This week, the prettiest little liars are not Spencer, Hannah, Aria, or Emily. Toby and Caleb steal the show this week and accomplishing more in one episode than the girls have all season.
The Boys: have become vigilantes. After joining forces, they created their own evidence matrix to try to figure out the mystery of A. Interestingly, the first question they try to answer isn’t the identity of A but the location. They begin their search by tracking down the plane that was at Thornhill Lodge the night of the fire. Caleb wonders how Red Coat get all the way from Thornhill back to town in time to frame Hannah’s mom. Come on, boys, we already know there’s an entire “A” team. Please try to keep up. Caleb also notices Toby’s mother’s file in their pile of evidence, but Toby won’t divulge anything. Using a computer search, they learn the location of the plane’s hangar, and he and Caleb run off to find it. They arrive at the hangar, claiming that Toby got stiffed in a kitchen remodel (nice excuse, guys). The attendant Nigel Wright, who also appeared in the Season 4 premiere and is a bit of a hottie with a body, asks if they looked up the plane’s number to see the flight schedule, which they did but were unsuccessful. He says that it might be blocked, so the guys bribe him to check the files. They learn that the last time the plane took off was the night of the fire but that it landed in Delaware, far away from Thornhill. The pilot’s name is John Smith, which of course the guys don’t buy. Is A getting a little sloppy, or did she/he just figure that no one would have gotten this far? Nigel then tells them that the night of the fire, the fog was so bad that, because Thornhill is barely just a landing strip, it would have been almost impossible to land there. Of course, as soon as the boys leave, Nigel pulls out his cellphone, a sure sign he’s working for A. Apparently, A was expecting someone to stumble upon this clue, but, as always, she/he is twenty steps ahead of the game. Later, Toby questions how the attendant knew it was foggy the night of the fire, showing why he’s the other half of PLL’s detective power couple. Caleb tells him that he’s tried to track down the owner of the plane, but Toby is too busy playing with the lighter/compass he found on the night of the fire. The direction “northwest” stands out, although it’s not a reference to Kimye’s latest spawn. Caleb makes the connection that the NW stands for Nigel Wright. Toby thinks that the lighter was probably used to start the fire, meaning that Nigel had some sort of part in it. The guys go back to confront Nigel, who is suddenly very quiet. Nigel tries to make a break for it, but the vigilantes corner him. They accuse him of being the pilot and filing the false flight report. Nigel says he doesn’t know anything about the fire because he wasn’t there; he just got paid to fake the flight plan and spin a story. The guys want a name though, and after some more pressure, Nigel reveals that it was CeCe Drake. After pushing both the guys and topping a filing cabinet, Nigel gets away. Somehow, in the altercation, Caleb grabs Nigel’s phone, which means that he can now do what he does best.
Spencer: is finally learning the value of hard work, washing dishes with Emily in the opening scene. There’s still tension between them, but it’s getting better. Later, Spencer tells Hannah that she overheard her mom talking about Ashley’s case and that it would have been better if Ashley had actually killed Wilden. She says that they could plead voluntary manslaughter, which is 20 years, but the only other alternative is first degree murder, which would land Ashley in jail for life. Spencer consoles Hannah, proving that she can be a good friend after all. There is a pretty sparse episode for Spencer, but she finally gets to see some action when the boys recruit her during their phone cracking session. They notice that a bunch of phone calls were made to the same number in New York, which they think must be CeCe’s. Spencer tells the guys that CeCe left town because she was afraid of Wilden, so maybe they set the fire, she killed Wilden, and the Ashley set-up is her trying to cover her own tracks. Spencer reveals that CeCe visited Mona at Radley, which intrigues Toby. He tells Spencer that his mother’s doctor had warned his mother about a blonde girl, so he thinks that could possibly be CeCe. They don’t know much, but they do know that they need to find CeCe to answer some of these questions.
Hannah: is now under self-imposed house arrest, totally distraught by her mother’s absence. Even though her three best gal pals are helping out with the housework and checking up on her, it’s not the same. On a phone call with Caleb, she asks him not to do anything stupid, which, compared to some of the stuff she and the other liars have done, pretty much means he can do whatever he wants. Later, she finally leaves the house to visit her mother in jail, where they discuss Ashley’s possible outfits for court. Hannah also mentions the upcoming silent auction for the library renovations. She wants to get tickets for the two of them, but Ashley can only plan as far as the arraignment. Hannah asks her mom to promise that she’ll be her date, but Ashley can’t. However, Hannah will not take no for an answer. Later, Hannah is back at school and has a nice little heart to heart with Ezra. Hannah even slips in an obscure book reference, which Ezra rewards with a pass on an essay she missed from being away. That night at home, Hannah has become the woman of the house, paying bills and taking names. The next day, Hannah puts her mother’s court clothes in a garment bag during a heartbreakingly long musical sequence. Back at the prison, Hannah urges her mother to plead guilty and say that it was self-defense. Ashley refuses to take responsibility for a murder she didn’t commit.
