S05.E22: To Plea Or Not To Plea

[David Selig]

Can anyone remind me what evidence there is against Alison? Why is everyone so convinced she is in major trouble and close to being convicted? Am I forgetting something or is the plot just stupid?

 

The fact that none of the girls or, even more ridiculously, Caleb the super hacker, ever bothered to backup the text messages  is idiotic even by the standards of this show.

 

I was surprised Spenser and the English guy didn't manage to visit the Tower of London and the Bukingham palace too, since the writers were again working overtime to include as much English related cliches as possible in their scenes.

[Kendra143]

If the blood on the shirt is Hanna's and it's from the the vial of blood collected and used for testing (all blood for transfusions has to be tested for disease and antibodies, type etc) it will have EDTA (an anticoagulant) in it. You can test for this! And how do they know it's Hanna's? Do they have something to compare her DNA with the blood? I am beyond frustrated with the pace of the show and the inconsistencies. I am torn between wanting this to end soon so I can quit watching and hoping something will happen to explain it all.

[KaveDweller]

Can anyone remind me what evidence there is against Alison? Why is everyone so convinced she is in major trouble and close to being convicted? Am I forgetting something or is the plot just stupid?

 

There's the video that looks sort of like Ali, and the fact that she lied about her alibi.  I don't remember what else.

[cuddlingcrowley]

This is embaressing, but could someone please remind me what Melissa and Spencer were talking about? What did Melissa do to protect Spencer that ended up getting someone killed? I remember this storyline, I just don't remember the reveal.

 

On another note, anyone else thinks the lawyer indeed told Ezra who hired him? That was such a odd spot to cut the scene.

 

I'm beside myself with happiness that Ezria finally got a proper break up and that Spoby seems to be going up in flames. If only we got the return of EzrA and TobiAs then I'd die happy. 

 

I'm pleased about Hanna being the one who got sent jail and not Spencer. It feels right that's the way all the lies would get revealed. I don't think Spencer would have ever been willing to come true unless it was a way for her to come out in the offence.

[tldryolo]

This is embaressing, but could someone please remind me what Melissa and Spencer were talking about? What did Melissa do to protect Spencer that ended up getting someone killed? I remember this storyline, I just don't remember the reveal.

 

Don't quote me on this, but as I recall, on the night Ali was "murdered", Melissa saw Spencer and Ali fighting, and Spencer with a shovel.  Melissa found "Ali's" "body," assumed Spencer killed Ali with the shovel, and buried the body.  Then Melissa shutup because she was trying to protect Spencer.  But, of course, Melissa was wrong because dead Ali was actually unconscious Emily Young, who Melissa inadvertently buried alive.  Oddly, nobody seems particularly interested in solving the Bethany Young murder.  Must be in the "when we get around to it" file with Ian and Garrett.  

[superman1204]

What is going with Spencer?  When did she turn into a serial cheater?  Are things not working out with Toby, but she can't deal with that, so she plans to just flirt and make out with random guys until Toby breaks up with her?  Or does she think she has a legitimate chance of fixing their relationship?  I mean seriously Spencer, just break up with Toby so you can both move on.  Toby has nice abs, so he should be able to find someone decent, and you will be able to flirt guilt free with irrelevant side characters.  I seriously hate when the writers feel the need to destroy one of the Liar's character for the sake of filler material.

 

Also if Spencer is going to continue having flings with irrelevant side characters, can we have fewer caricatures of hipster arists and the British, and more eye candy?  It's not like anyone is going to remember these characters in twelve episodes anyway, they might as well be hot.

[hqtextbook]

I guess this is unpopular opinion, but I thought spencer and collin were HOTTT. It was like a whole nother spencer! Her and toby are like a pile of rocks around each other. I guess this is what she's like around someone who has more emotional intelligence (and regular intelligence) than a caveman...

[GaT]

If the blood on the shirt is Hanna's and it's from the the vial of blood collected and used for testing (all blood for transfusions has to be tested for disease and antibodies, type etc) it will have EDTA (an anticoagulant) in it. You can test for this! And how do they know it's Hanna's? Do they have something to compare her DNA with the blood? I am beyond frustrated with the pace of the show and the inconsistencies. I am torn between wanting this to end soon so I can quit watching and hoping something will happen to explain it all.

