INT. RADLEY - SECRET ROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Charles and Jessica are talking next to the table. On it are several documents with the name "Carissimi Group".
CHARLES (V.O.)
Mom came to see me the next day, offering me my freedom. As it turns out, she had been collecting money all that time through her so-called "charity events", and now it was all mine. Provided I agreed to go as far away as possible, of course.
INT. ENGLISH PUB - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
At the bar, Charles, now with brown hair and eyes, is talking to another guy who has his back to us.
CHARLES (V.O.)
So that's just what I did. And once in London, I found a much more interesting identity than the one she'd given me.
The camera moves a little and we see the stranger's face: it's Rhys Matthews. The two shake hands as if they have just closed a deal.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Wren Kingston had lost his passion for medicine. His mother had just died in a car accident, and his father had been in an asylum for years. The poor guy wanted to stop being himself, so I made him an offer he couldn't resist.
EXT. FOREST - THE KISSING ROCK - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Charles is leaning against the Rock. From the way he looks out into the forest, he seems to be waiting for someone.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And then I returned to Rosewood with a plan. You see, I knew my sister was still alive, and I figured the best way to bring her out of hiding would be to put her four dearest friends in danger. But I needed help.
Red Coat emerges from the trees. She's wearing Alison's mask, but she takes it off as soon as she sees Charles smiling mischievously at her, and we discover that it's CeCe Drake.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Yeah, CeCe always liked to impersonate you, Ali. I met her when she came to Radley to play that prank on Mom, and even Bethany thought it was you.
INT. FRAT HOUSE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The Liars watch a DRUNK GIRL who has just fallen down the stairs.
CHARLES (V.O.)
She never forgave you for framing her after pushing that girl. Didn't she make that clear when she busted your lip?
INT. ROSEWOOD HIGH - ENGLISH CLASS - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Aria reads her first message from A: "Maybe he fools around with students all of the time. A lot of teachers do. Just ask your dad."
CHARLES (V.O.)
I asked CeCe to go see Mona with that mask and convince her to resume her game. And it was Aria's return that set it all in motion again: the secrets, the lies...and A.
INT. HASTINGS HOUSE - SPENCER'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Spencer looks out the window and sees a blonde girl in what was then Maya's room.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Mona was quick to get on with the messages, and CeCe was happy to follow her lead.
EXT. ROSEWOOD CHURCH - DAY (FLASHBACK)
The Liars receive their first group text: "I'm still here, bitches. And I know everything. – A"
CHARLES (V.O.)
But it was me who sent you the one at the funeral. The truth is... I loved having new dolls.
EXT. HASTINGS HOUSE - BACKYARD - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Someone is filming Spencer and Charles as they chat in the kitchen.
CHARLES (V.O.)
At first, Mona kind of did her own thing. CeCe and I would give her a hand from time to time, although she never suspected me until it was too late. And neither did you, Ali. To you, I was just the good doctor who helped your friends, wasn't I?
INT. HOSPITAL - HANNA'S ROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Alison visits Hanna after her hit-and-run.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Anyway, a few weeks after putting the plan into action, Mona lost her temper and proved my theory right: my sister showed up, full of riddles and half-truths, but not daring to tell what she knew about Hanna's friend. It was then that she asked Noel for help, as she was aware that both he and his brother were regular customers of the N.A.T. Club.
INT. RADLEY - MONA'S ROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Red Coat pays a visit to Mona.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Oh, those first few months were so much fun... But eventually CeCe had to force Mona to give up her identity, and when the game became truly ours, complications arose.
INT. LIGHTHOUSE CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Emily and LYNDON JAMES watch the video of MAYA ST. GERMAIN.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Some of them came from before, such as your bed-buddies. Take Maya, for example. I always thought she'd found out something about me, but all she knew was that her stalker was in town.
INT. ART GALLERY - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Aria looks at the image of the painting Isle of the Dead.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Ezra also caused us some headaches. Your sweet boyfriend stole that painting, Aria, and replaced it with a cheap replica of Cyrus. All so he could afford his Ravenswood lair.
INT. EZRA'S LAIR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
CeCe is leaving a voice message for someone.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Good thing CeCe had him under control, because, as much as I liked to dress up as a soldier, that place gave me the creeps. Curses, teenagers sacrificed for the good of the town... I wish Caleb had stayed there, really.
EXT. RADLEY - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Toby walks away from the building in a black hoodie.
CHARLES (V.O.)
As for Toby, he was actually quite helpful. He'd already helped us with Dr. Sullivan before Mona recruited him, and all it took was a threat to his girlfriend. Although he did become a bit of a pain in the ass trying to find her.
