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Listen Up, 'PLL' Fans: Hanna Really Could Be A

by Rosie Narasaki

With the #BigAReveal closer than ever, everyone and their mother is a possible A — literally. Mrs. DiLaurentis had her time in the spotlight as a potential Big A, and some even maintain that Ashley Marin may be up to no good — and lets not forget the fact that Mr. Montgomery was a favored suspect before he went AWOL. Of course, some Pretty Little Liars A theories hold more water than others, some have more evidence collected, and some would just be more satisfying — and today's A theory du jour falls firmly into that last category. I mean, can you think of anything more satisfying than A pulling back her black hoodie and revealing that Hanna has been A on Pretty Little Liars all along? I get chills just thinking about it.

Feelings of satisfaction aside, there's actually a fair amount of logic behind this theory. After all, PLL fans are nothing if not observant, and the most zealous of A-searchers have actually found quite the pile of evidence stacked against everyone's favorite little liar (not unlike the actual pile of evidence that landed her in an orange jumpsuit). The clues range from her mysteriously mercurial IQ to her torment at the hands of Ali (Hefty Hanna's almost as traumatizing as Hermie the Hermaphrodite for a wee middle schooler) — so read on to find out just what it is about her that makes her a plausible A:

The Enigmatic Opening Titles

You know how a lot of people think Aria's A since she's the only one who does the "shh" in the PLL opening credits? Well, now a lot of people are pointing out that Hanna looks... shifty. Plus, there's just something a little off about the way everyone looks at her, while she looks like she's keeping a major secret. Coincidence, or something more? It may sound far-fetched but, remember: There's basically no such thing as a crack theory on PLL, because almost anything could end up being true.

She Got the Worst of Ali's Bullying

Ali tormented her for her weight for years, even going so far as nicknaming her "Hefty Hanna" and encouraging her to purge. Not good for a person's psyche, not good at all. And remember how Hanna spiraled after Ali's return (the day drinking, the hair-dyeing, the shoplifting)? Ali definitely had a bigger impact on Hanna than she had on the rest of the girls. Now, I don't know if that mean's she's A, but there's your motive right there.

The Mona Connection

She's stuck with Mona (The OG A) through thick and thin — even when things were at their rockiest, Hanna has always shown faith in Mona — though a close friendship with Mona doesn't exactly bode well for her A status.

She Was One of the First to Know Who A Was

We found out in the Halloween fan special that Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario were the only two Liars (at that time) to know A's true identity — which is definitely food for thought. Some say Aria may be A, since she's now the only one who doesn't know who A is, but it would also make sense that the real A was informed of her identity a little beforehand (because, you know, acting).

She Plays Dumb

A lot of fans have noticed that Hanna's a lot smarter than she often acts — many find the fact that she basically aced the SATs, then misidentified them as the "SCTs" is a touch on the suspicious side. There are actually a lot of times Hanna's proved to be smarter than she seems — and a lot of her smarts actually overlap conveniently with A's: She knows how to tail someone, she can forge handwriting like nobody's business, and according to Mona, she's smarter than braniac-in-residence, Spencer Hastings... hmm.

Of course this could all be moot when we find out who A is just two episode, but I'll hold onto this theory until it's proven otherwise.

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