S06.E02: Songs Of Innocence

[AmandaPanda]

Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer are out of the Dollhouse but far from free of its lasting effects in "Songs of Innocence." The girls may have gotten out of the Dollhouse but what happened to them during their time of captivity has lasting effects. With worried loved ones watching over them, the PLLs are home and trying to heal, with not much success. Even with suspected tormentor Andrew in custody, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer fear they are far from safe. Meanwhile, Alison must deal with her past indiscretions and her notoriety around Rosewood.

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clips!

 

[superman1204]

Maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I like the sneak peaks for this week:

         Sneak Peak 1: Alison is something other than a obvious red herring or a scared victim for the first time since she came back

         Sneak Peak 2: Aria told Ezra she is not writing a fucking book about what happened.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Australian promo:

[WhitneyWhit]

This show is in desperate need of a legal consultant. First they convict a girl of a murder without a body, now they need an eye witness to place a suspect at the scene of a crime, because that's the only way anyone can be convicted of a crime.

[hcs]

 The poor girls.. at least Hanna lucked out and has the best mom and the best boyfriend ever, which works for me since she is my favorite .

 I have actually heard about this torture where you think you are inflicting torture on someone but in reality you are only hearing them scream.  it was actually pretty brilliant of A, None of the girls seemed to have any physical injuries but the emotional scars are going to be there forever,

[superman1204]

This show is in desperate need of a legal consultant. First they convict a girl of a murder without a body, now they need an eye witness to place a suspect at the scene of a crime, because that's the only way anyone can be convicted of a crime.

Not to mention the detective told Aria that the only way they would be able to put Andrew away was if someone saw him and then the detective and Aria's mom were surprised that Aria changed her story.  She had been out of the bunker less than a day, of course she would say anything that she thought would put Andrew in jail!   I am pretty sure that's the type of thing that get cases thrown out of court, at least in the real world anyway.

[Chrissytd]

Lorenzo is probably working for Charles.

[Writing Wrongs]

Did we really need a hashtag for Hanna's Room?

 

I immediately distrust Lorenzo and Sara.

 

Aria is starting to look like Arya from Game of Thrones to me. It's weird.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Writing Wrongs

[Chaos Theory]

All the Liar's mothers appeared in the same episode.  When was the last time that happened?

 

I liked this episode.  I liked that the aftereffect of the girls getting kidnapped wasn't wiped away quickly.  There is some major psychological damage that is manifesting themselves in different ways for all the girls.  I don't care about the legal stuff.  That kind of thing was never this show's strong area anyway.  

 

When Toby said his partner was brought in for a fresh prospective my brain said:   "Fresh Prospective" Translation:  "I haven't creeped any girls...yet."

 

Emily with a gun I want to see so much more of the healthy or not.  

 

Hanna in her empty room had so much symbolism in it. 

 

Hey Spencer's mom was actually trying but if ever there was a time to let a drug addict have some drugs this is pretty close to that time.

 

Every time Aria tries to help she unhelps.  Maybe if she tries to unhelp she will solve the case.

[Artsda]

I thought the episode was great. Showing how the girls were all suffering from the kidnapping and basically all having PTSD. 

 

Emily being an Army child, going shooting at the range to take out her anger. Aria focusing on hiding behind the camera instead of expressing her feelings, wanting to lie to just make Andrew suffer. Hannah going into a reverse nesting wanting to take away all remembrance of her old life and build a new room and Spencer falling back into her addiction habits. All of their reactions were so on point.

 

Hannah having Caleb by her side and her mom too through it all was great. They are both such a team being there for Hannah, moving all the furniture, humoring her, her mom telling Caleb to stay so Hannah can sleep. Major contrast compared to Spencer, who I think  needs the most attention from her mother and Toby considering her addictions and she's not really getting the same love in return.

 

Ezra tried with Aria to get her to release some of her feelings, but it didn't work. Since they're not together, they're in a weird place but glad he still tried. The scene of her thanking him and waiting for a card was funny. 

 

When Emily was having her flashbacks in the gun range and she had to pick one of the girls, did it show who she chose? I heard someone scream but couldn't tell.

[Chaos Theory]

Just and interesting tidbit.  What Charles did to the girls making them chose which one to hurt may be a version of the Milgram Experiment.   I don't think any of them actually got injured but I think the idea was to torture them with the thought that they had.  I

[CraftyHazel]

Come on, show! "The army's not 9-5." Emily's dad would have been given leave when his daughter was kidnapped and there's no way he wouldn't be there when she was returned. One of my PLL buddies is military and she says there is no way in hell the army would keep him in Texas.

