There’s been a lot of death in Rosewood over the past seven seasons. Pretty Little Liars has not shied away from killing off supporting characters, but surprisingly, the series has never risked killing off one of the main characters to raise the stakes of the A-game. With the series finale fast approaching, it begs the question: should the series end with one of the girls’ death? Should A.D.’s “endgame” plan work?

Should They, or Shouldn’t They?

Seven seasons, seven years; these girls have survived even the slimmest of odds in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, as they’ve been stalked and tormented by a handful of stalkers, and they’ve been surrounded by murderers for only all of their lives. Each of these girls has killed (or attempted to kill) someone too. Well, all except Spencer.

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One could say that the series finale shouldn’t kill off one of the girls since they’ve made it this far. That it’d be best to see them all happy and loving life after so much tragedy and stalking over the years, and for them to finally live A-free lives. They could all live happily ever after with their significant others (and future families) and they could have the life they’ve lied so hard for.

These girls have been through so much together, and living together and getting their happy ending after facing off and somehow surviving so much torture, torment, and relentless stalking, along with the obscene number of murders in this town, would be highly satisfying as an ending. It almost seems too perfect, though; the whole point of the entire series has been to teach the girls that lying has consequences, and seven seasons later, they’re still lying even more than they did as teenagers. It would basically make the entire show pointless if these girls didn’t realize the harm of lying by the end.

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But wouldn’t one of the girls dying in the finale be the perfect ending? After all, they’ve been threatened so long and been so close to dying so many times, but somehow they always seem to escape. One of the girls accepting death in the finale would add a bit more realism to this highly-exaggerated tale, and it would be the perfect sacrifice if she sacrificed herself to save her friends and let them live happy lives together.

If So, Who Should Die?

As of now, it looks as though A.D. plans to take out someone by the end of their game. On episode 16 of season 7, A.D. was drawing in Lucas’ unfinished comic and drew a headstone with “Here Lies…” and we didn’t see a name. There could definitely be a turn of events and someone else could bite the dust, especially if it’s a supporting character, but as of now, it seems more than likely that it would be either Alison or Emily.

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Alison could die, mostly because it would be the perfect throwback to the pilot episode. The girls came together because of Alison, her disappearance drove them apart again, and then her “death” and the appearance of A brought them together forever. It wouldn’t be great to watch Alison actually die this time, especially when she’s worked so hard to get a family, but her redemption has been earned and she’s become a character so far above her teenage self. And, both A’s and A.D. have all been after these girls because of Alison; can they ever live a happy life when she has so many enemies?

The main theory for Emily dying is shown in the tweet below. Showrunner I. Marlene King released the finale script cover page for the finale, and on the cover are five roses. Assuming those are symbolic for the five liars, one of the roses is black; if you compare this line-up with the line-up of the girls in the opening title sequences, that’s Emily’s spot. Also, Emily has finally opened up and started a relationship and soon family with Alison, so would her sacrifice mean Alison could finally have the life Emily believes she deserves?

What do you think? Would you be okay with one of the liars dying in the finale? Let us know in the comments below!

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(Image courtesy of Freeform)

Jay Ruymann

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV