Final Thoughts From the Pretty Little Liars Episode "Pretty Isn't the Point"

by StevenHelmer

Thoughts from the season 5 television episode that first aired February 17, 2015.

Synopsis: Hanna (Ashley Benson) prepares for an upcoming beauty pageant in the hopes of winning the $20,000 prize for college. However, she quickly discovers she isn't even close to being prepared.
Meanwhile, Mike (Cody Allen Christian) continues to act suspicious and, out of desperation, Aria (Lucy Hale) asks Andrew (Brandon W. Jones) to follow her brother, leading to a discovery and confession that changes everything.

My Thoughts

1. This episode confirmed what I've suspected most of the season, Mona (Janel Parrish) staged her murder. Or, at very least, she planned on doing that. Whether or not she is actually still alive is still up for debate.

2. The first thing I would do if I were one of the PLLs is go back to that factory they visited a few episodes ago. Judging by the almonds that were there, that was likely Mona's hideout at one point and I suspect there are still undiscovered clues there.

3. If Mona staged her death as a way of helping the PLLs, as she claimed, then my "A"rrow is starting to point back at Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) again. Once again, he's the only other person we know of that has the computer skills necessary to pull off some of the stunts "A" has pulled. And, let's face it, he hasn't had a lot of screen time lately, meaning we really don't know what he's been up to.

4. By arresting Jonny (Will Bradley), Toby (Keegan Allen) didn't exactly win any brownie points with Spencer (Troian Bellisario). If anything, he looked a lot like a jealous boyfriend getting some revenge. But, at the same time, I also found myself questioning his "cop of the year" credentials. As my wife pointed out, Jonny was handcuffed and placed in a squad car without being read his Miranda rights. Plus, when Toby drove off, the artwork (evidence) was left behind in an unlocked, unsupervised van. Those are the kind of things that could result in the case being thrown out.

5. Speaking of Spencer, leave it to her to make things worse by calling her mom to bail Jonny out. Not only is he facing potential jail time, now he's homeless. But, he did get a kiss from Spencer finally so, at least from his point of view, perhaps his day wasn't all that rotten after all.

6. With Emily (Shay Mitchell) looking to take Hanna's place at the pageant, I can't help but wonder if the prize money will ultimately get in the way of their friendship. I know she wants to help her friend, but $20,000 is a lot of money, she wants to go to college too and I'm assuming her military family isn't much better off financially than Hanna and her mom.

7. And, let's face it, Emily is the one working her butt off to make money for college. It's hard to feel sorry for Hanna when she isn't putting in that effort.

8. Speaking of the pageant, was I the only one that thought Hanna's dance routine was missing a stripper pole? Maybe she can earn money that way.

9. We had a Jenna sighting! Well, sort of at least. Based on Toby's comments about his step sister (Tammin Sursok), she's still alive and well. I just hope to see her again soon. I miss the tension she used to bring just by walking into a room.

Final Opinion

The episode confirmed two things I've suspected for a while, Alison (Sasha Pieterse) isn't "A" and Mona may still be alive. Those revelations, combined with the various other issues the PLLs are facing, whether it's finding money for college or keeping their relationships together has this season becoming very interesting.

My Grade: A

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Updated: 07/25/2017, StevenHelmer
 
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