Your knowledge & logic have no place in the Rosewood Police Department!

[jane1978]

S-A-M-E H-E-R-E! I was like "something has GOT to happen that keeps Hanna from spilling the beans to Tanner and the only thing I could envision is A hacking into her phone and deleting all of her messages. Please don't go there, come up with a less contrived and sci-fi-like way of holding her back... And they went there -.-"

 

There is nothing even slightly sci-fi-like at wiping the phones remotely. It even happened in RL to a bunch of unlucky Apple consumers when the company´s admin had made a mistake. Basically, all you have to do is hack into the cloud account of the phone. You delete user´s backups there and it will synchronize with the phone immediatelly, meaning it will delete the messages from it as well. And because there is no way how to disconnect the phone (there are no real hardware buttons which cut the power, it´s all done by software) you can really just watch as the messages are disappering, The show only did it in a more fancy and dramatic way, because in RL there would be no notice and the phone would just wiped itself quitly while being kept in a pocket or a handbag.

[Crim]

^ Can't you disable autosynching, especially while on 3G/4G? Do all the Liars have iPhones? Anyway, I'm ok with A wiping the phones remotely because this can happen, but the timing was awful. Not only did A know that Hanna was about to confess, but s/he wiped the phones at almost the very last possible minute. The show is overusing gasp!moments to the point of predictability and fatigue.

Also when Caleb said "there is no time to ask your friends, you need to spill the beans about A now!" I wanted to smack him. Like there is confession deadline or something

I was ok with this part. The deadline is Hanna being arrested. Since they found about the arrest warrant unofficially, Hanna had a window of opportunity to walk in as if to reveal information by her own volition. Would the timing seem too convenient to Tanner and such? Most probably, but I suppose it could still be used by a defence lawyer.

 

Vials with Spencer's, Aria's, and Hanna's blood all go missing from a blood drive and no one cross-checks the donor list with the actual vials of blood and notices that several donations have disappeared?

A could have replaced them. As long as they are tagged, it could be anyone's blood in the vials and no one would have noticed any difference. I didn't see any indication that they labeled or divided the vials by blood type. Is this normal that they do not do this at a blood drive?

 

If the blood on the shirt is Hanna's and it's from the the vial of blood collected and used for testing (all blood for transfusions has to be tested for disease and antibodies, type etc) it will have EDTA (an anticoagulant) in it.

Damn, that is an excellent point. That would be an interesting way for the show to move forward, actually. Hanna explains to her lawyer how her blood got there, the lawyer asks for this specific testing, the truth is revealed. If the finale spoilers are true, the reveal could come too late, yet prove Hanna was framed.

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

There is nothing even slightly sci-fi-like at wiping the phones remotely. It even happened in RL to a bunch of unlucky Apple consumers when the company´s admin had made a mistake. Basically, all you have to do is hack into the cloud account of the phone. You delete user´s backups there and it will synchronize with the phone immediatelly, meaning it will delete the messages from it as well. And because there is no way how to disconnect the phone (there are no real hardware buttons which cut the power, it´s all done by software) you can really just watch as the messages are disappering, The show only did it in a more fancy and dramatic way, because in RL there would be no notice and the phone would just wiped itself quitly while being kept in a pocket or a handbag.

Well, what about ONLY deleting the messages from a certain user? As far as we know A is not a company administrator and they did it on purpose, so it's beyond ridiculous and unrealistic!!! Not to mention, my biggest pet peeve was the timing: A (as usual) managed to guess the EXACT VERY SECOND Hanna and the girls were about to confess to take action!

I'm actually surprised Emily's receipt didn't just vanish into thin air on her way to the station because why not? U.u

Edited March 5, 2015 by GiulianoLanzilli

[Snow Fairy]

I also think the lawyer told Ezra who hired him.

Damn, I never thought there are so many plot holes until I read your comments,well done guys :)

[Crim]

Or are Veronica and Melissa stupid? They have head of the concept of extradition, right? Spencer is not magically safe in Oxford.

They'd have to ask for extradition, which means they'd have to actually accuse Spencer of something with enough proof. I doubt it would happen just so that Spencer answers some questions or even testifies. If she is not there, she also can't get into more trouble. Spencer is far safer in England.

