Final Thoughts From the Pretty Little Liars Episode "Game Over, Charles"

1. Out of courtesy for those who may have recorded this episode so they can watch it later, I won't reveal "A's" identity. However, I have to say I was definitely surprised. I had several sound theories but the truth was definitely unexpected.

2. Well, to tell you the truth, I did kind of suspect something similar. Only, I figured Sara (Dre Davis) would turn out to be Charles. But, I ended up dismissing that theory completely because I really didn't think the writers would go with a transgender story line.

3. That being said, I do have to pat myself on the back when I said (several times) I didn't trust Sara and figured, at minimum, she was helping "A." Turns out I was right about that one.

4. I also wasn't completely surprised by Mona's (Janel Parrish) confessing to Bethany's murder. After all, she did conveniently produce her body when she helped Alison disappear from Rosewood. She had to get it from somewhere. I am, however, a little curious if she's going to face any sort of punishment for that or not.

5. While the episode did answer quite a few questions, I couldn't help but notice we were still left in the dark about a lot of things. For one, we still don't know who killed Jessica DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker), just that Charles wasn't the one who did it.

6. Another unanswered question relates to who locked the moms in the DiLaurentis' basement last week. We now know Rhys (Caleb Lane) was a patsy/decoy, clearing him. We also know Kenneth (Jim Abele) and Jason (Drew Van Acker) were in Charles' clutches. Considering Charles and Sara were both at the prom, it's unclear who closed the door behind them.

7. While we're on this subject, did anyone ever find them and let them out of the basement? The episode never really covered that and we never do see them. 

8. Come to think of it, there were quite a few notable absences from this summer finale. Didn't the PLLs have their respective male companions with them at the prom? What happened to them? Didn't they notice the girls weren't there any more?

9. Also, were the girls allowed to attend their graduation ceremony? After all, the whole reason they weren't invited was Charles. But, with him being captured, that was no longer an obstacle. And, if they did attend, did Spencer (Troian Bellisario) give her commencement speech? The more I think about it, the more I realize this episode left a lot more unanswered questions than I first thought.

It was time for this series to turn a page and move on from the whole "A" saga. This summer finale seems to have done just that by offering closure from the past 5 1/2 seasons while leaving just enough loose ends to allow the show to move forward. It'll be interesting to see what direction the writers take next.

My Grade: A