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September 1, 2016 1:27 a.m.
Pretty Little Liars Finale Recap: The Beginning of the End
By Jessica Goldstein
Follow @jessicagolds
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ASHLEY BENSON, SHAY MITCHELL
Ashley Benson as Hanna, Shay Mitchell as Emily. Photo: Tom Ron/Freeform
Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars
The DArkest Night
Season
7
Episode
10
Editor’s Rating

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Complete Series Coverage

I leave for one week and suddenly our fair Liars decide to close up shop! Pretty Little Liars showrunner I. Marlene King announced that the final ten episodes — which could take place at any point in the space-time continuum, knowing what we do about Rosewood — will air next April. Since this is our last get-together for a while, and you all waited so patiently for its belated publication, I will waste no more time getting to the ~summer finale edition~ of the Pretty Little Power Rankings.

1. Mona (last week: not ranked)
The problem with featuring Mona in this finale? Her presence makes it all the more glaring how dumb it was to exclude her from all the other episodes. She is the only person in this pack who consistently brings common sense, guts, sass, and just the right amount of sociopathy to the table.

"The DArkest Night" has barely dawned when Mona says it's time to call the cops. It takes all of two commercial breaks for Hanna to realize her grave error in attempting some rogue Noel mission without Mona at her side. Mona responds to this appalling lapse in judgment with a cool, "Next time, call me before you abduct someone and go on the run? It just makes my life easier." It is Mona who says, in a perfect sing-song-y tone of voice, "Not if you want us to say you had nothing to do with it." It is Mona who knows to pat Noel down and find the thumb drive stashed in his sock, Mona who coaches Hanna on the lie while biding time until the blood results get back, Mona who I will miss the most when, just ten episodes from now, this show says its final shhh.

Mona's biggest mistake is telling Jenna to take the first Greyhound out of town; Jenna would take the Acela. Also, Mona should have made sure Noel was secured more … securely … but that seems like something Hanna could have handled.

2. Jenna (last week: not ranked)
The girl doesn't get everything she wants — I assume she wanted Noel's head to stay attached to his body, though in this town, you never know — but in her short screen time, she's made far more gripping television than the lion's share of our leads. (I'm thinking especially of the scene with Mona in the elevator. Finally, worthy opponents isolated from their junior-varsity sidekicks!) She also gets the killer line: "I didn't lose my sight. You took it from me." And she knows the identity of "A.D.," not to be confused with "A," not to be confused with "Archer," etc. etc.