 

I hope the lawyer told Ezra nothing, because it would be stupid beyond belief. Ezra can't just call the police because a lawyer doesn't give him confidential information. And if Varjak paid the lawyer without a contract (possible, from what we've seen later in the episode), the only proof he was implicated at all would be the Liars claiming he gave them the package. Inconvenient, sure, but it would be worse ii he did tell the name and the Liars used it in their defense, as any sane person would presume they would.

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I was ok with this part. The deadline is Hanna being arrested. Since they found about the arrest warrant unofficially, Hanna had a window of opportunity to walk in as if to reveal information by her own volition. Would the timing seem too convenient to Tanner and such? Most probably, but I suppose it could still be used by a defence lawyer.

 

Technically you are correct, of course, but the thing is, a person who is about to be arrested can't usually just walk into a police station, give a statement and then be arrested, allowing to pretend to be shocked by the arrest.

 

How can they even convict anyone of murder if no body has been found? I am sure it is technically possible, but one would think that a lot more convincing evidence would need to be brought forward, not just a lot of blood and some acid dissolved remains that might be anyone's. Especially after they charged like half the town with Alison's murder and then it turned out that oops, she was actually alive.

 

 

They'd have to ask for extradition, which means they'd have to actually accuse Spencer of something with enough proof. I doubt it would happen just so that Spencer answers some questions or even testifies.

 

But if it's only for questioning Spencer can always refuse to answer, even if she remains in the good old USA. Not returning for a while, thus not continuing her high school education in her hometown would seem just as suspicious as saying "I take the fifth, bitches!

 

As for wiping out the phones, of course it possible. The problem is the Liars know how vulnerable their phones, have a hacker friend and still allow remote access (just as they did with their computers earlier). It's like they want A to mess with them.

[mercfan3]

Honestly, a good majority of this stuff doesn't bother me. Television shows always get this crap wrong.

 

We've seen A setting up the liars, one of them got arrested. 

A has always been a tech guru, that's just the cannon of the show. 

And I can even believe that they wouldn't have anything stored or saved, because the girls don't want people to know their secrets. And even that I can believe, because they are high school kids.

 

My issue, is why they didn't march in there with the "Clean slate" message. Like, someone named "A" texted them.

[Mabinogia]

I guess this is unpopular opinion, but I thought spencer and collin were HOTTT. It was like a whole nother spencer!

 

 

I was all for Spencer and Collin. She just seemed so comfortable, relaxed, flirty, fun. I love that Spencer. What I do find interesting, storywise, is that Spencer has seemed 100% more comfortable, natural and happy with both Collin and Johnny (was that Hipsters name?) than she has with Toby in ages. At this point, I really can't remember why Spencer and Toby even got together. They both just seem so miserable around each other, like it's a choir to stay together. That is interesting to me, because I get the feeling the idiots in charge aren't giving up on Spoby, so why are they showing how much happier Spencer is without him? Is it possible the end of that tedious relationship is near? Oh please, please, please, and if so, can Toby be A again? I loved when he was A even more than when Ezra was (mainly because plot wise getting back at them for being thrown in juvie made more sense than screwing with them to write a book).

 

Troian does flirty amazingly well.

 

Not much else stuck with me about the ep. There are just way too many logic gymnastics I have to do to accept most of the cop/jail plot. I just can't with that shit anymore. But if Spencer wants to do a spin off in London with Melissa and yummy Wren and flirty Collin all I ask is that she bring the Marin's with her and I'm in.

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

Thats what I've heard. So it would be hard to erase all the memory if she had a Blackberry I would think.

 

Not for A. That fellow can erase the NSA, CIA and FBI databases without breaking a sweat, I bet. Stupor mundi if I have ever seen one.

 

 

And I can even believe that they wouldn't have anything stored or saved, because the girls don't want people to know their secrets.

 

In that case they shouldn't be storing the messages on their phones, either, because that would be the first place someone would look.

[mercfan3]

Not for A. That fellow can erase the NSA, CIA and FBI databases without breaking a sweat, I bet. Stupor mundi if I have ever seen one.

 

 

In that case they shouldn't be storing the messages on their phones, either, because that would be the first place someone would look.

