Cece Drake: The Introduction to Big A/Uber A/Red Coat/Black Veil, Season 2 and Season 3

So during the PLL hiatus I usually go back and re-watch things from the beginning. So, I was watching season 2, specifically the ending episodes of season 2 that lead up to the finale, and I noticed something. They were literally setting us up for Cece arriving as big A since Season 2 episode 18, a whole 14 episodes before she graces our screens. In 2x18 Caleb is helping Spencer, Aria, and Emily trying to clear up the footage from the flash drive they got from the locker, when they cleared it up all of a sudden they find a drivers license on the floor.

The liars realize it’s Alison with a wig on, they didn’t know why she had this fake drivers license when she already had another one. Later on Spencer breaks down and tells Hanna that Caleb was helping them, she shows her the fake ID and Hanna tells Spencer that she had seen Ali in that wig before. At the salon she saw Alison and she said she was pretending to be someone else, Vivian Darkbloom. Spencer then googles the name Vivian Darkbloom and figures out it’s an anagram for Vladimir Nabacov, the writer of Lolita. Hanna then goes over to her book shelf and takes out a copy of Lolita that she “borrowed” from Alison.

In the book, she finds a ticket stub with a claim number on it, she calls the laundry place asking if they still had whatever was left there, it turned out they did. Spencer then goes to there and picks up the red coat, In the red coat the girls find a phone number, 215-469-3561. The girls call the number and when there’s no answer they leave a message saying they were friends of Vivian and to please call them back.

Later that same episode, after there was no call back, Aria calls the number once again and this time their was an answer…. Someone with a very familiar voice.

“No one here knows anyone named Vivian. Don’t call here again.” If anyone asks for someone you don’t know, you usually don’t get pissed off and hang up on them like that. But, that person did know someone named Vivian, and she did know who that coat belonged to, and she knew everything about everyone. The girl on the other end of that phone call? Cece Drake.



During the next couple episodes the girls investigate what little leads they have, ultimately leading to dead ends. After 2x23 the red coat seems to disappear into thin air, the girls didn’t even know it was missing. Something they found (well, that Jason provided them with) was a bag full of Alison’s things, they went through every little thing in the bag until they came across this post card, on the front it had a picture of “The Lost Woods Resort” and the back was left blank other than the #1.

Now, we get to the 2x25 finale, the girls talk to Mona at the masked ball prompting a flashback

Mona had run into Alison in Brookhaven a week before she went missing, when Mona saw her, she was dressed as Vivian Darkbloom in the Red Coat and brunette wig. When Mona questioned what she was doing there, Alison said she was spying on someone and tried to get rid of her, but Mona wouldn’t go so easily. Alison asked what it would take for her to make like she never saw her there, Mona replied that she wanted to be popular… So, Alison took out the postcard, the same Postcard the girls just found of the Lost Woods Resort and wrote down a number for her to call. Mona assumed that it was Alison’s number, but it wasn’t, it was Cece’s number, the number that was in the red coat… 215-469-3561

Cece and Mona had known each other since the beginning. When the girls called the phone number asking for Vivian Darkbloom, Cece knows immediately who was calling and comes back to rosewood, returning to her throne. Taking Mona back under her wing. Then, she steals her red coat back.

“I did everything you asked me to.”



Cece was the only person in the world who knew about Alison and her Vivian Darkbloom alias, making her those fake ID’s, giving her the name, etc.So, when the liars called Cece asking for Vivian Darkbloom… Cece knew they were looking for Alison and trying to figure out what happened to her. The liars literally knocked on A’s door to let her know they were coming and gave her an open invitation.

Now, let’s count the A appearances here….

Season 3 episode 1, Girl in red coat, Alison mask, with blonde hair forces Mona to dig up “Alison”/Bethany’s grave, Emily stands over the empty grave thinking she did it. (Which makes 100% sense because the first thing Cece would do after she realizes the girls are looking for answers, get rid of the body they think is Alison). While Hanna is visiting Mona in Radley, she hallucinates seeing Alison in a red coat reading Lolita, I mean hello… red coat…Vivian Darkbloom.. phone number… Big A.. (I actually have an entire theory surrounding Alison/Cece and Lolita, I may write it up sometime)

Season 3 episode 2, Emily receives a necklace of Bethany’s teeth with a message that read “Mona played with Dolls, I play with Body Parts”. At the end of the episode, red coat goes in to buy a bunch of black hoodies and black leather gloves. (A team… ASSEMBLE!)

Season 3 episode 3 A gloved hand is seen pouring themselves a drink while making another necklace with the teeth. “A” puts the vodka bottle into a freezer full of ice. A body bag is chilling in the ice. “A” is seen unzipping the bag before the screen cuts to black.

Season 3 episode 4 Mona loses her visitation privileges, at the end of the episode A is at the Montecito airport in California, they hack into Radley and give Mona back her visitation rights. That same episode Hanna gets a text from A saying “I’m everywhere Hanna” just as Caleb reveals that his mom was involved in a car accident where the person was trying to run her off the road.

Season 3 episode 5 Oddly enough there’s no A ending this episode, someone moving to Rosewood perhaps (From California where Cece just happens to be FROM)? However, Garretts mother seemed to have a stroke and ended up in the hospital.

Season 3 episode 6 Spencer recovers a note from Mrs. Reynold’s hospital room, saying “April Rose has the proof”, at first they think it’s a person but later in the episode Jason comes to Spencer’s house and says it’s an antique shop. Jason drives both of them there. Spencer looks around and finally she sees a piece of jewelry that belonged to Alison, prompting a flashback.

In the flashback Spencer asks if the person who gave the anklet to her was just “another faceless, nameless, revolving door boyfriends who adore you” and Alison replies with a quiet “No, just a friend” she then proceeds to take off her robe, revealing a red party dress. Alison says she’s “Going out, my friend has someone who can get us ID’s, I’m going to a party to pick them up and I’ll be right back” and before she leaves she turns to Spencer and says “I gotta go, my friend’s here.” To which Spencer asks “Which friend?” and finally Alison replies, “You don’t know her.”

Judging by the charms on the anklet, one of which is a gold Eiffel Tower, the other being a gold “A” and the fact that Alison said Spencer wouldn’t know her, the only person on the show with that description and the access to making multiple fake ID’s and drivers licenses, you can bet the fingers point to one girl. Cece.

In the last scene of 3x06, we see “A” eating a bowl of ice-cream, reading the news about the dismissal of charges in the DiLaurentis murder case. “A” then circles a “Rooms for Rent” ad in the Classified section, and proceeds to call the number on the ad. Someone’s moving to Rosewood and plans on staying awhile. I wonder who shows up the next episode?

Season 3 episode 7 “CrAzy”

Say hello to Big A everyone.