Monday, June 3, 2013

Pretty Little Liars Recap: Don't Count On Me

Pretty Little Liars, Episode 22: "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"


My how the tables have turned.  Radley Sanitarium is still playing a major role in this season of PLL, but it's not MonA who is chilling there, it's Spencer.  This episode helped to shed some light on just what the eff Spence is thinking.  It also featured some more patented horrible parenting from Ashley, Emily doing basically nothing except interacting with a pointless cameo, and the further disintegration of Ezria.  Let's break it down, Liar by Liar.

Emily:  Poor Emily.  When Spencer started losing it, it looked like the writers were trying to position her as the new Spencer aka the Liar that was the one who was fixated on stoping "A" and the rest of the "A"-Team.  Unfortunately, Ems is not very good at it, so she just comes off as looking incompetent.  I mean, all she really did this episode was interrogate Dr. Sullivan, badly.  The only thing Emily may have gotten right is the idea that Toby may not be dead.  I mean, where's the body?  Emily also ran into Shana aka Costume Shop Girl Who Dated Paige.  She is apparently a swimmer, something she nor Paige ever mentioned before.  Shana introduces Emily to Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin who is in Rosewood for no reason except to film this unnecessary cameo.

Aria:  Aria's relationship with Ezra continues to deteriorate.  It seems like the ghost writing isn't going so well and Ezra is hurting for cash.  So after dumping his problems on his teenage girlfriend, Aria decides to try to do something to help her beau.  She goes to Byron and asks him if he could maybe get Ezra back in at the college.  Ella and Byron have a chat about Aria's request.  They both agree that a job and stability, along with his ex and son in town, might convince him to end thing with Aria.  Yes.  Scheme parents.  I mean, there is no way that Aria will find out about this and be angry.  You should be in the clear.  The next time we see Byron, he is talking to Ezra.  Byron talked to the dean but there are no open positions in their department.  Byron tells Ezra that he will keep his eyes out for him, and Ezra is not suspicious of this at all.  It turns out that Byron and Ella may not have to get involved to end their daughters relationship.  Aria is called in to the principal's office.  It turns out that Ezra has applied to be a substitute teacher.  The principal has heard some rumors about Aria and Ezra having a relationship.  Aria denies everything. So, it seems like their relationship will have to go back in the closet now that Ezra will be back in the school.  That'll make this already stable and healthy relationship, even stabler and healthier, right?

Hanna:  Ashley is obsessively checking the paper for any news on the missing Detective Wilden.  She is ignoring calls from Ted, but Hanna puts a stop to that.  I mean, just because you maybe killed a guy, that souldn't put a dent in your social life, amiright?  Seriously.  That should be this shows unofficial tagline.  Hanna sets up a coffee date for Ashley and Ted and accompanies her mom to the coffee shop. Appropriate.  Ted compliments Caleb's DadUncle, but they are interrupted by the return of Wilden, who is creepy and vague.  He tells Ted that he's been fishing.  Wilden's reappearance sends Ashley into a tailspin and she plans on cancelling a work seminar she's headed to in NYC.  All Hanna has to do is tell her to go and her mind is changed.  Hanna stays with Emily while Ash is gone.  There is a boring interlude between Ashley and Ted, where he basically tells her he doesn't want her to move and she lies to him.  Wilden confronts Hanna outside of Emily's.  He is looking for his keys and car.  He claims that he'll leave her alone if he gets them.  Hanna refuses.  So, if Wilden isn't in on it with the "A" team, then where was he?

Spencer:  Finally, who we have all been waiting for.  Spence is living the high life in Radley.  She is faking amnesia and getting extra Tapioca puddings from an orderly she has struck up a friendship with. Things are going pretty awesome until Spencer finds out that Dr. Sullivan is her court appointed shrink.  Spencer tells the good doctor that Toby is dead.  Sullivan says that Toby's body had never been found and you can see the doubt on Spencer's face.  It turns out that the orderly that Spence has struck up a friendship with is E. Lamb, the orderly that Toby was posing as when he go visit MonA in Radley.  Spencer gives Eddie the whole story.  He reciprocates by telling her that Hadley has had a rash of badge thefts and visitor's log tampering that were traced back to someone on the staff.  Before he leave's he let's Spancer know that she is in -- ODD COINCIDENCE ALERT -- MonA's old room.

Spencer sees the words "will the circle be unbroken" carved in the table and this triggers a flashback of being in church with Ali and seeing MonA dutifully singing the hymn.  Ali spends the service mocking MonA and writing in her diary.  Spencer asks Ali about her diary and she won't give specifics just that she won't let Spence see it until after she's dead and that Spence will need it to carry on after Ali's dead.

MonA shows up to Radley with cookies to visit and mock Spencer.  She denies killing Toby, telling Spencer that if she killed Toby she wouldn't be there.  She drops some knowledge that Ali confessed to MonA that she wasn't pregnant, she just was worried that she might've been.  MonA also has all of Ali's diary entries scanned into her iPad.  She extends Spencer an invitation to join the "A" Team, because MonA knows the answers to questions Spencer hasn't even thought to ask.

In a group therapy session, Spencer sees her fellow therapy patients as the other Liars and that they can't depend on her.  This was another strong scene for Troian Bellisario.  When Spencer is talking about how she was fine with it if it had all ended for her in the woods is heartbreaking.  She plays the scene with the perfect expression of emptiness and reservation.  Kudos to Troian.

The episode ends with "A" gathering all of her possessions into an RV and driving away.

So, two episodes left and they should be pretty good.  What did you guys think?  Hit me up in the comments.

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