[tldryolo]

I love how Ezra tried to get Aria to write a diary.  Now he has a second crack at writing a book about Alison and friends, he just needs some source material!

 

Also, as yet another inconsistency, when Alison was on trial for murder they had to go through elaborate ruses to avoid the press... but now that they were trapped in a freaking bunker for a month, they don't have to so much as dodge a single reporter.  I guess the media lost interest?  

[Lady Calypso]

So, basically, what I took from this is the order of best supportive mothers: Hanna's, Emily's, Spencer's and then Aria's.

 

Hanna: Her mom and Caleb being there, not pushing the issue but inquiring about her time down there was spot on. You could tell Hanna was suffering, with her changing her room entirely, but her mom sitting beside her and asking her what happened really made the difference. Hanna was the only one to start talking to somebody about what happened. I loved all of her scenes, and Caleb was great too. He didn't push anything either, but stuck by her side and told her how brave she was. Great dynamic right there and my favourite part of the episode.

 

Emily: Ok, so I liked how Emily's mom recognized how angry she was and refused to let her go near the guns. Of course that didn't stop Emily from going back to the gun range, but for her mom to know where she went and to go down there to keep an eye for her was really good. She obviously can't stop Emily from shooting a gun, but she can sure as hell try. And I love how she told Emily to tell Paige; I think she knew that she needed another close support system since her dad couldn't be there, and it's better than suggesting Ali. Another good mom right there.

 

Spencer: Her mom was supportive, but also not supportive, if that makes sense. She didn't really do much besides telling Spencer she couldn't take any medication. It's not a bad idea, but she didn't offer alternatives like going to yoga or anything. But it was sweet for her to stay up with her and watch a movie at the end. One of the rare times she shows some kind of motherly affection. Also, Toby. I guess he was as supportive as he could be, but....I still have issues with the couple. It was good for him to be around here, though, even if it was just for one or two scenes.

 

Aria: Ok, Aria's mother is the worst. I love Holly Marie Combs, but Ella is the worst parent by far, even worse than Byron! She leaves her children, only comes back when they're in danger and did Ella say she was only staying two nights? My god, woman, take some time and take care of your poor child! Seeing Aria deal with this was good, though. She wants somebody to be punished but I think deep down, she knows there's a chance it's not Andrew doing this but I think she just wants somebody to go to jail for it. 

 

Ok, so Ali and new guy, whatever his name is....don't care, I don't. I'm gonna call this now and the season 6 finale is going to have Ali caught and captured and this new police guy is probably going to be suspected and probably part of the cause. I will never not suspect new characters at this point. I even suspect Sarah Harvey and she was trapped for over two years! 

 

So...from the quick flashbacks that I saw, it seems like Spencer pushed Aria's button? And Emily pushed Spencer's maybe? I'm guessing they alternated between each other, but still, harsh. I like this season because I'm looking forward to it unfolding.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Emily is trying to find some way to make sure it never happens again

 

But Emily's line about "my dad can defend this country, why can't I ?"  was just terrible.  Is she planning to execute Andrew ?  What if she is wrong and it's not him (which is likely the case) ?  Is she going to start open-carrying an AR-15 around everywhere she goes in case a bad man does something bad to someone ? </sarcasm>

 

Is Emily's mom aware that Talia was staying at their house while she was away ?

 

Ok, so Ali and new guy, whatever his name is....don't care, I don't. I'm gonna call this now and the season 6 finale is going to have Ali caught and captured and this new police guy is probably going to be suspected and probably part of the cause. I will never not suspect new characters at this point. I even suspect Sarah Harvey and she was trapped for over two years!

 

Lorenzo is probably working for Charles.

 

Of course Lorenzo is working for A (whoever that is) -- we'll just call him new Nate, and Sarah Harvey has been probably been brainwashed and is now one of A's minions -- and now she has burrowed her way into Emily's house under the guise of running away from home to keep tabs on the PLLs.  Trust neither of them.

 

Spencer just has to admit that she's a a junkie and always will be.

[Amelia]

The costume department really needs to stop dressing Sasha as if they are trying to hide a baby bump....unless they are actually trying to hide a baby bump.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Amelia

[luvly]

Can they hire a medical consultant too? I'll admit I'm biased because I have ADHD, but I hate how they've written Spencer's story line with this. Yanking your kid off her meds and not even switching her to one of the many non-habit forming ones all but ensures she'll try to find some other avenue. Also, while addicts can switch up their preferences, Spencer was self-medicating a diagnosed disorder that's treated with uppers; anti-anxiety meds that would help her sleep is the exact opposite of that and there are also non-habit forming ones available. Veronica worried herself and deprived Spencer for no good reason. 

