S05.E21: Bloody Hell

[ottoDbusdriver]

So what do we think about the A tag? My theory is that it's A's way of putting a hit out on Ali: The various inmates will get their Bibles, find the $100 bill at the vengeance passage, and understand the $100 to be a down payment on the money that can be collected by whoever successfully shanks Ali.

 

I'm pretty sure those were $20 bills 'A' was putting in the Bibles -- those were Jacksons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_twenty-dollar_bill), not Benjamins 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_one_hundred-dollar_bill)

 

Is 'A' getting low on funds ?  Because $20 seems like an awful low amount to get additional prison time added to your sentence if you get caught.

Edited February 26, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[Agent Dark]

Yeah! what was that? Something meant to catch Aria's eye so she'd step on the trap? A coupon for tiger print clothes? Feathers?

It was meant to be his "schedule" (what she was in the room looking for in the first place).  It's a bit hard to make out the writing, but the first word looks like "Lacrosse" - I vaguely remember something about that in an earlier season?

[Crim]

I thought the message is meant for Ali (i.e. Ali opens up the Bible - for some reason - at the right passage), but A can't make sure she gets a certain Bible this time, so fixes all of them. The 20 could hint at something Ali would get. The reason why I think this is the passage the camera focused on: "Their wine is the poison of dragons and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasure? Vengeance is mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them. For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when He sees that their power is gone, and there is none shut up or left."

 

Of all the things in the Bible A could have chosen, this doesn't read like a "Kill this bitch!" signal, but as "I have the means to frame the Liars, and it will happen soon, and they will be gone, and you will be all alone and will be trialed and found guilty." (Side note: I laughed as the foot slip as a reference to Aria in this episode.)

[tldryolo]

I love how the entire subplot with Ted has occurred with Ted off-screen.  Ted has decided that, notwithstanding the infidelity, he wants to spend his life with Ashley... so of course Ashley is home alone and Ted is off doing something else.  

[Black Knight]

The thought of an A plan revolving around Ali deciding to read a Bible makes me giggle. But I agree, it makes more sense than my thought it's a message to all the inmates.

[Chaos Theory]

Did Ezra have a sex change and start calling him/herself Talia? I kid. I kid.

I can see two differences: 1. Talia is prettier. 2. Talia has never had any direct power over Emily.

[lion10]

Did Ezra have a sex change and start calling him/herself Talia? I kid. I kid.

I can see two differences: 1. Talia is prettier. 2. Talia has never had any direct power over Emily.

 

Is Talia as creepy as Ezra?  Definitely not.  Is she still (imo) creepy?  Yes.  Idk. The fact that she lied about being married and to what extent she wanted to take the relationship to both involved parties just really rubs me the wrong way.

 

Also, I don't see the magnetic pull Alison is supposed to exert on all straight guys everywhere.  Unlike the other Liars, Sasha looks like she's 16 and a lot of her manipulations with significantly older men is supposed have taken place when she was 14/15.  I don't see older guys in the 19+ area going for someone who looks so young or being very attracted to her to the point where she could con guy after guy, especially someone like Holbrook who would probably have plenty of romantic options much closer to his age.  So Bethany's recording concerning Alison (I assume) doesn't ring true to me.  I can see men losing their minds over Emily, Hanna, or Spencer (based on her charisma and intensity), but not Alison.

[Chaos Theory]

The fact that Talia is married doesn't bother me like it does some. I guess because I know a couple people in similar circumstances. Late in life lesbians. People who married men out of fondness and then found love and had to figure out what to do. The honorable thing would be to break the marriage before you carry on with the relationship which is kinda what she is doing.

In the age thing gives me pause.

[racked]

Is Talia as creepy as Ezra?  Definitely not.  Is she still (imo) creepy?  Yes.  Idk. The fact that she lied about being married and to what extent she wanted to take the relationship to both involved parties just really rubs me the wrong way.

