HOLLYWOOD—If you want to deliver your audience a jolt deliver a surprise they never saw coming. The writers of “PLL” did just that with episode 18 “Dead to Me” which saw our favorite liars grappling with whether they should attend a final memorial for their beloved BFF Alison. Spencer (Troian Bellisario), Hanna (Ashley Benson), Emily (Shay Mitchell) and Aria (Lucy Hale) received details from Jason (Drew Van Acker) about Ali’s memorial service, but an unhinged Spencer lashed out revealing her true feelings about Ali, which shocked everyone.
Mona (Janel Parrish) attempted to buddy up to Spencer who was not having it, “This is not a game to me,” whispered Spencer, just as Mona made it apparent that she knows about her and Toby’s breakup. Aria was a bit surprised to see Wesley show up to Ezra’s (Ian Harding) apartment. The two appeared a bit smitten with one another. Should Ezra be worried about his little brother moving in on his girlfriend? I think so.
Spencer received an update from her private investigator and discovered that Toby had been visiting the Westside of town and that he purchased a vast amount of flowers before skipping town. At the police station, Emily continued to pry into Detective Wilden’s past and discovered a photo missing from his office, but also found a postcard fromPariswritten in French; it was something that Emily placed in Ali’s casket.
The message stated: “Stop digging the police already know its you who is capable of murder.” Emily extended her arm out to Spencer and discovered that Paige (Lindsey Shaw) was digging into discovering the person who attacked the girls on the ghost train in the joker costume. My theory was it definitely was a guy who attacked Spencer; our favorite liar took a brutal beating.
It was a nice surprise to see Dr. Sullivan (Annabeth Gish) who was counseling with Emily about personal issues. Emily was grappling with the fact that she killed someone. It was a very emotional moment for Emily, as Dr. Sullivan told Emily to consider hypnotherapy. Hanna helped Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) grapple with demons from his past, just as Jason showed some compassion to his troubled sister who he realizes was a bit off.
While under hypnotherapy, Emily recalled some startling moments from her past where she is seen walking towards Alison who tells her about doing something bad. She sees herself holding onto a shovel as she whacks Alison on top of the head near the patio where Ali’s body was found. Dr. Sullivan is completely unaware of what secret she has just unearthed. Did Emily indeed kill Alison? It sure looks like she may have started the job, but someone else finished it. The bigger question that remains is just why did Emily want to kill her BFF?
Another flashback revealed Emily and Alison organizing photos of the friends taking a trip toParis. Pam attempted to reason with her daughter about her emotions that she’s experiencing. Spencer’s private eye gave her the goods on where the “A” key leads to. It’s just a matter of time before Spence finds the location, but will it be what she expects or something worse. Wesley attacked the husband of the professor that he flirted with. Looks like the Fitz brothers have a thing for being in relationships that they shouldn’t be in. Hanna attempted to build a conversation with Caleb about his uncle, but Caleb avoided the topic. She then showed him a picture when he was an infant that indicates what I thought, his uncle is his father! The ring that was on his figure was a dead ringer, and the questions that he asked Hanna all made sense. He was prying into his son’s past, which saddened Caleb to learn the truth.
Mona paid Dr. Sullivan a visit which appeared to frighten the good ole doc. If there is someone who knows what Mona is capable of its Dr. Sullivan. Mona’s up to her old tricks and our favorite therapist is fully aware of it. Spencer followed the clues given to her by the private eye which lead her to an empty room. Seems the “A” team was one step ahead of her and got rid of the evidence before Spence could discover it. Aria, Emily, Hanna and Jason sat waiting for Spencer to show up at Ali’s memorial, but was a no-show as the girls reminisced about the past. When Spence did arrive she told Jason that Ali was pregnant when she was killed and revealed that Detective Wilden was the father. The other liars begged her not to do it; they gave her the cold shoulder because of her antics. A broken-heart will indeed cause people to act irrational. Aria and Hanna realized something was wrong with Spencer, just as Emily recalled more things about the night that she disappeared.
She remembered being at the grave the night Ali’s body was dug up. She was in a trance begging the person cloaked in the black hoodie to stop, yet they continued. She was then muzzled by the figure as she spotted a blonde woman wearing a red coat. She revealed to the other girls that the person in the red coat is in charge of the “A” team. I’m dying to know who this person is! I’m just hoping it’s not what everyone including Hanna expects: Alison. That would be a cop out that would not satisfy fans, as it’s too easy.
At the mausoleum, Spencer saw the grave of Toby’s mother and decided to carve in the name TOBY signaling that he is indeed ‘dead’ to her. The final moments revealed someone in a wine shop purchasing a bottle of whiskey as they were being carded for ID. That’s a huge clue which means who ever purchased the liquor must appear young in age. Whether it’s a woman or man is not known, but I’m assuming it’s a woman. All of the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. Next week’s episode sees Spencer lose her cool as she attacks a spiteful Mona who continues to push her buttons. Until next week “PLL” fanatics!
By LaDale Anderson
