Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Recap of PLL 5x25 "Welcome to the Dollhouse"

The season five finale of Pretty Little Liars “Welcome to the Dollhouse” 5x25 features the biggest reveal ever.  “A” goes beyond blackmail and text messages when “A” kidnaps the Liars.  “A” throws a creepy prom, Mona’s alive (and blonde), and we find out that “A” is a guy named Charles DiLaurentis.

Hanna, Emily, Aria and Spencer are all being transported to a different prison because the wardens got an anonymous tip that the girls were plotting something.  The prison wanted to keep the Liars away from Alison, who they think is the ringleader.
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Hanna warns the girls that they will be split up when they get to the prison.  Emily asks Hanna what it will be like.  Hanna says they will feel ashamed, even though they are innocent.  They will be treated like criminals and it will be hard to remember they didn’t do anything wrong.  The first night will be the hardest.  It will be the loneliest feeling that they can ever imagine. 

The girls are determined to stick together, regardless of how far apart they are.  They lean on each other and hold hands.

The transportation van suddenly crashes.  The door opens and “A” stands in front of them.  “A” launches a smoke bomb in the van.

Toby tells Spencer’s parents, Veronica and Peter Hastings, that the Liars have been taken.  The transport officers were injected with the date rape drug and have no memory of the incident.  Spencer’s parents think Alison is behind the abduction. 

Toby acknowledges that Alison is a master manipulator.  However, she doesn’t have access to pull off this elaborate plan.  Lt. Tanner wants this incident out of the press, so she hasn’t told anyone about it.  The other girls’ parents have no idea their daughters were abducted.  Lt. Tanner wants to avoid a civilian mob.  She is acting like the Liars are fugitives and escaped police custody.

Spencer wakes up in what looks like her own room.  She is still in her prison orange jumpsuit.  “A” has written ‘Welcome Home’ on her whiteboard. 

Hanna, Emily and Aria also wake up in what looks like their own rooms.  There are cameras in each room.  They all desperately try to get out, but the doors won’t open.

Spencer takes a chair, which still has a product number sticker on it, and throws it at the window.  Realizing there is no way out, Spencer sits on the floor in shock.  A recording plays over the intercom, welcoming the girls in different languages. 

The bedroom doors open and a buzzer sounds.  The recorded voice says to exit the rooms and follow the lighted pathway.

The Liars realize that they are trapped in a dollhouse that “A” has created.  They walk down the hallway and enter a room that has been recreated to look like Alison’s living room. 

A blonde girl wearing an Alison mask is playing music on the piano.  The girl pulls off the Alison mask and we see that it is Mona.


Shocked, Hanna says Mona’s name.  However, Mona claims that she is Alison.

Caleb, Toby and Ezra work together to try to find the girls.  Caleb puts his hacking skills to use and finds out that the transport van went dead at route 30 near the railroad crossing.  “A” gained remote control of the van.  Ezra asks Caleb to hack into the traffic cameras.  All they need is one frame of “A” to prove to Lt. Tanner that the girls are in trouble.

Mona, still acting like Alison, pours the girls tea.  Emily frantically looks for a way out, but a cement wall is behind the door she opens.  The Liars want to know where they are, but Mona insists that they are in her living room.

Emily tells Mona that they thought she was dead.  Mona, keeping up the charade, says that she owes Mrs. Grunwald for saving her life the night she was buried alive.  Hanna tells Mona that she is happy to see her.  Mona demands that they never used the name ‘Mona’ again.  She loathes that bitch.  Emily examines Mona’s blonde hair and is surprised that it really is her hair.

A bell chimes and Mona suddenly goes to another room.  The Liars follow her.  Mona says that they need to play the Mystery Date board game.  The Liars don’t understand and Mona tells them that four chimes means it is game time.

Mona explains that the object of the game is to find out who your mystery date is.  The board game has a photo of Ezra and Caleb from the Ice Ball.  A chime rings again and Mona opens a small mailbox.  Each girl has an envelope.

Inside each envelope is an invitation to senior prom, an evening to die for.  The Liars realize they are supposed to play the game to see who their prom dates will be.

Furious, Hanna yells at the camera.  She says that “A” has won and can keep them as dolls.  However, she won’t let “A” do anything to hurt Caleb.

Fed up, Hanna yells that Mona isn’t Alison.  She tells Mona that she isn’t alone anymore.  There are five of them and together they can find a way to get out.  Mona continues to insist that she is Alison. 

