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Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars- EscApe From New York (5×01)

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That’s it? That’s what we’ve been waiting for? It was king of a let down wouldn’t you say? I mean, I’m thrilled our favorite liars are back! And they haven’t skipped a beat. But it was kind of a snooze fest! We pick up the summer premiere (5b) right where we left off. Ezra has been shot and A has escaped, leaving a frantic Aria and a shaken Aria, Spencer, Hannah and Emily in his/her dust.

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Ezra is rushed to the hospital and SURPRISE, A is hanging out on top of the ambulance waiting for the perfect moment to silence the one person who knows who A is. Aria ia hysterical but there’s no way the girls can let her accompany Ezra in the ambulance. It would stir up to many questions. Why was she with Ezra– her teacher? Who shot him? Why did they shoot him? Lets not forget the girls are still on the run now that Ali has resurrected from the grave or wherever the hell she’s been. Now there’s two targets the liars have to worry about. Ezra and Ali. Who do they protect first? And how? The only logical way is to split up! Before even setting their plan into motion, Hannah called the cops with a tip that someone was after Ezra and they should send some cops to stay guard. The girls saw A pacing by Ezra’s room in the hospital and had them page Alison DiLaurentis hoping that A would follow her out of the hospital and leave Ezra alone. Obviously, the plan worked but only because A was one step ahead of them as always and has his/ her/ bitch own plan. Ali walked the streets of New York until she reached a park. A creepily snuck up behind her and asked, “wanna play.” Um, no homie. No I don’t. I’ve never wanted to play. Thankfully, the girls were all there ready to surround the black-hooded-figure and finally unmask this monster. Well, that plan quickly went out the drain after a thousand black-hooded figures emerged from the forest wearing all sorts of different masks and started dancing around the liars and taunting them, before the NYPD pulled up and dispersed them all. Honestly, no idea what I’m suppose to even think of this moment. First off, it felt so out of place, I kind of felt like we were making a mockery out of A. Second of all, are there really that many people involved and if so, who the hell are they? We can safely rule out Mona, Paige, Lucas, Melissa, and the Hastings parents who were all put in Philadelphia, along with Holbrook. So, who are these A’s? Who is the A-team? Why don’t I believe that this is as scary as it’s supposed to be anymore.

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Anyways, after that the liars were totally convinced they finally got A away from the hospital. Really, A? How about several hundred A’s. They decided that going to the hospital would get them way to much attention. Their pictures were already plastered all over the news, even in Philadelphia as they’ve been missing for a good 24-hours or so, roaming the streets with a alleged dead girl. Meanwhile, Aria was patiently waiting for her ex-beau to get out of surgery so she could go see him. Shawna showed up at the hospital and told Aria that Ali had called her to come down and check up on her. Aria was a little skeptical of this, as she should be, but now was not the time. She knocked out for a little and when she woke up, she realized Shawna was gone. She walked into Ezra’s room and saw Shawna standing above her ex, who was still unconscious. When he opened his eyes, he started breathing heavily and convulsing as if he was having some type of panic attack, which prompted Aria to get help. Was Ezra scared? Um yeah, definitely. Because A was literally just standing in his room. If Aria hadn’t woken up in time and interrupted Shawna’s visit with Ezra, who knows what would have happened? Is Shawna the A that shot Ezra on the rooftop? Who knows. She is the A that Ezra was onto though. And when he was finally able to muster up some strength to breathe on his own, he let Aria know that.

