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by Melissa Parkin
The Liars convene at Ezra’s bookstore to fill in each other
on recent discoveries. “A” proves that there truly is no rest for the wicked.
As Aria vents her anxieties to Emily, over the letter she sent to get into Talmadge,
the cash register goes haywire. A massively long receipt is spewed out, and
Aria’s fear hits an all-time high. Her entire letter to Jackie is written out
on the bottom portion of the slip, along with a message from “A” declaring,
“This kind of lie will stay on your permanent record.”
Following their argument outside the bookstore opening,
Spencer and Toby are still having a hard time finding middle ground as well. She’s
trying to save the group from “A”’s sabotage while he’s trying to stay true to
the uniform. Unsure of her future plans, Spencer frets over the bus loads of
college acceptance letters pouring in. Her worries are put on the backburner
though when her cell rings, and she gets a text from…Mona?
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| Photo: ABC Family/Getty Images |
It’s an alert sent by the security company in regards to
Mona’s laptop, giving each of the Liars the GPS coordinates to the computer’s
location. Hanna, Emily, and Aria have to pass on the opportunity to recover it
though, as they've got business of their own to take care of. Emily is at odds
with her new work colleague, as she deals with Paige’s recent departure. Hanna
can’t get her mother to open up about her weekend fling with Alison’s brother.
This problem only worsens as she’s informed that Ted, Mrs. Marin’s boyfriend,
is back in town and preparing to propose to her mom.
Aria receives an anonymous message from someone simply
identifying themselves as “H.” This mystery person claims to be tired of
running and wishes to meet her at the Grill come noon. She’s set out on a wild
goose chase; “H” is a no-show. “H” then tells her to go to the flower shop on
Maple and Prescott. The florist there gives her a bouquet with instructions to
deliver them to Hanna’s house. Inside the gift is a card supposedly from Jason,
hinting at the affair between him and Mrs. Marin. Things only get more
complicated when Ted pops the question during dessert, leaving Hanna’s mother
floored and without an answer.
Spencer and Caleb head over to the storage place specified
in Mona’s alert. The pair take a page out of the John McClain handbook and
crawl through an air duct vent to sneak into the shrouded locked unit. Upon
arrival, they discover plastic wrapped evidence stored on all the shelves,
including Mona’s laptop and even bloodstained clothes. Fingering Holbrook as
the culprit, they realize that “A” is building a falsified case against the
Liars for Mona’s murder. After a scare from a regular Heisenberg suit, Caleb
and Spencer come across a large barrel in the corner of the unit, along with a
large batch of antacid tablets and denatured alcohol. When mixed with water,
the toxic brew can either preserve a corpse, or completely dissolve it. The
electricity cuts out just as Spencer prepares to open the barrel. The two bail
out without resolve as to its contents, but Caleb does discover something when
he returns home. He tracks down the name on the storage unit, hoping to pin
Holbrook to the evidence inside. Instead, he finds Hanna’s name on the rental agreement,
and he’s more than convinced that Mona’s body is in it.
The mystery this week is the highlight of the show, but the
character development seems to be lacking. With the series favored for its
suspense and epic romance, it’s disappointing to see melodrama clogging the
runtime. Aria’s guilt in regard to Ezra doesn't feel overly critical. Considering the ups and downs those two have been through, Aria’s letter to
Jackie amounts to that of a speed bump. Emily doesn't really get the chance to
properly grieve over her loss either. Can’t a girl get a little time for
mourning? The biggest problem with the recent storyline is between Spencer and
Toby. After everything this beloved pair has gone through together, the “moral”
conflict now standing between them just feels exaggerated. They used to be the
strongest couple on the show, but things suddenly hit the fan because…why? The
chemistry between Caleb and Spencer proves to be the best out of the cast this
week. Spencer’s neurotic mindset alongside Caleb’s banter and matter-of-fact
attitude blends well. Hopefully, the melodrama plaguing the current storyline
will wrap itself up quickly to avoid unnecessary tension. If the writers can
tighten things back up, and focus on the heightened sense of paranoia that
makes the show so noteworthy, PLL
will be back on track.
Pretty
Little Liars: “Over a Barrel” Episode Rating:
B -
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