 

Also, I don't see the magnetic pull Alison is supposed to exert on all straight guys everywhere.  Unlike the other Liars, Sasha looks like she's 16 and a lot of her manipulations with significantly older men is supposed have taken place when she was 14/15.  I don't see older guys in the 19+ area going for someone who looks so young or being very attracted to her to the point where she could con guy after guy, especially someone like Holbrook who would probably have plenty of romantic options much closer to his age.  So Bethany's recording concerning Alison (I assume) doesn't ring true to me.  I can see men losing their minds over Emily, Hanna, or Spencer (based on her charisma and intensity), but not Alison.

 

Totally agree on Talia. Was really hoping she'd be gone by now. If you want to experiment outside your marriage in a dishonest way, I guess that's up to you, but don't bring a teenager into that mess. 

 

Disagree about Allison. From what we have seen of the men in this town, sadly being so young was probably part of the allure. It's the Lolita effect. 

[jane1978]

"Mona told everything" and Ali's reaction is intriguing. "Mona told everything" and that's why A murdered her? Or, A's been holding Mona captive and now Mona has told everything? Something else? If it's the second possibility, that would imply that Mona and Ali were actually in cahoots on this plan. That doesn't quite jibe with everything that we've seen onscreen, but it wouldn't be the first time for this show, and it would be a legitimately shocking twist.

 

We saw Ali smile for herself after the police announced Mona´s suspected murder. So she was obviously on the plan. She and Mona hated but also sort of respected each other so it makes sense they would join forces and used the "stupid" PLL as pawns. That´s probably why she wrote her name into the dust while wistfully watching the washing machine, she finally realized Mona is truly dead. 

 

And yeah, that means she is lying. Again. She is not a murdering monster but she is still Alison. The show would be very boring if she just turned into a perfect little fifth liar with no secret game for the next two seasons.

 

I agree this half season seems to be very unfocused. They probably had to deal with Sasha being gone to do her movie and it looks like the season will end with the trial and most likely all the girls going to prison so they seem to stretch the story with lots of sublots going nowhere. I also think the show suffers because with the long renewall they probably had to give the main four such a lucrative contracts to keep them they can´t afford to have as many quests and recurring characters per episode as they did during the first seasons. So instead of using characters we already know they have to constantly introduce random newbies who quickly disappear and the circle repeats. 

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I also think the show suffers because with the long renewall they probably had to give the main four such a lucrative contracts to keep them they can´t afford to have as many quests and recurring characters per episode as they did during the first seasons.

Was there something in the press about the four main actresses renegotiating their contracts? The reason I ask is that in America, a seven year contract is standard for a tv show so there isn't much they could do. They can ask to renegotiate but the studio isn't obligated to do so.

[Black Knight]

I've read that the majority of teenage pregnancies involve a man who was older, like young 20s, so I do find Ali (and the other girls) attracting older men believable enough. The fatal attraction thing is a bit much, I agree, but PLL is sort of OTT noir, so it kind of goes with the territory. Starting from the age of 15 or so, my friends and I never were short of older guys flirting with us and trying for more. The men do it because younger girls can easily have their heads turned and find it flattering. It's not really hard, they just have to pretend to listen seriously (I have a friend who, at the time, was all, "I like French movies and he's the only other one I know who is sophisticated enough to like them and will watch them with me!"), and say some baloney about how the girl is so mature for her age. A lot of teen girls see pulling an older guy as proof that they're adults now, which is my guess for why Ezria is so popular with that demo. Ezria is total wish fulfillment fantasy - not only is he older, he's a teacher and yet he sees Aria as being on his level! Gag. It's not until they're older that they realize that they were really just easy pickings.

[SadieT]

Yeah, I have no trouble believing that guys in their 20s, even attractive guys in their 20s, would fall for a teenage girl, because it's not so much that the older guy can't get a girl his own age, it's that they don't want to. They don't want to date someone old enough to call them on their shit and realize what a manipulative sleaze bag they are. They want girls they can control and mold to their liking. Considering Ali is pretty manipulative herself I'm sure she can easily spot that tendency in someone else and know how to play the part to exploit it. 