 

Overall, this was an ok episode. I figured the Andrew doubt would happen this episode but I didn't expect him to be caught so quickly. They really could have waited for another episode to introduce new cop/Ali's obvious new love interest. I'm intrigued by whatever's going on with Sara Harvey and her mom. Maybe her kidnapping wasn't a crime of opportunity, but a planned abduction with her mother's knowledge? 

[Jenniferbug]

I'm honestly asking- is Sasha pregnant? Because it really looks like she is. I'm not intending to fat shame her (goodness knows my body doesn't look like it did at 15 or 20 or even 25- that's just part of aging) but it seems like her change in appearance and body type happened very, very quickly. Either way, I hope the costumers figure out a way to dress her in a more flattering way because they are doing her no favors right now.

I thought Hanna's reaction was spot on, as was Emily's. Thankfully they both have good support systems, though I call BS on Emily's dad being given no leave to go see her. But where were the fathers? It seems weird that Byron wouldn't be around or Peter. Hanna's dad has always sucked so he's the only one whose absence I don't question.

It will be interesting to find out if there actually were consequences to the girls hitting one button or if they just think the girl they picked was being tortured. I'm hoping they don't wait too long to reveal this.

So Andrew probably has very little to do with all this since he was caught so quickly. Great...

[resonance]

The episode was pretty filler. I guess it's too early to reintroduce A. Think Andrew will be innocent or at least not as guilty as the Liars think. This would be like the dozenth time the Liars wrongfully suspect somebody.

Edited June 10, 2015 by resonance

[superman1204]

I have to agree with everyone else, the main storyline's for all of the girls were really good.  It's nice to see everyone have something emotional to deal with, instead of the normal routine where half the girls have family/relationship bs to pad out the episode.  Also it good  to see effects of A's actions on the girls, instead of just moving on to the next plot point.  Lastly the mom daughter relationship have been missing recently, so all of those scenes were good too.

 

The only thing that bothers me is that A forcing the girls to torture one another will probably keep the girls mostly apart for the next couple of episodes and this show is always at its best when the Lairs are together.

 

Also the side stuff with Toby and/or Alison was okay.  Toby was at least tolerable and they stop having Sasha overact every damn scene she is in, so no complainants.  

 

Actually one last thing, Emily's dad was stationed in Texas and Aria's dad was around just off camera (I think), but what the fuck were Hanna and Spencer's dads excuses.

[ottoDbusdriver]

That was an old missile silo in Tyler State Park that A used for his/her bunker ?  Seriously ?

 

I thought it was weird when Toby told Spencer that "We got that son of a bitch.  Andrew".  Who else would Toby be talking about ?  Oh that's right, probably because Andrew isn't A.

Edited June 10, 2015 by ottoDbusdriver

[KaveDweller]

Emily: Ok, so I liked how Emily's mom recognized how angry she was and refused to let her go near the guns.

 

I also liked that Emily's mother wasn't all "guns are bad," she just thought Emily was going about it wrong.  And I am not saying it as someone who is pro guns or anything, it was just nice to see a different, yet responsible, perspective.

 

I may be over-analyzing, but I wonder if Emily is going to think about joining the army like her dad?  We haven't heard about her college plans have we?

[Lolabelle]

Show- "How does a high school boy afford all of that?"
Audience-  We've been saying that since season 1!

 

 

 

Just and interesting tidbit.  What Charles did to the girls making them chose which one to hurt may be a version of the Milgram Experiment.   I don't think any of them actually got injured but I think the idea was to torture them with the thought that they had. 

That's what I was thinking.  I'm hoping that the girls weren't physically harmed, maybe they just heard screams and assumed?

Ashley continues to be the best parent.  Can she adopt me?  I like wine!

 

Normally Emily isn't my favorite liar (or even top 2) but tonight she rocked it  

 

At this point, I'm just waiting to see how the hell all of this strings together.  

[AmandaPanda]

I really loved this episode. I've worked with victims of trauma before and really liked how the writers showed all the girls' reactions to the situation. I liked how all of them were trying to grasp at anything that could give them comfort. 

 

I'm not super excited for Spencer to descend into junkie-dom again, but as someone pointed out earlier, the anti-anxiety pills aren't ones that are habit forming. I got where Veronica was coming from, but I think it was a mistake to withhold them from Spencer.