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Meanwhile, the liars found a hiding spot at Fitzgerald Theater, a place Ezra used to bring Ali when he pretended to be a poor kid. Truthfully, as much as Ali has lied, Ezra’s done his fair share of lying too. But let’s just say they were acting and call it a day. Literally, the chain of events was that the girls went straight from Mrs. D’s bridal show, to NY to meet Ali and onto hiding out. It’s weird, I didn’t think that all of this was happening in one day! Sheesh! As the girls were catching a breather, they joked and talked  just like normal friends, which made Ali realize that despite their friendship once upon a time, things have changed. These weren’t the same girls that she left a couple of years ago. They had grown into their own, they became tight and had inside jokes that Ali wasn’t a part of. It pushed her away from them, which obviously upset the girls who were literally risking everything to protect Ali at this point. I feel like this will be the dynamic between them this coming season. Having their friend back is great. Knowing she’s not dead is great. But they want to know everything, without having Ali take over their lives again and it’s just not a possibility. Even when she tries to keep stuff from them so their not involved, it makes them mad, so it’s like a lose-lose. Their going to have to find a way to be friends with Ali, while still being themselves.

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The friendship between CeCe and Ali is one of the realer ones in my opinion because Ali has always confided in CeCe. When she escaped from custody, she ran straight to New York and found Ali sleeping at the Theater. She knew exactly where to go and where her best friend would be hiding out. This time, it wasn’t Ali that needed help, it was CeCe. The cops were after her for killing Wilden and Ali owed her, partially because she killed him to help her out. Noel gave CeCe the passport and plane ticket he created for Ali, and CeCe boarded as Vivian Darkbloom without a problem.. thankfully! Leave it to the blondes to always have a way out of something. As she returned to the theater, Emily was awake and confronted Ali about their “no-more secrets” policy. Ali was honest with Emily and it was the beginning of their relationship forming.

Back in Philly, there was some tension in the house after Melissa told Mr. Hasting’s a huge secret at the police station, which she wasn’t allowed to tell her mother. She wanted to tell detective Holbrook the truth hoping that it would bring Spencer home, but she never spilled the beans. What is this big secret that’s driven Mr. Hasting’s to drink? Why do the writers and producers do this to us? Talk about something for half an episode, but never mention what it is? It drives me insane. Mona wasn’t just sitting back as Ali planned a return to Rosewood either. She gathered up the troops which have all been previously victimized by Alison DiLaurentis in an attempt to start a revolution. Okay, or to team-up so that there is strength in numbers and Ali can’t bully them anymore. I’m going to refer to them as the anti-bullying movement. It was kind of weird though and raised a lot of questions. First off, is Mona still on the A team? Is she still working for A? Where has Lucas been hiding out all this time? Will Paige really join forces with Mona against her girlfriend and her best friends? If she does, Emily will never take her back. But Mona did have a strong argument. Ali wasn’t even officially back and she was already coming between the two of them. The most surprising attendee of the meeting? Melissa Hastings, who just waltzed right in hoping to get down to business. Aside from Ian, what other personal vendetta does she have against Ali? Is she hoping to run her out of town so that she leaves her sister alone? Does it have something to do with her “big secret”?

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Back in New York, the girls picked up a phone call on the theater landline that they thought was from Aria, but it was really Holden. After he found out Ali was hiding out there, the girls decided it was time to change hiding spots. But before they could grab their belongings, the lights went out and trouble was coming. Shawna came out of nowhere, dressed as A, holding a gun to Alison. It was a huge twist that I kind of didn’t see coming, only because I thought Shawna was actually on team Ali. I mean, she was helping her like three episodes ago, giving her money and leaving town when A personally drove her to the state line and told her “Bye”.  So how is she A? How has she ever been A? Maybe she’s a temporary A like Mona was? Either way, Shawna was totally set on blowing Ali’s brains out after talking to all these people on Ali’s behalf and seeing how poorly she treated everyone. Seems like a silly thing to try to kill someone over, but when love is involved you know its for real. Love for Jenna of all people. Nothing the liars could say or do would make Shawna put down the gun. Until Aria snuck in after learning that Shawna was A and pushing her off the stage, killing her. Yes, I said killing her! Aria killed someone in the first episode of the summer season! So you can bet this will play a huge part in upcoming story lines. The cops found Shawna’s dead body and knew that the liars were hiding out there so there’s link one. Even if it was self-defense, a death is now linked to them. Ali hasn’t even returned home properly yet! And just imagine how pist off Jenna will be when she finds out that they killed one of her best friends! She will be furious! Plus, if Shawna was really part of the A team, why did she just come there all by herself without backup? A lot of this just doesn’t make sense to me.

