Pretty Little Liars - Season 3 Episode 23 - Recap and Review - I'm Your Puppet
Well, Pretty Little Liars fans, it finally happened. One of the Liars joined the A-Team during “I’m Your Puppet”! Okay, maybe I’m an idiot, but what exactly is the entire point of the A-Team if they’re willing to let their targets join the ranks? That aside, I still believe that the Liars will always win out. Is it ever really cool to be obsessed with anyone, let alone a bunch of pretty nice high school girls? Get a hobby, A! You know what, get a job!
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The episode opened with Spencer’s (Troian Bellisario) first visit from the other three-quarters of Rosewood’s finest. Emily (Shay Mitchell), Aria (Lucy Hale), and Hanna (Ashley Benson) had assumed the lead Liar would be eager to escape the confines of the institution. Spencer, on the other hand, was perfectly fine living the life of all-you-can-eat pudding and dusty old board games. Hanna wasn’t having any of Spencer’s snark this episode, jumping right into the details of the recently discovered body. Lucky you, Spencer, it’s was just some unfortunate (fortunate?) extra slumming around the set that day. Throw on some camp gear, make him up like a corpse, and a star is born. Oh, and Keegan Allen will creep again! Spencer remained in total denial though, having seen Toby’s signature tattoo. She returned to her quarters unfazed.
Back at Emily’s, Hanna admitted to being more concerned about Wilden’s whereabouts than Spencer’s unraveling brain, appropriately infuriating Emily. Thankfully, the show found a better way of using Emily’s mother Pam (Nia Peeples) by keeping her well employed at the police station. She promised to fill Emily in on the details when word broke surrounding the body’s identity.
Ezra (Ian Harding) and Aria shared some pastries outside of the café. Aria was adequately panicked regarding his recent employment back in the Rosewood school district and her lying about the terms of their relationship, but Ezra seemed eager to push the envelope this time around. No backtracking for this future A-Team member! Seriously, though, outright disobedience of the school’s policy surrounding students dating teachers is probably a great way to ruin their entire relationship once again. You don’t have to eat outside! More importantly, Ezra got a call from Maggie asking him to pick Malcolm up from karate practice, but a job interview stood in the way. Aria awkwardly offered to pitch in again, but everyone remembers the time when Aria dared to get the boy a juice box without carrying him to the fridge on her tiny shoulders. God forbid the girl turned around for literally a single moment while babysitting. Little boys get hurt! I’m in my twenties, and I still flop off my bed and crack my face while I’m jumping up and down from time to time. In the end, Ezra trusted Aria enough to let her take another crack at watching the kid.
Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) went on and on and on about how great his father Jamie had been, while Hanna sat listening on the verge of puking. An uncomfortable Ella (Holly Marie Combs) caught a glimpse of the two and later called Hanna into her classroom to speak privately. Don’t say anything Hanna, but the big expensive church bell went missing, and Jamie replaced it with something super cheap, assuming no one would notice. As a member of the church restoration committee, Aria’s mother also noted that some other similar instances had gone down with all signs pointing to the ex-con of a dad. Later in the episode, Jamie took Caleb and Hanna out for a celebratory dinner, having assumed he’d been thriving in Rosewood. Embarrassing; getting a call from your boss firing you at a dinner that was meant to serve as a “look at me now”-type of moment. He even gifted Hanna with an angel necklace to thank her for helping turn his life around.
In the halls of Rosewood High, Emily got an earful from Aria after receiving one too many texts from Shawna, Paige’s ex, while Paige remained out of town. Still, the focus remained on clearing up the “who’s the corpse?” debacle in order to clear Spencer’s head and free her from Radley. Was Hanna supposed to drag the body to Spencer as proof? No, but as Emily suggested, they could take a picture of it.
Hanna: “Where do you sell a hot bell anyway?”
Hanna, still not so much concerned with Spencer’s crumbling mental state, pondered as the three remaining Liars attempted to break into the morgue. I don’t care how freaked these girls pretend to be, they love donning the candy striper costumes any chance they get. Aria kept a lookout while Hanna and Emily snooped inside.
Hanna: “I smell dead people.”
Neither of the girls truly wanted to do any prying into the body bags containing smelly old corpses. I enjoyed Hanna’s musings on death and decay. One day you’re worried about tan lines and the next, you’re just a stale loaf of bread. Emily needed help with the loaf she figured was most likely Toby or “Toby.” Inside, an Alison mask covered the face of the deceased. Here’s your big break extra #58; dead camper in the sack. *snap snap*
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Outside, Aria heard some commotion, only to catch a glimpse in a mirror of old “Red Coat” scurrying into the elevator. Aria sprinted towards the closing doors, I yelled out, “Run, Aria, ruuuuun!” like a fool, and Red Coat got away... again. You know, not for nothing, but she’s been cutting it close! She’s really pushing it.
Back at Radley, Eddie the orderly, who’d befriended Spencer, handed her some stale old board game, like a Risk knockoff, before being shooed away by a recently returned Wren (Julian Morris). Wren remembered the game as Mona’s obsession before turning to solitaire. After Wren disappeared too, Spencer noticed that the board contained a coded map, navigating around Radley. From the piano, to a broken latch on a security window, to… Well, we’d have to wait and see. You can’t pretend you’re one of The Goonies without the cover of darkness.
