Recap of “Shadow Play” PLL Episode 4x19

The Pretty Little Liars keep it classy in black and white.  This week, it’s all about film noir.

Spencer, Hanna, and Emily are still on the Ezra-is-“A” kick.  They sneak into Ezra’s classroom at night to look for clues.  Emily keeps trying to reach Aria, who isn’t picking up her phone.  The girls start rifling through Ezra’s things.  Spencer looks through desk drawers and pulls out a manila envelope.  They open it and find Ali’s journal.  Emily wonders if Ezra was the one that scared them at the cabin.  Spencer points out that there are two of them.  Hanna thinks Shana might be Ezra’s helper. 

The girls are leaving when they hear a noise.  They hide and watch Mona go into Ezra’s classroom.  The girls wonder if Mona is looking for Ali’s journal.  Mona leaves with a stack of papers.  The girls wonder if Mona is not stealing papers from Ezra, but actually delivering something.
 

The girls go back to Spencer’s place because her parents are out of town.  Hanna wonders why Spencer keeps sniffling.  Spencer says that it’s just allergies.  The girls wonder about the phone numbers and emails found with Ali’s cash. 

 

Hanna and Spencer want to find out everything they can about Shana.  Did Shana ever say something about Georgia or something that might connect with where Ali is hiding?  Since she had a fling with Paige, they want Emily to talk to Paige about Shana.  Emily wonders why Hanna suddenly wants answers, since last week she was all about leaving things alone.  Hanna says that now she’s angry rather than scared.  Emily thinks they should spend their time figuring out what Mona is up to with Ezra?  She also points out that they found Ali’s journal easily.  What if it wasn’t “A” that put it there?

Ezra and Aria are driving back into town.  Aria is quiet.  She tells Ezra that she’s thinking about homework that she didn’t finish.  He asks if it’s creative writing.  She tells him that he’ll like this one.  It started as one thing and turned into something different.  It started with the hero, but she became fascinated with the villain.  Ezra asks if the villain loses in the end.  Aria isn’t sure.  Sometimes the villains win.  Ezra agrees that sometimes they do.

Now alone, Spencer flips through Ali’s journal while a black and white movie plays in the background.  Spencer gets up to take another pill.  It’s one too many pills because suddenly Spencer’s world becomes a black and white fantasy.

Toby comes in and asks about Alison.  How can he help her if she won’t level with him?  Spencer asks him to trust her.  He says that he can see right through her.  Spencer insists that there’s nothing wrong with her.  They both look at the pills on the table.  Spencer says that the pills are just to help her focus.  Toby doesn’t buy it.

Spencer goes to the brew to get some coffee.  Ezra comes over and pays for the drink.  It’s his way of saying sorry.  He didn’t like the conversation they had the other day.  It didn’t help either one of them.  Spencer admits that she sometimes has trouble taking constructive criticism.  She takes it as a threat.  Ezra says that he does, too.  He offers to buy her dinner at the Hart and Huntsman sometime.

In the school bathroom, Spencer tells Hanna and Emily about her run-in with Ezra.  The girls wonder if Aria is secretly still with Ezra.  Spencer gives Hanna the task of keeping tabs on Ezra.  Aria comes in and the girls question her about her weekend spent out of town with her dad.  Aria keeps up the lie, pretending that she was with her dad, not Ezra.  When she asks what she missed, none of the girls tell her about the Ezra-is-"A" theory. 

Spencer dials a number and is told it’s the Fitzgerald Art Foundation.  Spencer pops some more pills.  Toby comes in and tells her that pills are not going to help her figure things out.  He asks her when the painting of Ali mysteriously appeared on her wall.  Spencer has no idea how it got there.  Toby says that all the pills aren’t good for her.  Spencer asks him to suppose Ali is alive somewhere.  Toby asks if she’s trying to tell him something.

Ezra is standing on his balcony when Mona joins him.  They go back into his apartment.  Hanna watches them from the street.