INT. FIELDS HOUSE - EMILY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The Liars watch the N.A.T. Club recordings on Emily's laptop.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But that was all minor stuff, just like Meredith, Noel, Holbrook or Cyrus. No, the real problems started with a certain voyeuristic little group.
EXT. ROSEWOOD HIGH - COURTYARD - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Spencer and Emily see IAN THOMAS handing a bag to JENNA MARSHALL.
CHARLES (V.O.)
I always knew I would eventually have to take care of Ian. No matter what good-boy image he tried to project, like when he started giving Jenna gifts from his cop friend.
INT. ABANDONED FARM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Charles, Melissa and the Liars have just discovered Ian's body.
CHARLES (V.O.)
After his little stunt at the church, he was planning on skipping town with the blackmail money, but I found him first. And we had a great time driving Melissa crazy with his cell phone.
INT. HALLOWEEN TRAIN – LOCKED BOX - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Aria is locked up next to the body of GARRETT REYNOLDS.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And then there was Garrett, claiming to know who had killed my sister. He was probably thinking Wilden, Byron or Melissa, but we couldn't risk it, so Toby snuck the bullets and pills onto the train and I took the opportunity to have some fun with my dolls.
INT. HALLOWEEN TRAIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Hanna removes the mask of the Phantom of the Opera, but underneath is another mask of Alison and a blonde wig.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Unfortunately, Melissa saw me with that mask out of the corner of her eye, so CeCe asked Mona to pretend to have worn it herself. And so it has been to this day.
EXT. ROSEWOOD STREET - DAY (FLASHBACK)
From Mona's car, Mona and the Liars see DARREN WILDEN's corpse on the road.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Soon after, CeCe took care of the N.A.T.'s most discreet member. Wilden appeared in several of Ian's camera videos, and we blackmailed him until we got bored. In fact, it was he who killed Garrett on the train, at our request.
EXT. DILAURENTIS HOUSE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The Liars are talking to Jason, who has just recently returned to town.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But there was still the founding partner. The whiskey had made him more formal, but that was over as soon as he got out of rehab.
INT. DARKROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Spencer and Emily have found the photos of Aria sleeping.
CHARLES (V.O.)
The poor guy was really pissed off when you discovered those photos. Were you looking for inspiration for Vivian Darkbloom, sis?
EXT. DILAURENTIS HOUSE – BACKYARD - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Spencer sees a shadow in one of the upstairs windows, and Jason approaches her from behind.
CHARLES (V.O.)
He had caught Peter lurking around soon before that, and he vented all his rage against his nose. I left $15,000 at our grandmother's house myself, to see if Jason would find it and they'd fight again.
EXT. DILAURENTIS HOUSE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Hanna and Spencer get Jenna out of the house just before an explosion occurs.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And when Mona took revenge on Jenna for stealing Noel and framed Garrett in the process, my brother didn't come off too well.
INT. HALLOWEEN TRAIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Jason watches the funeral bag that has just fallen from the refreshment casket.
CHARLES (V.O.)
So I decided to make it up to him through our photographer and errand boy.
At that moment, LUCAS GOTTESMAN takes a picture.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Looks like Lucas and Jenna have been getting pretty close lately, huh? Yeah, she's always been quite fond of him, especially after she caught him near my sister's freshly desecrated grave, camera in hand.
EXT. DILAURENTIS HOUSE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Mona treats Jason's abdomen wound on the porch.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Though, seeing how he defended himself when Jason came demanding answers, it's perhaps not surprising that she holds him in such high regard.
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Jason is trapped inside as the elevator collapses.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And getting back to my brother, the truth is that, after one last tantrum on CeCe's part, we finally left him alone.
EXT. CAVANAUGH HOUSE - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Emily peers through the porch window and sees Jenna and Melissa talking to SHANA FRING.
CHARLES (V.O.)
By then we were more focused on a certain newcomer to town. Shana had told Jenna that Alison was still alive, and Melissa needed to check it out to put a stop to the threats from A, the only one who knew about her penchant for burying people alive.
INT. THORNHILL CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Aria, Emily, Hanna and Mona are surrounded by smoke.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Your little pyromaniac friend ruined my first attempt to take you to the Dollhouse, Ali, and she also tried to frame Wilden, whom she and Jenna had rescued from the road not even a week ago. What friends.
EXT. PAIGE'S AUNT'S CABIN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Emily jumps into the lake and rescues what she thinks is Spencer, but it is actually Jenna.
CHARLES (V.O.)
CeCe, fed up with those two snooping around and following her lead, decided to send them a warning. She'd been wanting to do something like that to Jenna ever since she saw her at the cemetery the night we took Bethany's body.
