Run, Ali Run… From The Law! (Recap + Broken Laws in PLL episode 5×06)

Note that this will include broken laws from previous PLL episodes, mainly 5×05.

The episode begins where we left off last week. The girls are stunned to get a text from “A,” apparently they actually believed that Shana was the only “A” they had to worry about. “Did you miss me bitches?” Toby’s house completely explodes and the girls don’t yet know where Toby is. Toby calls Spencer from the hospital. He’s ok, and nobody was inside the house but his father who we have yet to meet broke his leg trying to avoid a tree. Caleb’s at the hospital with Toby, rekindling their bromance. The girls finally figure out that “A” woke up from his or her nap.

Hanna runs into Caleb at the coffee shop (again). Hanna doesn’t understand why “A” blew up Toby’s house when the girls were so nearby. Caleb tells Hanna that “A” doesn’t shoot and miss, so there must be a reason that “A” did not hurt the girls. “The cops in this town should be riding around in clown cars” according to Caleb. I guess he’s excluding the ones who are riding around in coffins, but he makes a good point. It’s obvious that Hanna and Caleb still have feelings for each other even though Hanna  is currently dating Travis. She explains that she had no idea when and if Caleb was returning.  Caleb claims that he won’t be staying in town long, but Tyler Blackburn is a series regular again, so we’ll see what happens! I’m rooting for Haleb.

Aria and Ezra have the same broken record conversation about how Aria killed an “innocent person,” (Since Shana wasn’t “A”) if by innocent, Aria means a person who was about to kill her, her boyfriend and all of her friends. Ezra looks in his file of creepiness because the name Bethany Young sounds familiar to him and perhaps he wasn’t that off about his Mrs. D theory. Ezra knows that Mrs. D was on the board at Radley Sanitarium, that Bethany was a patient there who escaped, and that Bethany was buried in the exact place that Mrs. D buried Alison. If that sounds complex and crazy to you, you’re not alone. Ezra thinks he remembers the name “Bethany Young” coming up when he interviewed the staff at Radley for his book. Aria offers to come to his place later to help him sort through the files that Ezra once used to stalk her and her friends.

Peter confronts Spencer asking what the hell is going on. She tells him to talk to Veronica, but  he can’t reach her. Spencer tells him that they know he lied about where he and Melissa were the night Mrs. D died. Peter acts stunned that Spencer would ever think he’d kill someone and claims that he and Melissa “went to the lake to talk” the night that Mrs. D died.

Ezra calls Aria while she’s with Spencer at school, so Aria fills Spencer in on his theory about a link between Bethany and Mrs. D. Aria tells Spencer that she’s going to Ezra’s to help him later. Spencer questions Aria about seeing Ezra later and bringing him to Emily’s the night before. Aria admits to Spencer that she and Ezra had “two slips” as she calls them. Spencer can’t believe that Aria would go back to him after all of his lies, spying and stalking. I guess that’s totally different from the time Spencer got back with Toby after he joined the “A” team behind her back. The other girls arrive and continue to mention how the “new normal” does not exist for them. Ali gets a text of a video of somebody burying her mother. The text says “I buried your mom the same way I watched her bury you. -A.” Ali and the girls come to the realization that “A” killed Ali’s mom, something one would think they would have guessed by now. Spencer says that her father didn’t kill Mrs. D. She explains that she accused him of murder but he didn’t do it. Aria suggests that Peter Hastings might be “A,” but Spencer’s not buying that idea. Melissa also cannot be ruled out. Alison tells the girls that she needs to leave town because she’s no longer safe from “A” like she thought. Hanna refers to “A” blowing up a house as “playing games,” although Caleb pointed out earlier in the episode that “A” clearly was NOT playing games.  The girls tell Alison that she should stay, and Spencer points out that she’d have nowhere to hide if she left.

