The Homecoming Hangover, this episode is entitled, and very apt it was indeed.
After the greatness that was 'There's No Place Like Homecoming", which had some classic PLL themes - secrets, betrayal, tangled love lives and the discovery of Toby's oh so shady past - we knew that the issues it brought up either had to be resolved, or extended into ongoing storylines.
And, as usual, we were right.
THH begun just moments after TNPLH ended, with Spencer, Aria and Hanna trying to find the missing Emily in the school's darkened hallways. Having refused to split up (thank God, because that would just have been Cliché City), the three call Emily's phone only to find it lying, forgotten, on the floor and proceed to THE LAB to find shattered glass and tell-tale blood on the floor. We then see MYSTERY BOY (as Toby will be known from here on out) pulling up outside a hospital with a bleeding Emily in the back seat.
GASP! and cut to CREDITS.
This was yet another great opening scene from PLL and something we have come to expect from the writers. They may have started off shaky, but they seem to really have hit their stride now.
Another great storyline was the continuation of the whole MYSTERY BOY'S FILE thing. After seeing Emily alive and well in her bedroom surrounded by Aria and Spencer, we watch as the two inform her of MB's semi-incestuous relationship with stepsister, Jenna, and that A found out about it when she threw the stink bomb into the shed. They also revealed that that's why MB took the fall for them - A blackmailed him - and it's probably why he wanted her, and the rest of the group, dead. We really appreciated this neat tying up of loose ends - a subtle recap of last week's shocking findings for those who may have forgotten. However, Emily then makes a great point - if MB really wanted her dead, wouldn't she be in a body bag rather than her cosy-looking bed (not that that insight made us like her irritating-as-Hell character any more)? Hanna then rolls on in as the bearer of bad news, telling the group that the police know that the file has been stolen and are now looking for it. If anyone saw her taking it last night, then she's going to be in serious trouble. Again.
After a couple of days of the file burning a hole in her bag, Hanna understandably grows tired of being just an accident-in-public away from a jail cell, and goes to the woods with Aria and Spencer to destroy it. After arguing back and forth about the merits of getting rid of the file - with Spencer suggesting she mail it to the police and Hanna saying that they'll trace it back to her and that'll be her third strike (in less than a month, Hanna? Tut, tut.). Spencer then makes an excellent point - MYSTERY BOY could be the killer; that they can't keep making the same mistakes over and over again. She even goes further to say that he's most likely A - after all, none of the girls have received any messages from her since his disappearance. But Aria has had enough and tosses the file - papers and all - into the creek. Thinking that it's finally over, the three leave, only for Aria to receive a text from Emily (who has been visited by the fabulous Jenna and instructed to give J the file. She's scared of what MB may do to himself, and, at the very least, doesn't want the scandalous contents of the file to get out. Especially as A told her quite a few secrets about the girls when she visited Jenna in hospital - secrets she's kept. So far.) saying a rather doom-implying 'WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T DESTROY THAT FILE!'
When confronted by Jenna in the school's one hallway, Emily tells her that it's gone - that noone will ever see it. Of course, only for the episode to end with the BLACK GLOVED HAND picking the waterlogged papers and file case out of the creek.
Still, that wasn't the only great storyline enforced in this episode. We saw the further development of our favourite relationship - that between Spencer and Alex. Left on a sour note in TNPLH, we saw Spencer organise a 'do-over' during a very cute scene in the country club kitchens. Only for her to think he's blown her off as he texts her to cancel, citing 'work' as an excuse - which, as Spencer informs Emily is a damn lie, as the club isn't open on Mondays.
Naturally, our girl, Spencer, doesn't take this lying down and heads over to the club to call him out. To find Alex making up fruit kebabs in the kichen - he wasn't lying, as he tells her. There's a special breakfast tomorrow, and he was told he'd get time and a half. Spencer, after an understandable 'my bad' moment, puts on a hair net and helps him out.