INT. FITZGERALD THEATER - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Shana is pointing a gun at Alison while Aria approaches her from behind with a shotgun.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But Shana didn't give up. She went all the way to New York, dressed as the person my sister feared most. I couldn't do anything: I was too busy going back and forth from London and taking care of some personal business. And as for CeCe... Well, she wasn't really in the mood to help you anymore.
INT. HOTEL RECEPTION - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Charles looks for CeCe's name in the guest register. Once found, he picks up the phone and calls the police.
CHARLES (V.O.)
She was getting more and more jealous of the time I was spending with my dolls, especially Spencer and Hanna. And one day I discovered that she'd always been aware of what Shana was planning to do at the Thornhill, so I had to cut ties with her.
EXT. FOREST - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Spencer sees Jessica handing an old suitcase to A.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But not before giving her a parting gift. The thing is, my mother had caught me riffling around the house several nights before. I lied and said that I had found Bethany, since she was officially still missing, so she asked me to bring her some clothes. And CeCe took them all.
EXT. HASTINGS HOUSE - BACKYARD- NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
A is burying Jessica.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And while we're on the subject of my mother, I have no idea who killed her. I just found her lying on the porch and decided to add a little personality to her neighbors' backyard. Maybe it was even suicide, considering that message she never sent me. But it was just as well, because she wasn't going to give up until she got Spencer. She had already tried to frame her once, as had CeCe, and Peter had to change my grandmother's will to dissuade her.
INT. NEW YORK AIRPORT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
CeCe is about to board the plane.
CHARLES (V.O.)
At least CeCe had the decency to leave for Paris after escaping from the police, so the night was not a complete disaster. The bad news is that she came back unexpectedly for Christmas, and I could no longer delay the inevitable.
INT. STOREROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Caleb and Spencer have just found a barrel there.
CHARLES (V.O.)
It's amazing that she fit in that tiny barrel, really.
INT. MONA'S RV - DAY (FLASHBACK)
The WOMAN IN BLACK is looking at herself in the mirror, wearing Alison's burnt mask.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But don't worry, I didn't run out of helpers. I am very farsighted.
She takes off the mask and we discover that she is Melissa Hastings.
CHARLES (V.O.)
I gave Melissa that dress, inspired by the one my mother had worn to my funeral, as well as the mask that CeCe burned at the Thornhill. That's when I revealed myself to her, and soon after she found out about Bethany.
INT. BEAUTY SALON - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Through the fogged window, we see Mona talking to an unknown girl.
CHARLES (V.O.)
Mostly she was tasked with simple things, like infiltrating Mona's Army and reporting on meetings between her and Paige.
INT. MONTGOMERY HOUSE - ARIA'S BEDROOM - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Aria and Spencer watch a recording of Melissa talking to a GUY IN A CAP outside the Hastings' barn.
CHARLES (V.O.)
But the poor girl had been really affected by the Bethany thing. She went to the same stables as her and all. And when I caught her trying to warn Andrew, who was my next distraction, I decided to let her go to London. And this time for real, not like that charade she put on with Shana's help.
EXT. ROSEWOOD STREET - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Spencer sees Red Coat watching her in the distance and goes after her, but by the time she turns the corner, she is gone.
CHARLES (V.O.)
It was a shame to lose Melissa, but in reality I already had the best ally of them all.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Red Coat is hiding here. After a few seconds she removes the hood: it is not CeCe, but SARA HARVEY.
CHARLES (V.O.)
My sister's disappearance had inspired her to run away from her horrible home, and I found her through the classifieds. At first, CeCe used her as a substitute when she got tired of her chores, but Sara has proven to be much more useful than she ever was.
EXT. CHRISTMAS SHOP - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
JAMES NEILAN is talking to the Liars.
CHARLES (V.O.)
She even found me a lawyer.
INT. MARIN HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
The Liars look at the photo of the junkyard, which shows a GIRL IN A BLACK HOODIE.
CHARLES (V.O.)
And it was her idea to frame Lesli, who was just doing us a few favors in exchange for not revealing her past. The night my sister disappeared, she must have overheard Eddie talking to my mother on the phone, and that's why she thought Bethany had run away with me.
INT. RADLEY - CHARLES' ROOM - NIGHT
Back in the present, the five girls stare at Charles with a mixture of horror, awe and disbelief.
CHARLES
And how convenient for us were her cages, right?
Still grinning, the boy removes his contact lenses, revealing his blue eyes, and pulls a device from his pocket. At the push of a button, the cages burst open.
At first, the Liars don't quite know what to do, but then they come out very slowly and stand next to Alison.
CHARLES
Shall we go?
SPENCER
(defiantly)
Go where?
CHARLES
(with a mocking tone)
Wait for it, Spence.