Lieutenant Tanner is seen at Radley yelling at people on the staff. Spencer’s there to see Eddie Lamb. Spencer asks him if he heard about the Cavanaugh settlement. He’s glad that the family got some money, but Spencer says that they would have preferred the truth. Eddie also heard about Mrs. DiLaurentis. Eddie agrees that it’s probably not a coincidence that Bethany Young was found buried in Mrs. D’s backyard. When Spencer asks Eddie if he knew Bethany, then continues prying, Eddie says that he can’t talk about Bethany, or any other patient to cops, reporters or Spencer. We see that Spencer’s being recorded on a surveillance camera.  Travis shows up at Hanna’s house while Ali’s there; Hanna forgot that they had a date. He makes a snarky remark that he knows she wasn’t drunk when they made the plans. Hanna uses Ali being at her house as an excuse not to go on the date. She reminds him that she has a lot going on right now, and so does Alison. Travis mentions that Alison didn’t look like the victim in Mona’s video. This video brings up some broken laws from prior episodes that I will discuss now. In last week’s episode, Ali attempted to make amends with all of the people she bullied before she disappeared. Ali’s bullying was harsh, as evidenced especially by Paige’s reaction to Ali’s apology. As we discussed back in season 1, bullying of this kind is illegal in the state of Pennsylvania.

Broken Law # 1 Alert! (From Prior PLL Episodes)

Pennsylvania Tit. No. 24 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. §13-1303. 1-A. “Bullying: intentional electronic, written, verbal or physical act, or series of acts: Note that it has been established that Rosewood has a zero tolerance policy for bullying, making Ali’s past behavior unacceptable.

Note that it has been established that Rosewood has a zero tolerance policy for bullying, making Ali’s past behavior unacceptable.

Next, we’ll discuss what happened before and during the video that Travis mentioned. It’s clear that Mona had someone help her by following Ali in a car and making sure that Ali went to the church when Mona wanted her there. Ali may be a mean girl, but that doesn’t excuse this course of action.

Broken Law # 2 Alert! (From PLL Episode 5×05)

18 PA Cons. Stat. § 2709. Harassment (In Relevant Part).

Additionally, Mona was the initial aggressor in the cat fight with Ali, and one might argue that Ali used self defense in slapping her back because she didn’t feel that she could safely leave the church after having been followed. If Ali’s conduct was not considered self defense, then both she and Mona could get in trouble for the following broken law: Additionally, Mona was the initial aggressor in the cat fight with Ali, and one might argue that Ali used self defense in slapping her back because she didn’t feel that she could safely leave the church after having been followed. If Ali’s conduct was not considered self defense, then both she and Mona could get in trouble for the following broken law:

Broken Law # 3 Alert! (From PLL Episode 5×05)

18 PA Cons. § 2701. Simple assault (in relevant part).

Travis brings up the fact that Hanna was on the phone all night trying to call someone at Lucas’s party. Hanna claims she doesn’t remember this. *Note that I will be addressing underage drinking later in this entry, and this is definitely one instance of it.

Hanna and Travis kiss and Hanna says she will call him when Ali leaves. Hanna overhears Ali making plans to meet someone on the phone. Ali refuses to tell Hanna who she was talking to; she says “it doesn’t matter.” Ali admits that she’s planning to run away, and tells Hanna not to try to stop her or tell the other girls. Ali says she doesn’t want to live her life on the run from “A,” then makes a rude remark that Hanna can go back to focusing on her love triangle after she leaves. Hanna tells Ali that she’s going to help her.

Aria goes through boxes with Ezra at his apartment. Aria brings up them hooking up the other night; Ezra thinks that it felt right, but Aria says they can’t just go back to how everything was before. Aria says she misses their relationship, but she’s having trouble dealing with all of his lies. She says that the other night was a mistake. Someone knocks on Ezra’s door; it’s Lieutenant Tanner. She hands Ezra an envelope saying that it was outside of his door, then asks if she can come in. Aria hides from her, and Ezra covers a photo of him and Aria with the envelope.

