When "Pretty Little Liars" returns to ABC Family on Mon., Jan. 2, don't expect Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily to be the tight-knit best friends that viewers have come to love. The mysterious psycho-texter "A" has put the foursome through some tough times since the series premiered in summer 2010, but has she finally driven the girls apart?
It looks like one of the liars is going rogue.
"In the first half of Season 2, Emily was definitely getting attacked more than any of the other girls," Shay Mitchell told HuffPost TV at the December ABC Family holiday event. "In this second half, she’s finally taking a stand. She's more confident."
Emily won't be the only one trying to take down "A." The girls may have separate plans, but they are all finally taking action. The "Pretty Little Liars" take matters into their own hands, and try to take down their nasty tormentor for good. And it all leads up to the Season 2 finale, on Mon., Mar. 19, when the identity of the elusive "A" will finally be revealed.
So what else can we expect from the girls this season? HuffPost TV caught up with the series' stars, Lucy Hale (who plays Aria), Ashley Benson (who plays Hanna), Shay Mitchell (who plays Emily) and Troian Bellisario (who plays Spencer), to give us the scoop on the upcoming season, including Aria and Ezra's "big reveal," Hanna and Caleb's relationship and Emily's deal with "A."
The girls try to set "A" up.
"We start off in community service," Ashley Benson revealed. "We make a trap for 'A,' and try to find out who it is. You'll see if it works or not."
Caleb's back (sort of) and things get scary between Lucas and Hanna.
"[Hanna] has a lot to deal with Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) and Lucas (Brendan Robinson)," said Benson. "Caleb and Hanna are so great together, but now that he has his parents back, he's kind of going back and forth a lot to California, and it puts a hole in their relationship. I hope they're together forever, but it's not going to be easy. I think they'll survive, though. And then Lucas and Hanna's storyline this season gets very interesting. It's definitely going to scare the fans."
Toby wants Spencer back.
"Spencer is head over heels in love [with Toby], and that's a huge problem because 'A' knows it," Troian Bellisario explained. "'A' is constantly trying to divide and conquer, trying to cut the girls down to their knees, and Toby (Keegan Allen) is Spencer's Achilles heel. 'A' knows to go right for it, and Spencer realizes that if she doesn't get away from Toby, he's going to be in danger. So even though it breaks her heart, she has to push him as far away as possible. It's really awful because he's going to try and win her back, and she has to keep denying her feelings for him."
Emily has had enough.
"Emily is definitely taking a stand this season," Shay Mitchell revealed. "She's not going to take any more of what 'A' is throwing at her. She was the primary victim of everything that 'A' did the first half of Season 2, and this time around, she's like, 'I'm not the weakest link, and I'm going to show you.' So she's coming back full-force, and it's so much fun to play her like that -- even with the other girls! If they say anything, she's just going to throw it back at them. She's not having it anymore."
Aria and Ezra finally go public.
"Ezra (Ian Harding) and Aria take a huge step in their relationship," Lucy Hale said. "They actually tell her parents about their relationship. It's a big step for the two of them. But it's not going to be perfect. Their relationship has always been a bit of a roller coaster, and it's going to continue to be like that for a while."
Spencer and Jason get closer.
"Spencer and Jason (Drew Van Acker) will get very close this season," Bellisario revealed. "It's very interesting because the two characters both have serious trust issues, and they are forced to trust each other, so it's a great realization for both of them."
Can Emily rekindle her romance with an old flame?
"Maya (Bianca Lawson) comes back to town, so we get to see how that pans out for Emily," said Mitchell. "It will be interesting because Maya has had her own experiences while she was away, and Emily has grown a lot, too. So now we have to wait and see if they're going to click like they did before. Paige [Lindsey Shaw] is also still in the picture, so we'll see."
Catch the Season 2 winter premiere of "Pretty Little Liars" on Mon., January 2 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC Family and check out a slideshow and clip from the premiere below.
