and Melissa alone, and exit the house into the DiLaurentis backyard. Alison confronts them, and reminds Jenna of the promise she made if she ever came back to Rosewood. Jenna tries to attack Alison, and a small fight breaks out. Alison pushes Jenna who falls over a lawn chair. Jenna grabs a nearby field hockey stick that belonged to Spencer, and goes for Alison.
Garrett grabs the stick from Jenna. He raises his eyebrows in confirmation to Alison, who slightly nods and he proceeds to pretend killing Alison with the field hockey stick, but was really hitting the tree. Jenna asks if she's dead, and Garrett says he took care of it and the two then run away.
A little bit later, Garrett comes back to see if Alison is okay, and is surprised to see her talking to Byron Montgomery, Aria's father. Alison says "If you don't pay for your mistakes, how do you become a better person?" Byron replies back "You say all these grown-up things, yet you're still a child." Alison smirks and says "You know what I'm capable of." Garrett makes a noise and the conversation is interrupted. He runs off leaving Alison and Byron looking on to see who was there. (Flashbacks, "This Is A Dark Ride")
After Garrett left the scene, Byron continues their conversation, telling Ali that he didn't bring any money. Alison threatens Byron, and he responds by bringing up that if Alison tells Ella it will really hurt Aria, and he doesn't believe she is that horrible of a person. Alison retorts by saying that he clearly doesn't know her that well then.
Byron begins to walk away, and Alison threatens him again saying it's his last chance to save himself. Byron turns while he is leaving and replies, "Yes it is," presumably meaning he was going to tell Ella himself. Alison screams back "You made your bed Mr. Montgomery," Byron turns back and sees Melissa Hastings coming out from the DiLaurentis's back door on the phone with someone.
She seems distressed, and says into the phone "What do I have to do, call 911 to get your attention?" Byron takes notice, then turns and leaves. (Flashback, "Misery Loves Company")
Melissa, after walking out of the porch, sees Bethany and talks to her, begging her to talk to Ali to get the stolen videos back. CeCe went to find Ali and Ali said she was going to give them to her, but never returned (CeCe told Emily, Hot Water. This is probably a lie, because Alison never mentions this, nor does Melissa. Also, The videos were already given to Emily in the snow globe.)
Jason DiLaurentis stumbles out onto his porch, drunk and high. After stumbling down the steps and attempting to drink from a garden hose, he sees Melissa and Bethany talking about something seemingly important and Bethany is seen wearing a similar outfit to the one Alison was wearing at the time (yellow top, dark skinny jeans). After witnessing this, Jason collapses in a lawn chair and passes out again. (Flashback, "What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted") (This is unreliable because Jason was high and drunk that night). On "Game Over, Charles" was confirmed by Charlotte DiLaurentis herself that Jason possibly saw Bethany instead of her.
Sometime after this, Garrett or Jenna, or both, slipped a note to Jason that says "I know what you did", in order to make him believe he hurt Alison, since Jenna thought Garrett had killed her. (revealed in Over My Dead Body)
Alison waits in the barn, staring at her friends sleeping. She waits for a text from "A". She does not get one. (Flashback, "A is for Answers").
Alison goes home, thinking she has won because "A" didn't try to kill her. She sees her angry mother in the window. Suddenly, her moms anger turns into terror. Alison is hit behind the head with a rock by CeCe/Charlotte and collapses. The bloody rock falls to the ground. Alison's mom covers her mouth in horror.
Alison's mom then buried Alison where the gazebo was being constructed, thinking she is dead. She is screaming to CeCe, "What have you done?! What have you done?!" Alison attempts to tell her mom she is alive, but cannot move due to temporary paralysis. (Flashback, "A is for Answers")
Charlotte is sitting under a tree, crying as her mother yells at her. She begs her to forgive her, to believe her when she says she thought it was Bethany, not Alison. (Flashback, "Game Over, Charles")
Some time later, Alison is able to reach her arm out of the dirt to try to free herself. Carla Grunwald has a bad feeling (this could be a vision) and goes to Alison's backyard, only to find Alison's hand. She pulls Alison out of the ground. Mrs. Grunwald drives Alison to a hospital, but Alison runs away when she goes inside to get help. (Flashbacks, "This Is A Dark Ride," "A DAngerous GAme," and "Now You See Me, Now You Don't")
Meanwhile, Jessica talks to Wilden for him to cover the alibi. Charlotte, still confused, goes away in his car to Radley.
