Final Thoughts From the Pretty Little Liars Episode "DArkest Knight"

I kind of figured Mary Drake's other child would turn out to be one of the PLLs. However, instead of it being Aria (Lucy Hale), Mary named Spencer (Troian Bellisario).

I guess this does make some sense. The people who raised her are both lawyers and would have known Noel Kahn's judge father. They also had the resources to keep the adoption a secret. Plus, as my wife has pointed out in the past, Spencer does have some resemblance to Mary.

I am, however, really curious if Melissa (Torrey DeVitto) knew and, if not, how her parents managed to fool her. Considering the sometimes ugly rivalry she had with her sister, I find it hard to believe she wouldn't have let the fact Spencer is adopted slip out. This is why Aria made much more sense. Her brother is younger and wouldn't have that first-hand information. And, it was her file taken from the cabin, not Spencer's.

Assuming Mary isn't wrong, it does still leave one question unanswered. Who is the father? Mary got knocked up twice while in a secure mental institution. Was it by the same person? And, if it was, then why is that person's identity a secret?

I know the summer finale left her gravely wounded with a gunshot to her chest/shoulder area. But, I'm fairly confident she'll pull through.

Noel Kahn, on the other hand, looks to be pretty much dead. And, wow, what a way for him to go. I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming.

That room they were in looked like something out of a really bad horror film. This was supposed to be a school for the blind, yet it had everything from fermented animals to extremely sharp medieval battle axes?

If you're trying to teach people who are just learning how to function without being able to see, why would you have sharp objects like that in the school? It just seems like a potential lawsuit waiting to happen.

Also, what is it with these places being abandoned but leaving so much stuff behind? You would think they would want to take some of that with them or, at very least, get rid of it so people aren't breaking in to steal it.

We all know Hanna isn't the brightest bulb in the bunch. But Mona (Janel Parrish) really dropped the ball when she allowed Hanna to leave Noel alone in that hotel room and, at the same time, didn't have the common sense to take the video camera with her.

That camera had video evidence showing Hanna tying up and cutting Noel Kahn. It just doesn't seem like the type of thing you would want to leave out in the open, unattended, with a guy who wouldn't hesitate to use it against you.

And, of course, the rest of the PLLs weren't any smarter. Once again, they have a thumb drive that would surely put Noel in prison and don't even bother making a copy of it? You've lost it once, why risk losing it again?

The key word there, of course, is "almost." 

I've made no secret about my dislike for Ezra (Ian Harding), the man who committed statutory rape of one of his students, secretly taped Aria and her friends because of a book he was writing and wasted no time moving on from her when Nicole (Rebecca Breeds) entered the picture.

I've always suspected Nicole was still alive and, now that they are together, it just makes this whole unholy relationship even more complicated. What's Ezra supposed to do, break up with Nicole the second after she was finally rescued? Even if he does that and recommits himself to Aria, I just don't see how Nicole ever leaves the picture.

I hate to say it, but I think Jason (Drew Van Acker) is the guy she should be with.

I'll have to admit, this episode was better than I was expecting. There weren't a whole lot of surprises. As I suspected, Noel Kahn and Jenna (Tammin Sursok) weren't A. D. and one of the PLLs turned out to be Mary Drake's daughter. However, despite that, the episode did turn out to be somewhat entertaining.

My Grade: B