 

Hanna and Caleb have the best relationship on the show. They're the only ones who have any sort of healthy interactions, as far as the romantic relationships go. My heart was breaking as he was holding Hanna at the end. I loved all of Mama Marin's scenes with Hanna. Hanna really lucked out in the relationship department.

 

I did not understand what Aria's mom meant with the "You're smart, but need to remember that you are also wise" line. It sounded like something from a bad fortune cookie.

 

I really liked Emily's interaction with her mom at the gun range. I worry Emily is going to try to go all vigilante on A. I also agree with the person who called shenanigans about Emily's dad not being able to come home. Yes, the Army is a 24/7 job, but considering how upset Papa Fields probably was, I doubt he would be very useful. Plus, it's not like they're actively at war down in Texas.

 

I'm so sick of these 20-something guys coming to town and having romantic beats with teenage girls. I don't care if Ali is probably 18 by now. NewCop needs to back away.

[SadieT]

Slow paced episode but I liked that we got a good amount of follow up on the girls' well being. I'm probably more interested in seeing how each of the liars handles the aftermath than I am in the mystery of who Charles is at this point. At least the girls dealing with PTSD makes sense, whereas we know the Charles reveal will never make sense or be satisfying. 

 

Spencer potentially relapsing and having trouble with pills again was predictable but also makes sense considering what she's been through. I don't know what I would do in Veronica's position, it's tough when your loved one is an addict. But Spencer never had a problem with anti-anxiety meds, her drugs of choice were amphetamines. She might need the anti-anxiety meds at the moment, well probably all moments as she's normally pretty wound up.  

 

Why was Toby being such a dick to Alison? I know she did a lot of messed up shit but she did kind of do his job and save his girlfriend by putting herself in serious danger. Was that even intentional or just Keegan’s bad acting? God, I can't stand Toby sometimes. Most times. 

 

I wouldn't mind Alison getting a love interest, although it would be nice if he wasn't a 25 year old cop, but I'm sure Lorenzo is working for A or is A wearing a mask of Ali wearing a mask of a random cop or something stupid. But I actually kind of feel bad for Alison so I wouldn't mind her finding a little happiness with a cute guy because it's clear she had a pretty messed up childhood and difficult time while awhile and I don't hold all the stupid shit she did as a 14/15 year old against her anymore. 

 

Found Aria's weird pattern dress and sneaker combo distracting during her scene with Spencer but was happy to see the girls reaching out to one another.

 

So judging by her apology I guess Aria picked Spencer to torture? At least once. Although I'm guessing they all probably picked each of the others on a rotation so that they were evenly distributing the torture. But yeah, this seems like the Milgram experiment, like someone mentioned, and it's possible they weren't doing what they thought they were doing to the others and the screams were pre-recorded just to mess with them. When Aria apologized, Spencer acted like she didn't know what for... it could be that Spencer just doesn't hold Aria responsible but maybe she never suffered any punishment and thinks no one picked her.

 

Would have liked to see Mona this episode but I'm guessing we'll check in with her soon. 

 

Andrew looked huge sitting at that interrogation table. I know Brandon Jones is pretty jacked but I don't remember him being that huge. 

[larapu2000]

This show is in desperate need of a legal consultant. First they convict a girl of a murder without a body, now they need an eye witness to place a suspect at the scene of a crime, because that's the only way anyone can be convicted of a crime.

Right? They have an entire silo of fibers, hair, and let's face it, probably semen evidence to match, or not match. I only say semen because if there's a dude on this show around 6 teenage girls, he's cranking one out in the crapper from time to time.

Whew, I almost thought the new cop wasn't a pedophile. That was silly of me to ever doubt.

[mercfan3]

One thing I love about this show is how consistent they ar with the portrayal of the girls. 

 

Aria is an avoidant personality with a tendency to lash out. We saw both from her, with her talk with Ezra and with the cop. You could tell that Aria wanted someone to pay for what they did, not because she was afraid. 

 

Hannah has the best support system. She's visual, and when she's upset she likes to change her surroundings. We saw that previously when she changed her look. And on a sidenote, I love the Caleb/Ashley team. That's a sweet relationship in itself. With Caleb promising Ashley he'd get Hannah back, and Ashley knowing that Hannah probably needs him to be with her while she sleeps. And of course the looks they were giving each other when Hannah started getting rid of her stuff. I also like that the two let Hannah heal. They allow her to do what she needs and are right there to comfort and console her. 

 

And Spencer is anxiety driven with a potential to crutch drugs...

 

Say what you want about the plot, but IMK wrote four female characters that are extremely likable, flawed..and consistent in their flaws. 

 

edit: That's interesting, the idea of the milgram experiment. 

