There is no denying that, while last week's Please Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone was solid but pretty much uneventful, it did leave us with a nice cliffhanger - that the bracelet the girls found in the woods was a planted fake. It also left us with the knowledge that something big was going to come out in the next episode - The Perfect Storm - and we were not disappointed.
The Perfect Storm was yet another great PLL episode, and, despite the somewhat shaky start the series had, it has really gotten into its stride now. Despite the fact that it wasn't as eventful as, say, Can You Hear Me Now, there were still so many things to love about it.
TPS started off with Spencer, Hanna and Aria all studying at the former's house for their SATs, which are the next day. Naturally, while Spencer is answering all of Aria's questions correctly, Hanna is eating and making smart comments, including asking Aria just what is going on with her and potential bf, Noel. After looking a bit uncomfortable (and we all know why..), Aria insists that she isn't looking for anything more than a friend, to which Hanna gives a great response - 'Why? I mean, don't you have enough on Facebook?' (we are loving the great lines our girl's being given). To turn the heat away from her, Aria asks Spencer what's going on with her beau, the lovely Alex, and we find out just where the hell he was last week - at a tennis tournament. After shyly admitting that things are going really well, Spencer adds that she wants it to last but she's scared she's going to ruin it. Her mother then comes in and we see just what's up - Spencer hasn't told her exactly because she wants it to last.
We then see our least favourite character, Emily, burst into her room and hastily searching for something. A moment later, her phone buzzes, and, low and behold, it's another text from the oh so fabulous A; ' There's only so much you can bury, Emily. You're not done with me yet'. And, just when we wondering what in the blue blazes A could possibly be talking about now, we cut to CREDITS.
One plot point that we really liked was the continuation of Spencer's. The day of the SATs, her mum insists on going into the school with them to see if they've been cancelled due to the storm, to which our girl replies that, if they had, nobody would be there. After discovering that it hasn't, Spencer, Hanna and Aria head to their lockers and we find out that Alex is taking his exams in the same hall. Which is why Spencer didn't want her mum coming in with them. Just as the two are sharing a very cute embrace and kiss, Spencer's mum comes along and Aria has to tap her on the shoulder. Unwillingly, Spencer introduces Alex as her homecoming date, but he and her mum are noticeably discomfited and the latter keeps saying 'So, you're Alex'. After an uncomfortable few seconds, Alex wisely makes his excuses and leaves.
Moments later, the Detective bounces up and reveals that Alison's memorial was destroyed last night and they've had to cordon it off because it's an ongoing murder investigation. Just when we'd thought things couldn't get any worse. Ever the bearer of bad news, that guy.
Spencer, understandably confused as to just what is going on between Alex and her mother, tries to ask him several times, but he insists she ask her mother. By this time, we were thinking 'God forbid they slept together. Because we just know that's what's happened'. So you can imagine our relief when Spencer's mother reveals the truth. Last year, when the rest of the family were away for the weekend and she stayed at home on the pretence of having work to do, she really remained behind to get a test for a lump in her breast. Afterwards, depressed, she had headed to the country club, had had a few too many sidecars (Sidecars. Naturally.) and ended up spilling her guts to Alex who listened patiently before putting her in a cab. Here, Spencer and her mum have a very nice, bonding moment. When asked why she didn't tell the family, Spencer's mum tells her that their family doesn't deal very well with imperfection - something that we had no idea she knew herself. Could there be trouble ahead for Spencer's parents'? Regardless, she tells Spencer that Alex is one of the good ones (didn't have to tell us that) and we have our first mother-daughter bonding moment of the season between the two.
Another nice storyline was Aria's. First, we get to see the first interaction between her and her mother, Ella, for a while. When asked why she hasn't been to Ella's new appartment for dinner, as requested, Aria says it's because doing so would be like saying she was ok with her parents living apart. She also adds that, just because Ella and Byron were ready for this change, doesn't mean that she was.
And she was arctic-cold while saying so, too.
Then she, Hanna and Spencer venture to the library and she comes across Noel who asks her out to a basketball game - floor seats - that Saturday. Only for her to turn him down (*Prince sideeye* for you, Aria). He then asks her if she wants to head to a different - more interesting - room and, thankfully, she accepts. You can only imagine our surprise (not) when it turns out that Noel can play the guitar, and proceeds to do so in the darkened room they go to. And, of course, our girl, Aria, can sing so she joins in.
Just when things are getting good, Ezra rolls up for the first time in what seems like weeks and he and Aria have a 'gazes-meet-across-the-room' moment (*rolls eyes*.). You can probably tell that we're just not feeling Ezra as much as we once were. After he informs them that everyone is wanted back in the library for safety reasons, Noel gets, obediently, out of there after Aria gives the age-old excuse that she wants to 'ask Mr Fitz something about the homework' (another *sideeye* for you, Aria). Barely waiting for POTENITAL BEAU to be out of earshot, Aria rounds on Ezra asking just where the Hell he's been, to which he pathetically answers that he was dealing with 'family issues'. But that understandably just isn't going to wash with Aria, and, after one of her patented icy glares, he buckles under pressure and admits that they were really his issues and that he also went for an interview at another school in New York. She then confronts him about his blowing hot and cold (about bloody time, in our opinion) and he answers that, despite having thought about her every second he was away (-.-), things can't go back to the way they were. They have to change. And didn't we just love how our girl hissed 'they already have' before strutting, oh so fabulously, out of there?
