Pretty Little Liars offered fans another solid episode tonight as the writers glacially moved us toward the promised A reveal that’s coming at the end of the season. Granted, nothing groundbreaking happened, since who didn’t question the entire Mona (Janel Parrish) being dead thing anyway, but there was still enough juicy plot points floating around unrestricted on “Pretty Isn’t the Point” to keep viewers sufficiently entertained.
Romance takes on an entirely different notion on a show where safety is such a pressing concern. How many times have the writers recycled that theme so far? Plenty. Yet, that hasn’t stopped a revolving door of relationships from crossing paths with the Liars over the seasons. And, just when fans thought the Liars were content with their romantic arrangements, we get a whole new crop of potential suitors. In fact, the only relationship still in tact seems to be Hanna (Ashley Benson) and Caleb (Tyler Blackburn). Let’s face it, trouble in paradise makes for better storylines, and Pretty Little Liars always has plenty of unhappily ever after going around.
The truth is that none of the Liars have had an easy go of it, a fact which was further emphasized tonight, coming at viewers from multiple fronts. Toby (Keegan Allen) has been pushing Spencer (Troian Bellisario) away under the auspices of it being for her own good, but at this point, that’s a little hard to swallow. Clearly, being in a relationship with anyone under the Liar umbrella can be detrimental for everyone’s health, but that hasn’t seemed to stop anyone yet. His new role as the hardworking cop is really the issue. Simply put, it’s a conflict of interest. But Toby knew that going into it, right?
It also doesn’t help the situation that the writers introduced a new male character in Spencer’s life. This isn’t the first time she’s been easily swayed by male companionship when her and Toby have been on the outs. Last season, her in-home counselor, Dean (Nathaniel Buzolic), had the same effect but to a lesser degree. It just seems to be how she copes.
On an equally complex but less invested side of things, Emily (Shay Mitchell) has fallen for a pretty co-worker on the heels of Paige (Lindsey Shaw) leaving town. It’s a nice distraction, obviously, but with limited longevity. Talia (Miranda Mayo) is already throwing curve balls into the equation that are migraine-worthy. Emily has enough anxiety courtesy of A, she doesn’t need it coming home with her – figuratively speaking.
