dradiscontact

From the bloodstains, I would say that the killer attacked the guard outside of the holding cells in the hallway, where there's a small pool of blood. That pool trails inward towards Branson's holding cell. The killer cuffed the guard to the cell bars, where the guard was left to bleed out, and then took the keys and released Branson. All of the bloodstains are passive and widely dispersed, so this show isn't exactly going for Dexter-level accuracy in terms of staging a violent crime scene (there's no spatter, which is bizarre for a knife attack; the initial impact stain seems too large for what had to have been a swift attack; there are no transfer stains, not one smear or footprint), but that's kind of the story the bloodstains are telling.

That was my take on it. I wonder if we're supposed to think that Emma's dad is back in play, because he used his credit card not too long ago in a town near Lakewood. Where has he been staying? At the house where the sheriff was attacked? Those are supposed to be summer homes, so most of them in that area are vacant a large part of the year. I also want to know if Emma's ever going to have a conversation with her mother about Cassie for some kind of validation that this woman is actually Brandon's mother and that the baby was a boy. ETA: For anyone curious, the notes of the investigation that we saw in the flashback read on page one "Brandon James. Search Woods. 11/5/94 Brandon James search abandoned. Presumed dead." So they quit searching for him, what, five days after he fell in that lake? On page 2, "Various students attacked. Multiple homicides. One boy survived/being questioned. Kevin Duval wounded. Sole survivor. Suspect?" And on page 3, "Need to question the Anderson family. What is the link there? Obtain warrant. Margaret Anderson. 'Daisy' knew James. Did she help him?" Warrant for what? Also? What a waste of paper.

It's pretty standard to have a stuntman running around in the costume. It's not standard to have him credited in the cast, which isn't the case here actually. Mike Vaughn is credited as the killer, because he's the voice actor that we've been hearing on the phone.

She actually mutters, "Scott. Keith," as she's trying to remember his name.

Piper could have made up visiting Brandon's mother a third time, and anyone could have shown up pretending to be Brandon's son if it truly was a closed adoption. My read on Mrs. James, though, is that she is easily led to a conclusion. People who suffer from dementia can be coached to remember things incorrectly or are sometimes agreeable because they can sense that's what the other person wants. It's entirely possible that Emma simply suggesting the name Seth led Mrs. James to agree with her and accept it as fact. The same could be said for Piper and the photos. Did anyone else notice this? The killer's laptop Jake's cell phone The backgrounds are so similar and a part of me wonders if there's an image behind the camera windows on both screens that we'll see in the reveal.

DrLar, that's an interesting theory. For those of you that don't remember, Kieran showed up at the bowling alley after he allegedly heard the call on his police scanner, which is plausible given that his dad is the sheriff. For me, though, that would make him a Billy Loomis ripoff, and while Kieran is being styled in the same way with his floppy hair and edgy exterior, I should hope that the writers have pushed themselves for a more original twist. He's too obvious of a choice. Also, why would he offer Emma a gun and show her how to use it? Why offer to give her a deadly weapon that could potentially be used against him?

I can see where you're coming from on the quote's usage based on when it was said on the show, that is was pre-reveal. The quote, though, regardless of when it was said or in what context, post-reveal is still connecting a gender identity to a character who does not identify as that gender. That's the issue here, that this promotional image is unconsciously making the connection for its audience that "he" is "A" is "Charlotte" when we all know now that A is Charlotte, who is a transgender woman. The fear and the result of having that seed planted is violence against members of the trans community, violence that stems from misinformation and misunderstanding. You and I both understand the context of that quote, and we both understand Charlotte's gender, but you and I are also interested in having a discussion about it in a positive, productive manner. Hundreds of thousands of people will see that image, and some of them won't be coming across it with that same understanding and won't be interested in discussing it in that same manner. What they will be seeing is that the network that airs the show with the transgender character on it and the show itself are still referring to Charlotte as "he" only hours after referring to Charlotte as "he/she/it", so it must be okay for them to do the same. That kind of unconscious assimilation, the internalizing of that message, culminates in transphobia. That's the point, I think, Heather is trying to make.

THANK YOU! I just could not put my finger on who she reminds me of!

I need so much fanfic for this and, like, a movie poster and the next twelve hours to just sit here and think about it.