 

They always have their phones with them. (And they're stupid) What I mean is the little notes and things A has sent them..they aren't gonna store it somewhere because what if a parent comes across it or something. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

A parent can easily take a look at their phones while they are sleeping. Storing the files on some website or flash drive or even in some hidden corner of their PCs hard drive would be something a parent wouldn't be able to find so easily. Plus, it's not like Aria and Emily's parents exist any longer, so...

[mercfan3]

You're thinking like an adult, not a teenager. They think parents can't snoop in their phones, but say..if they kept the notes that A sent them in their room, their mother or father could come across it. 

[racked]

Don't quote me on this, but as I recall, on the night Ali was "murdered", Melissa saw Spencer and Ali fighting, and Spencer with a shovel.  Melissa found "Ali's" "body," assumed Spencer killed Ali with the shovel, and buried the body.  Then Melissa shutup because she was trying to protect Spencer.  But, of course, Melissa was wrong because dead Ali was actually unconscious Emily Young, who Melissa inadvertently buried alive.  Oddly, nobody seems particularly interested in solving the Bethany Young murder.  Must be in the "when we get around to it" file with Ian and Garrett.  

 

I had forgotten most of this too! So did Melissa technically kill Bethenny Young? Do we know who knocked Bethenny out?

[tldryolo]

I had forgotten most of this too! So did Melissa technically kill Bethenny Young? Do we know who knocked Bethenny out?

 

"Technically" is letting her off the hook a bit too easily.  She was trying to cover up evidence of a murder and instead committed one.  Less culpable than an intentional murder, but still pretty heinous.  I think she's a regular on some other show, though, so whatever they were going to do with that is on the back-burner.  Part of Melissa's motivation for staying in England may be to avoid extradition if the police ever figure it out.  She confessed to Spencer via video, so presumably A has it.  To give this arc more credit than it deserves, perhaps part of the reason that Spencer feels so awkward around Toby is because she's covering up for her sister's murder and keeping it from her cop boyfriend.  It wouldn't do to have him arrest her sister at their wedding, now would it? 

[Crim]

^ I agree. But I think that the worst part is that this comes after TPTB tried to change stuff this season: Ali came back, Toby became a cop, couples broke up, there were several time jumps to accelerate the timeline (including after this episode), Mona "died"... But then the show did nothing with what it seemed to have: the new romantic interests pretty much sucked and seemed temporary; the events around Ali's trial seem done before or just off (I find the prison stuff annoying both because I don't like this Ali and because I'm sure the show will never explain how all that happened to her was possible); someone close to Aria behaved suspiciously for a few episodes; people called Mona faking her death weeks before the show revealed it and the reveal played out in the most obvious way possible; A can do anything and everything at the most convenient time, and takes her/his sweet time doing it. Nothing about the show is exciting anymore, even at the moment it's happening.

 

@mercfan3, it's true that TV shows often get stuff wrong, but PLL doesn't just get it wrong: it gives no fucks whatsoever. For a long time, I was ok with it because the show was so much fun. I don't need shows to be realistic, even if they pretend to happen in the real world. But the less I am entertained, the more I'm bothered by the show's utter indifference to anything but what it wants to put on screen.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Crim

[Jack Shaftoe]

Let me put it this way - other shows have plot holes, in the case of Pretty Little Liars, the plot holes have a show.

 

 

A can do anything and everything at the most convenient time, and takes her/his sweet time doing it.

 

And until the writers actually address this problem, the show will never be anything more than a train wreck to me. Sometimes an oddly exciting train wreck, mind you, but nevertheless nothing more than that. I was willing to tolerate said problem in the first two seasons but seeing the Liars make the exact same mistakes for the umpteenth time got boring eventually. Five years later we are no closer to finding out why the hell anyone would devote so much effort to devote four teenage girls who are quite decent people actually.

[william0102]

But we know one of the A's is an adult? The one who had the alcoholic drink at the airport lounge. I can't remember why they were there, maybe it was when Caleb left for California?

[Mabinogia]

But we know one of the A's is an adult? The one who had the alcoholic drink at the airport lounge. I can't remember why they were there, maybe it was when Caleb left for California?

 

 

I totally forgot about that. Good memory! So why would an adult being doing this to teenagers? What did they do? I wish the show would at least start to get to this major elephant in the room, but I have a feeling they don't actually know. But to me, it's kind of the most important thing. What could these teenagers have done that someone would want them in jail/dead/terrified all the time/have their lives ruined? And who the hell has that kind of time?