 

Did anyone catch the look of sheer disbelief on Spencer's face when Hanna suggests they come clean to Mrs. Hastings and just tell the truth for once? Aria was taken by surprise too, but Spencer actually looked terrified at the prospect of not lying. Like it was the craziest thing she's ever heard. Troian's shocked and scared "are you serious?" was pretty great, I don't even mind that she's pushing 30 because she's the best actor of the bunch IMO. As stupid as I think it is that these girls keep on lying and hiding things in the face of serious threats like death and incarceration, in that moment I could almost understand why they keep doing it...they've been keeping secrets for so long that the truth is like this scary foreign concept they can't quite comprehend anymore. 

 

Also, if Spencer's so worried about A hiding more blood in her luggage why not just ditch it? It's not like she can't afford to buy new clothes when she gets home. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by SadieT

[Black Knight]

Also, if Spencer's so worried about A hiding more blood in her luggage why not just ditch it? It's not like she can't afford to buy new clothes when she gets home. 

Considering A's adventures in dentistry - remember the message that A put in one of Hanna's teeth? - I think I'd rather have my luggage be a target for A than find out what body cavity A will implant something in if there's no luggage. Spencer tries to go home with no luggage and I guarantee she'll end up enduring a strip and cavity search at Heathrow courtesy of A.

[Crim]

Also, if Spencer's so worried about A hiding more blood in her luggage why not just ditch it?

Actually, that's not a bad idea as long as she tells no one and ditches the luggage at the last moment. (She would still have to pretend to do her best to check the luggage though, or A would get suspicious.) I understand her freak out though, because she was supposed to be safe from A for the moment, so this came as a total surprise.

 

So instead of using characters we already know they have to constantly introduce random newbies who quickly disappear and the circle repeats.

I don't mind introducing new people, for the most part. I wouldn't want Holden still around, for example, and Andrew is not a new guy anyway. The show is repetitive enough without the same interactions over and over: I disliked Johny and Spencer's storyline with him, but at least it was something different (it made little sense for her, but at least the writers tried). Do I miss characters like Melissa and Jenna? Yes. And I understand why the actors are not indefinitely available for those roles on PLL, but I think there is more to it: they would be likely to be involved in (or at least comment on) actual main plot events, and the show seems to be floundering as to how it all ties together at this point. The more points of view we'd see, the less sense it would all make, and the more wtf it would be when the writers needed someone to swoop in and retcon something with a reveal. I mean Leslie coming to town out of nowhere and leaving without being mentioned again was bad, but not as bad as when the Liars had all those sudden flashbacks to relevant information that they had all along.

[Captain Asshat]

Dear Show:

 

We get it. Spencer is in London. Thanks, though, for providing an insufferable British character to correct her Americanisms as soon as they meet. Otherwise, we would have gotten confused and thought another Brit had gone to Rosewood. Good job finding someone to play the incredibly complicated character of "Stereotypical rumpled British professor in a tan blazer (with or without elbow patches)." Also, thanks for flying all the Union Jacks behind Spencer when she called Aria. We might have forgotten she was in London.

 

(Capt.) --A

[gesundheit]

Oh man. The prison provides only the Old Testament to its inmates? Chilling.

 

Does anyone know if there's actually any hope of Ezra being gone, or is the actor just on vacation?

 

I really had hoped last week's revelation would mean less Talia, and instead we got the exact opposite.

[Crim]

More Talia screen time at least allowed the actress to show one more expression (crying) for a total of...three or so.

 

The "moral character" exchange in my head:

"You don't want me in the pageant because of who I date?"

*Talia is offended*

"No, this is about being close to Alison DiLaurentis."

"Oh. Wait, no one knows how close, right? Like you didn't see any vids of us or anything, I hope."

