Pretty Little Liars Round Table: Habitual Homicide

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On Pretty Little Liars Season 7 Episode 4, our heroines were (poorly) attempting to cover up the biggest secret they've ever had in their lives: murder.

Below, TV Fanatics Rachel Miller, Yana Grebenyuk, Jay Ruymann, and super fan Meaghan discuss the consequences of this new secret; and that heartbreaking scene between Spencer, Caleb, and Hanna...

Which Pretty Little Liars' reaction to the murder surprised you the most?

Meaghan: Emily. Emily has always been the victim and arguably probably the weakest Liar. But this week, while Spencer lost it, she stepped it up and made sure things got done. You go Miss Fields.

Rachel: Alison. After the torture her husband put her through, I thought she was on the verge of a breakdown when the girls were burying his body. She snapped back to her old Alison ways briefly when she snatch Rollins’ ID card from his body and came up with a plan to cover their tracks. 

Yana: Alison, but in a good way. Instead of crumbling down Alison figured out a plan and even helped make sure Rollins' body couldn't be identified by the obvious badge. And after Aria brought her back to her room, Alison willingly putting on the mask so Rollins would be seen as the monster he is, that couldn't be done by everyone.

Jay: Definitely Emily. I agree with Meaghan, but as I thought about it more, it makes sense that Emily would handle it the best out of the other three. Aria killed Shana, but that was an accident like this. Emily killed Nate because she had to survive that night.

React to the scene between Caleb, Spencer and Hanna.

Meaghan: I wasn't sure until that scene that Caleb was the reason Hanna and Jordan broke up, but her reaction while he told the story and pleaded with Spencer said it all. Also, why didn't Spencer just tell Caleb Hanna was there. I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to walk into that mess. Would've been the quickest way to get rid of him.

Rachel: That scene was beautifully and brilliantly shot. For once Caleb seemed real sincere with his feelings toward Spencer. It was just awkward that Hanna had to witness that though.

Yana: It was a lot to take in because there was so much happening at once. It looks like Caleb took his time realizing his feelings for Spencer, which didn't really help me root for them. There was so much pain in that room, from Hanna hearing what happened because of her to Spencer trying to work out what Caleb was saying while covering up a murder. The only thing I know for sure after all of that is that the actors deserve appreciation for that scene. 

Jay: I would hope that scene was the end of Hanna and Caleb. Unpopular opinion, I know, but high school relationships hardly ever work out, and Hanna and Caleb have always been so different. I see more similarities between Spencer and Caleb, as well as the fact that their relationship seems much more adult.

Jenna is working with Rollins! Or is she?!?

Meaghan: Nope. Jenna is the eternal red herring. Just because we jumped 7 years, doesn't mean that has changed. Plus Jenna referred to herself as Jenna Marshall on the phone, meaning that her and Rollins weren't on a first name basis. My guess would be that Rollins contacted her and that is why she returned to Rosewood, but they hadn't started to work together yet.

Rachel: Jenna has always been a hard person to figure out. Like Meaghan said, the writers want us to believe she’s working with Rollins, so this just might be another red herring. I am glad that Jenna’s back though!

Yana: Jenna was never a character I cared a lot about so I'm not sure where this is going. She probably isn't working with him, I'm actually expecting a redemption story. Jenna asking Toby for a fresh start seemed genuine, so maybe her connection with Rollins was a trick for the better. 

Jay: Like Rachel, I'm so excited for Jenna to be back. She always knows which buttons to press for each of the liars, and we haven't really gotten to see a Jenna and Alison (present day) bitch-off, so that'll be fun to potentially see that. 

Which couples do you think will survive the series?

Meaghan: All the OG couples will find their way back to each other, including Emily and Ali. I don't see a world where I. Marlene King keeps them apart.

Rachel: Probably Ezria. At this point, they seem to be the only couple still holding on. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the ones getting engaged next week.

Yana: Every couple will find its way back to being endgame. At least that's what it looks like with where things are headed right now. Ezria is already together, Emily and Alison are headed in that direction and I'm sure Hanna dumping Jordan will come to light and will break apart Spaleb for good. Meanwhile, Toby working on this case will definitely cause some tension for his upcoming wedding. 

Jay: Honestly? Hopefully Spencer and Caleb, and probably Ezra and Aria. High school relationships are messy, and it would be very unrealistic for all of these couples to reunite and be together forever. I can see Ezra and Aria together, because for one, they already got back together, and two, Aria was in high school during their relationship, but Ezra wasn't. It was always an adult relationship.

What did you think of Mona helping the girls?

Meaghan: I love Mona. She is one of the best characters on this show and has been so underused. Mona has always just wanted to become a member of the inner circle and I think she has done enough to overcome her A days and be let it.

Rachel: Whether the girls want to admit it or not, they need Mona. Mona is smart and is able to think quick on her feet while under pressure. I’m hoping the writers will actually utilize Mona’s character more going forward. If the girls stick with Mona, they can probably figure out things a little quicker than they’ve imagined.

Yana: I didn't expect Mona to show up at all but where would they be if she hadn't? Mona 's help could actually have them pull it off. I'm just not sure if we will see Mona for the rest of the season or if she will disappear like most characters do on this show. But as long as the group listens to Mona, they will make better choices than if they worked without her on this.

Jay: I love Mona so much. I wasn't expecting her to show up, but she did, and she saved all of their asses. These girls made rookie mistakes, and with Mona finally by their side, they could easily put an end to the game. How many times does she have to prove she's changed? Plus, the lines Aria gets when she's sassing Mona are easily some of my favorites.

Do you make it a habit of inserting yourself into other peoples' homicides or just ours?

Aria

Do the writers just hate Hanna Marin?

Meaghan: I don't think hate is a strong enough word. Poor Hanna. She can't catch a break. She gets hit by cars, thrown in jail, has one of her best friends date the love of her life, gets kidnapped and tortured, commits vehicular man slaughter. No one has had it even as close to as bad. However, come on ladies, Hanna drove Sean's car into a tree back in season 1, she clearly is not the best driver so why would the you ever get in a car with her behind the wheel?

Rachel: I agree with Meaghan, it seems like Hanna can never catch a break. She’s lost her job, called off her engagement, was held captive once again, and she killed a man. Not to mention Hanna had to witness her first true love confess his true feelings to her best friend.  It’s like whenever Hanna finds some sort of happiness, it’s quickly snatched away from her.

Yana: I never thought about it that way, even though Hanna is my favorite so I probably should have noticed. I would like to think that no matter what the writers throw at Hanna, she handles it and comes out on top but I'm sure we've hit the limit. This season wasn't very kind to Hanna and it will probably get worse before it gets better I just really want Hanna to finally be happy, that's all I could want for her after all this. 

Jay: The writers should just kill her if they dislike her that much. Hanna has ALWAYS had it the hardest out of the girls, and this is no different. On top of killing someone, she was recently kidnapped and tortured (for the second time), broke off her engagement, had to watch her ex profess his love for her best friend, and she lost her job. What else can go wrong for her? Why are you doing this to her, Marlene? WHY?

Jay Ruymann was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in January 2018.

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