HOLLYWOOD—It seems like months, since we’ve talked about television’s guiltiest pleasure “Pretty Little Liars.” After season four’s game-changing finale, audiences have been dying to get answers to some questions that were posed back in March like is Ezra (Ian Harding) alive? Who shot Ezra? Who killed Mrs. D? Fans will be thrilled to learn that the series has been renewed for a sixth and seventh season by ABC Family. So that means “A” won’t be revealed anytime soon, well at least not to the characters, maybe the audience.

Season five premiered on Tuesday with the episode “EscApe from New York” that found the liars Aria (Lucy Hale), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), Hanna (Ashley Benson), Emily (Shay Mitchell) and newly acquainted liar Ali (Sasha Pieterse) dealing with the fallout of Ezra’s shooting and their confrontation with “A.”  Ali spotted “A” on top of the ambulance truck that was taking Ezra to the hospital, which prompted the liars to react, just as “A” watched his victim from a distance. “We’re decoys, no need for a history lesson,” quipped Hanna to Spencer. Hanna was not messing around; packing major heat to go after their elusive nemesis.

Aria and Ali split up, just as Spencer, Hanna and Emily set a trap to capture the elusive target. Mr. And Mrs.Hastings theorized with Melissa (Torrey DeVitto) of Alison’s whereabouts. Melissa was not too happy to discover that Ali is alive; and was about to tell her mom a secret when the police halted the admission. Darn!  Officer Holbrook (Sean Faris) indicated that Cece Drake (Vanessa Ray) escaped police custody. Now how in the world did that happen?

Mona (Janel Parish) was not pleased to discover that Alison is back in town, just as a figure cloaked in red arrived on the scene, looks like Mona is working with someone. Hanna, Spencer and Emily spotted an elusive “A” at the hospital and waited to strike, but from a distance “A” spotted the ladies and sent a text to someone “Its Happening. Follow the Leader.” Turns out it was a big trap set by “A” to get their clutches on Alison, where she found herself in a park surrounded and confronted by her nemesis who whispered “You wanna play?” Sounds like a guy if you ask me.  The liars thought they caught “A,” but later found themselves surrounded by a bunch of people dressed in hoodies with various masks.  Writers consistently tease us about that eager revelation.

Mona secretly met with Lucas (Brendan Robinson) who has been MIA for what appears to be nearly two seasons. Melissa was rattled about the secret she’s been keeping, which Mr. Hastings was very adamant about keeping. He warned his daughter that her mother can never know what she whispered into his ear. How damaging is this information? And why is Mr. Hastings willing to threaten his own daughter to keep it hidden. Aria begged her friends to stay on “A’s” trail, while she kept tags on her beau.

A flashback between Ali and Ezra revealed the secret location he brought Ali when they met. Ali realized Ezra’s riches were much bigger than she ever expected. When Ali took a secret call, Hanna decided to spy on her friend to see if she was indeed telling the truth. Seems the girls are still concerned about rather they can trust their BFF; looks like that call was to Shana (Ariel Miranda) to check in on her BFF Aria. I’ve heard of friendship, but this takes things to a new level.

In a tender moment, the ladies reflected on their past and present selves. As the liars lay sleeping, Ali found herself being approached by Cece who requested her friends help in a time of need. Noel (Brant Daugherty) provided Cece with assistance to disappear, just as Aria finally got to see Ezra. She was too much and sent the teacher into shock as he went into cardiac arrest.  Ali snuck back into the theater, but not before being spotted by Emily who questioned her whereabouts.

Mona aligned her army to target Alison, including Paige (Lindsey Shaw). It appears Paige is not buying into Ali’s return, but Mona made a convincing argument, and the surprise guest of the meeting was Melissa, which prompted Paige to stick around. So how long has Melissa been coaching this elusive army of Ali haters?

Ali revealed that Ezra was paying Cece for information and that “A” put Emily into that box in Ravenswood, not Cece. She later revealed that Cece was responsible for killing a cop. The question is rather she killed Detective Wilden or Detective Reynolds?  Ezra whispered in Aria’s ear something so alarming she rushed out of the room. Hanna and Spencer were pissed to learn about Ali’s secrets, just as they planned to flee someone cut the lights, and Shana arrived at the theater with gun in hand!

She was the one who tried to kill the liars at the lodge, and she was responsible for shooting Ezra! Oh my God, Ali revealed that this was revenge for Jenna. Aria from a distance snuck behind Shana prompting a fatal fall. Yep, Shana is no longer apart of the “A” game. That’s two liars who have now killed someone. These ladies are indeed going down a dark path. Do the liars really believe that Shana was “A?” Come’on it’s never that easy, I mean we know she didn’t kill Mrs. D. The final moments saw Cece boarding a plan to France.

The final moments of the episode saw the authorities discover Shana’s dead body. So will the liars face any legal ramifications for their actions? Whew, that was a whopper of an episode, but there is much more to the “A” mystery than what we were given. So do you all suspect that Shana is behind all of the torture the liars have encountered? What is Mona’s army up to? And just what is Melissa keeping that is so explosive? It’s going to be a juicy summer “PLL” fanatics. Until next Tuesday!

By LaDale Anderson