Any fan of the ABC Family teen mystery “Pretty Little Liars,” a series that comes off like a “Mean Girls”-styled “I know What You Did Last Summer,” understands that the show they love has a proven pattern of building up its world of manipulation and secrecy to a massive level before unleashing all drama on an anxious audience.

And things have gotten pretty tense for the pretty little liars.

Alison (Sasha Pieterse) was found guilty of Mona’s (Janel Parrish) murder, and Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) were all arrested.

The show, now in its fifth season, is loosely based on a series of novels written by Sara Shepard, and has dealt valiantly with many touchy teenage issues such as stalking, eating disorders and sexual identity.

The character of Emily has even become a LGBT icon.

In an interview with Goodreads, Shepard spoke of the impact her character has had on the culture at large, saying: “I think it's great that gay and lesbian teens, especially, can see a character on TV who struggled with her sexuality, dealt with family backlash, and has now gotten through it and is living her life. I also know that the 'PLL' staff did a video for the It Gets Better campaign for LGBT kids and bullying. When I started writing the books, I always knew I wanted a gay character who was just coming into her own—I just had no idea how many people her story would reach. I just hope seeing a healthy, confident girl will help a lot of struggling teens out there."

As reported in CarterMatt, Shay Mitchell, who plays Emily, is all psyched about the season finale, saying: “It is probably my favorite episode, and I think I can speak on all of the girls’ behalf when I say that … It is so crazy. It made me question the writers’ mental stability. You find out who ‘A’ is possibly.”

The finale will air on ABC Family at 8/7c on Tuesday.