If there’s one thing that Pretty Little Liars has taught us (though let’s be real, it’s taught us a lot), it’s that the answers to the biggest mysteries are usually right in front of you. This was true with the CeCe “A” reveal and it is likely true of the upcoming A.D. reveal. If A.D. is among us, who’s got a bone to pick with the Liars that we’ve been overlooking? Paige McCullers.

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Let’s start with an easy, but also easy-to-overlook point made by PopSugar — Paige’s new job at Rosewood High is Athletic Director. Her position’s initials are literally A.D. Then again, Ali’s actual initials are also A.D., so by that logic, a lot of people could be behind this mask. Still, with the recent events in the Liars’ new board game “Liar’s Lament,” fans have begun questioning Paige’s wholehearted intentions towards Emily. Reddit user “basedonrealevents” recently pointed out how Emily’s turn in the board game led her to have to be comforted by Paige, just shortly after Paige discovered how close Emily was getting to Alison again. How convenient.

We realize that may not be enough evidence for you to form any type of accusation against Paige. Don’t worry. There’s more. For one thing, let’s look back at Paige’s track record. The girl went from crazy-driven competitor who tried to drown (yes, drown) Emily in the pool, to in love with her. While they were cute together, you can’t really forget that she tried to drown her at one point. There’s some crazy stored up in this girl. We also know that Paige gets jealous somewhat easily. That isn’t to say that her jealousy of Ali and Emily’s bond isn’t warranted, but you can’t deny that it sways her decisions far too easily.

Paige’s resurgence in Rosewood is full of suspicion as well. Emily was skeptical about it at first too, but for some reason decided to drop it. Remember when Paige first returned after the time-jump and Emily questioned why she would be going after a Rosewood High coaching job when she could be working at D-1 schools anywhere in the country? That is still a valid question that we need answered, Paige. The only logical answer might be that she came back for Emily. But how would she know Emily was there? Emily only returned to Rosewood because of Charlotte’s death and the new game A.D. had started. Paige would only be aware of that if she’s the one who started that game.

A.D. has also been particularly easy on Emily, if you really think about it. You could even say A.D. has been protective. He/she took Emily’s eggs (for safekeeping?) when she tried to sell them, they took a college test for her and took care of a student who was trying to blackmail her. On some level, don’t you think that Paige would do all of those things for Emily too?

If you’re still not convinced, consider this — a PLL fan on Twitter noticed that the IMDb credit listing for actress Lindsey Shaw (who plays Paige) also has her credited as A.D. When this fan brought this up to creator I. Marlene King, the showrunner basically said, “it says what it says.”

Though she acted like it was nothing, the credit for A.D. is no longer listed on Shaw’s IMDb page. Did someone jump the gun on giving this credit? Looks like someone in production couldn’t keep a secret.

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Do you think Paige could be A.D.? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The final season of Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on Freeform. For more news, like our Pretty Little Liars Facebook page!

(Image courtesy of Freeform)

Kartik Chainani

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV