The One Scene That Defined 'PLL' In 2015

Pretty Little Liars had quite the banner year, didn't it? College applications. Broken hearts. Steamy makeouts. Makeovers. Beauty pageants. Bodies in barrels. Incarceration. Stolen blood — you know, the usual. Suffice it to say, this year's crop of episodes had everything that we've come to know and love about PLL. But amidst all of the plot twists and romantic drama, is there one moment that shines brighter than the rest? What was the one scene that defined Pretty Little Liars in 2015?

From Hanna and Emily's dance lessons to Ezria's latest tearful breakup, there are certainly a lot of scenes to choose from. That being said, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't choose the one single moment the show has been building towards for the past several years: The #BigAReveal in the Season 6A finale. It may seem like a somewhat obvious choice, sure, but hear me out. The scene in which Charlotte DiLaurentis, who we previously knew as CeCe Drake, was revealed as Big A crossed off just about every item on the Pretty Little Liars checklist (if such a thing were to exist). I mean, when you think about it, it really was the epitome of a PLL scene, incorporating everything you love and hate (and love to hate, and hate to love) about the show, all distilled into one shining moment.

Let's break down all the factors that made the unmasking of Charlotte the defining moment of PLL in 2015.

It Featured A Classic Quadruple Gasp

OK, in this case, it was a quintuple gasp, since Mona was present — but still, you can't have a big reveal on PLL without the Liars' signature shocked reaction. This time, the shock was especially well-founded, since it turned out their tormentor of the past several years was their friend's sister, and someone they'd all met before.

A Red Herring Became The Big Bad

What would PLL be without its red herrings? CeCe had played that role more than once, and Charlotte's unmasking proved we were right to suspect her way back in Season 3.

It Was A Little Bit Disappointing

In a lot of ways, the unmAsking of A was doomed from the start. After years of convoluted fan theories, whoever the show chose was almost bound to be a disappointment, at least to some fans. But that kind of letdown is somewhat par for the course on a show like Pretty Little Liars, and I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. PLL is much more about the mystery and set-up than the resolution. The answers have always played second fiddle to the questions, and I think that's the way we all like it, disappointments be damned.

That said, I'm still mad about Sara Harvey.

Radley Was A Major Factor

Of course PLL's biggest scene would have to be tightly linked to Radley.

There Was Head-Scratching Tech Involved

From the ultra-high-tech dollhouse, to supervillain-level surveillance of Rosewood, A's always had a mind-boggling amount of tech at her fingertips. The #BigAReveal took this one step further, with the advent of a holographic video screen.

It Was Well-Dressed...

From Halloween, to winter soirees, to a surprising amount of funerals, the Liars have their formalwear game on lock — so it would follow that one of the biggest moments in their shared history took place after their senior prom, when the cast was still decked out in their fairy tale-themed gowns.

...And It Featured Amazing Makeup

Come on, Mona's eye makeup alone was a series highlight.

It Marked The End Of An Era

Pretty Little Liars has been crafting this A mystery since Season 3, and as Charlotte revealed, her story began years before we ever met the Liars. Now that she's been unmasked and forgiven, this chapter in the PLL has closed, and in 2016, the series will begin a new one, with a new villain, a new opening credits sequence, and a new time period. This scene, with all of its Pretty Little Liars staples, was the perfect way to say goodbye to a huge year for the series, and prepare for a fresh start in 2016.

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