[tldryolo]

Let me put it this way - other shows have plot holes, in the case of Pretty Little Liars, the plot holes have a show.

 

Brilliantly said.

[tldryolo]

I forgot about the airport thing too! But seriously.. why is an adult harassing teenagers? And teenage girls? 

 

They botched this by making Ezra a creeper author instead of A.  I doubt they'll return to him now that he's already been suspected, but it's the only thing that fits, with clues as early as the first season (his musings about Great Gatsby and the corruption of the American dream) and an unhealthy interest with teenage girls has been part of his character since day one.  We would have seen it coming from a mile away, but it would have been shocking to a big chunk of the audience and it would actually make sense.  In the pilot, he shows up to Ali's funeral for what appears to be no reason, although we now know he knew her.  Once they established that he's a moneyed individual, they had all the pieces to make him a halfway plausible big A... but instead he's probably not.  The other thing is, most of the surviving characters from the early days are effectively gone (all the parents except for Ashley and Veronica, Jenna, Lucas, Jason, CeCe, Wren, Melissa notwithstanding her guest shot here, etc.), so we either have to accept that (i) this is a ludicrously concentrated team effort between old and new, (ii) someone new has been running things since day one, or at least since season 1, (iii) someone old is still running things, even though we never see them-- i.e., that's what Jason is "really" doing.  Given the lapses in logic and plot, I seriously doubt they have a satisfactory answer to this, even if the ultimate "answer" turns out to be the way the books turned out.  The writers are "Lost" levels of... well, lost.

Edited March 6, 2015 by tldryolo

[mercfan3]

They've said that A took over Mona's game, so we're really looking for clues from Season 3 on. (At least the writers.) All though Keegan said that you can get hints from Season 1, and the question is more "Why." 

 

I just want the ending to be well thought out, have the clues match up, and have it not be a cop out. 

[tldryolo]

In the season 2(?) finale, Mona told a figure in red that "I've done everything you've asked me to," indicating a subordinate role.  If A took over Mona's game, then A somehow muscled into Mona's game while Mona was playing it and took it over... so either the entire pretending to help thing from "burning the cabin down" to "getting pretend-murdered" was an elaborate fake-out on the part of Mona, or someone else was in charge the whole time.  I guess anything is possible, but I cannot conceive of another explanation for that comment.  

[superman1204]

 

I just want the ending to be well thought out, have the clues match up, and have it not be a cop out.

 

I read an interview with MK, where she said the writers have always known how the show will end.  Now normally I would have called bs on that, considering what a mess the main mystery of this show has become, but the way MK explained the plan for the ending is the writers have a 12 episode arc mapped out that wraps everything up and whenever the show's run is coming to an end the writer are going to tack that story arc onto the show and call it a day.  So we might yet get a decent ending to the show, but two things need to happen.  One, the plan for the show's conclusion has  to be decent, which is possible since the show  occasionally has moments of quality when the writers are not force feeding us filler.  Two, the plan the writer came up with several seasons back has to still make some degree of sense after the show has been on for seven season.  Basically I still have hope but not much

[tldryolo]

I would have more faith in the idea that they have an A+ (no pun intended) endgame planned if they had a better explanation for the timeline weirdness than comparing it to MASH.  Yes, MASH ran for more seasons than the Korean War actually took.  No, that does not explain why 50 episodes (Halloween Train in season 3 to Mona getting "murdered" in season 5) ostensibly occurred in the timespan of five weeks.   It is hard to escape the impression they are making this up as they go.

Edited March 7, 2015 by tldryolo

[mercfan3]

I read an interview with MK, where she said the writers have always known how the show will end.  Now normally I would have called bs on that, considering what a mess the main mystery of this show has become, but the way MK explained the plan for the ending is the writers have a 12 episode arc mapped out that wraps everything up and whenever the show's run is coming to an end the writer are going to tack that story arc onto the show and call it a day.  So we might yet get a decent ending to the show, but two things need to happen.  One, the plan for the show's conclusion has  to be decent, which is possible since the show  occasionally has moments of quality when the writers are not force feeding us filler.  Two, the plan the writer came up with several seasons back has to still make some degree of sense after the show has been on for seven season.  Basically I still have hope but not much

 

And I think to further complicate it, MK said that she expected the show to stop at 5 seasons. 

