And the Liars won't be the only ones jumping into the "A" fray this season. King revealed that Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), and Hanna's boyfriends — Ezra (Ian Harding), Toby (Keegan Allen), and Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) — take on bigger roles in trying to vanquish Rosewood's hooded blackmailer — although that's not good news for all three fan-favorite couples.

"As a police officer, Toby is going to use his position to really get deeply involved in this investigation," King said. "Interestingly, instead of it bringing Spencer and Toby closer together, it has a way of keeping them separated."

In fact, going separate ways is a major theme for all of the girls in the second half of Season 5. "Their game plan is, I have to get into college so I can get the hell out of here. Let's split up four ways so there's no way 'A' can find all of us," King said, adding that the looming deadline presents a unique problem for Ezria. "Aria is really concentrating on, How do I get into college? How do I get out of here? Do I bring Ezra with me? And if I do, what does that look like?"

And those visions of their "A"-free futures lead the girls in very different and extreme directions. "The girls make a decision in 5B that they haven't been willing to in the past," King revealed. "They'll stand together against an evil they haven't been able to face in the past. This season gets a little darker and it gets a little more dramatic. It's extremely high stakes."