 

The whole thing was so wtf, really, singling out Emily's friendship to Ali as something so public and relevant to her character as to be inevitably brought up. This is not a local event, and we've seen nothing indicating the Ali trial is huge in the media, so does the pageant do a background check on the contestants? The best part is that Emily not only fucked an alleged murderer, but she killed someone herself. Even if it was in self-defence, I doubt a pageant committee would be too hot on it. Would that case be sealed? How about Emily's community service for the shoveling?

 

ETA: By "not local" I meant not Rosewood. And the reason why I thought it was wtf is that Emily's friendship with Ali is a background aspect in the "Ali case": Emily or her other friends didn't give interviews, witness statements, or any public declaration at all as to their friendship with Ali or Ali's innocence, and they didn't visit her in prison. We know this because they didn't believe Ali was innocent. Also, at the time of Mona's death, Ali had already been hanging around with another posse that the media coverage could focus on. The Liars were ex-friends at that point, publically.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Crim

[ottoDbusdriver]

The whole thing was so wtf, really, singling out Emily's friendship to Ali as something so public and relevant to her character as to be inevitably brought up. This is not a local event, and we've seen nothing indicating the Ali trial is huge in the media, so does the pageant do a background check on the contestants? The best part is that Emily not only fucked an alleged murderer, but she killed someone herself. Even if it was in self-defence, I doubt a pageant committee would be too hot on it. Would that case be sealed? How about Emily's community service for the shoveling?

 

Or Emily's drinking problem in Season 3.  Or her stint with performance-enhancing drugs that ended her swimming career in Season 2.

[superman1204]

 

The whole thing was so wtf, really, singling out Emily's friendship to Ali as something so public and relevant to her character as to be inevitably brought up. This is not a local event, and we've seen nothing indicating the Ali trial is huge in the media, so does the pageant do a background check on the contestants? The best part is that Emily not only fucked an alleged murderer, but she killed someone herself. Even if it was in self-defence, I doubt a pageant committee would be too hot on it. Would that case be sealed? How about Emily's community service for the shoveling?

 

Or Emily's drinking problem in Season 3.  Or her stint with performance-enhancing drugs that ended her swimming career in Season 2.

Very true but sadly this is Rosewood, where once the half-season is over, 90% of people's actions are instantly forgotten.  Toby being on the A team, never mentioned again.  Jason and Aria's relationship, forgotten.  Spencer being a drug addict, only warranted one offhand joke by Spencer to Andrew the next season.  Ezra being a reporter, well he mentioned his 'research' once or twice, but Aria and him have found new things to angst over.

[mac123x]

I think Talia is a grown up version Alison, and manipulating Emily emotionally.  I thought the breakdown during their dance was completely contrived.  Then her extortion attempt a few minutes later reminded me of Ali's fixing an election for Spencer.  It had a very "Now you owe, now I own you" vibe to it.  She creeps me out and I want her to be the next "Emily's lovers die" victim.

 

I like Andrew but kissing Aria when she's bawling about A's deathtrap for Mike was out of line.  Hug her, sure, let her cry on your shoulder, but don't try to parley an emotional moment into a romantic situation.

 

Ali's apology to Hanna rang a bit hollow to me.  Well, she seemed sincere, but being a control freak wanting to run their lives was only a small part of the damage she did to the girls.  "Well, thanks for that apology, but what about the other stuff?  Just as a starter, how about apologizing for getting us involved in various criminal activities, like blinding Jenna and framing Toby for it?"

 

The rest of the episode was just ludicrous.  A in the burn ward, planted blood vial that happened to break at just the right time, etc.  Please.

[Jack Shaftoe]

I don't think Talia is smart enough to deliberately manipulate anyone, even the frequently confused Emily. She doesn't creep me out, she merely bores me, so if the choice is between her and Alison I would take Talia any day and twice on Sunday.

 

 

Ezria is total wish fulfillment fantasy - not only is he older, he's a teacher and yet he sees Aria as being on his level!

 

Well, she is on his level. Of stupidity, that is.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe