With A doubling down, the Liars try to connect the dots between A, their mothers, and Angela Waters.
- Asshole Victim:
- Defied by the Liars. The girls are given a Secret Test of Character by A to inflict physical pain on their "bullies" (Davie's corpse for Imogen, Chip for Tabby, Madame Giry for Faran, Steve for Mouse, and Marjorie's drug dealer for Noa). The girls refuse to do it.
- Tom Beasley, an abusive father, rapist, and bully who was about to commit murder suicide on his family is killed by A before he escapes the hospital.
- Chip, who raped Imogen and Tabby, is on bail for the holidays when A knocks on his door and attacks him, killing him according to
Word of God.
- Christmas Episode: The episode ends with the Liars and Kelly, their boyfriends, and their mothers and Faran's father having a Christmas party at Imogen's house and sharing personal updates with each other.
- Cliffhanger: The season ends with A having escaped the hospital and killed Tom Beasley and then knocking on Chip's door and attacking him while he's on bail for the holidays.
- Continuity Nod: Imogen plans on giving her baby to a couple in Rosewood who are both writers — Aria and Ezra.
- The Dog Bites Back: Martha finally has enough of her abusive husband, especially when he threatens to commit Pater Familicide. She stabs him twice in the abdomen.
- Final Girl: Played With. Imogen isn't the final survivor so much as the only one of the Liars who's to be killed by A thanks to her mom being dead and unable to pay for her sins herself. As the Final Girl she's the one who gets chased by and confronts A in her home.
- Hostage Situation: A doesn't give the Liars a choice to undergo his trial by taking their moms hostage.
- Hypocrite: Imogen points out that Principal Clanton isn't any better than the Liars' mothers were in high school, "erasing" Davie and driving her to suicide just like their moms did to Angela.
- Maternity Crisis: Imogen begins having contractions as she gets chased by A, and her water breaks while fighting him off at her home.
- Mercy Lead: Principal Clanton's answer to Imogen's statement that her unborn baby is innocent and shouldn't pay for her mother Davie's sins? Give her a head start on being chased down by A.
- The Reveal:
- Chip is Imogen and Tabby's rapist.
- A is Archie Waters, Angela's twin brother, and working with their father, Principal Clanton.
- Angela Waters killed herself because, after being raped by Tom Beasley, Davie, Tom's girlfriend at the time, took his side and made her friends and the school turn Angela into a ghost, "erasing" her with one final humiliation of ignoring at the Y2K party.
- Revealing Reflection: Sidney is alerted to A's (Archie Waters') presence behind her because she sees him in the reflection on a red Christmas ornament.
- Secret Test of Character: The trial in Millwood High. A tests if the girls are bullies like their mothers and if they'll hurt the bullies who have been hurting them, with the girls passing by choosing not to do so.
- Shout-Out: Sidney sees A in the reflection of a red Christmas ornament, just like Kevin spotted Harry in Home Alone.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Principal Clanton deliberately invokes it on Imogen since Davie committed suicide, letting his son Archie hunt her down and kill her out while he keeps the other Liars and their mothers at gunpoint.