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I just want the ending to be well thought out, have the clues match up, and have it not be a cop out.

 

This cannot possibly happen, not even if the ghosts of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock write it, IMO. A's motive alone poses a virtually insurmountable challenge, not to mention the mechanics of A's astonishing accomplishments, A's constantly changing goals and methods that often contradict themselves from episode to episode, the wildly inconsistent behaviour of characters such as Mona, Alison, Melissa, Jason and about two dozen others in regards to A, etc.

 

A good mystery offers at least several characters with at least half-decent motives for perpetrating the crime that is being investigated. PLL has given us only Toby who has never shown the slightest capability of being a devious mastermind and in any event they already played that card in 3B. A good mystery doesn't ramble over hundreds of hours of screen time, any such storyline inevitably fails to match the expectations that have been building over the years. A good mystery does not rely on dozens of characters introduced in the middle of the story in a seemingly random fashion. A good mystery reveals the pieces of the puzzle one by one, instead of adding more and more pieces without ever revealing anything important at all. The very nature of shows like PLL - i.e. the uncertainty as to how many seasons the show will have in the end, makes it virtually impossible to properly plot an arc that would span the entire show, which is why most shows rely on seasonal arcs or shorter. I don't see why PLL wouldn't have been much better off with a new villain each season or at least every two seasons. Wildly implausible? You bet. More implausible than it is now? Nope.

 

And yes, I know this new A is supposedly other than Mona but it doesn't feel much different and they still use the A name. Plus, they haven't actually bothered to reveal the details of Mona's crimes because the girls never bothered pressing her for answers even when Mona was willing to work with them which was infuriating.

 

tl:dr - the PLL mystery is shit and I just don't understand why anyone even bothers looking for clues and coming up with theories.

[tldryolo]

This cannot possibly happen, not even if the ghosts of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock write it, IMO. A's motive alone poses a virtually insurmountable challenge, not to mention the mechanics of A's astonishing accomplishments, A's constantly changing goals and methods that often contradict themselves from episode to episode, the wildly inconsistent behaviour of characters such as Mona, Alison, Melissa, Jason and about two dozen others in regards to A, etc.

 

A good mystery offers at least several characters with at least half-decent motives for perpetrating the crime that is being investigated. PLL has given us only Toby who has never shown the slightest capability of being a devious mastermind and in any event they already played that card in 3B. A good mystery doesn't ramble over hundreds of hours of screen time, any such storyline inevitably fails to match the expectations that have been building over the years. A good mystery does not rely on dozens of characters introduced in the middle of the story in a seemingly random fashion. A good mystery reveals the pieces of the puzzle one by one, instead of adding more and more pieces without ever revealing anything important at all. The very nature of shows like PLL - i.e. the uncertainty as to how many seasons the show will have in the end, makes it virtually impossible to properly plot an arc that would span the entire show, which is why most shows rely on seasonal arcs or shorter. I don't see why PLL wouldn't have been much better off with a new villain each season or at least every two seasons. Wildly implausible? You bet. More implausible than it is now? Nope.

 

And yes, I know this new A is supposedly other than Mona but it doesn't feel much different and they still use the A name. Plus, they haven't actually bothered to reveal the details of Mona's crimes because the girls never bothered pressing her for answers even when Mona was willing to work with them which was infuriating.

 

tl:dr - the PLL mystery is shit and I just don't understand why anyone even bothers looking for clues and coming up with theories.

 

Excellent post-- and just to raise one more impossible A thing, A is constantly putting the girls in fatal situations that they narrowly escape.  Yet, given all A can do, killing them through non-complicated means would be trivial.  So either A is determined to only kill them in incredibly roundabout ways, or is extra psychic and somehow knows that they'll escape at the last second.  I doubt that they will even pretend to explain this.

[ladyrott]

Is there even a single fan of this show who is excited about the "big A reveal"?  Seriously....been there, done that, writers, and I don't for one second believe we are going to learn anything important.  It will probably be a reveal that Lucas is still working for A, although we haven't seen him in forever.  I still love to watch this show, but it's not because I a sitting on the edge of my seat over the amazing reveals, relevant plot points or astonishing continuity.  Wait, why do I love this show again?  ;)

[Preity]

Excellent post-- and just to raise one more impossible A thing, A is constantly putting the girls in fatal situations that they narrowly escape. Yet, given all A can do, killing them through non-complicated means would be trivial. So either A is determined to only kill them in incredibly roundabout ways, or is extra psychic and somehow knows that they'll escape at the last second. I doubt that they will even pretend to explain this.