Suddenly, a siren starts to blare.  Mona says that she tried to warn them.  She says the siren won’t stop until they are all in their rooms.  The girls race back to their rooms.  The bedroom doors shut automatically and the siren finally stops.

When Caleb tries to get the traffic camera videos, a cartoon plays on the computer.  “A” found a way to override the camera and is mocking them with the cartoon.  Frustrated, Ezra punches the wall. 

Caleb plans to pinpoint the source of the hacker.  If he can do that, then they can prove to Lt. Tanner that “A” took control of the prison transport van.

In the middle of the night, Mona leads all the girls into the hallway.  The generator shuts down each night and they have three minutes before the backup power turns on.  Mona has tried to run in each direction for 90 seconds, but she hasn’t found a way out.  She has found a steel door, like a vault, but she’s never made it inside.  It’s too far to make it back to her bedroom by the time the three minutes are up.

If they don’t make it back in their rooms within the three minutes, “A” will leave them for days without food and water.  “A” will blast the siren until you’d rather die than listen to it for one more second.  “A” also plays a loop of loved ones crying at her funeral.

Mona asks Hanna if her mom is okay.  Hanna realizes that Mona isn’t crazy.  She knows she isn’t really Alison.  Mona just pretends that she is Alison when “A” is watching. 

Hanna hugs Mona, relieved that she is alive.  Their reunion is cut short when Mona hears a noise.  She tells the Liars they have 17 seconds to run back to their room.

Spencer’s parents know what Alison is capable of and still fear that she is behind the abduction.  They visit Alison in jail.  Alison asks if Spencer is okay and Spencer’s parents tell her to drop the caring friend act.
 
Alison admits that she has done some bad things in the past, but she is still Spencer’s friend.  She forced Spencer to lie for her because she was desperate. 

Spencer’s parents threaten her and demand the truth.  They tell Alison that the girls never made it to the penitentiary.  Crying, Alison tells them that “A” took the girls.

Alison explains that Mona was “A”, but someone else took the “A” game from her when she was locked in Radley.  It was the same game, but the stakes were higher than ever.  “A” killed her mom and Mona.

Hanna tried to tell the cops about “A”, but she didn’t have any proof.  Spencer’s parents don’t understand why this is happening.  Mona was “A” because she was sick.  Why would someone else target the girls?

Alison swears that she is telling the truth.  She is stuck in prison for the rest of her life.  She doesn’t have anything else to lose, but Spencer’s parents do.

“A” uses the video surveillance to keep an eye on the girls while they are sleeping.  Spencer, thinking about the alphabet blocks, realizes that the blocks can be rearranged to spell the name ‘Charles’.  She realizes that Charles is “A”.

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Mona wakes up and smiles at the camera in her room.  She opens a present “A” has left for her, which turns out to be a gas mask.  The card says “Because you’re my favorite - A”.

Toby tells Lt. Tanner that someone hacked the transportation van and kidnapped the girls.  Lt. Tanner agrees that the van was hacked, since she saw an analyst report that came to the same conclusion.  However, she thinks Caleb Rivers hacked the van to let his girlfriend escape.

Spencer tells the girls that the blocks in the playroom spell the name ‘Charles’.  The girls are all assigned to different stations in a large room.  Aria is assigned to the music committee, Emily and Spencer are on the decorating committee, Hanna is in charge of food and beverages and Mona is on the prom queen election committee.

The theme of the prom is a night at the opera and the Liars realize this is the same theme from a prom that took place seven years ago.  Spencer's sister Melissa took Ian to that prom. 

Mona asks the Liars to help her with the election process.  Once the girls crowd around her, Mona writes on a piece of paper “Did you guys get a gas mask from ‘A’?”  None of the Liars received one.  Hanna writes that she is scared.

Spencer complains that the prom will be lame with construction paper decorations in an ugly room.  Spencer asks if they can use the staircase as a grand entrance for Mona to walk down.  They can rig a camera to go off as she walks.  Mona, getting Spencer’s plan, joins in.  They can use copper pipes and they can hang shapes to create shadows.  Then it will really be a night at the opera.

Spencer’s parents show up at Toby’s place and say that they know about “A”.  Spencer’s parents want to tell the other parents about “A”.  Caleb, Toby and Ezra agree, but they hoped they would have more answers before they spoke to the other parents.

Spencer’s parents want to tell the police, but Toby warns them that Lt. Tanner twists everything to fit her own theories.  Going to the media may also backfire, since “A” always retaliates.

