If thinking about the fate of the Liars has been keeping you up at night ever since that insane summer finale, you're in luck. At New York Comic-Con, fans saw a special preview of the Pretty Little Liars Season 6B premiere, time jump included, as part of the ABC Family panel. The first four minutes of the premiere were screened, and though that may not sound like a long time, it was enough to show each of the Liars in their various careers, and even give some hints about their relationship statuses. Oh and one other little piece of information the panel revealed? Pretty Little Liars Season 6 will return on Jan. 12.
We now know that when the premiere finally does arrive, it will pick up not where the finale left off — that dramatic scene of the Liars storming into Ali's classroom — but a more calm time in their lives. It's still five years later, but we haven't reached that crucial point of running from a mysterious "he" yet. Ali is already a teacher, confirmed to be at Rosewood High School, and we see her writing a letter to each of the Liars, asking them to support Charlotte at her trial and help her be released. During the panel, executive producer Oliver Goldstick said the Liars, "haven't been so much in touch during the past five years," so it seems this homecoming will be very important. As the now distant friends receive their letters, we see where each of their lives have taken them, and here's what we know so far. And for even more analysis of the preview, check out Bustle's PLL podcast, Taking This One To The Grave.
Ali
As she finishes teaching, Doctor Rollins walks into Ali's classroom. Sound familiar? In that hectic finale scene, Ali was writing her name on the board as Mrs. Rollins, and though she's not wearing a wedding ring in the premiere, her easy rapport and comforting hug with Dr. Rollins makes it clear that there's already something between the future spouses.
But in this scene, Dr. Rollins isn't there for a social call, he just wants to let Ali know that Charlotte's trial will be held in only four days. Her sister is actually what kept Ali in Rosewood, as Sasha Pieterse said during the panel, "Charlotte is there and [Ali] is rebuilding her family — what's left of it." In the premiere, Dr. Rollins then tells Ali that though the court can make the Liars be there, it doesn't mean they'll be on her side. This leads to Ali writing letters to all four of them, asking that they come to Rosewood, to give her and Charlotte a chance.
Spencer
Next we see Spencer, who is reading her letter on a bench in Washington, D.C. While we don't see much else of her, during the panel Troian Bellisario said she was happy to see that in the future, Spencer "is so successful in her career." Whether or not that success involves working on her own mom's political campaign remains to be seen.
Aria
When the premiere first shows Aria, she is sitting at a table in a bookstore, apparently preparing for a book signing. However, it turns out, she isn't the author signing books, as she quickly leaves the table and goes back to helping set up the event. During the panel, Lucy Hale explained this a bit further, saying that she was surprised her character didn't go into photography, and instead, "Aria takes a left turn and falls in love with writing and she becomes a publisher."
And what about that other PLL writer? While she's in the bookstore, we see Aria pick up a copy of a book called "Ostinato," written by none other than Ezra Fitz. Aria stares at his author photo on the back for a bit, and while it's clear that there is some sort of feeling here and Hale later said we will eventually learn why Aria had that reaction, all she'll reveal about her relationship with Ezra is, "I don't know if I can say where they're at ... I think they'll always be in each other's lives ... It's complicated." Isn't it always with Ezria?
Hanna
Everyone who watches the PLL Season 6B premiere is going to have a mild heart attack when they first see Hanna, but don't worry — it's just a cruel trick from the writers. We first see Hanna reading her letter from Ali on a plane, before she turns to a very cute, blonde baby sitting next to her and begins to play with it. But before visions of a whole generation of little Halebs can fill your head, the baby's actual mother walks over, thanking Hanna for keeping an eye on her child.
While this brief glimpse at Hanna on the plane itself doesn't reveal much, Ashley Benson later explained at the panel that Hanna has moved to New York, gone into fashion, and even traveled the world since we last saw her. Unfortunately, she also began to say that when she learned what Hanna's post time-jump life would be, "I was actually really upset because..." before turning to I. Marlene King and asking, "can I say?" King told her not to give anything else away, leaving most Haleb fans in a panic. Was Benson upset about a Haleb breakup? Or something else about Hanna's future life? Luckily, we won't have to wait until January to find out, because King said that fans will know what Benson wanted to tell us in the PLL "Flash Forward" special, which premieres on ABC Family on Nov. 24.
Emily
I'm glad PLL saves Emily's future for last, because it is definitely the one that will most leave you scratching your head. We last saw her getting ready to head off to Pepperdine, and in the premiere, she's working as a bartender in some sort of tropical location. Shay Mitchell didn't reveal exactly where she is at that moment, and only cryptically said, "Emily moves away and I think out of all of the girls, her time away is the hardest ... She goes through some things."
As exciting as it is to finally get a look at the Liars future lives, the first four minutes of the Season 6B premiere may actually serve to make you more nervous about what's ahead. What's going on with Ezria? What about Hanna's life upset Benson? What did Emily go through after she left Rosewood? Why haven't the Liars kept in touch? Pretty Little Liars owes us even more answers than usual when it returns on Jan. 12.
Watch the preview below:
Images: ABC Family; Giphy (5)