 

We saw that Spencer picked Aria, and Emily picked Hannah. And it does make me wonder if anything actually happened to them. 

[kat165]

I really liked when Toby (who I loathe) was grappling with Andrew and the other cop, Lorenzo, said something like stop that & do your job. Made me chuckle. Enjoyed the girls' aftermath & seeing Hollly Marie, but yeah, she is a sucky parent.

 

Re: Ali's appearance. She looked this way last season too. I think maybe Sasha just put on a bit of weight & isn't as slender as the other girls which makes her look bigger. She's probably just an average size girl, not Hollywood size. I am glad to see that she hasn't been recasted due to this. The entertainment industry can be so shallow.

[SadieT]

Say what you want about the plot, but IMK wrote four female characters that are extremely likable, flawed..and consistent in their flaws. 

 

edit: That's interesting, the idea of the milgram experiment. 

 

We saw that Spencer picked Aria, and Emily picked Hannah. And it does make me wonder if anything actually happened to them. 

 

Is that who they picked? I had a hard time following the shot but that's kind of interesting that Spencer and Emily were both shown picking the one in the group they're closest to. I know all 4 girls are best friends but Spencer/Aria have always had a strong bond as have Emily/Hanna. 

 

And I agree about the characters. It's why I've stuck with this show despite all the lies, craziness and bait and switch hi-jinks. I've always been a sucker for strong complex female characters and this show is full of them. Even Ali and Mona are interesting to me when they could have easily been one dimensional villain types but I think the show has done a decent job of depicting them as more than that. On the other hand, I find most of the male characters super dull and annoying. Ezra and Toby may be nice to look at but their characters are like black holes of suck. They're so bad I actually find them draining to watch. They suck all the energy out of every scene they're in and I hate seeing Spencer and Aria saddled with such emotionally manipulative duds for boyfriends, but we all know the girls will never be free of them. I didn't like Caleb when he was introduced either because I hate "broody loner bad boy" types but he's turned around and I enjoy him now. 

Edited June 10, 2015 by SadieT

[SadieT]

Re: Ali's appearance. She looked this way last season too. I think maybe Sasha just put on a bit of weight & isn't as slender as the other girls which makes her look bigger. She's probably just an average size girl, not Hollywood size. I am glad to see that she hasn't been recasted due to this. The entertainment industry can be so shallow.

 

I think Sasha looks fine and I hate seeing all the talk about her weight because she's still so young and who knows if she's caught wind of what people are saying about her appearance or if she's self-conscious about it. I listened to that Bros Watch PLL too podcast Troain did last week and she said that Sasha lied about her age and was even younger than she initially let on when they filmed the pilot and was only like 12 or something, so she's obviously grown up a lot since then and her body has changed. That's only natural as she's not a little girl anymore but she's a perfectly healthy weight and is very pretty. Of course the wardrobe department isn't doing her any favors by dressing her in bulky unflattering mom clothes, but she was never going to look the way she looked when she was 12/13.  

Edited June 10, 2015 by SadieT

[allonsyalice]

Caleb for #1 boyfriend. He and Ashley completely killed this episode and it was a fantastic episode. I don't have much to add, but I'm glad to see the effects, something this show glosses over a lot. I'm echoing that I didn't care for Ali and that new guy, but he was pretty cute. 

I'm wondering where Sarah Jackson will fit into all of this. Who is she?

[GaT]

So Aria "helps" again. You would think that judging by how often they've accused someone of being A & were wrong, that they would just stick to the truth.

 

I did not understand what Aria's mom meant with the "You're smart, but need to remember that you are also wise" line. It sounded like something from a bad fortune cookie.

 

 

I didn't either, it made no sense to me.

[luvly]

Re: Ali's appearance. She looked this way last season too. I think maybe Sasha just put on a bit of weight & isn't as slender as the other girls which makes her look bigger. She's probably just an average size girl, not Hollywood size. I am glad to see that she hasn't been recasted due to this. The entertainment industry can be so shallow.

I don't want to derail the thread too much but Sasha actually posted about this on her Instagram tonight. Long story short, she's dealing with some kind of hormonal imbalance. That certainly explains the disproportionate amount of blazers they kept sticking her in.

Edited June 10, 2015 by luvly

[SadieT]

Well, I guess Sasha has heard what people have been saying about her weight. Sucks she had to address her it publicly, it’s really no one’s business and she shouldn’t have to defend her body to people. Reading that made me sad for her because she's obviously seen all the nasty things people have been saying about her and no one should have to deal with that. Hope she gets healthy soon. 

