- Title: Pretty Little Liars – Oh, What Hard Luck Stories They All Hand Me
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Putting the ominous barrel on hold for most of the episode, although we do learn whose blood was left at the scene, the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars is driven by the return of one character, the bizarre actions of a supporting character, and the arrival in town of a friend of Mona (Janel Parrish) seeking the Liars. In the end each storyline will expose, introduce, or question something tied to the death of Mona, the belief that Alison (Sasha Pieterse) is A, and the identity of Alison’s agents outside of prison.
While Emily (Shay Mitchell) attempts to sort out her feelings for Talia (Miranda Rae Mayo), a character the show doesn’t do anything more to make me trust this week, and Hanna and Caleb both fret about being questioned by the police, Detective Holbrook (Sean Faris) returns to Rosewood. Although the detective has an altercation with Hanna (Ashley Benson) by the side of the road (more than a little reminiscent of the scene between Wilden and Hanna’s mother), the discovery that he’s on the outs with both the department and Alison makes the Liars question everything they believe about the detective and begin to wonder who is actually helping A.
As Spencer (Troian Bellisario) still fights against the idea of leaving for college and spends more time with Jonny (Will Bradley) she also learns a troubling fact that Mike (Cody Allen Christian) has been visiting Alison in prison. Confronting her brother Aria becomes only more confused as to why he’s decided to befriend the person charged with murder of his girlfriend. Speaking of Mona, who appears in flashbacks, the arrival of her friend (Elizabeth McLaughlin) will lead Hanna to making a discovery in the form of a cassette tape whose importance is still yet to be determined.
Although Jonny’s invention is rather cool, and allows Emily and Talia to talk openly about thier feelings, it’s a bit impractical for a town as full of secrets as Rosewood (and I have to wonder how soon it will be used to accidentally let an important piece of information slip). Jonny is a bit better in his assessment of the craziness that runs rampant in the town, particularly in an episode that sees an odd turn for Mike (a character who holds less interest for me than Brew patron #12) whose true motivations are going to take some time to figure out.
