HOLLYWOOD—“Pretty Little Liars” was the show that hooked audiences throughout the entire summer of 2010. That drama returned for its winter premiere on ABC Family on Monday, January 3, with new episodes.  The show about four teenagers, who are harboring some very dark secrets, quickly found its audience and has consistently delivered surprises along the way.  The season cliffhanger left viewers gasping when Hanna (Ashley Benson) was struck by a vehicle courtesy of “A” while Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) watched in horror.  Everyone can take a deep breath because Hanna did survive her ordeal, but it sends the message that “A” is willing to kill to prevent his/her identity from being exposed.

I thought I may have pegged the identity of “A” in last year’s cliffhanger, but Monday’s new episode just boggled my mind even more because the girls now suspect that “A” and Alison’s (Sasha Pieterse) killer may be two different people. That’s a twist that I didn’t see coming, and what’s with that little incident Hanna experienced in the hospital.  Was she indeed hallucinating or is Alison indeed still alive?  There are so many theories as to the identity of who “A” is that it keeps the audience tuning in each week to decipher another piece of the puzzle.

Aria finally confessed to the girls that she is having an affair with their English teacher Mr. Fitz (Ian Harding), but it appears someone else knows her secret, a potential suitor Noel (Brant Daugherty) who isn’t happy with Aria’s burgeoning relationship.  The audience is learning more and more about Lucas, whose crush on Hanna appears to be more than just friendship. Those muddy shoes, the destruction of Alison’s memorial, he has motive to want to torture the girls and appears to reveal more of his dark side with each episode, but I’m not convinced he’s behind the mayhem.

The adults aren’t innocent in all of this turmoil either as Ashley (Laura Leighton) stole an abundant amount of cash from a client. There’s also Ian (Ryan Merriman) who was indulging in a relationship with Alison, not to mention he kissed Spencer while dating her older sister Melissa.  His sudden return caught the girls by surprise, but that’s nothing compared to the shock of learning that he and Melissa had eloped.  Ian’s motives are a bit questionable, which continues to make me think there’s a possibly he is “A” or that he knows who they are.

With so many secrets circling the show, it was a pleasure to see Emily confess to her father that she is gay.  She was most scared to tell her dad the truth about her sexuality, but he appeared to take the news in a calm manner compared to her mother who thinks her daughter is going through a phase.  Some fans have decided to cheat and read the books to see how things conclude, but I’d rather tune in each week to see what other secrets keep me wanting more.  My instinct tells me everything is connected to that night that Alison disappeared; there’s much more about that night that the audience doesn’t know because the girls themselves don’t remember.  The show has a clever tactic of using flashbacks to reveal hints to the audience to allow us to predict what will happen next and if we can figure out the bigger reveal.

This series gives the audience everything it wants in a good murder mystery: a variety of suspects, a multitude of motives and secrets along the way that causes the viewer to second guess their instincts.  I do believe the identity of “A” will be revealed sometime this season. Who that person is will be worth the wait.  “Pretty Little Liars” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.