Well, thAt was unexpected. As Hanna (Ashley Benson), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), Aria (Lucy Hale), Emily (Shay Mitchell) and Ali (Sasha Pieterse) tried to cover their murder in Pretty Little Liars‘ Tuesday, July 19, episode, they encountered new threats, old nemeses and a proposal we’ve only been waiting seven seasons for.
Home Sweet Home
Ali was released from the mental institution and brought home by Mary Drake (Andrea Parker). [SparkNotes summary: Mary is Ali’s dead mother’s twin who was plotting with Ali’s late husband, Elliott Rollins, aka Archer, to steal her money by drugging her to the point of insanity. It’s simple, really.] When Ali arrived, Aria was waiting with a casserole because we have flashed forward five years, and apparently when adults feel guilty for, you know, falsely accusing their best friend of murder, they make casseroles.
Aria voiced her concern over Mary staying with Ali alone, but Ali insisted that Aria should leave so that Mary would stop acting like a “demented den mother,” and then Ali could get some answers. Isn’t family the best?
Emily on the Attack
Emily and her new fling, Sabrina, woke up on the couch after a late-night date. Following a brief early morning make-out, Emily realized that she was late to an exam and sprinted out the door. She got there too late and was denied entry to the classroom. Later, Emily got a text that she received a 92 percent on the exam she didn’t take, which seems like something every student dreams of, but this is Rosewood, so it’s safe to assume that there’s some murder-y plot twist behind this stroke of luck.
Sure enough, seconds later Emily got a text from A.D. saying, “Thank me later, ungrateful bitch.” After Emily told Aria about the text, she asked, “Can we day-drink?” Rather than drown their sorrows in cheap wine like many 20-somethings would, Emily decided to reply to a text from Rollins’ (Archer’s?) burner phone. Sure, ladies, let’s make this even more complicated.
They decided to go to Archer’s disheveled apartment, where they found his face mask and photos of Wilden. After discovering Archer’s documents that revealed his last name was Dunhill, Aria and Emily realized that his initials were A.D., the moniker of the villain who had been terrorizing them.
Leave the pAst in the Past
After Ezra came back from New York, where he went to tell his deceased ex girlfriend Nicole’s parents about Aria, he left her alone in his apartment. Aria heard his cell phone ringing and saw that Nicole was calling him. Aria asked Emily what she should do, and Emily replied, “Nicole is dead — they had a funeral for her. The case is officially closed.” Right, because no one they assume is dead has ever reappeared.
Jump Ship
Aside from covering up a murder, Spencer was also trying to find Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) in order to mend their broken relationship. She called Hanna, who offered her advice on where to look for him. Spencer then went to the police station and made a joke about filing a missing persons report for Caleb to Toby. The thing about fixing things with your current boyfriend is that you should probably do anything but go to your ex AND his ex for advice. Pretty much anything else would do the trick.
“Help me Toby-Wan Kenobi,” Spencer said. “You’re my only hope.” In case “Toby-Wan Kenobi” wasn’t an awkward enough moment, Spencer turned to leave and bumped into Marco (Nicholas Gonzalez). ICYMI: Marco was the hot stranger who she met at a bar and aggressively made out with in an elevator. Surprise! He’s the lead detective on the case Spencer is trying to cover.
Marshall on a Mission
Jenna (Tammin Sursok) went to Ali’s house to check in on her, as years-long enemies do. After a heated argument, Ali yelled at Jenna to tell Archer to go to hell. Without missing a beat, Jenna replied, “Maybe he’s already there.”
Jenna went to the bar and sat down next to Sara Harvey (Dre Davis), and, shockingly, the two immediately started to bond over their mutual hatred of the girls in their town. There are many things that will probably end well for the Liars, but this relationship is not one of them.
He’s Alive?
Ali got a call from Rosewood P.D. asking her to come down to the station. Marco told Ali that they think Elliott Rollins was targeting her for her money (nice work, detective). Marco then said that Elliott was last seen in Baltimore. Ali immediately went into a panic because the Liars ended their trail for him in Philadelphia.
Guess Who’s Back?
Jenna and Sara moved their bonding session to the coffee shop that has apparently never seen a single day without drama. Some people like their coffee with sugar and cream; all of Rosewood apparently likes it with gossip and subtle death threats. As Emily walked in and paid, Sara walked by and asked, “Late-night study session?” alluding to Emily’s mysterious exam score. Looks like the one time “A” accomplice is back at it again.
The two moved back to the bar, where they were approached by a ghost of season 5’s past, Noel Kahn (Brant Daugherty). His appearance was relatively unexplained, but nothing good can come from Noel Kahn except for the chiseled jawline that wooed both Aria and Mona in seasons 1 and 2, respectively.
#PLLProposal
Ezra texted Aria that they needed to talk. She may have been covering up a murder and writing a book about her current boyfriend to be published by her ex-boyfriend, but there is truly nothing more stressful than the “we need to talk” text. Aria hesitantly walked in to Ezra, who was in a suit surrounded by candles. In a perfect speech, he told her, “I want you in my life, Aria, for the rest of my life,” and asked her to marry him. We’re going to forget about that whole tracking-the-Liars-to-write-a-mystery-novel plot line in season 4 because IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PROPOSAL, OKAY? #TeamEzria
Tell Us: Do you think Aria and Ezra will get married?
Pretty Little Liars airs on Freeform Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
