Pretty Little Liars opened brilliantly this week with Hanna’s nightmare. It also played out very well later when she gets angry with the rest of the liars because of her dream. “Exes and OMGs” brings up the next step in the “Nicole/Ezra/Aria” storyline, puts Allison back to work and sees Emily being offered a job at the school.
The prologue to the show has Hanna struggling to convince the rest of the Liars that Noah is A.D, or “Uber A” as they walk down a street in Rosewood. Caleb is also there and when Hanna storms off to prove her theory, he follows. As they cross the street a car heads straight for them. Caleb pushes Hanna away and is hit by the car. The driver is Noah Kahn.
Hanna screams and wakes herself up.
Mrs. Grunwald shows up to see Hanna and her interaction with the psychic is easily the most disturbing part of the episode. It is clear that Hanna has set herself up as the only Liar who believes that Noah Kahn is A.D.
Spencer and Aria get their “Nancy Drew” on and hunt down Dr. Cochran. They find his daughter (Sprague Grayden), who is also Dr. Cochran. They learn that the male ob/gyn was fired. He can no longer able to practice medicine either. They leave without learning anything further.
Later, Cochran calls Spencer. Someone trashed her office looking for details about her father. She believes the two young women are responsible. Cochran gives Spencer the address to her estranged father’s apartment and tells her to bring a bottle of whiskey. She says that it will be the only way he will talk to them.
That phone call from Nicola has indeed bitten Aria in the butt. Ezra is furious to learn that she never told him about the call and that she deleted it as well. Aria stays around Emily’s until Ezra calms down. Em also has a word with Ezra and she explains that Aria acted on her suggestion.
Hanna is convinced that Noah is A.D. and she has flashbacks to being held in that barn. She still has scars from the cattle prod, externally and internally.
Alison is having a tough time connecting to her students. In one scene, the class “trouble-maker” points out that it is good to be the king, or queen, and Alison is called to the principal’s office.
He is concerned that she returned to teaching too soon. Alison assures him that she is fine. The secretary comes in to get a file and Alison realizes that there is information in the cabinet she can use.
Hanna explains to the Liars that she told them Noah was A.D. “last night.” She manages to have the funniest scene in the episode as she tells the rest of the group off. (It all happened in her dream and Aria is confused.) Hanna ticks off the reasons that Kahn is the baddy.
Spencer and Aria question the former doctor and learn that Mary did have another baby. He cannot remember what gender the infant was though. Cochran does recall that the first baby was given to Alison’s mother and the second to child services.
Mrs. Grunwald makes the connection between Hanna, Kahn and that cattle prod.
Aria pays for Ezra to fly to where the FBI believe Nicole being held. Aria turned in their elopement tickets to Italy to pay for the flight.
Emily bumps into an old flame at the school; Paige McCullers (Lindsey Shaw) and the two have wine and an in-depth conversation. They are both up for the swim instructor position at the school.
Somewhat disturbingly, Paige watches Emily as she talks with Sabrina (Lulu Brud) towards the end of the episode. Ezra flies off leaving Aria to zip up her wedding dress. Spencer goes through an old photo album lost in thought and Hanna looks to be setting up a trap for Noah Kahn.
Pretty Little Liars certainly seems to be heading toward a Noah Kahn as A.D. ending. While this does make a certain amount of sense, there is still the issue of Mary Drake’s other baby.
The entire “Nicole is still alive” plot line is annoying, she was, as Emily pointed out, buried. Still Ezra was a distraction and now that Hanna has splintered off from the group Aria will be needed.
Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays on Freeform. Tune in and see who A.D. really is. Is it Noah, Mary Drake or someone else? Thoughts?
Cast:
- Troian Bellisario – Spencer
- Lucy Hale – Aria
- Ashley Benson – Hanna
- Sasha Pieterse – Alison
- Shay Mitchell – Emily
- Andrea Parker – Mary Drake
- Huw Collins – Dr. Rollins
- Ian Harding – Ezra
- Tyler Blackburn – Caleb
- Brendan Robinson – Luca
- Keegan Allen – Toby
Guest starring Brant Daugherty as Noah Kahn, Meg Foster as Carla Grunwald and Keith Szarabajka as Dr. Cochran.
Mikes Film Talk 