Burn motherfu–er, burn! I’d like to take a moment of silence for the Cavanaugh house, which went up in flames this week due to a “natural gas leak.” And by natural gas leak we mean, A’s epic return to Rosewood. Spencer had a point, A never left. He just took a nap and woke up when it was convenient to start messing with their lives again. So what happens now that the peace and quiet (yeah right, like there ever was any) is gone? Well… we go back to trying to figure out who the hell A is while piecing together limited information about Bethany Young, Mrs. D and Shawna. Let’s get to it!

 With A alive, they know that it’s only a matter of time before certain secrets get exposed. Aria is literally freaking out about killing Shawna, especially now that she know’s she wasn’t A, and is just waiting for the moment that A gives police the picture from the theater. At first I was super annoyed with the whole “panic” surrounding Shawna only because I don’t think that moment was jaw-dropping to begin with. But now that the detectives and liuetenant’s are getting involved- and actually asking really legit questions- I can’t help but feel joy. Obviously the girls need a good alibi for the night that Shawna died. Ali said she was in Philly with the girls, but where specifically. Holding up a fake story between five people is pretty impossible and one of them will slip up. Then there’s also the officer questioning Ezra, whose already made the connection that he was shot the night before Shawna was murdered and since they found gun powder on her hoodie, the pieces kind of fit. Yet, Ezra will do everything to protect Aria, and at this point himself, and is going along with his mugger story. I don’t think the detective even buys it considering Shawna’s body was found at the Fitzgerald Theater, which belongs to Ezra’s family. Coincidence? Ain’t no such thing! Oh and let’s not forget that she spotted Aria’s purse and sweater at Ezra’s apartment while she was questioning him. She really shouldn’t show up uninvited. At this time the last thing Aria needs is her teacher-student affair to go public. And if the cops knew Ezra was involved with Aria, they’d definitely make the connection to Shawna.

Bethany Young was also on everyones mind this week as the need for answers was bugging everyone. Who was this 17-year-old? Why did she escape Radley? Why was she in Radley? Did she know Mrs. DiLaurentis? Thankfully, we have the answer to one of those questions. Yes, she did know Mrs. D. How? Well, we don’t have all that information. Spencer took it upon herself to visit her favorite Radley worker Eddy, who told her he wasn’t allowed to disclose any patient information with her. Bummer. But, Eddy did want to help Ezra because he left him an envelope with a picture drawn by Bethany while she was in Radley. The picture was creepy for sure, showing Mrs. D doing what she did best– gardening, while a huge serpent monster was trying to kill her with a spear. No really, what? But now that we know they knew each other, the question is how and why did Bethany hate Mrs. D? It’s safe to say whoever “escaped” from Radley the night Ali was “murdered” was Bethany, but once again why? And why did she come after Ali? Did she only know Mrs. D because she was on the board at Radley? Why did Mrs. D protect her? And finally, if she allegedly killed Ali, then who killed Bethany? And then Mrs. D? They were both buried in the same place, which technically points back to A and once again we’ve come full circle. Who the hell is A?! There’s also more evidence that A did it because he/she practically confessed by sending Ali that creepy and morbid photo of her dead mother being buried alive with the text, “I buried her just like she buried you! -A”. Classy confession for sure. Way to mess with a young girls mind. .

I know that the fact that Ezra based his whole relationship with Aria on a lie was bad, but I really think we need to look at the bright side. The fact that he did all this research and interviewed all these people for his book can really be useful to the girls. He said that during his interviews with staff at Radley, he had come across the name Bethany Young. Maybe in his research, he has some huge clue that could answer all of our pending questions. I know for a fact I’m thinking Alison has a twin who for some reason had a different name and was a little cuckoo. So Mrs. D put her at Radley secretly, and well, the rest in history. Or Spencer had a twin? This would definitely make sense considering Mr. Hasting’s has been heavily involved and considered a top suspect until today. 

When Spencer finally confronted her father about the pills and possibly being the person that killed Mrs. D, he completely denied it. Sure, he wanted to protect Spencer but he wouldn’t go as far as killing a woman to do it. Therefore, Mrs. Hasting’s was a little wrong about her husband. Or was she? Can we automatically assume he’s telling the truth? And while we’re here what about Spencer’s mom? Maybe this whole “I’m divorcing your dad” ploy was organized to cover up her involvement? Although I really want to believe that she’s innocent. Mr. Hasting’s offered up the alibi that him and Melissa were at a lake talking the night Mrs. D was murdered and buried alive, but what were they talking about? Mr. Hasting’s might be cleared from the murder of Mrs. D, but he’s still withholding a huge secret about Melissa. After piecing together all the brief convo’s involving Melissa this season it’s clear she’s upset about one thing– the girl that died and was put in Ali’s coffin. Was she behind it? Did she know who it was before the news revealed it? 

