On tonight’s season premiere we finally find out who “A” is on Pretty Little Liars season 5, episode 1, “EscApe From New York.”
The episode opens only mere moments after Ezra is shot. As he is carted off to the hospital the girls argue over whether to stay in New York until Ezra wakes up or to head back to Rosewood. They ultimately decide to stay in New York and split up, but not before handing Ali a gun. You know, for safety. It’s obviously going to turn out well for everyone.
Back in Rosewood at the Hastings household, the family is openly speaking about Ali being alive and how much involvement the Liars may have had and how long they have known. Melissa is visibly upset and is about to tell everyone the secret we saw her share with her father last season but Detective Holbrook conveniently shows up just in time to prevent that. CeCe has escaped custody after attacking a cop and Holbrook is worried that the girls may be in danger.
At the hospital while Ezra is in surgery, the girls all meet up and spot “A” who has been openly and obviously running around the hospital in his/her sketchy black outfit. The girls use this as a chance to lure “A” away to a super creepy abandoned playground. Just when we think the girls have “A” cornered, dozens of “A” look-a-likes appear and run around confusing the girls as to which person is the real “A.”
In Rosewood, it is all over the news that Ali is alive and that the girls have gone missing. This prompts Mona to gather together all of Ali’s victims including Lucas – who is looking pretty fine we must say. So is this some sort of Anti-Ali summit? Paige isn’t into it but Melissa absolutely is and wants to lead the group in taking down Ali.
Ezra’s surgery goes well and it’s time for the girls to look for a place to stay. Ali takes them to a theater that she once frequented with Ezra in their dating days. There is a quick flashback of the Ali and Ezra together and it’s pretty awkward. But it is then that Ali finds out that Ezra was pretending to not be a Fitzgerald and it made her like him even more.
After story time Ali goes off to call Shana, who she wants to go check on Aria for her. Why Shana? It really makes no sense, why can’t she just call Aria herself?
The girls all dream of a life without “A” and drift off to sleep only to be awoken by CeCe. She needs Ali’s help getting out of town and Ali obliges. Apparently CeCe was hired by Fitz in order to spy on the girls and has to keep it a secret because she is the one who killed Wilden. Ali only tells Emily this information, though, and refuses to give it up to Spencer or Hanna. Is this this the beginning of a rekindling of a trust and potential romance between the pair?
Ezra pulls through his surgery (not that we ever thought they’d kill off one of the main love interests) and wakes just in time to whisper “A’s” identity to Aria. We’re back at that theater and Shana shows up with a gun wearing a hoodie. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for when Shana reveals herself to be “A.” Apparently she had been in love with Jenna and was using the “A” ruse in order to get back at Ali and the girls.
We’re not the only ones who aren’t buying this right?
Aria shows up right in time before Shana is about to open fire and hits “A” over the head with a prop gun, which kills her instantly.
The episode ends and it all seemed a bit too easy for our taste. That is, if you consider five seasons of not knowing who “A” is “easy.”
