Pretty Little Liars - Season 3 Episode 21 - Recap and Review - Out of Sight, Out of Mind

I never had a clue that Pretty Little Liars could take the insanity to the level it did with “Out of Sight, Out of Mind.” Take that episode title literally, group. The Liars have never been put through so much craziness. Mona would say, “Cray, cray,” and I’d make fun of her for it.

The episode opened just where it left off, with Spencer (Troian Bellisario) finally confessing the secret that had been burdening her for weeks. Toby is A, Aria (Lucy Hale) and Emily (Shay Mitchell)! Blondie was busy covering up the hit and run, of course. Spencer was willing to wait until Hanna was available, for what it was worth, but it’s not every day the Liars discover an A. It’s like Black Christmas morning or a season finale come early, or something! Aria’s initial reaction to the revelation was appropriate pity, while Emily charged straight into the initial stages of denial. No offense, Emily, but if anyone was going to clear Toby, it was going to be Spencer. It couldn’t have been Mona (Janel Parrish) attempting to steam Spencer to death like a common shellfish, she was busy competing in New York.

Hanna (Ashley Benson) and Ashley (Laura Leighton) returned home that night empty handed. With no body (that typo was on purpose; I meant no body, as in corpse) found, the two decided to zip their lips until Wilden or word of Wilden turned up. The two spent the majority of the episode cowering at the sight of flashing red lights and the shrieking sounds of police sirens.

The next day, Hanna attempted to “help” Emily sift through Toby’s loft for answers. By “help,” I mean she channel surfed through news stations looking for answers to her current family drama. Emily knew something was up with Hanna; seeing her watch the news was like watching that famous YouTube golden retriever dance the salsa. Somehow, Emily still managed to hold onto a spare key to his place. I can’t believe Toby didn’t catch that. Although, he’s made it clear that he’s good at losing keys. Has Toby ever really hurt them? Was he being blackmailed like Lucas? Toby gave Emily the courage to be an out and proud lesbian. See, just because he’s an A, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a little black heart. Emily managed to uncover his Radley parking pass, and the name on the badge matched the one on Toby’s ID card. Hanna suggested just sucking it up and talking to Toby’s parents. Wow, five minutes worth of watching the news, and Hanna had become the voice of reason.

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Aria arrived at Ezra’s (Ian Harding) with coffee and found herself caught off guard when little Malcolm popped up out of the blue. A surprise visit from Maggie and Malcolm would certainly shake up Aria’s week, but when Ezra revealed that the two were planning a move to Rosewood once Maggie could secure a job, Aria’s little world would be turned upside down. Aria tried to get out of playing “trains” with the kid, a heinous act that would most likely rot her teenage girl brain with boredom, but was forced to stay after some pleading. By the time Maggie had shown up, the worst family reunion ever would fully commence! Somehow, Aria ended up having to babysit, and I found myself feeling worse and worse for her. Get out while you still can, little bird! Fly the coop!

“Someone close to you will pay for your lose lips,” read the card that came attached to Spencer’s sympathy wreath from Hell. A had originally promised killing one of her “three,” meaning Emily, Aria, or Hanna, but I guess they realized that the Liars are kind of the most important part of the show, so anyone moderately close to Spencer was up for grabs. Toby obviously wasn’t looking to be found. Mona, though, that bitch was everywhere, as usual. Spencer threatened to destroy Mona if she were to touch a hair on one of her girls’ heads. Mona decided to take her pumpkin latté elsewhere. Please, what kind of freak drinks a pumpkin latté on the brink of spring? Mona hinted that someone wouldn’t make it through the night, glanced at Emily, and that was enough to send Spencer into a bit of a tizzy.

Back at Hastings’ Manor, Spencer discovered another clue. The ribbon attached to her flower arrangement revealed a dulled out “E” and “M,” while all of the other letters were shiny. Emily shrugged it off as a common misprint, while Spencer was more so set on locking Emily in her room, guarding the door, and slipping pancakes under the crack for a week or so. Spencer, don’t you know Emily has swim practice? She can die later, okay!

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Emily had previously visited Toby’s family house— reminding me that we’re way overdue for a Jenna appearance—and discovered that the place was littered with newspapers and letters. The family hadn’t been home in weeks, and according to a work friend of Toby’s Emily bumped into, neither had he. In a last ditch effort, Emily went to her mother, Pam (Nia Peeples), who’s been working at the police department. Eh, Pam never liked Toby. She got a little turned off when he blew up his garage. Remember “the Jenna thing”? While her mother stepped away, Emily attempted to use her computer to run a search for Toby’s alias. A photo began downloading, but Emily was forced to close the page when her mom returned earlier than she’d hoped. She got a follow-up text, however, and it was from Toby!

