Final Thoughts From the Pretty Little Liars Episode "Along Comes Mary"

by StevenHelmer

Thoughts from the season 7 episode that first aired July 19, 2016.

Synopsis: Alison (Sasha Pieterse) is released from the mental hospital but must live with Mary Drake (Andrea Parker). The PLLs discover Elliott's (Huw Collins) "burner" apartment and Aria (Lucy Hale) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) decide to take advantage of it and use it in an effort to trap his accomplices.

The Mysterious Mary Drake

I have to confess, Alison's aunt is a hard one to read. We know she helped Elliott. But, it's really hard not to believe her when she says she was misled by him and never wanted to actually harm Alison.

But, at the same time, I really do think she's up to something. Either she's still using Alison for her own personal financial gain, thinks her niece knows who killed Charlotte (Vanessa Ray) or has some other sinister purpose. 

It's either that, or she just has an evil appearance.

Did These Girls Not Search Elliott's Car?

OK, to be fair, I know they were all pretty shook up following that fatal accident. But, if you're going to go through the effort of hiding the body and making it look like the bad guy just left town, you think you would cover your bases, check the glove box and eliminate anything that would keep the cops snooping around town, such as a lease agreement for a mysterious apartment.

It already almost backfired on them in this episode. Aria and Emily were very fortunate it was Toby (Keegan Allen) who showed up at the "burner apartment."

Of course, on that note, I'm still not convinced the Rosewood Police (or Toby) are doing all that great of a job themselves. You mean to tell me, post-9/11, the ticket kiosk doesn't have a security camera? Or the train station? You would think they would be looking at that footage if, for nothing else, to confirm he actually boarded the train and the ticket purchase wasn't just a ruse.

The Show Has a Nice Villain Reunion Going

First Jenna (Tammin Sursok) returned to town, then she befriends Sara Harvey (Dre Davis) and, now, Noel Kahn (Brant Daugherty) is back. It's like Rosewood's own version of The Legion of Doom.

Of course, after watching this show the past 6+ seasons, I'm also very skeptical about this new alliance being anything more than a red herring. Any of the three, theoretically at least, could be Charlotte's killer and at least two of them do have some motive. But, I suspect their reasons for being in Rosewood are different from that.

Adding to this suspicion is the fact Jenna and Sara did seem to just meet. Their mutual hatred for the PLLs might have allowed them to bond, but I don't sense any sort of pre-planned scheme.

Just Say "No" Aria!

I can't say I'm surprised by Ezra's (Ian Harding) proposal. But, I really do hope Aria has a little more common sense and doesn't accept without at least some consideration, especially after what just happened to Alison.

Even when I try (with a lot of difficulty) to overlook the fact he is already guilty of statutory rape for sleeping with one of his high school students, I just have a hard time trusting the guy, especially since there is a five-year gap in his timeline.

One thing, in particular, I'm suspicious of is the circumstances of his ex-girlfriend, Nicole's (Rebecca Breeds) disappearance/possible death. Something was fishy about the story the first time I heard it and the fact he is receiving calls from her cell phone just makes me even more suspicious. Was he really visiting her parents? Or, was he visiting her?

Not to mention, his dislike of Alison is not a secret. He could have easily been working with Elliott to kill Charlotte (who hurt his girlfriend) and set up her sister so she took the blame. His proposal could simply be another way of controlling Aria so she doesn't see him for the villain he really is (and can't testify against him if she figures it out).

Final Opinion

I honestly wasn't overly impressed with this episode, mostly because it was more of the same stuff we've already saw during the previous 6 seasons, with the majority of what is happening to them being the direct result of their own, extremely stupid, decisions.

The Jenna/Sara/Noel alliance could be interesting. But, I suspect it will fizzle out relatively quickly and the show's 7th season will continue to drag things out.

My Grade: C

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Updated: 07/20/2016, StevenHelmer
 
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