Ezra tells them about the boxes of research he has on “A”.  Spencer’s parents want to look through the boxes.  Ezra warns them that they will find secrets of their own in the boxes.  Spencer’s parents don’t want to keep any more secrets from each other.

The police show up downstairs looking for Caleb.  Spencer’s parents warn Toby that he can’t be caught harboring a fugitive.  Caleb goes downstairs to meet the police.  Toby tries to stop him, but Spencer’s parents think Caleb is doing the right thing.  They also need Toby to stay on the right side of Lt. Tanner.

Spencer’s mom gets a call from Melissa.  As she explains the situation to Melissa, we see Andrew using his computer to listen to their phone conversation.


Mona says that Alison is “A”’s favorite.  She thinks that “A” gave her a gas mask because Alison is the only one “A” wants to keep after the prom.  She’s worried “A” plans to kill the other girls.

Spencer explains that the materials she requested from “A” to decorate for prom are materials that will help her build a machine to temporarily stop the electricity.  Mona hopes “A” will show up at the prom.  As Hanna said, it will be five against one.

The next morning, the girls go back to the prom room and find all the materials they requested from “A”.  Spencer and Emily stage a fight to keep “A” distracted.  The two get in a shoving match and Aria and Hanna try to play peacemaker.  With “A” watching the fight, Mona grabs the supplies they need and hides them.  Mona also breaks open a digital camera.

Luckily for Caleb, Spencer’s parents take him on as their client.  They sit in as Lt. Tanner interrogates him.  Caleb admits to hacking, which is a federal offense.  If he had access to the police computer system, he could override the jamming signal and find the location of the jam.

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Lt. Tanner isn’t buying Caleb’s story, but Spencer’s parents ask how four teenagers could be this good at evading the police.  Caleb says Hanna would have called him if she could.  If he really did help the girls escape, then he would already be with Hanna.

Lt. Tanner reluctantly allows Caleb to use their computers to hack.  He finds a location at 1423 Clark Road.  He is sure the coordinates are correct, so Lt. Tanner sends a team to the location.

At the location, they find the transportation van.  Lt. Tanner has the officers search the perimeter and warns them that this may be a hostage situation.

The Liars arrive at the prom wearing dresses that “A” has picked out for them.  Mona isn’t there yet.  There are numerous mannequins in the room.  The mannequins are dressed in prom outfits and are wearing masquerade masks.  “A”, wearing a red, black and white mask, stands among the mannequins.

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The intercom announces the entrance of the Prom Queen.  Mona comes in, wearing an Alison mask. 

The Liars join Mona and reveal a prom king crown.  Spencer says that Charles should come up and be crowned Prom King.  “A” steps forward.  Aria holds up the camera that Mona modified and pushes the button.  The flashing light momentarily blinds “A” and the electricity goes out.

Spencer’s parents arrive at the scene of the abduction and immediately recognize the place.  They are at the old Campbell Farm.  They used to bring Spencer and Melissa there to go apple picking.

Toby and Lt. Tanner go inside a cellar.  There are a bunch of screens and computers down there.  Toby says that this is “A”’s lair.

Spencer, separated from her friends, wanders into a room with a mannequin family.  The mannequins are two adults, a girl and a boy.

Spencer realizes “A” has kept treasured personal things in the room.  She turns on a projector and an old family video plays.  The video, taken when Alison was a baby, shows Alison’s mom holding Alison at the Campbell Farm.  She tells two young boys to kiss their sister good night.




“A” comes up behind Spencer.  Spencer asks “Is that you Charles?”  She comes face-to-face with “A”, who is still wearing a mask.  Spencer turns when Mona calls her.  When she looks back, “A” is gone.

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Mona comes in and sees framed photographs of a little boy.  Mona is shocked to see what “A” has kept in the room.  Mona realizes that “A” has a soul.

Tanner turns on the screens in the lair and sees the rooms the Liars have been kept in.  She watches a recording of Hanna telling Mona that she isn’t Alison and that the five of them can beat “A”.

Toby says that they haven’t found anyone at the farm.  Lt. Tanner asks where “A” is keeping the girls.  They both watch the video of “A” blasting the siren and the girls running to their rooms.

Back at “A”’s dollhouse, the girls run out the door just as the electricity comes back on.  The song “Don’t Fence Me In” plays on the speakers.  The girls are about to climb over the huge fence that surrounds them, but Spencer stops them.  The fence is an electric fence.  As the camera pans out, we see that the fence is completely surrounded by trees.  The dollhouse is completely isolated.


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