Tuesday’s Pretty Little Liars found new and exciting (not to mention bloody!) ways to pit the girls against each other, with Aria subbing in for A.D. during Hanna’s latest turn at the #PLLEndGame board.
And when I say “subbing in,” I mean Aria was forced to do all of A.D.’s dirty work: hanging a creepy mobile in Emily and Alison’s nursery, dousing the baby’s crib in blood, the whole nine yards. The worst part? She was actually really good at it! Sure, she tripped over a few boxes and accidentally dropped an earring in the process, but she was able to slink off unnoticed on her first try — and for that, I’m impressed. (And, you know, a little freaked out.)
As for Hanna’s second try at the game, A.D. ordered her to deliver an incriminating hard drive to Rosewood High School. And because she remembers all too well what happens when you don’t complete your turn, she was determined to follow the rules to a damn T. As if that wasn’t enough, she also had to take a detour to the Radley, where Caleb helped her to destroy a whole bunch of evidence. Those two are totally #AccompliceGoals.
Of course, Spencer was really the one in the hot seat this week, with Marco breathing down her neck — and not in a good way — with an arrest warrant. Honestly, it’s kind of amazing how quickly relationship dynamics are shifting on this damn show; if you told me last week that Marco would be threatening Spencer with handcuffs, I’d have figured they’d be of the bedroom variety. (I mean, let’s be real: Marco’s a stripper detective, not a real detective. Who’d have predicted he’d figure out Spencer wasn’t joking when she told him she was burying a body?)
Speaking of shifting dynamics, Emily and Alison’s adventures in motherhood — a plausible Fosters prequel if ever I saw one — took a few dramatic turns this week as the girls began to seriously discuss the baby’s future, as well as their future with each other. In fact, Alison’s speech to Emily at the end of the episode (which ended with a kiss!) was so damn lovely, I’m just going to let you enjoy it in full below:
I want to do this … together. I want to be a family. Over the years, I’ve been in so many failed relationships, and I always made excuses why. I know the reason. Paige tried to get me to say it, but I didn’t want to say it to her. I love you. You told me not to do this until I was ready. [They kiss.]
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But as always, PLL saved the biggest twists for last: After being confronted at Hanna’s apartment — mid-ransack, might I add — Lucas told the girls more about his correspondence with Charlotte. It turns out they kept up mostly over e-mail, so he never even knew that “Charles” was no longer. Even worse, Lucas recalled most of his e-mails being about how mean Alison and her friends were to him, which explains why they were targeted. He also, ominously, mentioned that he and Charles wrote a second book much later… one that was never finished! Dun, dun, dun.
Assorted thoughts…
* I’m glad the show took a minute this week to respect what went down between Spencer and Caleb. It was never meant to last, but it definitely changed them both, and it set into motion some potentially disastrous plans (i.e. Spencer’s little bender). It was nice to see all three people involved in that love triangle acknowledge its effects — both good and bad.
* Come to think of it, the show is taking time to honor a lot of old relationships, including Lucas’ less-than-reciprocal feelings for Hanna. I don’t think anyone expects them to end up together at this point, so it was nice of the show to give their connection a little send-off via Lucas’ speech about how working with Hanna — even losing everything for her — was worth it.
* And while we’re talking about interesting connections, was anyone else a little freaked out by Mona’s speech to Hanna? (“I have literally bled myself for you! How many times do I have to save you until I’m finally part of the group?”) Also, there’s no way that voicemail she left Hanna — about Emily and Alison mistaking her for A.D.’s double — was real. Either A.D. worked their techno magic (à la Avataria last week) or Mona was lying to Hanna. It just didn’t sound natural to me.
Your thoughts on this week’s episode? Hopes for the remaining few? Whatever’s on your mind, drop it in a comment below.
