"Bin of Sin" Review

Pretty Little Liars

Season 5.17

“Bin of Sin"

This week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars put a great deal of added stress on many relationships. If it was A’s plan to divide and conquer, he/she/shim was successful with Ezria, Spoby, and Hannah/Spence. However, ain’t no mountain high enough, valley low enough, or jail cell wide enough to keep Caleb from Hanna! Awww Haleb!!! 

Aria finally tells Ezra about her letter to Jackie that described how she squandered her high school experience with an older guy.  After reading the letter Ezra tells her it was a brilliant move because it got her into Talmadge.  Later he recants and tells her she should consider leaving him and moving on to enjoy her college experience.  This is the best advice I’ve heard all season. Leave him Aria!  He’s probably hiding something else from you and sees this as a way to separate from you before you find out the truth! (This relationship just bugs me...I have no tolerance for older men dating high school girls!!!) Maybe Aria is starting to see the light through her yearbook.

Meanwhile, Talia finally lets Emily know she is interested in her. Nothing that we didn’t already know Talia!

But wait, the episode is called the Bin of Sin! So when Caleb, Spence, Emily, and Aria tell Hanna to leave the barrel alone, Hanna takes matters into her own hands.  She researches, purchases all the needed equipment, and recruits Caleb to help her break into the storage unit and remove all the evidence of Mona’s murder.  Surprise!!! A has already removed everything except the barrel.  As Haleb walks out to get the dolly to transport the barrel they run into Tanner and Toby who are coming to check out unit 1017 too. Busted!!! (good thing you returned everything to your blue bag Hanna!)

So what’s inside the barrel?!?! When Tanner and Toby open it, the smell is too much for Toby, and Tanner sends him out to call the HazMat team.  That’s when she finds the droplets of blood beside the barrel.  Hmmm....what did that note Alison found inside her orange jumpsuit say?  Oh yes, “your friends will be joining you soon”.  Well it looks like Hanna could be first in line.  Remember how easy it was for A to get Hanna’s O negative blood on the Ouji board?  

Meanwhile, Spencer, Aria, and Emily follow Mona’s Lo-Jacked computer.  It leads them to an old ice cream factory that is full of little clues.  The ice cream clown logo is very reminiscent of the clown A had in his/her/shim’s lair. The dead rat that Emily finds with the freeze dried nuts reminded me of the dead rat that was found in Paige’s locker. But the biggest find was the computer that was in the freezer playing a video of Hanna telling Caleb all about her plan to break into the storage unit. So the computer was A’s way of spying on Hanna through her own computer. Of course as soon as Sparia grabbed the computer to leave, the Black Hooded One locks them in the freezer and turns on the liquid nitrogen.  This was by far the scariest and most gut wrenching scene of the night.  Thank God for Emily’s quick thinking and physical strength that got them out just in time!!! But of course they leave the computer in the freezer.  Liars have you learned nothing in 5 seasons!!!???

Now let’s wrap this episode up with the rest of the relationship tension.  When Hanna and Caleb hear about their video on Mona’s/A’s computer Hanna tells Caleb he should stay away from her because A is trying to take her down.  But Caleb assures her that will never happen....even if they both go to jail.  HALEB = Solid as a rock!!!

Hanna confronts Spencer about the day’s events and asks her when Toby’s job became more important than his friends.  In an argument that resembles a Spencer/Alison clash of words, Spencer yells “you can’t blame this on Toby!” But Spencer and Toby may be the relationship destined to crack under A’s pressure.  Toby calls Spencer and lies to her about his whereabouts and refuses to tell her what they found in the barrel. Cue the final A scene please... Guess whose fingerprints Black Hoodie finds when he/she/shim returns to the factory? Now there is evidence that can be used against all four liars!

This episode did not answer many questions, but it sure did leave us with a lot of clues to investigate.  As always, until next time Liars keep your friends close and your secrets closer!