Babysitting was an overall disaster. Things were fine while Hanna was over helping out. The two even pieced together that Toby was probably helping Mona by bringing Dr. Sullivan back to town. She’d diagnosed Mona, keeping her from prison. Hanna caught a glimpse of some cops outside, though, and bolted. Once she left, it was all down-hill. Aria turned her back for a second, and the rambunctious boy fell off the bed. She would have to take him to the hospital for a stitch or two on his chin. Ezra did not approve, and he can go screw himself. Boys will be boys, and the kid slipped. Aria was overly apologetic, too, even going as far as taking all the blame.

Aria: “I don’t know the first thing about being a parent.”

Ezra: “Neither do I."

Right, but Aria didn’t get knocked up. Aria apologized to Maggie, only to receive a somewhat cold response. Aria, not being immediate family, was shut out behind the blue curtain, left to wallow in her guilt while Ezra’s new pack bonded. At home, Ella (Holly Marie Combs), gave Aria a heart-to-heart even though she'd lied about Ezra's secret budding family. Even if she loves Ezra, it will be okay if she decides she no longer wants this to be her life. She’s in high school, and the child is seven! That’s not that far apart for an age gap! A kid most certainly changes everything.

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Hanna arrived home looking for her mom, only to find Wilden’s police car stashed in her garage! Inside, the tape of her mother’s crime played on repeat. Things weren’t looking too good for Ashley, as Hanna watched on in horror. Not knowing who to turn to, Hanna phoned in Aria for help. Does A have Wilden’s body? Did he plant his own car? Hanna would take drastic measures to protect her mother.

Hanna: “I told you it would sink.”

The sight of the littlest Liars pushing that police car into the lake was pretty hilarious. Aria knew they were making a huge mistake. Hanna agreed, but pushed ahead anyway. A little flash from the car’s siren had their hearts racing, but eventually the car vanished entirely. At home, Ashley told Hanna that she was beginning to feel slightly better. We had caught a glimpse of “Wilden” while following Ashley earlier, but there was no telling how solid that sight was. Also, Ashley circled back to check out the crime scene, only to find herself relieved when she’d discovered that the car had disappeared. Maybe Wilden was just being nice? Hanna looked like she was about to die.

Emily had agreed to meet Toby in the back alley of some weird address. After waiting an excruciating two hours— I wouldn't even wait that long for Space Mountain— Emily caught a glimpse of the girl in the red coat, and followed her inside the warehouse. There, Emily found the co-worker of Toby’s she’d met earlier. He hadn’t seen Toby or the blond in the coat or any “unicorns.” What a douchey response to a kind of legitimate scenario; Emily got a text form Toby asking her to meet him at his job? As if that’s so ludicrous. The co-worker slipped up, though, calling Emily by her first name, and she had never introduced herself. Outside, Emily found a shiny red envelope on her drivers seat…

Meanwhile, Spencer had been stalking the stalker. Tailing Mona until nightfall, Spencer managed to follow her all the way into the woods. There, she discovered what she’d feared the most; Toby’s body. Only, we’re not really sure if that was Toby’s body. I’m actually guessing it wasn’t. The biker helmet was never removed, and the A-Team could very well have duplicated Toby’s “901 Free at Last” tattoo. I don't think Spencer was meant to find that scene at all. Actually, maybe she was meant to find it and falsely report Toby as dead. I'm going with that! Could that be Jason or Wilden?

Emily’s Note: “Toby is no more.”

The contents of Emily’s envelope revealed a memorial flyer for Toby. Emily pondered that he could have been working to help them as A. Once clued in, Aria was quick to think up the faux-death scenario, too. Same page, same page, Aria? I’m feeling you this episode! Toby was most likely never helping them.

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In the woods that night, Spencer broke down like we’d never seen before. In time, a hiker would come across her, and the  stranger phoned her into the police as a Jane Doe. Looking absolutely insane, Spence was taken into Radley. Maybe a breakdown was exactly what this girl needed. Although, technically she’s currently “out of sight, out of mind.” She’s looking pretty together next week, all things considered! The tail of the season will be the redemption of Spencer Hastings!

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The episode closed with a fisherman reeling a police officer’s hat out of the lake. Uh oh, Marins!

What did you all think of Pretty Little Liars Season 3 Episode 21, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”? Is Spencer set for redemption? Who do you think really died? Should Aria ditch the Fitz family? Was dumping Wilden’s car a huge mistake? Was that actually Wilden that Ashley saw on the street? Who is the girl in the red coat?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Pretty Little Liars Season 3 Episode 21, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”!