I also question why neither Aria’s mother or father or Emily’s parents even cared to look for their daughter or contact Spencer’s parents, except for Hannah’s mom! Like hello! Your children are missing and thought to be with a girl that was supposed to be dead for the past two year. Parenting-gone-wrong for sure!!  The girls were also so happy after they killed Shawna because they figured they finally got rid of A, but no dolls, you didn’t!!! There is so much more to A than Shawna and killing her, did nothing but piss A off. What secret is Melissa harboring? What is Mona’s master plan? Was Shawna really on the A-team? How? Why? We need answers Marlene King. Cause if we’re going to be doing this for another two years, I need something to work with other than questions! Otherwise, it was a decent summer premiere. 

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

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WATCH: The New ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Is Dark AF

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WATCH: The New 'Pretty Little Liars' Is Dark AF

‘A’ is not messing around in the Pretty Little Liars spinoff Original Sin.

If you thought we’d seen the last of ‘A’… think again. The masked stalker is back to torment a new group of little liars on the HBO Max series. 

The ten-episode season will debut Thursday, July 28 with three episodes. Two new episodes will follow on August 4 and 11, with the final three episodes debuting on August 18.

A new teaser for the series reveals the tone is going to be much darker than the original ever was, and that’s likely thanks to Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) who serves as writer and co-executive producer. 

Check out the teaser — complete with a new version of the intro song “Secret.”

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin synopsis: Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in present day, a disparate group of teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin committed by their parents two decades ago…as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-age, horror-tinged drama PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: ORIGINAL SIN, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe — in a brand-new town, with a new generation of Little Liars.

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We Don’t Need a ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Reboot

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Pretty Little Liars Farewell, My Lovely

Pretty Little Liars, which premiered in 2010 on ABC Family (now Freeform), took fans on a rollercoaster ride. The twists and turns were so dramatic and exaggerated, halfway through the show’s 7 season run, many fans began to taper off. 

Dedicated fans, however, stuck it out despite the fact that the show was rapidly going off the rails. Why? Because they desperately needed to know the identity of “A,” and later, “AD,” once and for all. 

And the glorious day came on June 27, 2017. As we sat huddled up in front of our TV screens, we were filled with a mix of emotions ranging from confused, misled, and finally, relieved.

“Relief” is a strange emotion to feel when a show ends. Most fans tend to feel a sadness wash over them when the curtain falls, but with PLLthe finale was a sign that the madness was officially over. 

The journey with the liars is one we’ll never forget, but let’s face it – most fans are not clamoring for more, especially not a mere three years after the finale. Heck, some of us are still trying to piece that ending together in a way that makes any rational sense. 

We’re living in a time where reboots are hailed by TV executives as a sound and sure-fire idea. There’s plenty of examples of success: Dynasty, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Charmed, and Roswell, New Mexico. Even revivals that have honed a place in society with shows like The Conners and Fuller House both leading the pack. 

Pretty Little Liars PlAytime

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS – “PlAytime” – After Noel Kahn’s abrupt death, the Liars try putting their lives back together again in “Playtime,” the first of the final ten episodes of Freeform’s hit original series “Pretty Little Liars,” airing TUESDAY, APRIL 18 (8:00 – 9:02 p.m. EDT). Fans can catch up on where the Liars left off with an all-day marathon of season seven starting at 11:00 a.m. EDT and running up to the one-hour spring premiere at 8:00 p.m. EDT. (Freeform/Eric McCandless)
SHAY MITCHELL, LUCY HALE, TROIAN BELLISARIO

But the one thing that these reboots have in common is that the original shows aired a decade or more ago. The key to a successful reboot is nostalgia; they aim to hook the original fans while also appealing to a brand new generation. 

Reboots may either reimagine a familiar story with a modern spin and new characters or reunite fans with characters years later a la catching up with friends years after college. 