A enjoys tormenting the girls. It could be that A just doesn't care wether the girls die or not, if that were the case A would try to have some fun with it. What would be the fun of simply shooting them or something... A likes to see them miserable, terrified, down in the ground. There's probably some thrill to watching them escape those situations and seing if they are smart enough to escape. BUT I don't really think A really intends to kill them, A seems to have other plans like ruining their lives and having complete control over them.

I don't really waste my time trying to figure out what A's ultimate goal is anymore, it seems to change every couple of minutes.... At least Mona was consistant in what she wanted...

[Jack Shaftoe]

 

I don't really waste my time trying to figure out what A's ultimate goal is anymore, it seems to change every couple of minutes.... At least Mona was consistant in what she wanted...

 

But was she really? She kept giving clues to the Liars and then stealing them away or getting pissed if they found clues on their own. She ran over Hanna, never mind that it must have been obvious Hanna hadn't actually caught her red-handed. She kept trying to sink the Liars' romantic relationships but did not do anything to sink Aria/Ezra, which would have been so easy to accomplish that anyone could have done it.

 

 

Excellent post-- and just to raise one more impossible A thing, A is constantly putting the girls in fatal situations that they narrowly escape.  Yet, given all A can do, killing them through non-complicated means would be trivial.  So either A is determined to only kill them in incredibly roundabout ways, or is extra psychic and somehow knows that they'll escape at the last second.

 

Yes, that is one of the most obvious A-related inconsistencies. Or maybe A has watched too many Bond movies...

Edited March 7, 2015 by Jack Shaftoe

[Crim]

Is there even a single fan of this show who is excited about the "big A reveal"?

I suppose there might be some 12 year old that believes the A reveal is (a) real, (b) definitive, © not a rabbit pulled from the "Filler for 2 seasons" hat. The only excitement I have is for the idea that a twin might be revealed, which would be more likely to fit these criteria. I would also be able to gloat that MK and everyone else changed their mind (or lied) about it, like with the "No, our A is different from the books!" Mona storyline.

 

While I was the one to bring up A as an adult in this topic, I don't believe that showing A drinking alcohol would really commit the show to an adult A. With the various fake IDs on the show, it really proves nothing; I thought it would until CeCe went abroad with not just a fake ID, but with a fake ID with Ali's photo on it. After that, fake IDs are just magic on the show and the A that was drinking could have been Ezra's race-switching child with an ID saying he was 20.

 

We should have a poll who believes the A reveal would make sense, would stick for more than one season, and/or would be a twin.

Edited March 7, 2015 by Crim

[dwmckim]

On the subject of non-phone evidence.  The police know about A tormenting the Liars when Mona was doing it and before she was put in Radley.  Things like Ian's note wouldn't count because that was "old A".  Still new-A has left enough non-text messages.  How many people besides the Liars saw the big A in the Christmas fireworks display and was left thinking "wtf was that?"  

 

But you know the biggest thing that bugged me in this episode more than any tech issues, evidence implausibilities, etc.  The fact that Spencer was living with Melissa out of the country, they came to a truce between them and determined not to be any more lies between them and all that...so why didn't Spencer take that opportunity to ask her sister all the hanging questions regarding what she might know about the A game?  What exactly was Melissa talking about when she caught Melissa breaking the Ali masks when she said "all this has been done to protect you" - yes we now know the thing Melissa was referring to do protect Spencer was the burying of Bethany's body but what was the "all this" that Melissa has been involved with since.  Spencer knows she was helping Wilden, she knows she was plotting with Jenna/Shana the night if the fire,  She should have taken that time to ask Melissa what all she knows.  I can understand Spencer being in somewhat denial-mode and just wanting to "forget" about all this to move on with her life - but A still tried to muck things up for her when she was abroad and A's actions are hurting innocent people/her friends back home so really Spencer blew a golden opportunity to get some serious intel.