Spencer’s mother (Lesley Fera) visited as well, ignoring any pleas from Spencer to allow her to stay in recovery. But Spencer, she bought you a new blouse! I mean, I don’t even like to button my shirts when I’m not crazy, so I could sympathize with Spencer’s newfound love for hospital garbs. Her mother wanted her home, but settled for a chat surrounding what had happened in the woods. The last time Mrs. Hastings had seen anyone on the verge of a total meltdown, it was Alison (Sasha Pieterse).
Flashback! Veronica, in some super snazzy silk pajamas, crept around her kitchen, searching for a midnight snack, when a beaten bloody Alison attempted to sneak back in. Why did she sneak out in the middle of the night? That must have been some pissed off “tree” that bloodied up Ali’s lip. Ali made Mrs. Hastings promise not to run her mouth to her own parents, and Veronica agreed. Back in the present, Spencer wondered why her mother had never said anything. Veronica admitted to being fearful about Jason, but now admitted to worrying about Toby's intentions. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew Toby hadn’t been the person they’d thought he was all along.
Why is Wren even working there? Spencer, of course, hadn’t been taking her sleep aids. Haven’t you seen the bags under her eyes? She was more concerned with discovering who’d been helping Mona. After talking with Eddie some more, she realized that Wren might have been hiding something. Eddie sure as hell hated him. The troubles with security only started when Wren arrived at Radley.
Caleb vented to Hanna about his frustrations over Jamie’s seemingly unjust firing. Hanna, pushed to the brink, finally opened up to Caleb about the dollar bill she’d donated to the church, the one Jamie had stolen and used as payment for pizza that night. With the writing on the wall, Caleb confronted his father that evening. Caleb exploded in an emotional rage, citing his entire childhood as proof enough that Jamie was guilty. Caleb’s hair is kind of an awkward length now, huh? Oh, sorry, lost my train of thought. Yeah, that was sad, I guess? Long or short man, pick a length.
I don’t think I've ever felt more of a pit in my stomach watching this show than when Aria arrived at Malcolm’s karate practice, only to discover that he’d already been picked up… by her. Not really her, but another “Aria Montgomery.” A flyer left in the boy’s cubby suggested A had taken him to this twisted carnivale. Scary artsy clowns, dizziness, flashing lights, big crowds, Aria’s squawking mom blocking her view; it was all too much! Aria caught a glimpse of A and Malcolm but just missed an encounter. After considering turning to the police, Aria, in a last ditch effort, entered the evil puppet show tent and discovered Malcolm sitting all by his lonesome. At least A bought him some ice cream! Who’d really picked him up? Well, Aria’s friend “Alison” of course! Ugh, doesn’t that gag get old?
Later, Aria would have a talk with Ezra. She can’t keep doing this to herself, especially when a baby is involved. Get out while you can, little bird! Too bad, Ezra wouldn’t really let Aria dump him properly. Like, clue in, man. She tried and failed. Ezria inappropriately lives on another episode. Oh, right, big breakups are for the season finale.
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That evening, Spencer decided to finish her quest using Mona’s Map. Oh, sorry, #MonasMap. Eventually, she was led into the old abandoned children’s ward where she discovered none other than Alison going through some old records. The two eerily practiced slow dancing to, you guessed it, “I’m Your Puppet.” This was one of those “is this real life?” dream sequences the show enjoys using to toy with us. Alison directed Spencer to the star on the map, an old rocking horse. Inside it’s hollow body, Spencer discovered some of Mona’s old tools for escape and a separate pass for Cece Drake, authorized by none other than Wren! Speak of the English devil, there he was, standing where “Alison” had stood just a few moments prior. Spencer, of course, questioned Wren surrounding Cece’s intentions and his willingness to help her. Apparently, Cece had been desperate to connect with Mona. Alison had gotten Cece kicked out of her university over some prank. Who tipped off Wren and pressured him to help Cece? Melissa Hastings.
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Caleb and Hanna had a heart-to-heart over Jamie’s recent exposure, but as the church bell tolled, Hanna received a text from A. A had taken the bell and framed Jamie. Hanna looked devastated, and Caleb, peering over her shoulder, looked livid. Well, Caleb, you know what you signed up for.
Pam made Emily promise to keep it a secret, but why would she respect her mother’s job? After discovering that another body had been discovered, one that matched Toby’s description, at least somewhat, she hightailed it over to Aria’s to meet with both her and Hanna. A-game on… again.
Spencer finally settled down for bed. Just before hitting the hay, she pulled a black hoodie from her pillowcase along with her stashed meds and… her souvenirs. Mona always kept souvenirs, so she’d have to as well. Two tickets to the carnivale from Hell! Spencer had joined the A-Team! Nooooo… Well, if she really believed Toby to be dead, why would she help the girl she assumed killed him? We know Spencer’s not looking to ruin the lives of her friends for fun, even if she is reeling over the loss of “Toby,” so is she just playing double agent? Sorry, double A-gent? What is the real point of all of this! I love this show, but what is this? Is it that important to mean old Toby to make Aria cry? Leave Emily Fields alone already!
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The episode closed with the fresh corpse being dragged into the morgue. A hole in the covering revealed an ugly temporary Toby tattoo smudging away next to some gnarly wounds. Things are not looking good for Jason D. at this point, and I’m not happy about it. R.I.P (probably), buddy.
What did you all think of Pretty Little Liars, Season 3 Episode 23, “I’m Your Puppet”? Are you pumped heading into the finale? Is Spencer really A? What the hell is the purpose of the A-Team anyway? Are you rooting for Aria and Fitz or hoping to see them break up? Should Caleb hold this against Hanna? Is Jason a goner?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Pretty Little Liars, Season 3 Episode 23, “I’m Your Puppet”!