In the interest of a complete timeline, I should note that for those of you who suspect Kieran, he leaves dinner with the parents right after the group enters the bowling alley. I don't know how far "out beyond the crossroads" is from Lakewood proper, but if he were on a tight schedule, I would think he'd supply his own reason to leave instead of waiting for one to be presented to him. Unless, of course, Jake's suspicious meandering before entering the building was used to send Kieran a text and he jumped at the next available opportunity to scram. The show is a bit iffy on whether or not there's spotty cell reception at the bowling alley, because Noah loudly proclaims there is only moments before Emma receives a call from Kieran with perfect cell clarity. I personally wouldn't chance my murder scheme going awry because a text didn't go through, but maybe Noah just has T-Mobile. I don't think any of Kieran's screen time is relevant, though, because Noah was incredibly loud outside of the bowling alley, as was Jake, and for a group of kids about to enter an abandoned building that may house a serial murderer, you'd think they'd keep it down so as not to alert anyone to their presence. That was the moment I started to suspect them, because why be quiet when you know there's nothing to be afraid of? I don't think Kieran is the killer. He reads to me as a genuinely nice kid that was shipped off to Murderville (from Atlanta, so maybe he's used to it) after his mother and stepfather died in a car crash and is making the best of it with his well-meaning albeit dimwitted bio dad. I don't think Branson is anything more than a sexual predator who killed a girl who was going to get him fired, so he changed his name and started up again in Lakewood. Piper's got my money for being the love child, but I don't think she's involved in the killings. I think her father's death when she was "too young to remember him" led to her career as a true crime podcaster and that career lent itself to her coming to town to investigate what really happened since her father's murder remains unsolved. Her phrasing of it, though, seems a tad off, unless "too young to remember him" means "in utero". Cranberry, here are my thoughts on their motivation from an older post: Both are obsessive and keen on digging up other people's business--Jake with his spycam side project and Noah with his encyclopedic knowledge of the Brandon James murders. They stumbled upon the truth about Daisy and used it as a means to an end, Jake needing Nina gone before she blew the whistle on him for illegally filming her and Noah for being ruthlessly teased throughout school for being the scrawny, pasty nerd. Jake has the physical capabilities and has displayed both a lack of emotional stability and a will to exploit people's secrets for personal gain, and Noah is a gore-fetishist mastermind who takes pleasure in being involved in the real life serial murders of his adolescent tormentors. Noah is a techie with the capabilities to hack and surveil and Jake is the perfect partner to use that skillset for financial gain. Those were my initial thoughts, but I now believe Noah's more unhinged than I had originally calculated, and while I suspect he was bullied growing up, we've been given little evidence of that. I think in his case, revenge isn't a necessary motivating factor. I think he thrives on the excitement of curating a real life slasher film. As for Jake's continued participation, if he can't get the money, he may as well get the girl, and that is why they've framed Branson for the murders.

I think the difference in the separate competitions of men vs men and women vs women, in our reality, can be viewed as (but obviously not limited to) men being encouraged to be in competition with each other to prove how manly they are, i.e., that a man is not a man unless he is physically strong, sexually accomplished, decisive, stoic, successful in his career, financially capable of providing for his family, being the protector, etc. Whereas a woman is encouraged to be in competition with other women in the realm of outwardly expressing her femininity, i.e., being physically attractive, being nurturing, etc. It becomes more complex, the competition among women, because there is an obvious added external pressure from men to achieve certain ideals of femininity, such as being sexually attractive but still remaining chaste, sustaining a certain amount of independence while also being submissive, while men seem to have little-to-no acknowledged external pressure from women. "Seem to have" being a key phrase here, because in our reality, the most egregious crimes that are committed in our society are largely perpetrated by men. While we can never truly know the internal struggles of these perpetrators, I find it easy to navigate the why of it by assuming that their internal struggles stem from perceived rejection by women, which in turn leads to perceived rejection by their male peers, and deep-seeded insecurities that are masked by the stoicism they are encouraged to present to the world culminate in a disastrous and often deadly fashion. This relates to the reality of PLL, because in their society, these ideas of men and women in competition with their own genders are still in play, but the men are shown to be less adept at fulfilling their roles--their shortcomings are made to be glaringly obvious. An example of this is Toby and a few of his greater story arcs. His turn as A as an attempt to protect the Liars blew up in his face as he mostly just ended up being manipulated by A into handing over key evidence and betraying Spencer. His most recent attempt to protect the Liars by becoming a cop has also been met unsuccessfully by his ineptitude at actually being able to perform the duties of his position. RPD is a great example, as well, of the men in this universe being less than capable of fulfilling their gender roles. While we all like to joke about how useless the cops are, who are primarily portrayed by men, I think their uselessness is intentional in displaying the role reversal in the show. Because the women, and this is where I can see PLL as a feminist show, are largely more capable of fulfilling both heteronormative roles of men and women. They are depicted as being physically strong by surviving at the end of each day; being decisive even if those decisive actions mostly amount to nothing in ending A's pursuit of them; displaying stoicism by trying to outwit A mostly on their own and not cowering in a corner at the relentless torture by their enemies; being successful in their careers, whether you view their careers as being A, playing the stock market, excelling at creative, athletic, or academic pursuits; providing for their families even if it is by robbing a bank; being cunning and resourceful, all while still maintaining their femininity by being sexually attractive and nurturing. In this reality, the perpetrators of the most egregious crimes are women, which I think in the show's intention, illustrates that women are the dominant force in this society, the greater gender, if you'll allow that phrasing, because they subvert the norm of our own reality. In viewing PLL in this light, I take some issue in the claim that one of the main themes of this show is that the patriarchy is the root of all evil, because while the men do lend themselves to this concept, at the end of the day, it's the women that are at the forefront of driving the narrative, that are making the plays. To undermine their power, even if they are wielding it imperfectly, by saying the patriarchy is responsible for the bad in this universe, is what takes away their agency and weakens the feminist message of the show. That's where I disagree with the comments of the likes of Norman Buckley and Heather Hogan, because I think somehow they are both missing the point of the show that they are working on and critically analyzing respectively.

