Pretty Little Liars- Season 3, Episode 17

own episode for $2 here ^

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno- We loved the opening sequence, Spencer's dream. It was sexy, creepy, sad, and full of shirtless Toby. Spencer has been staying away from her friends. We wouldn't be rushing to tell our best friends that we had such a serious lapse in judgment and choice of boyfriend either. It's not just devastating; it's embarrassing. Also, telling her friends makes it feel more real. Spencer would crack if it were any more real.

Emily's mom brings her a package from Nate's family. They sent it as an apology for the stalking and kidnapping. It's full of cards and things that Emily gave to Ali. Nate probably got it from Maya. We cut to Hanna's house and finally see Ashley Marin! We've missed her. Hanna's mom is sniffing around, asking questions, and wondering if "it" is happening again. It IS, Ashley! Get on that. Hanna tells her mom that Caleb is already interfering too much, and she doesn't need more help.



Montgomery house: Byron gets off the phone with Meredith's father. He tells Aria that Meredith has psychological issues and stopped taking her meds. Ah, that explains a lot. Like why a smart, pretty girl would not only sleep with a married man, but have it also be Byron Montgomery. Gross. Aria and her father have some tender moment, blah blah blah, we still hate him.

Spencer walks to school the next morning with Hanna and Aria. Spencer is tight-lipped and vacant. You have to tell them, Spence. Toby being on the A-Team is a huge clue, and they are in this too. Aria ponders telling Fitz about his son.

At school: Hanna catches Paige on the phone saying, "I just don't know what else it's going to take. You stuck a wet brain in her locker. She still showed up the next day with a smile on her face."  Wow, Pigskin has some stones. She's a much better character lately with all the conspiring. Paige arranges to meet Caleb that night. Hanna overhears all of this. We didn't know that Caleb was Mona's original brain bully, nor did we suspect him.

One of the things Emily finds in the Ali package is a notebook full of chats between two students, Ali and CeCe. Ali writes about both Toby and some "beach hottie" she was secretly involved with. Emily shows the notebook to Spencer, but Spencer tells Emily she doesn't care about what happened to Ali anymore, because Ali was a traitorous friend. Then Spencer reads a story about Ali visiting Toby in juvie.

Flashback: Toby is wearing a du-rag. He's still white too, so it looks terrible. It's the worst we've ever seen him look. We're not even attracted to him anymore after this. Whose idea was that? Why didn't the actor just look at it and say, "Dude, no."

Ali accuses Toby of being A, and Toby denies that it's him. He says he wishes he knew who it was so that he could offer his services. We hope there is more to the story than "those five girls blew up Jenna and got me sent to juvie, so now I hate them forever." It just doesn't seem like enough to make him get to know Spencer like that and then screw her over. Ali makes the wrongest, best crack about Jenna being blind and then she comes on to Toby.

Flashback ends. Spencer is crying. She tells Emily that she and Toby broke up, but she's not ready to talk about why. Of course Spencer cracks to Emily first. Emily is the sweet one. Spencer goes to class and gets a text from Aria saying Ezra freaked and broke up with her after Aria told him about his son. Aria's text asks if Spencer can meet her at the park. Spencer walks out of class.

Ella is concerned and says Spencer can't leave without a legitimate reason. Spencer says, "I don't want to be here anymore. Is that legitimate enough?" Then she rants and storms out. Spencer's meltdown this season is going great. Spencer has been one second from crazy this entire series. It makes sense that one of the Liars would start to lose it through all of this, and Spencer has always been tightly wired.

Spencer rides her bike to the park and sees ol' Fish Face (Ezra) sitting pretentiously at a picnic table, typing on a laptop, imagining himself as the next Hemingway. Oh, we know what's coming here. Spencer freaks out on him, taking all her Toby frustrations out on Ezra. She also tells him about his son. That text was not from Aria. Spencer runs away.

Police station: Emily's mom has a new job working for the cops and Detective Wilden starts cozying up to her. Hmm. That's an odd new ship. Wilden is AFTER the Moms. Any mom will do.

School: Emily, slowest reader in the world, is still paging through that notebook conversation. She sees a picture of Ali and CeCe in the back of the notebook. They spent a few weeks in Cape May, NJ, together, partying, shortly before Ali's murder. Fish Face shows up to confront Aria. Showdooooown. Trust has been breached. Fish Face storms off. Good. We wish he were gone forever. Aria gets a text from A taking credit for this latest shenanigan.