Aria: is having some more bonding time with her brother, Mike. He reveals that Connor isn’t the aggressive type, and Aria becomes suspicious that Mike is the one who smashed his car. Mike is quick to realize Aria’s accusations, and emphatically denies them. Later, the principal confronts Aria about the police’s suspicion of Mike, but she covers for him. The principal asks her whether Mike is still taking his medication, especially after the events of last year, but she assures him that he is. From the creepy look he gives Aria while she’s walking away though, he doesn’t seem to buy it. Or, maybe he just likes her outfit. Later at home, Aria’s dad tells her that if Mike is found guilty of smashing Connor’s car he could get expelled. Aria explains the situation to her father, feeling responsible for the whole thing. Surprisingly, her dad doesn’t blame Ezra as the root of all evil, but instead is angry with Connor. Somebody’s been working on his parenting skills. Kudos, Bryon. The next day, Aria sits outside the principal’s office waiting for her dad and Mike when Ezra comes up and says that Mike couldn’t have done it. His sureness is intriguing, considering Ezra also happened to be hanging outside the Brew that night…They have a nice post-breakup “I’m still in love with you, but this can never be” chat, and Ezra asks Aria if she knows who smashed up Connor’s car. They are interrupted by Byron, who tells Aria that she should go home. Later, Ezra talks to the principal and threatens him with the lack of evidence and the questionable legality of asking Aria about Mike’s mental state. The principal throws it right back at him, asking if he thinks whether or not getting so involved with Aria’s family isn’t an error in his own judgment. Ezra’s talk apparently worked though because Mike comes home a free man. Later that evening, Aria goes to Ezra’s apartment to leave a thank you note, and they have yet another heartbreaking moment. Ezra tells Aria that there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her, including smash a car?
Emily: is hopefully going to be doing a different therapy for her shoulder. Even though it’s a mad expensive procedure, her parents want to do this so that she may not have to get surgery. At school, Emily wonders about Shawna’s sudden disappearance from school and life in general. Later, Emily visits her mother at the police station before going to therapy. Emily’s mom can’t come with her to her therapy because she’s too busy, not even having time to chat with Lieutenant Tanner, for which Emily is thankful. An older man walks in with a key to Wilden’s apartment, which Emily learns her mother has possession of in a case. Later, instead of going to therapy, she finds Spencer and Aria, shows them the key, and recruits them into breaking into Wilden’s apartment. They enter his apartment and, of course, don’t turn the lights on. At least this time there’s a method to their madness, as Emily takes the lead enforcing the no lights policy and demanding gloves. I guess they have learned something from A after all these years. Emily is hoping to find some sort of clue, still going on her Jenna and Shawna hunch. The phone rings, but none of the girls answer it. Aria spots a box from a steak company, which they open and find full of rancid meat and a note from A inviting Wilden to a barbecue. A watches them from a hidden place in the apartment, denoted by the different shooting style. Later at the police station, Emily’s mother looks frantically for the stolen key. Emily watches from afar, and overhears that her mother will be in big trouble if she doesn’t find the key. That night, at home, Emily is trying to use Wilden’s username with the steaks company website, when her mom walks in, angry that she didn’t go to therapy. Her mother says that she will take her tomorrow, and Emily asks if she should meet her at work. Emily’s mom reveals that she was suspended from work, and if Emily doesn’t feel bad enough, she’s greeted with a message from A that it will all “come crashing down.” That night, Emily tosses and turns in her bed, racked with guilt. She’s about to return the key to her mother when she listens to her talk on the phone about money problems…until a car crashes through their house. Luckily, Emily’s mom is unhurt, but it’s clear that A isn’t being figurative with her/his threats.
The Final Scene: Nigel pours tea into a cup for A, explaining how Caleb took his phone and apologizing for screwing up. He refers to A as “babe,” and leaves the cup next to a chic pair of sunglasses. Is A a female? It certainly seems like it. Later, the black gloves are at a hardware store in Rosewood, buying a “Home Repair For Morons” book, duct tape, and a fifty dollar gift card. Who’s the gift card for? Why, Emily, of course. How thoughtful.
Reader’s Digest Version: Do we know who A is? No. Do we think she takes things a bit too literally? Absolutely.