Spencer flips through Ali’s journal, pausing on an entry titled “The Mermaid”.

Emily meets up with Paige and asks about Shana.  Paige says it was a long time ago and that she thought of Emily when she was with Paige.

Hanna follows Mona when she leaves Ezra’s apartment.  Hanna loses sight of Mona, only to find Mona suddenly behind her.

Mona calls Spencer and tells her that there is a blonde package waiting for her in apartment 3B.  Better hurry up while she’s still breathing.  Spencer rushes over and finds Hanna, Mona and Ezra all waiting for her.  Ezra says that when you put a tail on someone, don’t trust it to an amateur.  He tells Mona to fix Spencer a drink.  Spencer asks if Aria is back together with him.  Ezra’s response?  “True love, honey.  You just can’t kill it”.  Spencer demands that he leave Aria alone.  Ezra points out that Spencer can split them up by telling Aria who she thinks he is.  He knows Spencer hasn’t said anything yet because she’s not sure about anything.  She’s cracking up.  Hanna and Spencer walk out.  Ezra tells Mona to let them leave. 

Hanna and Spencer drive away.  Spencer says that she traced a number on Ali’s list.  The one that was for the Fitzgerald Art Foundation.  She wants Hanna to find out if Ali called the number.

Aria teaches Paige how to use a camera.  Paige is going on a trip and wants to take pictures.  Paige says that Emily is going with her on the trip.  Aria tells Paige that she used to be a tomboy.  Things changed after she fell in love for the first time and lost all interest in tree climbing.  Guess you just grow out of it.

Ezra has a chat with Toby.  Ezra says that people are no damn good.  Everyone is out for themselves.  Ezra has information that might help Toby.  He tells Toby that Ali is alive and Spencer knows how to find her.

Spencer is about to take another pill when Ali shows up.  Spencer asks why Ali didn’t tell her about Ezra.  Why didn’t she warn Aria?  Is he the one she’s afraid of?  Spencer gets frustrated that Ali won’t give them any answers.  Spencer threatens her and Ali wonders if she should be afraid of Spencer.  Ali tells Spencer that she has all the pieces.  Why can’t she put them together?  Ali thinks Spencer might need more pills to figure it out.  What happens if Spencer runs out of pills? Spencer rushes over to take some more pills and accidentally drops them in the sink disposal.  She reaches for them and Toby yanks her hand out. When they turn around, Ali is gone.
 

Spencer gets taken to an interrogation room and Toby starts questioning her.  Is Ali alive or dead?  Spencer says that she’s dead.  Toby pushes her and Spencer says that she is confused.  Toby knows that Spencer is smart enough to get away with murder or help Ali get away.  Or maybe Ali tricked Spencer into helping her get away?

Aria and Ezra enjoy some champagne.  Aria tells Ezra that she wants her friends to know about their relationship.  Ezra asks if she is sure she can trust her friends.  Aria tells him that she trusts her friends with her life.  Ezra asks if her friends trust her.  Does Aria know everything about her friends and know all of their secrets?  Aria thinks that she knows the important ones.  Ezra bets that he knows one of her secrets.  He whispers that Ali is alive.

Paige confesses to Emily that she is lonely and scared of being alone.  Emily says that she won’t let that happen.  She and Paige kiss.
 

Hanna is hard at work finding more information about the phone number Spencer asked her to investigate.  She pretends that Ezra is her boss and she wants to find out if Ali called the answering service.

Toby learned from Ali that secrets are weapons.  He knows Spencer learned that, too.  Spencer thinks that “A” is a monster that Ali has been feeding with every lie.  Toby asks if Spencer knows who “A” is.  Spencer isn’t sure anymore.  After all, first “A” was Mona and then it wasn’t.  Toby says that Ali is alive and Spencer knows the next step to take in order to find Ali.  Spencer is so tired of thinking. She just wants to sleep.  Toby and Spencer kiss.