Jake suggests they split up after trailing into the bowling alley behind everyone else by a suspicious amount of seconds, which is noted by Brooke. For those of you that think there's a third person involved or just a second person that isn't Noah, this is where you can theorize that he made contact with them. After they split up, Noah posits to Emma that maybe Jake is the killer. (A theory that is raised only to be conveniently taken off the table fifteen minutes later when Jake gets "stabbed". But after the most recent episode, my theory on these two involves Noah taking over the game by leaps and bounds to make bold moves for the thrill of it, which possibly involves slowly turning the tables on Jake.) Jake tries to use scare tactics to get Brooke to forgive him before ducking into the bathroom to pee. (You know, right before he starts his knife-wielding campaign to scare Brooke into his arms while garnering as much sympathy as possible.) Brooke turns away from the bathroom at the sound of Noah and Emma breaking into the backroom. While Brooke's back is turned, the killer sneaks up behind her coming from the direction of the bathroom. Noah and Emma cut Will down inside the backroom, which is where Brooke eventually runs to as the killer gives chase. Audrey calls Noah (not part of the plan), so he gives her a "panicked" run-down of events with the bare minimum of detail ("I'm at the bowling alley with Emma.") before the call "drops", and God love Audrey, like every other teen on television, she does not call 911 but instead drives to Emma's house (?!) to report it, presumably having been told by Emma that the sheriff would be there for dinner. Brooke laments that Jake is still somewhere in the bowling alley with the killer, and Noah once again raises suspicion against him only to have that be dashed away in a few minutes, and in one of the many moments of this episode that makes me love Brooke, she accuses Noah of being the killer for bringing them to the bowling alley in the first place while wielding the "knife-stick". ("You know it's just a spear.") The killer plays "Daisy, Daisy" over the PA system, and Emma leaves the backroom to play the cassette tape. Somewhere in the bowling alley--but you would think in Emma's line of sight, no, or at least near enough to her that she would peak out from behind the counter given where we see Jake next? He totally staged that stabbing, you guys--we hear Jake scream and shout "Help! Where are you?" Your behind-the-door killer makes an appearance to a perfectly timed bit of snark from Noah. (Maybe they came up with that during dress rehearsal. "Okay, okay, I shout and then you count down 11 Mississippis and open the door.") Will barricades the door as Brooke and Noah leave through another door at the opposite end of the room (which makes Brooke "barricading" the first door by laying a pipe across it even more ridiculous. Like, nobody noticed another way into the room except for the guy who's been mostly unconscious?). Brooke and only Brooke comes out from behind the lanes to see Jake slumped against a column with his own knife in his chest, which she pulls out for...zero medical reasons. Then Emma pops out from wherever she's been mystery solving, and the killer pops up behind her only to be tackled by Will before running off as the cops bust in. Kieran shows up through presumably the same entrance the other kids used, the opposite direction I think (I think!) of where the killer ran off to. Minutes after we've last seen him, Noah busts through a door much closer to the current scene (and has a gun drawn on him. Ha!) and conveniently has found a quicker way out of the bowling alley (quicker than the front entrance the cops just busted through?), and everyone follows him, including the cops, because they got their training in Rosewood, PA. This is the only time since their arrival at the bowling alley that Noah and Jake are on-screen together, and in the time in between, only one could be accounted for at a time while the killer terrorized the group. Like I said in a previous post, Jake and Noah both brought backpacks. We only got to see the knife Jake brought, the one he was stabbed with, as far as the contents of what he's carrying goes, and we never find out what Noah was carrying in his. I think they both had a set of the killer's costume, and the time Noah spent off-screen before leading them to an exit is when he hid his costume back in his bag and picked up Jake's wherever he ditched his.

Tippi?: http://eonli.ne/1PALZBu

Not to downplay her profession, because I think it's cool, but she's a podcaster, not a reporter. Teenagers around the globe are successfully making names for themselves via YouTube and Vine, so why not an early twenty-something being a noted podcaster?

It should be called Muffled Throat Clearing.