Pretty Little Liars Reveals 'Big A' With a Plot Twist That Leaves Fans Furious

Last night, the creators of Pretty Little Liars finally showed mercy to their devoted fans of five years and indulged them in the biggest and longest-awaited TV reveal since the finale of Gossip Girl. The phantom stalker that goes by "A" was revealed as Cece Drake (Vanessa Ray). OK, I'll pause for reaction time. She told all during the hour-long summer finale of Season 6A, answering every question and tying up every loose end that the show has created. And many fans are furious.

So let me break this down for you: Viewers recently discovered the identity of A to be Charles, the long lost older brother Alison (Sasha Pieterse), of one of the show's protagonists and biggest mysteries, but the writers made sure the wait was not in vain and threw a bombshell of a twist into the mix, revealing that Charles had undergone gender reassignment surgery to become Charlotte. Having been shunned from the family by her father, Charlotte had always felt alone. After the disappearance of her sister whom she'd always loved, her friends were admittedly relieved to be rid of their mean-spirited clique queen. Thus begun Charlotte's revenge plot on her sister's frenemies when she changed her name yet again and made Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily her personal dolls. She also dated her brother for the full soap opera effect. Hell hath no fury like a trans woman scorned.

Always at the forefront of inclusive programming, ABC Family has never been one to stray from the tough storylines that most tiptoe around. In addition to shows like The Fosters and The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Pretty Little Liars quickly became popular with its progressive viewers when it revealed that one of the young protagonists, Emily, was a questioning her sexuality. Throughout the seasons, one of the show's popular ongoing storylines was that of the teenage lesbian and her infatuation with a manipulative friend who had mysteriously gone missing.

Although the shocking conclusion of the show's biggest mystery strayed from the books' ending, it was a good enough twist to leave some fans of both pleased -- and others who took to social media to share their disappointment. As one wrote on Twitter: "That's 5 years of my life I'm never gonna get back. Screw you PLL, you've ruined my life!" PLL will continue in the winter, skipping ahead five years when Alison, Hanna, Spencer, Aria, and Emily will become stylish twenty-somethings to apparently unravel yet another mystery.