As we fall deeper and deeper into Season 6 of Pretty Little Liars, everything just seems to be getting more intense. This is PLL after all, so craziness should be expected, but the surprise addition of Sara Harvey as a secret resident of Charles' dollhouse totally upped the ante. While we don't know nearly enough about Sara yet, she's part of this A mystery whether we like it or not — and whether she likes it or not. So as I try to figure out how she fits into this bigger picture, I can't help but wonder, is there any chance that Sara Harvey is actually Bethany Young? OK, I know it sounds absurd, but hear me out. This might actually be one of the most sensible theories I've come up with while (over) analyzing PLL.
Before the beginning of this season, we had yet to meet either Sara or Bethany. We certainly knew a little bit about both of them, namely that they were both teenage girls with blonde hair and ties to the A mystery. Sara was a girl who disappeared the same weekend as Ali, and whose body was never found. Bethany was a patient at Radley Sanitarium, who had a connection to Mrs. DiLaurentis, and whose body was supposedly the one in Alison's grave. Both somehow fit into PLL's larger story, it's just a matter of figuring out how, and what role they each play.
Right off the bat, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that up until now, Bethany was the more important girl to the PLL mystery. We had heard much more about her, especially in regards to her Radley backstory. There's also that horse, Custard (and oh boy, do I hope Custard comes back to make a strong appearance at some point) that Mrs. DiLaurentis used to take Bethany to ride. That's the bulk of what we know about Bethany, besides the fact that she was buried in Ali's grave while wearing that infamous yellow top. Well, that's what we thought happened, anyway.
Here's the thing: PLL has clearly switched bodies on us before, namely with Ali. How did the police misidentify her? Clearly, Rosewood PD is not on top of their game, so why should we believe them now? What if they got it wrong again, and Sara Harvey was the one in the DiLaurentis backyard all along? Maybe Bethany escaped Radley that night and instead of being killed, actually played a part in Sara's disappearance and subsequent death, then decided to assume her identity.
When Sara was in the hospital in "Songs of Innocence," we didn't actually see who signed her out and took her home. Mrs. Fields only told Emily that she saw Sara leave with someone who she assumed was her mother. At the end of the episode, Sara showed up on Emily's doorstep again, explaining that she had run away and didn't know where else to go. Since we've never seen an image of Bethany Young, I can't help but think that this is a big switch. It's not Sara who's now in Emily's house, it's Bethany.
If you need more reason to believe my crazy theory: how did Sarah — who has been trapped for almost three years, isn't from Rosewood, and made conversation with Emily once — find out not only who Emily was, but where she lived and how to get there? Sara claimed she saw Emily's address in the hospital, but maybe it's because as Bethany, she's been to Rosewood with Mrs. DiLaurentis, and heard all about the Liars from her too.
If my theory is correct, the next big mystery we have to solve is why Bethany would pretend to be Sara for so long. Maybe she and A/Charles have been working together all this time. I'm a firm believer in the idea that Charles spent some time in Radley, which means he could have met Bethany. So far there's nothing that suggests Sara spent any time in the sanitarium. Maybe Charles and Bethany forged a friendship, which is why she's willing to pretend to be someone else and aid in his A plan.
This is still all just a theory until it's confirmed, and right now, the only person who can do that is conveniently staying in Emily's house on Pretty Little Liars.
For more theories, check out Bustle's PLL podcast.
Images: Eric McCandless/ABC Family; Giphy (2)
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