"Fresh Meat" Review

Pretty Little Liars

Season 5.15

“Fresh Meat"

Last night’s episode of Pretty Little Liars was all about sleuthing and relationships. Old relationships, some interesting and surprising new ways of relating, as well as some  brand new relationships that will affect the future of our PLLs. Two new characters were introduced, Thalia Sandoval who will be working in the kitchen at Ezra’s bookstore and Jonny Raymond who will be moving into the Hasting’s backyard loft. Thalia and Ezra seemed mighty friendly while Spencer has had interesting relationships with every man who has lived in the loft so far.

Let’s jump right in with one of the old relationships,Toby and Alison. Toby conveniently drops off paperwork for Tanner at the Chester Women’s Correctional Facility. While there he sees Alison “Fresh Meat” Dilaurentis sporting her new to prison bruises. Ali may not be A, but I for one was so happy that she is finally getting some payback.  After she tries to guilt Toby about how he should have empathy for what she is going through, he reminds her that she was the one who lied to have him put behind bars. Score for Officer Toby!

But Toby has plenty of other things to worry about besides Alison.  After finding a bloody knife behind Mona’s house, he panics and covers up the evidence because it was from his parent’s cabin.  Spencer and Caleb want to destroy it, but Toby is struggling with his new commitment as an officer of the law.  By the end of the episode, it is clear that his new job will be a major stressor for Spoby.

It was great to see Spencer and Caleb (SpenCa) in so many scenes together. Being two of the wittiest liars on the show, it was good to see some depth to their relationship. Caleb confessed to Spencer that he had once been arrested on suspicion of murder! After recovering the bloody knife from Mona’s backyard they took it to the kiln at  Rosewood High to destroy it. Spencer should have known not to leave her buddy alone because  A is always lurking the schools halls at night.  Caleb gets locked inside the kiln to be destroyed along with the knife. Spencer pulls him to safety just in time, and makes sure to re-start the fire.

Aria and Emily were both spiraling out of control. Aria over her college rejection letters and Emily over Paige’s lack of communication since leaving for California. Emily get a grip...this seems too familiar! (identical response when Mya left you for California) She left you because she is hiding something! The hand writing from the note that Alison received at the end of the episode looked a lot like Paige’s handwritten note to the police when she found out Alison was alive.  

Aria on the other hand takes action and drives to meet her former nemesis and Ezra’s former fiancee, Jackie Molina, at Talmadge College.  Jackie works in admissions and received Aria’s ill-advised letter asking to be removed from the Talmadge’s wait list and confessing how she let her relationship with Ezra ruin her high school years. Jackie actually surprises Aria by siding with her and even getting her freshman acceptance in order. Aria, did you email that letter? You know that A has been hacking your email for years! Sure enough, she gets a book marker with a quote from her letter inside a book at Ezra’s bookstore event that night.  Spencer and Hannah should not leave Emily or Aria home alone ever again!

Hanna went on a week long visit to Ballard College. But when she learns about the bloody knife and that Detective ShadyBrook has taken a personal leave to be with his ailing father, she goes to find him at Poppa Holbrook’s home in the mobile park. Of course Poppa is healthy and has not seen his son in weeks. But he mistakes Hanna for Alison (or maybe CeCe) by saying he thought that if anyone would know where he was, he thought she would. He then asks her if she was out on bail. So was Ali hiding out with ShadyBrook and his Dad while she was missing? Who was that boy on the bike? Hanna then pays a visit to Alison in jail and listens to Alison claim that she was waiting for hours to meet Cyrus on the day Mona was killed....only to find out it was a trap set by A. Hanna wasn’t buying it, and basically told Ali she was done with her.

The most shocking part of the night was seeing Ashley “Cougar” Marin hooking up with Jason DiLaurentis.  Poor Pastor Ted! He loves Ashley and even posted her bail when she was falsely accused of Wilden’s murder and thrown in jail.  

Mama Marin got busted when Hannah came home early from her college tour and saw the remains of dinner for two in the kitchen, and Jason getting dressed as he came down the stairs. However, in the midst of Jashley’s reveal, the writers threw in a big clue.  Jason asked Ashley to look over a file that didn’t make sense to him. “We still have a tenant whose lease expired three years ago.” That would be the year that Alison went missing. So who is this tenant? Bethany, CeCe, or was it Alison? Can’t wait to find out who this tenant is!

Until next time liars, remember to keep your friends close and your secrets closer!!!