Final Thoughts From the Pretty Little Liars Episode "Of Late I Think of Rosewood"

I had some doubts when Pretty Little Liars decided to continue even after the identity of the notorious "A" had been revealed. But, I also decided to give it the benefit of the doubt when I learned they were going to fast forward things by 5 years. However, after watching the latest episode, I have to say I was unimpressed.

My wife said it best when she pointed out the PLLs newest challenge is no different than any other they've faced since the series began. A body is found and its only a matter of time before clues start to point to one or more of the girls. Been there, done that and I'm not sure how rehashing the same plot will keep this show fresh.

That, to me, is one of the big mysteries from this episode. Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) seemed awful vague about being in Washington D.C. with Spencer and, for a moment, I thought the two of them were going to end up kissing in the hotel lobby. Keeping a secret like that makes some sense considering it would hurt both Hanna and Toby (Keegan Allen).

Sara's (Dre Davis) appearance at Charlotte's funeral created the same tension Jenna (Tammin Sursok) used to create whenever she walked into a room. Since Jenna has been MIA for some time now, it wouldn't surprise me if the writers were trying to revive some of that. 

Of course, if true, this falls into the same category I mentioned before. Same overall plot as earlier seasons, different faces.

Speaking of ex-boyfriends, what was up with Ezra (Ian Harding) making a surprise appearance at Charlotte's hearing? I don't think he was invited to testify and it does make him a suspect in my opinion. Perhaps he killed Charlotte after hearing how much Aria was scared of her. In his current state of mind, anything is possible with him.

One of the new faces this season (or an old face I just don't remember) is Dr. Rollins (Huw Collins) and, even though I know very little about him, I am honestly suspicious of him. One thing this series does have going for it is it rarely adds a character that has little or no impact on the overall story so his addition automatically raises red flags.

As far as motive goes, I'm not sure what his would be. But, he was familiar with Charlotte so perhaps he didn't really want her released and acted when she was.

I'm not saying I believe Alison (Sasha Pieterse) killed her sister or that her emotions over Charlotte's death aren't real. But, we are all aware of Alison's love/hate relationship with the truth and I couldn't help but notice we never actually saw Charlotte after her release. I think she knows more than she's saying and I have serious doubts about her actually spending the quality time with her sister she says she spent.

OK, I'll admit, I wasn't even aware of ABC Family's attempt to change its name to Freeform until tonight. But, while that, in itself, isn't a big deal, did they need to drive the point home every commercial break? Those commercials were starting to get irritating to the point I was ready to change the channel. 

Maybe I'm wrong about this series and, as the season progresses, I may change my mind. However, after this first episode following the holiday break, I'm not overly optimistic and have some doubts about what the writers are attempting to do.

My Grade: C