Pretty Little Liars Mid-Season Finale Recap: Who Else is on A's Team? The Betrayer is Revealed!

Tonight’s summer finale was a rollercoaster of reveals, from identities to secrets to the ultimate betrayal from someone we all trusted! 

The girls were on pins and needles this week thanks to their assumptions about Paige and the press getting a hold of Maya’s trial. They were also on the outs with Emily, who refused to believe that Paige was involved with A. She maintained A was making Paige look guilty, which sent her friends into a frenzy, primarily Spencer who pointed out that Paige setting herself up was a brilliant cover. Because you know, “drugging yourself is the best alibi ever.” When did Spencer have time to watch Basic Instinct?

Aria was still torn between telling Ezra the truth about finding Maggie or staying silent. Hanna encouraged her to be honest, advice she probably wished she had taken a long time ago with Caleb. Unfortunately for her, the truth almost showed up on Ezra’s doorstep when Maggie stopped by to see him. Maggie pretended she didn’t know Aria and later asked her to keep quiet because she needed to figure out what was best for her and Ezra’s child. Of course, Aria agreed. 

Lying is basically the only thing Aria knows how to do. And considering how she upset/annoyed/sad she looked when Ezra and Maggie were chatting it up, it’s safe to say she knows if Ezra learns the truth, things are probably over between them. He would move to be near his child and possibly rekindle his relationship with Maggie. After all, Ezra was willing to marry this girl. The real question here is who is Aria lying for? Maggie? Or herself? 

Toby came back to Rosewood, took Spencer in his arms, carried her home, and did all kinds of fun and dirty things between the sheets. The camera spun so much I was dizzy and warm and fuzzy and so happy because it reminded me so much of this: 

Meanwhile, Mona put on an adorable, little nurse’s uniform and waltz right out of the crazy hospital to carry out A’s next big plan. The plan began with sending texts about meeting at RosewoodCemetery with Maya’s bag – except Emily. She wants her left out or she’ll end her life, so the girls comply and let Emily go off with Nate.

This began a series of events involving Emily that can best be summed up with this:

While at the cabin, Emily gets a phone call telling her that she has one minute to get out. Instead of leaving, she searched through Nate’s bag and found a letter with her name on it, but Nate came in before she could open it. She noticed yellow paint on his show and instantly connected him to pictures of Maya from the day she died. Say what?

It got even more ridiculous. Nate showed Emily a video of Maya explaining she was staying at Noel’s cabin because her stalker had found her, but now she was coming back to Rosewood to be with Emily. Still confused (as we all were), Nate basically revealed that he was Maya’s stalker and Emily stole her from him. In return, he was going to take something from Emily – Paige. 

Things got even worse than Scream 4 after this. The rest of the girls and Caleb had gone to the cemetery and realized they had been tricked. No one was coming. So they headed for Emily, sure that she was in danger. At the cabin, Emily was able to escape to a lighthouse and called 911 as Nate followed her. They struggled over his Swiss Army knife until she stabbed him in the stomach. Caleb arrived just as Emily dropped the knife and did the one thing you are never supposed to do: put the gun down.

The gun he acquired because A tried to kill his mother and he thought Hanna needed protection. The gun he should have left in her underwear drawer because a shot went off and into Caleb’s side. The first rule of all things horror related is that the villain always comes back, Caleb. Haven’t you seen scream? 

He was loaded into an ambulance just as Spencer, Aria, and Hanna arrived, leaving his girlfriend hysterical in the arms of her friends. Emily and Paige were questioned by police officers, who wanted to know what happened, until Paige interrupted and took Emily to her friends. Everyone held each other and cried. I’m sure it was supposed to be beautiful and heartbreaking… or something. 

Everyone headed to the hospital to wait word on Caleb. Spencer’s mother also showed up with her not-so-favored client, Garrett, thanking Emily for helping Garrett become a free man. The girls weren’t very happy about this.

In the end, Mona returned back to the crazy hospital, going on about how they were going to set Paige up to be Maya’s murderer, but things got thrown off track. She says goodbye her to accomplice and the camera panned in the most dramatic reveal like ever done on this show. TOBY. 

And the whole world let out a collective, frustrated scream. When you give it up to your boyfriend when crazy, murdering antics are going down, he’s naturally going to be involved. It could be a case of keeping the enemy closer. Toby told Spencer was going to get answers on his own. Did he get too close to the truth? Is he doing this to protect Spencer? A’s a master manipulator. After all, Emily did a call from that very voice telling her that she had a minute to get out of the cabin. Was Toby trying to warn her? Or did he really go all Billy Loomis on poor, little Spencer?

Someone get these girls a copy of Scream, so they can learn all the lessons. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here mourning the absence of Jason’s hair.  Don’t forget to share your theories below! See you guys next season! 

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