Spencer's house that night: Spencer makes a sad frozen dinner. Aria knocks and comes in to talk to Spencer. Spencer asks Aria to start screaming at her, wishing for instant punishment. Spencer says, "It's time we stop blaming A for everything that goes wrong in our lives and start blaming ourselves...Maybe we deserve it."

Aria decides that's enough self-pity and depression for one night, and she leaves, angry that Spencer didn't ask about HER and Fish Face and how she was doing. Oh, shut up, Aria, obviously your friend is having a worse time than you are. Just look at her. She looks scary (but still gorgeous).

Spencer is breaking down and you get mad that she didn't ask about your FISH PROBLEMS. Spencer is so far gone. It's so sad. She is reacting to the Toby betrayal exactly as we would expect someone like Spencer to. It's so great and realistic, and the actress is doing a good job.

The street next to their cars: Emily asks CeCe about the notes and Beach Hottie. CeCe never knew who Beach Hottie was, and tells Emily that Ali was "being really sketchy about it." Flashback: A crying Ali comes to CeCe crying, two weeks late on her period. Ali was scared of the guy who impregnated her. Aria's house: Aria calls Hanna, who followed Paige to a gay club. Haha.

Spencer's sad house: Spencer sends a text to someone asking if he/she is willing to meet with her tonight. Toby?!! Naw, that's who they want us to think it is. The mystery person says "yes." Spencer texts back, "I shouldn't be talking to you. No one can know about this."

There is a glass next to Spencer, and she certainly seems to be on a bender. A teary bender. Wait. Alcohol. Is this Wren? Is this a "get over Toby booty call?!" All our dreams....But then the unknown texter writes, "No one will." Doesn't sound like Wren to us, for some reason. It's probably not even a hot guy at all. *Pout.*

Gay club: Paige is sitting at a table, chatting up a cute black girl. Somehow, even though Hanna thinks Paige is cheating on Emily, we don't think she is. If Paige didn't care about Emily, why would she spend so much time with Caleb conspiring to protect Em? Some girl buys Hanna a drink.

Aria's house: Aria is doing what every teenager and Kardashian spends their lives doing these days. Texting. (Fish Face, obviously. She wants to talk.) Byron comes in for some more boring Daddy Time. He offers Aria grilled cheese. Emily interrupts, thankfully, having come over to tell Aria about the pregnancy and the baby daddy possibly wanting to shut Ali up. Aria suggests going to the police and bringing the A key. Emily agrees.

Gay club: It's hard to track Paige when gay girls are hitting on you and throwing drinks at you when you dance with their girlfriends, isn't it Hanna? Then Hanna gets carded.

Police station: Emily gives her mom the Ali notebook. Hanna gets brought in for underage drinking, even though she was only holding the drink, not drinking it. Neither of them are happy when Wilden gets ahold of the notebook, especially after they see a picture of Wilden in Cape May. Well, of course Wilden is dirty. He's been dirty since the pilot. Still, we don't think he killed or slept with Ali. She's not a mom.

Spencer's car: Spencer wipes her teary eyes and reapplies mascara. Dude, it didn't even wear off, Spencer, you're fine. And we'll never believe your eyelashes are naturally like they were before you started fixing them.

Most depressing diner in the world: Spencer sits across from someone we didn't recognize. It's a man.  It sounds like a gigolo situation at first. But then Spencer gives the stranger the A key and asks him to find out where it comes from by following Toby. A private detective. Very nice and something that she should have thought of ages ago.

Hanna's house: Ashley questions Hanna about the gay bar. It's hilarious.

The street outside Ezra's apartment: Aria runs up to her ex (hopefully). Ezra tells Aria that he spoke to Maggie and knows that Maggie was the one who told Aria to keep the secret. Ezra says he and Aria are "okay." UGHHH WILL NOTHING BREAK THEM UP?

Ezra has angst about his son and is going on a trip to see him. Aria asks if she can call Ezra. He hesitates and starts crying. What is this? He says, "We'll talk soon, okay?" What a spineless runt. Is that even a break up? Way to leave a girl unsure, but it's not like Ezra has been taking up much screentime lately anyway. Where has he been? Watching Aria freak out and hook up with someone else will be more interesting.

A's Lair (or one of them): We see some weird looking bobbleheads of the Liars. We resolve to get bobbleheads made of all our enemies from now on. Someone wearing red nail polish takes a blow torch to the Hanna one. So Hanna is the next big target? Uh oh. Anyone but Caleb, show!!

Episode grade: A-