A’s biggest move of the week was trying to kill Ali. Up until now A never really tried to physically hurt the girls. Sure, there’s been threatening texts, set up’s, pranks, traps, you name it, it’s happened. But for A to physically try to strangle one of the girls, this had to be the first. After realizing A was still alive, Ali realized coming to Rosewood was the biggest mistake she ever made. She wasn’t safe here and she had to get out of town as soon as possible. But really, would she be safe anywhere? Like the liars told her, her return from death was basically worldwide news. Anywhere she would go people would notice her and with the FBI watching her every move, it would be pretty difficult. Regardless, Ali was set on skipping town and disappearing, just like last time. Old habits die hard. Initially Hannah tried to stop Ali, but ultimately decided to help her for her own selfish reasons. Ali’s return has affected a lot of people.. especially the liars. Since the first episode, Hannah has been having trouble figuring out who she really is. The Hannah she’s known this whole time was a wannabe Ali and she didn’t want to be that person. Running Ali out of town made is easy for Hannah to accept who she was without always feeling like she was being judged. Her plan didn’t work because Emily is a too smart and caught on after seeing the train ticket, wad of cash and duffel bag. She drove to Ali’s house to stop her from making a huge mistake and thank god that she did. Ali came home to say goodbye to her dad but realized he was working late. That’s when she got attacked by A, who basically tried to choke her with her yellow scarf. Huh, I guess my old boss was right.. never wear scarves or ponytails. They make you easy targets! Emily bravely came to Ali’s defense and scared A off, but the damage had already been done. Obviously a text followed right after stating, “You see how easy it is to kill you. Skip town and I will.” 

So what does this really mean! A has been hunting Ali down for two-years. All of a sudden he has the opportunity to kill her but he doesn’t. He scares her into staying in town, which is the opposite of what everyone really wants. Why? As Spencer put it, “what’s worse then death?” Being bullied by A definitely seems to top that list. But what is A’s end-all game? Why is he tormenting the girls? Why is he not trying to kill them? He’s had so many chances, even with blowing up the Cavanaugh house. In reality, A doesn’t want the girls or Ali dead, he just wants them to be prisoners in his own little sick game. He’s saving them for the perfect moment but what is it? I know I’ve been referring to A as “he” and honestly, I just don’t feel like saying it or he/she. I’m not sure what the gender of A is. Or if A is even one person. Do I think A is Mona? No. And after today’s ending A scene, I don’t think the A we’re referring to is always the same person. I do think Mona, Melissa, Jenna, Lucas are all on the A-team but are they pulling the strings? Definitely not. I really can’t figure out Mona’s little army and the fact that Paige went against them by telling Emily who was on the Mona team and then getting a dead rat in her locker makes me think their way involved with A. How else would they know Paige told unless their working with A who hears all?

And speaking of that last scene, there’s further confirmation that A played a role in Bethany’s death. In this moment, A was the black widow and a woman. In the Ali strangling scene, A was a guy. The black widow could be the new girl Sydney or it could very well be Mona’s mother. Rumor has it she’s making her way to Rosewood and who say’s she hasn’t been in the shadows all along?

In other news, Aria and Ezra decided to hold off on their relationship despite last weeks slip up that just felt so “right”. Aria has also decided to volunteer at Radley in order to get closer to the facility and try to get some intel on Mrs. D and Bethany. Meanwhile, Hannah continues on a downward spiral into a dark phase of unknown. She’s been brushing off Travis and saying it’s because she’s helping Ali, but we all know it’s because Caleb is back in town. Travis may or may not have broken up with her by the end of the episode, but I don’t think she even has time to worry about that. I feel bad for Travis. He’s a really nice guy, who saved her mom from jail, was briefly involved with A and a nice guy who hasn’t been looped in into all of the craziness yet. And if your going to be with the liars at this point in time, you need to be looped in. Which is what makes Caleb so perfect. And speaking of Caleb,  she does need to get together with Caleb before he leaves for California and needs to find out what really happened in Ravenswood. I need some closure and I’m sure she does too. Meanwhile, Spencer played matchmaker with her parents which had negative results, as it should. The news that her parents are separating really got to her though. And asides from almost dying (again) Ali and Emily spent the night together (again) but this time without the hanky panky. Ali didn’t want to sleep alone and Emily didn’t want to sleep at all!

In other news, Aria and Ezra decided to hold off on their relationship despite last weeks slip up that just felt so “right”. Aria has also decided to volunteer at Radley in order to get closer to the facility and try to get some intel on Mrs. D and Bethany. Meanwhile, Hannah continues on a downward spiral into a dark phase of unknown. She’s been brushing off Travis and saying it’s because she’s helping Ali, but we all know it’s because Caleb is back in town. Travis may or may not have broken up with her by the end of the episode, but I don’t think she even has time to worry about that. I feel bad for Travis. He’s a really nice guy, who saved her mom from jail, was briefly involved with A and a nice guy who hasn’t been looped in into all of the craziness yet. And if your going to be with the liars at this point in time, you need to be looped in. Which is what makes Caleb so perfect. And speaking of Caleb,  she does need to get together with Caleb before he leaves for California and needs to find out what really happened in Ravenswood. I need some closure and I’m sure she does too. Meanwhile, Spencer played matchmaker with her parents which had negative results, as it should. The news that her parents are separating really got to her though. And asides from almost dying (again) Ali and Emily spent the night together (again) but this time without the hanky panky. Ali didn’t want to sleep alone and Emily didn’t want to sleep at all! 

What did you think of this weeks episode? Seeing Ali almost die and the girls deal with the harsh realization that A is still out there had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I very rarely praise a PLL episode because most of them don’t have much momentum and drag out the same thing for as long as they can, but this one really had me all in. 5 stars! Till next week my little liars!