 

ETA: Hormone imbalance or not, they have been dressing Ali in a horribly unflattering manner. At first I thought maybe it was an attempt to soften the character by making her look more wholesome, but now it's clear the wardrobe department just doesn't know what to do with someone who isn't super skinny. But covering her up from head to toe with shapeless dresses and ugly cardigans is obviously the wrong way to go about it. Using less material and clothes that are actually fitted to her body would work much better. 

Edited June 10, 2015 by SadieT

[tennisgurl]

 

Caleb for #1 boyfriend.

There are two things in this show I know to be true, no matter how much other weirdness erupts. 

 

1. The Rosewood police are hilariously incompetent, 

 

2. Caleb is an awesome boyfriend. 

[Lii]

It's like somehow Caleb is such a best boyfriend that he's become Ashley's boyfriend too.

[Spencer Hastings]

This was the saddest episode ever. That being said, I need to get a few things out.

First of all, raise your hand if you trust this Lorenzo character. Anybody? No? Okay then. I feel like it should just be a common assumption that he's working for A. Cops don't work for the police department in that town, they work for A.

Also, I laughed out loud when Toby started naming all the stuff that connects Andrew to A. I was seriously screaming at the television, like do you not remember that you were the very first person who was framed by A? You were literally stoop kid for an entire season. Get it together, Toby.

Ali's dad is full of crap. I loved both Emily and Hanna's mothers. I like that they didn't take a stance one way or the other on guns, just that you shouldn't use them out of anger. I felt like Emily and Hanna both had very real reactions to what happened. Aria is useless, as usual.

I don't trust Sara Harvey either. Nope, not one bit. Has anyone conducted a DNA test on this child to prove that she's actually Sara?

When Aria apologized to Spencer, I took their silence as confirmation that they just knew what she was apologizing for but didn't want to dwell on it.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Spencer Hastings

[lorikauai]

A few random thoughts from this episode.

 

I'd love to see Ali in something other than a blazer. She's still dressing out of Jessica's closet apparently. Maybe she gained a few lbs but dress her like a teenager for god's sake. 

 

For once Officer Toby seems like the smart one for thinking that A wouldn't be dumb enough to leave a huge paper trail leading to himself.

 

How convenient for Ezra that Aria is so ready to believe that Andrew is a monster and wants him locked up forever. Also Aria proves again she is the biggest liar and the least trustworthy. 

 

Of course Sarah Harvey ends up on Emily's doorstep like a lost puppy and Em and Pam just have to take her in. Come on, Emily. You have to stop falling for this. 

 

God, no Ali/Lorenzo thing please. Can't any of these girls go for a period of time without a love interest?

 

Spencer and drugs again. I guess this means Dean the sober coach will be back?

 

Hanna has the best support system by far. The rest of the moms need to take note. 

[dwmckim]

I don't want to derail the thread too much but Sasha actually posted about this on her Instagram tonight. Long story short, she's dealing with some kind of hormonal imbalance. That certainly explains the disproportionate amount of blazers they kept sticking her in.

Luvly, thanks for the link.  I quoted her entire post in the bts thread since her words deserve to be read in their entirety and so the discussion can continue in a more appropriate place.

 

 

Well, I guess Sasha has heard what people have been saying about her weight. Sucks she had to address her it publicly, it’s really no one’s business and she shouldn’t have to defend her body to people. Reading that made me sad for her because she's obviously seen all the nasty things people have been saying about her and no one should have to deal with that. Hope she gets healthy soon. 

I'm sure there's been some not-very-nice things people out there in Internet Land have posted but also there's probably been a lot of attention focused on her because she's the focal part of a mystery series where its fans analyze EVERY LITTLE DETAIL that goes on the screen so if any actor undergoes a sudden change in appearance (be it intentional for character/story reasons or something affecting the actor in real life) it's sure to be picked up on.  I really feel for her because unlike all the other cast members, she's the only actual teen that's grown up on the show starting at age 12 and now 18 ... and on a show that's often "stuck in time" in its story and in a role that demands much flashback scenes and the pressure to maintain a generally consistent look throughout.  That's a massive amount of pressure to contend with and i have a tremendous amount of respect for addressing it publicly and doing so in a very thoughtful way.

[william0102]

Emily picked Spencer, and Spencer picked Aria- I'm lame I slowed down the promos to see. I had a feeling Emily would pick Spencer, but had no idea who Spencer would pick. In a way it makes sense, Spencer thinks Aria is stronger emotionally. I thought that was why Hanna was so upset thinking back on the first episode, her thinking they all thought she was weak.

