Thursday, July 10, 2014

Pretty Little Liars - Miss Me x 100


The 100th episode of Pretty Little Liars returns Alison (Sasha Pieterse) to Rosedale High for the first time since her "death," reveals the identity of the girl buried in her grave, gives three of the Liars the chance for some passionate time alone with their loved ones, and returns a few key supporting characters to the show's stable. "Miss Me X 100" also reminds us Mona (Janel Parrish) isn't an enemy to be underestimated as she and her new group find various ways to keep the Liars busy allowing Mona to push Alison into a cat fight which only gives Mona more ammunition against her old enemy. Alison's actions also expose a painful truth to Emily (Shay Mitchell) that Alison, even when it's in her best interest, can't bring herself to ever tell the whole truth.

Thanks to Mona's manipulation the small progress Alison had made winning back some support within the halls of the high school is immediately washed away. She's not the only one thrown for a loop as Spencer's (Troian Bellisario) parents decide to separate (given the fact that one suspects the other of murder), Hanna (Ashley Benson) struggles with the unexpected return of Caleb (Tyler Blackburn), and Emily, after having the passionate night with Alison she's always dreamt of, is forced to reexamine matters in the harsh light of day thanks to Ali's new lies. In a show with several big moments, one of the small takeaways worth noting was the knowing look between Caleb and Alison which no doubt foreshadows a past connection yet to be revealed.


Aria's (Lucy Hale) guilt leads her back into Ezra's (Ian Harding) bed and forces her to attempt to help Jenna (Tammin Sursok) who returns to town with the news of Shana's (Aeriel Miranda) death, further feeding Aria's paranoia. We are also clued into the fact that Jenna is working alongside Mona and Emily's new friend Sydney (Chloe Bridges), whose own motives have still not yet be fully fleshed out, to push Alison out of Rosedale as quickly as possible.

Even with Emily and Alison's night of passion, the emotional sequence of Paige (Lindsey Shaw) standing up to the girl who mercilessly bullied her, Mona's triumph, the return of Caleb and Jenna, and Aria and Ezra back together, the biggest moment from the show's 100th episode comes in its explosive closing scene which leaves Toby's (Keegan Allen) childhood home in ashes and signals the (very much expected) return of the show's villain - A. With returning stars, big moments, offering all the Liars except Hanna a momentary respite, and laying the groundwork for a battle yet to come, "Miss Me X 100" fulfills its goal while throwing down the gauntlet once more as the Liars war with A is about to heat up once more.

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