Later, after the storm has died down and the SATs postponed, she accepts Noel's invitation to go out (Oh, thank GOD) but has to change the date to Saturday as she'll be going to Ella's on Friday. So all's well that end's well. And we are loving this potential relationship between Aria and Noel. Ezra is so three weeks ago.
*Kanye shrug*
Now it's no secret that we dislike Emily and Shay Mitchell's complete lack of acting ability with a passion, so it'll come as a surprise when we say that we actually really liked her storyline in this episode.
No, we can't quite believe it either.
Emily didn't turn up to school with the other girls, instead we see her rolling up to her locker a while after they've left for the library. There she is accosted by the Detective who asks if she's heard from Toby, yet, to which she predictably replies in the negative. He then tells her that A's memorial was vandalised the night before - which she doesn't react to - and that MYSTERY BOY was spotted just a few days ago, meaning that he's still alive. She again says that she has no idea where he is, before leaving, and letting us - and the Detective glimpse her muddy trainers.
0_0
She heads to the library where Hanna, Aria and Spencer are discussing how A made a fake bracelet to mess with them and the fact that the Detective is now searching people's lockers due to Jason breathing down his neck. After mumbling a half-arsed excuse that she was late home from practice the night before and that was why she missed the revision session, she gets yet another text from BFH - 'Hey, Em. You weren't the only one with Great Expectations. Check it out'. While the rest of us are going huh? Emily rushes off to the stacks of books, to the others' confusion. Hanna, wrongly assuming that it has something to do with Maya, tells them that they should leave her alone for now and that she'll talk when she's ready.
Meanwhile, Emily locates Charles Dickens' Great Expectations in which is hidden a letter addressed to BFH (GASP!) and we get a FLASHBACK. Emily comes across Alison in the library, who is reading Great Expectations. After she sits down beside A, she tells her that she had a dream last night that Jenna came back and she could see again. Alison says that that's why she loves Emily - she's big on happy endings. She then starts reading an excerpt from the book - one that so obviously applies to Emily about loving someone you shouldn't - and Emily kisses her.
That scene was the single most interesting one Emily's had all season and we loved the exploration of a plot point (first mentioned in the pilot) we thought had been forgotten. Later, we get another flashback of Emily and Alison, this time in the girls changing room. But it is nowhere near as touching. This time around, when Emily kisses her, A pushes her away, saying that she's not into girls and the first kiss was only practice for 'the real thing'.
Which was just cold. But, it's Emily, so we can't be bothered to care.
But this plot line did culminate very nicely, with Emily's purse - and the letter - being stolen by that damned Detective. We then had a very tense confrontation between he and the girls where he accuses her of killing Alison because she was angry at being rejected by the queen bee and going to the memorial the previous night to finish the job (again, huh?). He then tells the girls about how Emily sent that angry letter to A three days before she disappeared. Emily rushes to explain that, she did go to the memorial the night before, but it was to tell A that she was sorry for that letter, and that it was already trashed when she got there.
Then came one of our favourite moments of the entire episode. Spencer's mum came strutting in and instantly asked just what the hell was going on. After the girls rushed to tell her, she had an OWNED moment of her own when she told the Detective that questioning minors without an adult present meant that whatever they'd said wouldn't be counted in court. As the girls leave the room - with Emily's purse and the letter - she tells him that he's done with the investigation. Unless he wants to face her.
HA!
This really was one of our favourite scenes. It had the best acting we've seen from Shay to date, it introduced a new layer to the story and gave us more insight into the past relationships in the clique. Truly appreciated.
Still, we haven't forgotten our girl, Hanna, despite her not having much of a storyline this ep. Her sidekick, Mona, being slightly pissed off at the obvious bond Hanna and Lucas share proceeds to insult and mock him at every turn. Something that the new Queen Bee isn't just going to let slide. She not only dresses Mona down, but does it in such a way that Mona virtually ignores Lucas now - something he really appreciates. When he expresses this gratitude to Hanna at the end of the episode, however, she is quick to remind him that she did it because they're friends now, before leaving in a fabulous fashion. Next came one of the greatest OMG moments of the episode. As Lucas stands there looking after her in a lovesick-puppy sort of way, we catch a glimpse of his MUDDY TRAINERS!!
So what could this possibly mean? Is A really Lucas? After all, if you think about it, he does have a motive. He hated A's group and quite clearly would have loved the opportunity to take them down a few pegs. In addition, since he and Hanna became friends, she hasn't received any threatening texts from A.
Could it be?
We'll just have to wait for tonight's episode to find out. Remember tonight's ep is the last for FIVE MONTHS (yes, we don't know what we're going to do, either) and hence sure to leave us with the CLIFFHANGER to end all cliffhangers. Watch sneak peeks of tonight's episode, Keep Your Friends Close, here .
Our review of tonight's PLL episode will be posted next Tuesday, as per usual.
VERDICT: 8.02/10
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