Aria is sitting at the coffee shop when Spencer comes in.  Aria wants to tell Spencer something, but she wants Spencer to promise not to give her the “Spencer look”.  The look Spencer gives people when she’s really disappointed in them.  Spencer promises to try.  Aria confesses that she’s been seeing Ezra again.  Spencer said it herself.  Aria liked Jake, but she loves Ezra.  The Ezra relationship is sexy, dangerous, awful and wonderful.  It was perfect.  Spencer picks up on the fact that Aria used past tense.  Aria says that the story is changing.  Spencer is about to tell Aria about her Ezra suspicions when Hanna interrupts them.  She found Ali.

Spencer, Hanna, Aria and Emily go to a club.  According to Hanna, someone used the payphone at the club to call the contact number that was with Ali’s money.  They go into the dressing room and look around.  Ali comes in and asks if anyone saw them come in.  She then demands that they get the hell out.  She told them not to come looking for her.  Are they trying to get her killed?  She says that Spencer has already tried once. 

 

Aria tells Ali that they want her back.  Ali isn’t convinced.  She asks if the girls are sick of Spencer ordering them around.  They should think for themselves instead of letting Spencer make all the decisions.  Spencer wonders how long Ali will last without them.  She knows Ali is setting the girls up for something.  Ali will use the girls as a decoy and the girls will end up taking all the heat.  Ali doesn’t tell them everything. 

 

Ali implies that Spencer does the same thing.  She asks Aria if Spencer has told her yet.  Before Spencer can respond, a shot is fired through the window.  The girls run outside.  Ali wants the girls to all split up.  Spencer questions that plan, wondering if Ali is just trying to save herself only and let the other girls get caught.  Ali tries to hit Spencer, but Hanna grabs her hand and stops her. 

The girls hear Ezra’s voice.  They tell Aria not to answer him.  Ezra says that it is safe and he’ll take care of her.  He doesn’t know what they told her, but it’s not true.  He promises to keep her safe and says that he loves her.  Spencer tells Aria that she can’t trust him.  Ali says that Spencer has no guts.  Aria tells Ali that she liked her better when she was dead. 

 

Aria gets closer to Ezra, who is in the shadows.  When she gets close enough, the man lights a match and we see that it is not Ezra.  It’s Toby.  Toby hit Ezra hard and they need to leave before he wakes up.  Aria wants to go to Ezra, but they pull her to the car and drive off.  Ali is gone.

In the car, Aria asks why Toby hit Ezra.  Spencer doesn’t answer.  Emily points out that Ali was right.  None of them have any guts.  Toby asks Spencer if she’s figured things out yet.  Spencer says she’s tired.  The girls say that they are all tired.  Aria and Toby think that Spencer is afraid of finding out the whole truth.  Toby tells Spencer to look at the pages in Ali’s journal.

Spencer snaps out of the film noir fantasy she’s been having and finds herself back in the kitchen with the black and white movie playing in the background.  No time has passed.  Spencer picks up the journal and her phone, then puts things together.

 

Back in Ezra’s classroom, Spencer explains that Ali’s journal was a Trojan horse.  Changes were made to the journal.  Spencer was able to realize this because she had made copies of the original entries on her phone.  For example, the original entry says “Amber’s pavilion”, but it now says “Amber’s piercing”.  “Cute guy” becomes “cute girl”.  Spencer, Hanna, and Emily put the journal back in the desk.  They now realize that Ezra knows that they are on to them. 

They decide that it’s time to find Aria.  They go to her house.  Emily wants to call Aria one more time before they wake up the whole house by barging in.  Meanwhile, Hanna peeks through the window and calls the girls over.  They watch Aria and Ezra kiss inside the house.

Back in black and white, we see Ali’s dressing room again.  There is a message from Mercury Telemessage.  It says “Break a leg.  Stop.  Kisses.  A.”