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

 The poor girls.. at least Hanna lucked out and has the best mom and the best boyfriend ever, which works for me since she is my favorite .

 I have actually heard about this torture where you think you are inflicting torture on someone but in reality you are only hearing them scream.  it was actually pretty brilliant of A, None of the girls seemed to have any physical injuries but the emotional scars are going to be there forever,

 

But if that were the case wouldn't the girls have asked each other "Hey but did I really hurt you?", "Hey but did I really end up depriving you of water?". If the answer to said question is no, it should be fairly easy for them to get over those 3 weeks of alleged torture.

Also why no Mona in this episode?

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

The costume department really needs to stop dressing Sasha as if they are trying to hide a baby bump....unless they are actually trying to hide a baby bump.

 

I'm sorry, I don't know how to attach this quoted reply to my previous one (God knows I tried)... anyway I just wanted to say it's not the costume department's fault her arms are HUGE (even bigger than mine, and I'm a mid-20-y.o. guy)! Say what you will about Sasha being the only teenager when the show started while the other were already in their early-to-mid 20s, but she is the only one who's  SIGNIFICANTLY gained a good amount of weight among the main cast (while the other ones have managed to stay fit and thin)! I'm not trying to shame her either but whenever I look at her I just can't help but think this look does not flatter her AT ALL!

[raytch]

Oh boy, I don't think I have it in me to be snarky about anything at the moment.

I almost teared up throughout the entire episode. I think all the liars' reactions rang very true to the way we've come to know them so far. Hanna was just too sad... And the fact that she's first to say anything about what happened down there... that is amazing writing.

Remember how back in season 2, Hanna was the FIRST one of the liars to make her peace with Ali? (I think I even mentioned this a few days ago somewhere else). When she imagined Ali sitting in a chair in Dr. Sullivan's office and basically told her that she will always love her and miss her but she will not let her dictate who she is as a person anymore?

Hanna has always done the most heavy lifting, emotionally that is, since that scene... everything with Mona, and then everything with Ali when she came back, and now this.

 

Great episode. I'm glad we got to take a beat and just assess where the girls and everyone is at the moment.

I'm guessing things will pick up starting next week and we'll start getting reveals and answers till episode 10.

 

I missed Mona. I would have loved to see her at the hospital with the girls in the first opening sequence.

 

I'm not sure what to make out of Sarah Harvey. The actress playing her has done a good job so far.

The story about running away from her mom made no sense, because if people had been taking care of her mom for all the time she was gone, then wouldn't it make sense that they would keep paying attention once Sarah came back? I don't think any of the neighbors were just like "Oh you're back after 2 years. Here's your mother. We did the best we could while you were gone but now she's all yours"

The only way I can understand it is that we're to understand that Sarah's mom, - much like Mrs. D back in her days- is not the nicest person ever, and has damaged Sarah way before she was kidnapped. Maybe her mom fucked her up so hard that she wanted to destroy everything around her? (like Ali) Maybe that's why they seemed so alike when Emily met her posse?

 

[raytch]

I didn't mind Lorenzo that much. He doesn't seem so old, if Toby is 19/20 then he could be around that age as well.

I don't know if he's working for A, the odds are not exactly in his favor anyhow (being a minority character AND a cop in Rosewood), I'd say let him enjoy his 2 days being alive.

I've learned not to trust new characters since Cece Drake killed that snake with a mannequin leg. Except for Dean Stravos. He's all about listening and making you better while looking perfect in a v neck t-shirt and a Spiderman hoodie. God bless his heart. 

Edited June 10, 2015 by raytch

[ottoDbusdriver]

Also why no Mona in this episode?

 

I missed Mona. I would have loved to see her at the hospital with the girls in the first opening sequence.

 

That made no sense at all.  Mona should have been in the hospital with everyone else.  Unless her mom transported her to a luxury retreat to recover and she has now been kidnapped by A .... again .... since A has infinite resources.

[Spencer Hastings]

Can we talk about how absolutely huge Andrew is? I know he's definitely not Charles but I also suspect that he's not a high schooler. Watching Keegan Allen try to tackle him and then that long shot of him looking like a giant at that interrogation table was jarring and a kind of humorous. Maybe he's an undercover high schooler?

[Giuliano Lanzilli]

Can we talk about how absolutely huge Andrew is? I know he's definitely not Charles but I also suspect that he's not a high schooler. Watching Keegan Allen try to tackle him and then that long shot of him looking like a giant at that interrogation table was jarring and a kind of humorous. Maybe he's an undercover high schooler?

 

The actor has just turned 27 and is 6'2''!

