Some people love slashers, others bask in the hazy filter of romantic comedies, but I’ve always been drawn to coming of age stories -- the uncertainty, the insatiable curiosity, the heartbreak and the unabashed joy of growing up.

For six seasons, "Pretty Little Liars" has been an amalgamation of genres, but at its heart, it was always the coming of age story of four teen girls challenging toxic masculinity, facing unimaginable adversity and surviving thought it together. That final scene with the Liars in the Season 6 midseason finale comes to mind. When Spencer turns to her friends, all ready to go their separate ways into the Great Perhaps, and says, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?”

In that moment, their teen years ended. Five years later, and the Liars still have a lot of baggage. They’re still figuring it all out. They’re still growing up. They’re still coming of age in a dizzying, unjust world -- only now, they can legally drink and have beautiful, boozy nights at The Radley.

There’s something so beautiful and bittersweet about the way Spencer, now in her twenties and returning to Rosewood, gazes at the four teen girls outside of Lucky Leon’s Cupcakes. It’s that longing for those halcyon days -- the days that Charlotte undoubtedly cut short.

The midseason premiere of "Pretty Little Liars" was one of the best episodes in the show’s history. It was suspenseful without being overly dramatic. It didn’t need nefarious messages from A to be compelling; hearing the Liars earnestly talk about the last five years of the their lives was compelling enough. When you peel back the mystery, the shock and horror, and focus on the characters, it feels perfectly intimate. And familiar. The events of the midseason premiere loosely mirror those of the pilot. There’s a murder, four, alcohol-inflicted alibis and a funeral.

In "Of Lately I Think Of Rosewood," Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna, now in their early twenties, return to Rosewood per Ali’s desperate request. She needs the girls, her girls, to testify on behalf of Charlotte at her hearing to be released from Wilby Psychiatric Hospital, where’s she’s been living for the last five years since the events of the midseason finale.

However, the girls aren’t so keen on Charlotte getting out. They’re all still suffering from the effects of their PTSD.

Emily is taking pills and lying to her friends about her current situation. We know Em is currently bartending on the West Coast, but apparently, she told her friends a different story. Spencer thinks she’s attending the Sault Institute. College wasn’t what Emily thought it was going to be. When her dad died, she just couldn’t see a point to anything, let alone college, anymore.

Meanwhile, Aria is burying all of her feelings into her work at a publishing agency, trying to hide the fact that she’s been having regular anxiety attacks. Hanna (now engaged) and Spencer, arguably the two with their sh-t (mostly) together, have their own Rosewood demons to quash, named Caleb and Toby, respectively.

When it comes time to give their testimonies, the Liars grapple with their decision: do they let Ali have her family, or do they tell the judge how they really feel? Spencer, Hanna and Emily side with the latter -- “I thought we could just lie for Ali one more time and it didn’t matter.”

Aria, however, says no, she will not feel safe with Charlotte out of the hospital. Aria recalls the time she was riding the train and the power went off. The train stalled, she started having PTSD flashbacks of the Dollhouse and before she even realized it, she was sobbing hysterically.

But the deciding testimony came down to Mona. Now, Mona has always been the most delightfully cryptic character on the show. I’d like to think she’s always two steps ahead of the Liars. So when Mona flip-flops her sentiment and grants Charlotte her freedom in front of the judge, I have to believe that there was an ulterior motive behind it. After all, had Mona went with her original plan and said no, it’s possible Charlotte would still be locked up.

It makes me think that maybe Mona is working with Uber A, or even the mysterious Sara Harvey. In the midseason finale, the Liars alluded to the fact that they put Sara in the hospital. What happened to Sara that night was never fully disclosed. Obviously, this means the Mystery of Sara Harvey will play a significant role in the forthcoming whodunnit.

Here’s what we know about what happened to Sara: Emily punched her, the Liars were somehow responsible for her extended hospital stay and she wasn’t allowed to testify at Charlotte’s hearing because "of how her criminal charges were resolved." Was there some sort of explosion after Em pushed her in the face? Obviously, this is what flashbacks are for.

The judge ultimately grants Charlotte her freedom, forcing the Liars to come face to face with their worsts fears: A is free. Unlike five years ago, when the Liars didn’t really have any healthy coping mechanisms, the Liars can now legally drink. Enter “The Coven of Secret Cocktails.”

Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer drown their sorrows in fancy cocktails at The Radley -- which we can thank Hanna’s mom Ashley for turning a mental institution into a hotspot with the most exquisite brunch in town -- and ultimately, pass the f-ck out. (See, I told you that this episode mirrored the series pilot.)

By the morning, the body of Charlotte DiLaurentis is found outside the bell town. It appears that she may have jumped, but this is “PLL,” and in “PLL,” people only get murdered.

Charlotte’s death, as sad and frankly infuriating it was to watch the show kill off its groundbreaking trans character, is the catalyst for Haleb’s reunion. So, for that, I am thankful. Bless you for your sacrifice, Charlotte.

Caleb comes to check in on Hanna at The Radley because when sh-t goes down, his boyfriend senses start tingling, even though he’s in currently in “The Brotherhood of Ex-Boyfriends” with Toby. Regardless, Hanna and Caleb’s moment together was brief but satisfying. These are two people who very clearly still care about one another.

But it’s also kind of obvious that Caleb cares about Spencer. These two are very close. Not only does Caleb frequently visit Spencer in D.C., but he’s staying with her inside her family’s renovated barn. Also, when Toby told Spencer that he and Caleb went fishing last summer, she looked genuinely taken off guard. (In case you’re wondering, Spencer and Toby just “went out of sync,” according to Toby.) I realize that these are two consenting adults who can make their own decisions, but I’m still holding out a bit of hope for Haleb.

However, Spencer and Caleb might not be the only two sneaking around. Ezra has returned from his Habitat For Humanity trip to South America, and he’s in a pretty dark place after his girlfriend was “dragged off by revolutionaries” and is either dead or missing. Since Aria literally cannot stay away from Ezra, they share a ~ moment ~ in The Brew. I don’t even know Aria’s new beau yet, but I already feel bad for him.

Ezra conveniently doesn’t make it to Charlotte’s funeral so they can’t relive that moment in the stairwell, but Sara Harvey does show up -- and much like Jenna’s entrance in the “PLL” pilot, she has a male escort who’s helping her walk down the aisle. What exactly did the Liars do to Sara Harvey so insane?

As the Liars make their way outside in their funeral best, we see a black limo roll up its tinted window. It looks like after five years, Uber A has finally come out to plAy.