When she sees all of the boxes, Lieutenant Tanner asks Ezra if he’s moving, but he claims he’s just getting rid of “school files.” That’s a nice euphemism for “stalking notes!” Lieutenant Tanner tells Ezra that she has questions about Shana, stating that she’s helping the New York State Police investigation because Shana was a former resident of Rosewood. Lieutenant Tanner implies that it’s not a coincidence that Shana was found dead in a theater owned by Ezra’s family. She also reveals that there was gun residue found on Shana’s shirt, suggesting that Shana shot Ezra. She asks Ezra if he remembers anything about his mother that could help the investigation. Lieutenant Tanner clearly notices Aria’s purse before she leaves.  It’s also pretty evident that she knows Ezra is lying to her, which, as Aria points out later in the episode, presents a legal problem. Ezra acted as though he had absolutely no information that could help Tanner, but really he knows all about Alison’s kidnapping story being a lie, that the girls were all in New York the night Shana died, and that (at least he’s pretty certain of this) Shana shot him. Additionally, and more clearly, he knows that Aria killed Shana and didn’t tell Tanner any of this.

Broken Law # 4 Alert!

18 PA Cons. Stat. § 5105. Hindering apprehension or prosecution (in relevant part).  

Paige and Emily argue. Emily wants the names of the people “conspiring with” Mona, but Paige is hesitant to give her them. She seems to consider it when Emily explains that whoever blew up Toby’s house is now threatening Alison. Spencer and Veronica talk. Spencer says that he deserves to know that Veronica plans on leaving him. Peter shows up at the restaurant, and Spencer admits that she asked him to come.

Ali tells Hanna that Noel is picking her up from Princeton station later. Hanna offers to drive her there to make sure she gets there safely. Hanna gets some clothes from her closet to give Ali. Ali says that she wants to see her dad before she leaves. Hanna offers to help in any way, and Ali thanks her. They hug, and Hanna has an odd look on her face. It looks similar to the one Mona had when Ali left the first time.

Spencer sits at a table alone while her parents talk at another one. She sees them holding hands; perhaps Veronica changed her mind. Aria insists to Ezra that they need to get the boxes out of the apartment. She is positive that Tanner will be back to search Ezra’s apartment. Ezra doesn’t think she’s coming back there, but Aria convinces him that if she does, she will know everything he lied about. Ezra suggests putting the boxes in his storage facility, but Aria doesn’t like that idea in case it’s registered in his name. Since Aria’s dad is away, she offers to take the stuff to her attic temporarily.

Ezra opens the envelope, which Aria says appears to be a drawing of Mrs. DiLaurentis. Aria recognizes the house and flowers. The picture is signed “Bethany,” and the only Bethany they know of is the one that was buried in Mrs. D’s yard. Aria speculates that “A” left the envelope at Ezra’s door. Ezra still has surveillance cameras in the hallway from his days as a professional creeper, so he says they can check. Emily tells Hanna that she wants to tell Ali the names of the people helping Mona. Paige mentioned a few specific ones, like Lucas and Melissa. Hanna tries to stall Emily and get her to wait until tomorrow to tell Alison. Emily finds the train ticket, money and packed bag in Hanna’s room and figures out that Ali’s leaving. Hanna claims that Ali was going to leave but Hanna stopped her, but Emily calls BS. Hanna admits the truth. Emily calls Hanna out and implies that she’s helping her because she wants to remain Queen Bee. Emily notes the ways Hanna has changed since Ali returned. Hanna calls Emily out on how SHE has changed, and the fact that she was holding hands with Ali. Paige opens her gym locker and a rat falls out. This is clearly a result of her giving Emily the names, so Mona or one of her minions, perhaps Lucas, must be behind this.

Broken Law 5 & 6 Alert!

See the first 2 broken laws of this entry and apply them to Paige here

Ali calls her dad asking where he is. She tells him that she’s going to spend the night at Hanna’s. When Ali leaves the room, a hooded figure shows up in her house and shuts off the light. Spencer searches for Bethany Young online and finds an article about her escaping Radley.  Ali gets ready to leave, grabbing money and IDs that she needs. She goes downstairs and it’s eerily pitch black. Somebody sneaks up behind her and attacks her with something that looks like an axe (I am not sure what it was to be honest) and starts strangling her. “A”/ whoever this person is holds a knife up to Ali. This scene is frightening enough that it looks like Ali might really die this time. Emily arrives and attacks “A,” and “A” knocks Emily over and runs away. Ali is still choking a bit, but refuses to let Emily call the police or her father, even though somebody just broke in and attacked Alison. Hanna shows up to see Caleb; Toby told Hanna where to find him. When he asks why she’s there, she says that she just wanted to see him. Hanna tells Caleb about Ali almost leaving and admits to Caleb that she was helping her and that she wants Ali gone. Caleb advises Hanna that regardless of what Ali stirred up in her, it won’t go away even if Ali leaves. He explains that he can relate to the way Hanna’s feeling, because he feels that way about leaving Ravenswood, then he takes out a flask and they drink to that. Hanna tells Caleb that she hopes he decides to stay in Rosewood.