But, just when we thought things were finally happening for our favourite couple, Spencer comes across some photos of herself and some other club members in a cupboard, with disparaging comments and drawings enscibed on them. After Alex rushes to reassure her that he'd never seen her one before today, and telling her (rightly, in our opinion) that this goes both ways - whether you're queen bees or worker bees - she flounces out. Only to come back and dance with him, before the two share their first ever kiss.
Sigh.
Another storyline we appreciated was the combination of the car wrecks that both Aria and Ezra and Ella and Byron's respective relationships have become. Aria goes to school to discover that Ezra has been replaced by a substitute teacher - who has no idea of where he is, nor why he's even missing. She then heads to his appartment (whose door is open? Really? SMH.) and overhears someone leaving a voicemail - which reveals that Ezra is being interviewed at Harrison Country Day the next day. Which happens to be in New York.
KMT.
The further breakdown of Ella and Byron's relationship, with him revealing to Aria that, despite the fact that he still loves Ella, she wants him to move out. That it would be best for the current situation. Shoutout to our girl, Aria, for making an excellent point - shouldn't he stay and fight for what he wants? But he shoots that down faster than a red fox in hunting season, telling her that this is just out of her reach (condescending, much?). She bounces out of there, fabulous as ever, replying that this isn't one of them.
This storyline culminated perfectly - and surprisingly. After Aria's brother gets into an unprovoked fight at school, and Byron subsequently refuses to move out, Ella chooses to leave instead, with one of the final scenes showing them organising their children's activities before she drives away.
Hanna's relationship problems didn't let up, either, with she and Sean still being at logger heads. At the make up photoshoot, Sean lets Hanna know in no uncertain terms that he's still mad-as-the-Hatter at her, frowning and making catty comments (his response to her phone ringing, 'Go ahead, answer it. I'm sure it's someone else that pulls rank over me'). He then storms out after refusing a request for more photos, making it clear that he and Hanna are still not happening, and threatening photographer Lucas with bodily violence. SMDH. The complete contrast to this is Lucas, who we love despite him acting the geeky, lovesick puppy. Indeed, when he and Hanna are choosing the homecoming photo for the yearbook and wind up discussing how intimidating he used to find her and her 'posse', he delivers one of the episode's greatest lines ('well, you may have used your powers for good, but Alison was straight up evil. Great because it was so insightful - showed us just how others outside the clique viewed the Queen Bee). The two share a real connection - a very obvious one as well. Mark our words, the two will be an item before the end of the season. Especially after the way Sean dismissed the 'hilarious video' Hanna tried to show him (after he'd magnamoniously decided to forgive her with Aria having to talk sense into him in the middle of the crowded hallway about the ills of sending her flowers. KMDT). You can just tell that we're really going off Pastor's Boy, can't you? He is really starting to annoy us.
But not half as annoying as we still find Emily and any storyline connected to her. All we can say is thank God she wasn't heavily featured in this ep, because there's only so damn much we can take. Brief summary of her storyline? She and her mum came to arms over the discovery that she's dumped WANNABE RAPIST for MYSTERY BOY, only for the latter to dump her off at a hospital after the events of the dance and take off on his black motorbike ( naturally.). Em also discovered that Hanna knows all about her kiss with NEW BFF, and explained (with some of the poorest acting we've seen from her all season.) that she can't admit her feelings for Maya out of fear that 'everything would change' (yes, she actually uttered that line. And, no, she didn't carry it off). The only saving grace of her presence this episode, was her admittance to Maya of her feelings for her - with as much chemistry between the two as that of Chuck and Jenny.
We're already tired of talking about her, so we'll stop there. The episode ended with the discovery that Toby is most likely dead, his motorbike having been found - wrecked, of course. We didn't like him much either, so if he's actually gone, it's no great loss.
Still, overall, another solid, well-written episode, with plenty of storylines being open to further development. What we can't wait to see tonight? The portrayal of Spencer and Alex's relationship, finding out if Aria and Ezra have any kind of future at all and Hanna and Sean's relationship breaking down even further.
If you want to see sneak peeks from tonight's ep, 'Please Don't Talk About When I'm Gone', click here .
VERDICT: 8.12/10
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