Viewers, officially creeped out by the ending of last weekend’s epsiode, tune in to see what follows in the sixteenth episode of “Pretty Little Liars”. And it does not disappoint. A mix of suspense, mystery, and a little drama thrown in here and there, the sixteenth episode really kicks it up a notch with an all-new surprise twist in the plot.
Toby Cavanaugh is still suffering the aftermath of being accused of murder – he’s a social pariah, which is strongly exhibited when, in the opening scene, an anonymous person smashes his mailbox to smithereens with an aluminum bat.
But Toby may have found a friend. Surprisingly, Spencer has volunteered to tutor him in French. But Spencer is never without ulterior motives. She’s determined to find out who bought the bracelets in her name, and thinks that Toby may be a link. After all, someone framed him for the murder of Alison.
However, the tutoring doesn’t go to smoothly. Spencer and Toby seem to get along just fine, and may be on the right path to unveiling the mystery – but Jenna Cavanaugh seems to have pulled the plug on the relationship, for she forces Toby to fire Spencer as his tutor.
Speaking of unlikely relationships, a strange connection seems to have formed between Caleb and Hanna. For breaking Aria’s mom’s car, Caleb claims that Hanna owes him, but he doesn’t accept money. He wants a date with her, so his peers see him in a different light.
Hanna agrees but that’s not where their interaction ends. Not only do they attend Emily’s swim meet together, where Hanna learns a lot about Caleb’s past, but she also finds out that he lives at the school.
Her and Aria find his stash of possessions in a vent in the school library, and, thinking it to be “A’s”, Hanna takes a wad of cash. But, then the lights go out and a masked figure chases them through the halls. Hanna finally resorts to spraying her pursuer with hairspray, and he reveals his identity: Caleb. Later in the episode, Hanna invites Caleb to come live with her because he has nowhere else to stay.
Caleb’s not the only character sneaking around. Aria’s parents lie and “have an affair with each other” without their children knowing. Or so they think. Aria picks up on the clues and follows her dad to the school one night, where she catches him and her mom kissing. So much for a separation.
Meanwhile, Emily has her own problems to deal with. She’s competing for the spot of anchor on her swim team’s relay team. Unfortunately, the other girl up for the job is ultra-competitive Paige. After a few tense encounters, Paige ends up visiting Emily’s house in the middle in the night and says, “I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know that.” She speeds off on her bicycle.
The next day, Paige is unable to compete in the race because she is “banged up” from falling off of her bike the night before. She even cheers for Emily when Emily takes first place, and the two girls end up swimming together, but not to compete. They just swim to have fun, a concept somewhat lost to Paige who is attempting to rekindle her love of the sport, just like Emily did.
These two sworn enemies may be getting along, but Spencer and her arch nemesis – also known as her sister – still butt heads. This time, Melissa’s angry over Spencer’s suspicions about Ian being involved in Ali’s murder. Spencer can’t even muster a “congratulations” when Melissa finally announces she is pregnant.
But Spencer has more important things on her mind than a potential niece or nephew. In the French book Toby returned to her, she finds an envelope from him. It says, “I found this is Jenna’s room.”
And although “A”, didn’t make much of an appearance in this episode, he or she still makes a big impact with a text message to Aria leaking Hanna’s hand in the potential exposure of her relationship with Mr. Fitz. Aria refuses to speak to Hanna, despite her endless apologies.
The sixteenth episode really created some new ripples in the plot of the first season of “Pretty Little Liars”.
See the video attached to see what other viewers at East thought.