Ava, Caitlin and Dylan find out who Alison and Mona are, and what happened back in Rosewood. And a lot of other stuff. BECAUSE, HELLO? BHU is overflowing with drama.


Who's pulling the strings? 

We all want to know. Where we left last week was simple: Mona was alerted to the presence of someone in her apartment: Nolan Hotchkiss. Who, as we know, and saw, is dead. Kicking it classic Pretty Little Liars style, we see a little treat is left behind for her: threatening cupcakes. Yikes. It is easy to see why this has unnerved her--and her mood isn't easy to shake.

If there's one thing we learned in Rosewood, it's that Mona is motivated under pressure. The hotter the fire, the quicker the reflex.

Meanwhile, with it being BHU's Dead Week, everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off. University life is busy for both students and faculty and it ties them into the central mystery bit by bit. With Taylor Hotchkiss no longer faking being dead, Alison has taken her under her wings even further--while Alison is away working in the midst of the chaos, Taylor stays at her former house. The two have bonded in an interesting way.

While Mona doesn't trust Taylor, Alison seems to. 

The Perfectionists are busy bees, working on their course work and trying to solve what is happening. They are also trying to navigate themselves around Dana Booker for obvious reasons--Booker is a trip in her own right and feels suspiciously like Wilden and Tanner 2.0. Which is still a no from me. I'm flip-flopping a lot on theories when it comes to who the big bads at BHU really are, but I still find myself really put off by authority figures who act in the way that Booker does.

Ava is struggling with a new obstacle/rival this week: Zach, aka the boy who's parents entire life savings were stolen by Ava's father. We knew Zach was going to be gunning for Ava but it was unclear just how. With them partnered up for a class, things grow more and more tense.

Over-extending ourselves is easy and each of the Perfectionists do so in their own way. At BHU, it is all too common. Dylan is now dealing with the aftermath of having played at Ava's show instead of allowing his body a resting period--it's obvious he's in a great deal of pain both because of a injury and because of his broken heart.

Things seem to be looking up for Caitlin: smart as a whip and extremely confident and determined. And, her delicious boyfriend is back in her life--accent and all! We know the light won't last but she deserves a little of it after being hit by a car.

Don't make eye contact.

Booker consistently does the most--while the trio's studying, she continues to play her games. It is a bit strange how keen she is on "finishing" a game that Ava, Caitlin and Dylan never asked to play. In their brief, uncomfortable conversation she poses her typical blase but still threatening tone and tells the trio that someone was arrested for accidentally hitting Caitlin.

It's all too convenient and, of course, they aren't buying it. I mean, in theory, maybe. Under these certain circumstances? Not so much easy to believe. Can you blame them? I certainly can't. And I'm right there with them on their suspicions--something's not adding up.

Revived and unexpected connections: 

The romantic bits of the show were strategically placed this week and I appreciate the pacing. I liked that two couples reunited in a way that felt pretty genuine but still leaves the audience feeling like things could explode again in the future. It is Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists, after all. Three potential new ships took up the better part of the episodes romance and I have mixed feelings on them, but am excited to see what happens. 

I think that, for a lot of these relationships, we'll start to see possible endgame clues as the season wraps up. We're halfway there. For a minute, I thought that maybe Taylor and Alison were leading into something--with Emily and the divorce, Taylor and Alison seemingly bonding, etc. Thankfully, that's not on the horizon... at least, I hope not.

There was a pleasant surprise in ship form this week but I'm not really sure what I really think of it: Mona's mysterious figure. And there are some sweet moments between Ava and Zach that I don't know if they are really romantic subplots or not, but I genuinely liked the scenes, even though they were quite predictable.

What I liked about this episode: 

• The callbacks to the original series. I like it when they make the quick mentions and it works with the plot. I don't like it when they reuse plots, lines, etc. This weeks episode felt different because they aren't recycling plotlines and instead are just mentioning things in passing, like A and the Dollhouse.  
• Ava, Caitlin and Dylan's friendship is back on track and growing. They are all so supportive of each other and I adore them. Ava really coming to bat for Dylan, each of them supporting each other in various ways.
• Alison and Mona working together even more. I know I say it every week but their friendship is my favourite thing about The Perfectionists. I loved seeing them chat with Ava, Caitlin and Dylan, and seeing the trio trying to understand what Alison and Mona went through back in Rosewood. My favourite scene of the two was Mona's talk to Alison.
• Seeing Mona get shit done is always a highlight but watching her actually working in this weeks episode was fantastic. She's been through a lot and honestly? With her development, I feel like this is a career move that was built up for years without even being built up. I love her, obviously, but seeing her with BHU students like Mason is really great. Then seeing her figure out who Bad Bishop is. Mona's just an incredibly dynamic character and forever a favourite of mine on screen. Um, I'm not sure about the budding bond and potential romance between Mona and Mason. I'm willing to see where it goes, I guess? At least they're adults. 
• Ava, Caitlin and Dylan calling Booker A, basically. In a way, she might as well be. She's not anonymously going after them but she is definitely going after them. Mona finding out that it is Booker who is possibly pulling the strings with the A games. She's playing the game, it would seem. 
• Mona's line being the end note of the episode. 
• Alison talking to her kids. I just wish they were with her.

What I didn't like about this episode: 

• How eager Alison is to trust Taylor. I understand where she is coming from. And she is right. Alison and Mona and Taylor are all in very unique positions and could understand each other. It just feels naive and out of character for her to blindly hope that she can trust someone--not after Rosewood. 
• Taylor Hotchkiss being out in the open. I still have a lot of questions about her in general but it is... I don't know? I can't explain it? I don't think I like Taylor as a character, so that might just be more of a reason.
• Those weird questions Caitlin gets during her interview. It makes sense: politics are about people, not just policy. But, I felt like it was a weird interview in general and I wasn't terribly keen on it. Seeing Caitlin blindsided like she was, was sucky. I don't know, I felt like it was an unnecessary scene? That being said, I did like everything that followed: her dwelling on the aftermath, going back and asking for a do-over, etc. 
• Dylan's choice. I am not going to spoil that one. But, again, it took me back to a very specific Pretty Little Liars scene, and if you watch both, you'll know. 
• The predictable nature in Ava and Zach's plotline. I'll grow to like them. 

Theories: 

• Booker is possibly being framed for playing the game. By who? I'm not sure. Taylor? Claire? Someone else entirely? It feels too easy--like how easy it was to believe Mason was the bad guy. I still think Booker is not a great person/character, but I'm going to question it all until we have definite proof.

Overall, this was definitely one of the stronger episodes so far. I hate that we're two episodes away from the season finale, especially since the ratings have been okay at best. Here's to hoping we get a second season! Or some answers at the very least.