It’s obvious that PLL does not fall into the category of a show that warrants a reboot. Not yet, at least. There’s no sound argument when one could argue that enough time has passed to try to take a stab at this overly complex teen mystery drama once again.

One of my biggest gripes with the PLL reboot, which was officially announced as an HBO Max original, is that it doesn’t center around the original liars. 

I’m firm in my belief that had it not been for the popularity, relatability, and dynamic of Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Troian Belissario, Sasha Pieterse and Shay Mitchell, the show wouldn’t have found a cult-like following or lasted as long as it did. The ladies made the show worth watching and managed to sell us on every single outrageous storyline. 

Many of us stuck with the series because of our love for the liars. But the reboot, billed as “set miles away from Rosewood” in a new town, with a new set of characters, strips the very identity of PLL. 

How can you have a show without any involvement from Aria, Emily, Hannah, Spencer, and Alison? They are the pretty little liars. There is no show without them. No one is interested in watching a new generations of teens get tormented by threatening cyber-stalker who knows too much about their life, which was fun to watch partially because it paralleled the rise of technology and the fears surrounding privacy that came along with the emergence of social media.

Even if the ladies considered (and I use that term loosely — they are over here working on their careers and expanding their families, after all) returning for a reboot, not enough time has passed for a proper reunion. 

There’s been talk of a potential movie sequel involving the original liars, and truthfully, that’s an idea fans of the original could get behind. It would be a one-time thing, it wouldn’t overstay its welcome or feel forced, and it would hopefully gives fans the follow-up they’ve been dying for. 

Earlier this year, Hale said she wouldn’t “rule anything out” but ultimately, they’d “need a little more time to pass.”

“I feel like we would get more out of it if we were, like, 10 years down the road,” she explained to Entertainment Tonight, adding that she’s protective of the show. Hale worked with Roberto Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa on the short-lived Katy Keene, so I’m truly curious to see what she thinks about this upcoming reboot. Note: none of those involved with the original have weighed in or commented yet.  

Honestly, much of the pushback that I’ve seen about this rumored reboot is for that very reason — fans, even the ones who thought the finale came out of left-field and was a total dumpster fire — are also super protective of it. We don’t want anything or anyone to taint the show’s legacy. 

We also cannot ignore there’s the fact that PLL’s Marlene King attempted her own reboot of sorts shortly after the series concluded and even centered the storyline around two familiar faces, Alison DiLaurentis (Pieterse) and Mona Vaderwaal (Janel Parish), to drum up support and interest from the core fandom. That didn’t work.

PLL: Perfectionists lasted a whole ten episodes before Freeform pulled the plug leaving any fans that submitted themselves to yet another A-like mystery in the dark. It’s a shame the series wasn’t give a real chance because it had potential if it stayed true to the books and veered away from trying to make it so much like it’s predecessor. In this case, a complete overhaul could’ve worked if done right. 

And it’s probably better if I don’t mention Ravesnwood, the second PLL spinoff that centered around Caleb Rivers (Tyler Blackburn), which saw a lot of people seeing dead people in the neighboring town. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the show’s ten-episode run, but it’s yet another example of the franchise trying to reinvent the wheel and failing miserably. 

If King couldn’t make these shows work while PLL was at its height, maybe it’s because the audience needed to take a break from the world of A?

Which brings me to my next point… Roberto Aguierre-Sacasa. You may not know the name, but if you love teen dramas, you’re familiar with his work. He’s the brains behind The CW’s successful and oftentimes disturbing teen thriller Riverdale.

One fan on Reddit noted that “PLL walked so Riverdale could run,” and let’s be honest, plenty of fans (and critics) have called the show a hot mess. However, that’s what we’ve come to love about Riverdale; it’s wacky, weird, and only tolerable when you suspend all disbelief.

