They're baaack. "Pretty Little Liars" opened the summer premiere of its second season with as many secrets and twists and mysterious text messages as we've come to expect.
Things pick up just moments after the events of the first season finale and things have gone from bad to worse. Remember how Spencer was a person of interest in the police's investigation? You might think that being almost killed by a psychopath in a bell tower would clear a girl's name, but when the alleged creeper's dead body is nowhere to be found moments later by the police, that's unfortunately not the case. Bummer. But at least she has company—after what looks like a fake 911 call and a big fat lie about Ian, all four girls are of interest. And with their frenemy cop Garrett on the case, things are even more complicated.
After a long night and sleeping off the shame of being called "liars" by the entire town (which is apparently preferable to being called "those girls who blinded Jenna"), the pretty little liars are confronted by a danger that even they can't craftily avoid: their parents. All of the liars' parents have gathered for a kind of intervention and they're ready to send the girls into group therapy, which actually goes decently. Their shrink, Dr. Anne, is that kind of caring and genuine adult that the liars feel they can really trust. Something tells me that with great traits like that, this lady isn't going to last long in Rosewood...
Aside from the big questions of Ian's disappearance, the police's interest in the girls and their new buddy Dr. Anne, each of the liars has some kind of personal drama going down. Mostly involving boys, because, well, these are still our old liars.
Let's start with Ezria: Thing are still totally awkward as Aria gives Ezra the cold shoulder, big time. Ouch. Poor Mr. Fitz. When Aria finally considers reconciling and visits Ezra's apartment (where, we should add, he is hanging out SHIRTLESS), things don't fair much better. After an awkward encounter, Aria leaves early, only to be greeted by a text from—who else?—A. The picture is from inside of Ezra's apartment and cryptically asks what's missing.
Hanna doesn't fair much better in the romance department. Sure, footstool Lucas brought Caleb back to Rosewood for her, but she's too hurt to take him back. Even his explanation that he wrote her a letter and left it with Mona doesn't help. In fact, all it does is make Hanna feel more alone. She confronts Mona about the letter, squashing what seemed like a rekindling of their friendship in the process.
Emily is struggling to deal with her impending move to Texas and losing her friends, including Toby, who she re-bonds with as they wait for Spencer to join them, only to be ditched in the end.
Don't worry, Spencer had a worthy excuse: Melissa, who had threatened not to let Spencer anywhere near the baby, decides to kiss and make up. She even offers a metaphorical olive branch in the form of sharing the unborn baby's name: Taylor.
But as much as their personal lives consume them (and, in great "PLL" form, they do totally consume them), there are bigger issues to deal with. Like, to tell the shrink or not to tell the shrink: That is the question.
And the girls are thisclose to answering yes. They resolve to spill at least some of their secrets to her, but don't think A would let that one slide. He/she/it leaves them a message in the shrink's office—caught just in time by Spencer—to warn them that their plans to tell aren't so secret after all. Ezra's diploma, the missing piece from his apartment, is sitting on a shelf just behind the good doctor's head. This naturally freaks the girls out and they book faster than you can say "Hey bitches."
Thank goodness the liars have developed such a knack for finding clues. Unfortunately, subtlety still isn't their strong suit and somehow the trained head doctor takes note that something is up. She calls their respective 'rents and recommends that they take some time apart. That's right: The liars aren't allowed to be friends. Breathe a sigh of relief though—they don't even make it to the end of the ep without breaking that rule. After Spencer finds a seemingly-from-Ian text on Melissa's phone, she rallies the troops and they test the texter, determining that it is Ian. This could just be a red herring though—take nothing for granted in Rosewood.
The liars aren't allowed to be friends? Emily is moving? Oh and A clearly came and erased Emily's computer files during a showing of her house. Just another Tuesday in Rosewood.
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