Broken Law # 7 Alert!

Underage Drinking (in Relevant Part) 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 6308 (a) :

Aria shows up at Ezra’s and suggests that Ezra tell the truth about Shana having shot Ezra. Aria reminds him that he can get into serious trouble for lying to the police. Aria feels guilty about dragging Ezra into this mess, but he admits that he dragged himself into it when he decided to write a book. Ezra watches the video surveillance on his computer and sees Eddie Lamb leave the photo at his door. Apparently Eddie Lamb is willing to violate Radley policy for Ezra but not for Spencer. Ezra also reveals that Eddie Lamb was one of the people he interviewed for his book, which is interesting since Eddie Lamb also claims to not speak to reporters. Aria wonders why Eddie Lamb would leave that information for Ezra but not Spencer.

Ali says that the person who attacked her wasn’t “A,” because if it was “A” the person would have finished the job and killed her. When the girls get angry that Hanna was going to help Ali leave, Ali defends her because she’s not there to defend herself. Aria shows the girls the drawing and tells them that Eddie Lamb gave the picture to Ezra. Ali immediately recognizes that it’s a drawing of her mother. Spencer points out that it also includes a spear and demon; I guess Bethany and Mrs. D weren’t BFFs. Spencer realizes that Eddie must have left it for Ezra because he wanted him to know that there was something to look into there.

The girls discuss that one of them needs to get into Radley to investigate. “A” sends Ali a text threatening to kill her if she leaves Rosewood, and the text indicates that the person sending the message is the same person who attacked Ali, since it says “See how easy it is to kill you?” Ali shows appreciation, for once, to Emily for risking her life for her. Ali says that she doesn’t want to be alone tonight and asks to spend the night at Emily’s. Ali promises that they will just sleep this time, as opposed to what happened between them in last week’s episode. Emily tucks Ali in and stays up all night while Ali sleeps. Spencer and Veronica meet up at The Brew. Veronica tells Spencer that she’s moving back home, but that Peter is moving out. According to Veronica, they both agreed that it would be best for everybody for Peter to leave. Veronica explains that she wasn’t just leaving him because of one lie and that she’s already given him too many chances. She does claim that she believes Peter that he didn’t kill Mrs. D. Hanna asks Travis to eat lunch with him but he says that he has things to do. Hanna apologizes for not calling him back, but Travis confronts her about Caleb being back. Travis says that he likes Hanna too much to stay in a relationship with her if she’s only in it half way, so they break up. Aria goes to Radley offering to volunteer there. She’s warned that the patients can be hostile, but she says she’s comfortable working in that type of environment.

Lieutenant Tanner shows up at Ali’s house looking for Mr. DiLaurentis. She asks Ali to come down to the station later with her father to answer some questions about Shana. Ali asks devastated about Shana’s death. Ali offers to help in any way. Lieutenant Tanner asks where Ali was the night Shana died, and Ali says that she was in Philly with the girls. Lieutenant Tanner doesn’t seem to be buying the Philly lie. At least somebody is catching on! Neither Emily nor Alison can come up with an answer when Tanner asks specifically where in Philly they were. So much for that cover story!  Ali gets a text that says “Time for the caged bird to sing. -A” Ali doesn’t get special treatment; she’s not allowed to lie to the police either, and those girls definitely were NOT in Philadelphia on the night of Shana’s death.

Broken Law # 8 Alert!

See Broken Law 4 of this entry and apply it to Ali here! At the end of the episode, we see a person, presumably “A,” in black gloves holding stationary with a bird on it. The person has flowers with a card for Bethany Young’s parents.  Thanks for reading, guys. Let’s see what mischief these girls (and guys) get into next week!