Presumably after Ali escaped her demise, Bethany Young, after escaping Radley, wanders onto the DiLaurentis backyard. As instigated by Charlotte DiLaurentis, Bethany, after her arrival talked to Melissa herself, the topic unknown. Later, someone attacks Bethany from behind with the same shovel Spencer had grabbed earlier. She is hit so hard that it makes an indentation on her skull and she falls unconscious next to the gazebo site. Her assailant is later revealed to be Mona Vanderwaal, who thought she was Alison. She was so angry at her she wanted to kill her. (Revealed in "Game Over, Charles")
And shortly after, Melissa finds her lying on the floor facedown with a gash in her head next to the empty grave. Melissa thinks this is Alison because Bethany is wearing the same outfit that Alison was wearing. She thinks Spencer killed her while they were fighting and in an attempt to protect her sister, Melissa pushed Bethany into the pit where Alison had been and buries her alive, ultimately killing her, not realizing she wasn't Alison nor was she dead. (Flashback, "No One Here Can Love or Understand Me")
Aria, Hanna, and Emily wake up to find Alison and Spencer gone. Spencer then appears and says she has looked everywhere but cannot find Alison and that she thinks she heard a scream, that scream was probably from Bethany. (Scene, "Pilot")
After Ali ran away from Mrs. Grunwald, a car pulls up. It is Mona Vanderwaal. She takes Ali to the Lost Woods Resort, checks in as Vivian Darkbloom per Alison's request, and cleans her wounds. She tells Ali that she needs to fake her death, in order for "A" to leave her alone. Alison is seen sleeping. Next door, we see Mona in her "A" lair. She was Alison's "A". It seems that Mona was not the A who texted Ali threatening to kill her, but this is not confirmed. Mona may have sent that text without actually meaning it, and coincidentally someone else did end up trying to kill her that night. (flashbacks, "A is for Answers")
September 2
Mona helps disguise Alison with a black wig and clothes so she can disappear. Before she leaves Alison gives Mona tips on how to be the person she wants to be.
Alison gets in her car, and sees Mona staring at her. Alison smiles and leaves. Mona stands there, with an eerie smile on her face. (Flashback, "A is for Answers").
Unknown Parts
BEFORE SLEEPOVER
- Alison, after returning home, then visits Emily and gives her a snow globe: a key to said storage locker (with the label) is hidden inside of it. Alison tells Emily to keep it safe because it's "a lot more valuable than it looks." Alison tells Emily she needs to go because she has "a prior engagement" - What was the "prior engagement"? And if ever, who did she meet up with?
- Who gave Ali the bloody lip in a season 3 flashback?
Marlene said in this interview: “during that episode and Ali’s life, she was really taunting the girls about these older people she was hanging out with, sort of a bad crowd. In the writers room we never said specifically who it was, but in our minds, it was that group of people. She was trying to make the PLLs jealous, she was hanging out with older people, probably Charlotte and college kids, the same group of kids who threw the poor girl down the stairs. It lives in that world.”
DURING SLEEPOVER
- Garrett and Jenna leave Ian and Melissa alone, and exit the house into the DiLaurentis backyard. Then after Ali and Byron's conversation Byron sees Melissa come out talking to someone - What happened to Ian after Melissa comes out? And who was Melissa talking to on the phone?
- Jason saw Melissa talking to a woman in the same yellow top Alison was in. He assumes it was CeCe, but it was confirmed by her that it wasn't her and it was most likely Bethany; however she only assumes that - Was Melissa talking to Bethany or someone else? And what were they talking about?
- If Mona hit Bethany and Melissa buried her, how did an Alison bracelet end up on the body?
We saw a flashback of Jessica yelling at Ali for playing games with CeCe; where CeCe pretends to be Alison in Radley. The purpose of this flashback was to show us that CeCe had Alison’s clothes. “She’s dressed head to toe in your clothes” said Jessica. So, that night when Bethany stole all of CeCe’s clothes at Radley (because CeCe had out privileges and Bethany wanted to get out to hurt Jessica for the affair with her father), an Alison bracelet was amongst the pile of CeCe’s clothes. - Is there a reason we have never seen Bethany’s face (as an adult)? Even in her drawings, she blurs out her face.
No reason. Bethany’s story finished in 610. - Who was buried first: Alison or Bethany?
Bethany was buried after Alison because Melissa pushed Bethany in an already caved grave, which Jessica caved for Alison first. - Who killed Bethany?
Mona physically hit Bethany with the shovel, thinking it was Alison. However, as per Alison’s (Bethany’s) autopsy report, the actual cause of death was suffocation. So, Bethany died not from Mona’s bashing, but from Melissa burying her. Melissa buried Bethany to protect Spencer, as she thought Spencer hurt Ali.
- Did Alison know Bethany? Were those letters real?
Nope, we are lead to believe that they were fake and were planted by Charlotte as a way for the girls to suspect Ali as A and to get Ali in prison, ultimately, to keep her in Rosewood.
Jason said he saw Charlotte talking to Melissa that night. In 319, Charlotte confirmed this (saying Ali asked her to talk to Melissa about finding the NAT videos). Then later in 610, she denies speaking to Melissa, claiming Jason saw Bethany. Which is true, and why does Charlotte keep changing her story?
The latter is true: it was Bethany. I’m always going with the more recent reveal, because the more recent something is, the more likely the writers revised and updated their answer. They’re not likely to go from old to new then back to old. But they can go from old to new. But I guess we’ll never know for sure.- Did Mary or Jessica bury Alison?
Jessica, to protect Charlotte.
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