He’s also proven himself in the reboot-realm with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. CAOS is an entirely different ballgame; it’s a dark twist on the 90s sitcom Sabrina the Teenage Witch that pulls much of its inspiration from the Archie comics. It offers up an entirely new world featuring new takes on some beloved characters. Not to mention Sabrina wrapped its run in 1996 meaning enough time has passed; the world was ready for the Spellman’s once again. 

As I mentioned, CAOS is ending with its upcoming season while Aguierre-Sacasa’s other series, Katy Keene, was cancelled after just a season at The CW. 

I’m not questioning Aguierre-Sacasa’s qualifications — I’m a fan of his shows — but I don’t think jumping into and revamping a still-fresh franchise is necessary right now.

Apparently, neither does Twitter. One person commented that he should “stick to one show and make that good.” I’d prefer HBO Max gave Katy Keene another try rather than investing into this PLL reboot. 

The reboot seems to be hoping to capitalize on the the original fandom (the brief teaser features the same imagery as the original right down to the logo), but the fandom has opposed a reboot from the start. And they’ll be further alienated with the reboot’s description of a “horror-tinged, coming-of-rage” version.

Aguierre-Sacasa’s strength lies within creating shows permeated with twisted mysteries that have a campy, horror vibe, which is tonally different than the psychological mind games we’ve come to expect from PLL

There’s room for another teen thriller, obviously, but maybe it would be best to leave the franchise alone and call the show, which is shaping up to be its own entity anyway, something else entirely? “Original Sin” minus the “Pretty Little Liars” would have given the series a fresh-slate without any comparisons.

Here’s the show’s description so you can decide for yourself: “Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago. as well as their own.”

I’ll watch merely out of curiosity and because I’ve made television my job, but man, I haven’t even had time to miss PLL yet. 

If you really need to feel the PLL-void in your life, the best thing to do is just stream the original episodes, because I think we can all agree that some things are better off left alone… at least until enough time has passed to revisit them through a new lens.

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‘Pretty Little Liars’ Cast Reunites for a Podcast that Involves Drinking and Rewatching Episodes!

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Pretty Little Liars Cast Including the Moms Reunite for Podcast

The moms of Rosewood got out of the basement just in time to start their own podcast!

Go mamas! 

All jokes aside, Holly Marie Comb (Aria’s mom Ella), Lesley Fera (Spencer’s mom Veronica) and Nia Peeples (Emily’s mom Pam) are reuniting to rewatch episodes together and offer some commentary. 

Honestly, I’ve always wanted to know what the moms of Rosewood thought about what their daughters were up to/involved in, especially since half the time, it didn’t seem like the liars even had parents! 

The podcast, titled “Pretty Little Wine Moms” (yes, ladies!) means that they will be sitting down with their favorite drinks and breaking down one episode at a time. Since they were a part of the production, they’ll be able to add in behind-the-scene tidbits. 

Here’s where things get super fun — each week’s episode will have a new special guest that joins in for the chat. 

According to Digital Spy, guests will range from other cast members, writers, directors, and producers. 

This month alone the podcast will feature Shay Mitchell (Emily Fields), Brant Daugherty (heads-will-roll Noel Kahn), and Torrey DeVitto (Melissa Hastings). 

In September, the lineup includes costume designer Mandi Line, writer/producer Bryan M. Holdman, Ashley Benson (Hannah Marin), Lucy Hale (Aria Montgomery), Sasha Pieterse (Alison DiLaurentis) and Tyler Blackburn (Caleb Rivers). 

I love how much support the moms are getting from the cast and that the cast is finding new ways to keep this fun and twisted show alive! 

Of course, we cannot wait for the mom-circle to be completed with a guest appearance by Laura Leighton (Hannah’s mom Ashley)!

The idea for the podcast came to Lesley where she was bored at home during COVID. She invited her co-stars to appear on her podcast with her husband, Ned Mochel, and fans were so thrilled that the moms were back together again, they figured why not roll with it?

We’re so glad they did. 

And we cannot wait for the mom’s to spill some tea! Maybe they’ll finally tell us how they got out of that basement…

Here’s a snippet of how I envision this podcast in my mind: 

 

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