Also, can we talk about how easy it seemed for Emily to guess the safe combinations after her mum kept changing them? That seemed pretty far-fetched... unless, with what the comment "Maybe A took a shot of us in a morgue-like setting because he wants it to seem like we're dead so our families will stop looking for us" last week and now this she's suddenly turned into a braniac (sort of like with Hanna and the SATs)...

Edited June 10, 2015 by Giuliano Lanzilli

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The Fields have the neatest, cleanest, most organized attic I have ever seen.

 

FWIW, I think that Sasha looks fine. Sure, she looks different now six years later, but she looks like a normal healthy girl. It's nice to see someone on tv who doesn't look like a stiff wind would snap her in half. The problem isn't her body but the costume department dressing her like she's a real estate agent from 1986. All this talk about her weight gain reminds me of a girl I went to high school with. She was one of those tiny girls with an insane metabolism and she was also very short so she weighed about 85 pounds throughout high school so she always looked like she was about 13 years old. After college, she gained some weight and started to look more her age (which is to say like she was 20). Some guys from high school ran into her and afterward were saying things like, "Did you see how fat she got?" Dude, the girl went from 85 pounds to 105 pounds. Yes, 20 pounds makes a difference but she was in no way fat. She was just bigger than she used to be so everyone interpreted that as "she got fat." It makes me sad that in this day and age, the idea body type is that of a pubescent girl. It's okay not to look like you're a 13 year old girl!

 

I know the girls have been through a lot, but don't yell at Caleb, Hanna! I'm not surprised that she wanted to redecorate her entire room. I was actually surprised that no one else wanted to redo their rooms. The first thing I thought at the beginning of the episode when the girls were getting ready to leave the hospital was how terrible it was going to be for them to go home to rooms that looked exactly like where they'd been held.

 

Normally the parents are kind of background characters who come out of the woodwork when necessary for plotlines (usually to yell at the kids about something), but I thought that they all did a great job this week showing how much they wanted to help their daughters without pushing them too much.

 

Why was Aria wearing that black and white dress with sneakers? She looked like one of those 80s chicks who wore blazers and skirts with Reeboks. I was totally cracking up when Ezra told her that she has an advantage over most people because she can write about it, as if other people are too doltish to keep a journal about their feelings and experiences. We get it, show. Aria is super smart AND artsy/creative!

 

Lorenzo is officially shady. I know that goes without saying since he's a male living in Rosewood, but yeah, totally shady.

 

I don't trust Sarah either. The fact that she was in the silo for two years already makes her untrustworthy to me (I have sympathy for her being kidnapped for so long but I am wary that A brainwashed her), but when you add to that the things that her friend said about her back in S4 that makes me even more suspicious of her.

 

This show is in desperate need of a legal consultant. First they convict a girl of a murder without a body, now they need an eye witness to place a suspect at the scene of a crime, because that's the only way anyone can be convicted of a crime.

Don't forget that they also said if Andrew confessed then there would be no trial!

 

ITA that they need a medical consultant too. The doctors gave her something to help her sleep at the hospital but once she got home, Mariska Hargitay decided no more drugs?

 

Ashley is clearly the best parent, though. The scene where she told Hannah, "you can have anything you want" for her new room and the last scene when after she told Caleb he could stay and she just sat on the floor and watched while Hannah slept. My heart just broke.

I was almost in tears just from watching Ashley's reaction to what Hanna is going through.

 

After all the twin talk over the years, I thought Ali would be the one who had a mysterious secret twin so it's interesting that they are making Andrew/Charles into the family member who disappeared. I still don't understand what his motivation for torturing all the other girls was though. If he really is Ali's brother and he got sent away (I was thinking something along the lines of Rain Man where he hurt Ali and was sent to an institution), I can understand him blaming Ali for being sent away and ruining his life but why would he have any issue with the other girls? Because they were friends with her?

 

I'm going to be so annoyed if it turns out he had nothing to do with all of this A stuff after the show made such a big deal about #CharlesIsA (I seriously can't take another red herring). He had to at least be an A minion, right? I don't need to hear hours of his testimony but I do want to hear his explanation as to how he is totally innocent yet he was creeping around the park in a hoodie near the silo. "I was worried about Aria so I was tracking her down!"

[raytch]

Can we talk about how absolutely huge Andrew is? I know he's definitely not Charles but I also suspect that he's not a high schooler. Watching Keegan Allen try to tackle him and then that long shot of him looking like a giant at that interrogation table was jarring and a kind of humorous. Maybe he's an undercover high schooler?

 

Maybe we're watching the origination story of the Hulk?