The Perfectionists are more divided than ever this week, and yet, they manage to get the job done. They took a big hit in the process though.
Over the years, the original Pretty Little Liars girls got trapped in a variety of different places: a dollhouse, a steam shower, a coffin.
Comparatively, an RV isn’t so bad! It’s not an ideal start for Ali this week, but it could be way worse. Really, what did she expect would happen when she found a dead girl perfectly alive and well? Taylor faked her death for a reason.
According to Ray Hogadorn, it was a good reason. Taylor wasn’t safe at BHU, and he tried to warn her. That terrifying “They’re watching” on the wall in Ali’s place? Ray’s handiwork.
For Mona, his entire M.O. is admirable. He’s been flying under the radar in Beacon Heights since he was 15. When Mona was 15, she was “playing with her dolls” (arguably Janel Parrish’s best one-liner to date).
Even so, it’s still not safe for Taylor to come back. Mona tries to warn Ali, but in true trope fashion, she went into the woods with a dying cell phone battery. Ali, girl, you have to know better by now.
For the rest of the Perfectionists, a cell phone is key this week – specifically, Mason’s. Hacking into his location services would give Ava, Caitlin and Dylan a confirmation on where he was that night, and put his short but infuriating reign to an end.
The thing is, Mason is never without his phone. So, we move to plan B: drugging.
Ava has gone from 0-60 so fast these last few episodes, you can almost get whiplash. But she’s done the research, and with the right amount of leftover anxiety meds, plus some whiskey, Mason will spill his life story.
Sure enough, Mason isn’t drinking right now! He made a pact with his crew team. Now it’s just a sober, conniving Mason, alone in a cabin with a desperate Caitlin. No plan C.
Of course, sometimes the right idea just hits you. Or, in this case, it hits Mason, in the form of a fireplace poker to the head.
Maybe assaulting him wasn’t Caitlin’s best idea, but she does get his phone! And it’s not like she killed him. Somehow, with a head injury and a ton of blood loss, Mason woke up clear as day. Sure.
Unfortunately, our resident hacker is running behind. On the upside, Ava’s not running away. She just needed to make a quick stop to spring Dana Booker’s trap and subsequently make her look like a fool.
Mona was right; Booker is obsessed with finding Ava’s father, and will stop at nothing to bring him in. Should Ava have been able to recognize that the notes weren’t in her father’s handwriting? Yes. Does she get a pass for missing it because emotions were understandably high? Yes.
Dana Booker may be able to play the game however she wants now, but this was just downright cruel. Something tells me she was personally impacted by Papa Jalali’s crimes; this hunt has gotten way too personal.
On her way to her friends, Ava narrowly misses getting in a wreck with someone who was in a serious hurry. Sadly, Caitlin isn’t so lucky.
Of all the tie-ins to the original PLL series, this might be The Perfectionists‘ best so far. Watching Caitlin in those few seconds before the car hits her, you can almost see Hanna in the exact same scenario.
Back then, it was Mona driving the car. This time, there’s no way to know for sure. Instinct might say it was Mason. But seriously, the dude just lost a lot of blood thanks to blunt force trauma. No way could he be driving.
Next fair guess? Taylor. She didn’t want to come back in the first place. When she split from Ali’s place, she was probably in a hurry.
The entire episode is classic PLL – bombshells dropped, hit and runs, new players in the game – and it couldn’t have been better.
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.