[insubordination]

Her jail scenes just feel so wrong to me

 

I am vaguely fantasizing that it's all fake, and that's she's set-up the whole situation.  That's why we didn't see the iron attack.  Otherwise, Ali is a huge disappointment.  I want her to be using her pretty and her alleged je ne sais quoi to manipulate some inmates or COs. I'm sure they'd all be up for some young female flesh like everyone else in Rosewood (or London).   We at least need a couple of inmates as real characters. The way they've presented the prison is just boring. Maybe it will improve with Hannah in there.

 

PLL is the ultimate test in one's ability to handwave (the legal, technogical stuff, plot holes), as this episode thread has clearly illustrated.  I don't even bother questioning it beyond 10 seconds or so.

 

The show to me is about the girls and their relationships (with each other) and watching their resilience while they are under duress. It gives me the occasional scare.  I am amused/disgusted by all the creepers about town.  I like taking in the outrageous fashion. That's about all I've come to expect, and the show delivers at least that.  

 

It would have been a much better show if it hadn't been so popular. They could have made a tight mystery and ended it. As it is the girls seem to be approaching 40, and I'm not sure if A really exists at all.  Maybe 'A' is a metaphor for the unexpected, uncontrollable shit that happens in life. If you stick together with your friends, you can cope with it.

 

I hope A is just plain old Ezra or Mona or (maybe) Ali. I really don't have enough stake as a viewer in any of the other characters. Most of them are add-ons or have pretty much disappeared (Jenna) and would not likely have a satisfying motive.  An implausible A (like Ashley or one of the liars) would just make me feel used, though the writers would no doubt see it as being as great as The Usual Suspects reveal.

[Preity]

I agree, I'd like A to be someone we know well, there is so much discussion on the show about A's motives and even more among the fans. I would be really dissapointed if this super villain turned out to be someone we see once or twice every season, someone who doesn't seem to be very involved. At this point there are only a couple of people left who I think are intelligent enough to be A, but even fewer characters with motives for everything. If it turned out to be one of the parents I'd be a little angry...

The whole phone thing was weird, really... No one has any messages left? Okay... I guess we're just gonna have to accept it as typical PLL logic.

Every episode makes me wonder even more where all the parents are. You would think that with everything that has happened (especially considering the slow passing of time in Rosewood) they would be all over the girls. Most of them seem to be out of town practically the whole time. None of them care enough that their kids seem to attract trouble and death like nothing else? And how do they even have time for school or studying? School I get, but how did any of them manage to get into college?

[timimouse]

I still have no idea what is going on and why but I must say Talia not being featured at all made the episode all the better

 

I'm really glad to see that I'm not the only person that thinks the plot has gotten far too convoluted. It's a bit difficult to follow at times... When I'm watching now, I'm always doing something else so I only get the gist of what's going on. The details pass me by. Definitely NOT interested in this Talia character.

 

...I actually rolled my eyes when A wiped out their phones. Come on, show! If A is anyone other than Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, or Magneto, I'm crying foul. Because there is no way that the average citizen should be able to pull this shit off. I'm thinking that this is all an insane plot by Mona to make both Ali and Hanna suffer. Because yeah, Mona is nowhere near dead.

 

The phone wipe thing had me rolling my eyes too. It just seems A is bit TOO techsavvy. How are they going to explain how this person has all this access to all these things and can somehow be in a million places all at once? Seriously?

 

Also, I see a lot of theories about Mona not being dead but didn't we see her dead body being placed into a trunk? From my recollection, all the other fake deaths have been corroborated with a "no body found" story. Even when Ali's "body" was found, they just assumed it was her innit? because it had a;ready decomposed beyond recognition by then? (I could be wrong, it seems like so long ago).

 

I keep watching because like everyone else, I would REALLY like to find out who A is. But I think it's time the writers realise that every story has to end and they need to decide when that is going to be and work towards that goal rather than trying to prolong the story as much as possible.  

[Law Mom]

Just for fun I looked up how hard it is to get into the University of St. Andrews. According to their website, American applicants should have an A-/B+ average in AP and honors (well, "honours") classes, so about a 3.6 GPA. Also they look for at least a 1950 on the SAT or a 28 on the ACT. These numbers are well below what the Ivies such as University of Pennsylvania require and are typical of good flagship state schools, and are in fact pretty close to the numbers for Penn State.