Pretty Little Liars Review: Bite the Bullet

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I'm a little torn about this week's Pretty Little Liars episode.

I've been pretty disappointed (and bored) by much of Pretty Little Liars Season 4, but "Under the Gun" packed a major emotional punch for both Aria and Hanna, while setting up some serious trouble for Emily.

Too bad half the episode was spent advertising a Pretty Little Liars spinoff.

Reaching for Spencer

After getting majorly busted for covering for Toby, Spencer tried to do some damage control by tracking down Housemother Grunwald in a little town called Ravenswood. Naturally, Grunwald wasn't keen on helping Spencer - and she was definitely creepy enough to be suspicious.

But the whole trip was really a grey-filtered, ominous-music-filled way to introduce us to Ravenswood and it's eerie inhabitants. Oh, and the scary ravens! The show looks interesting, but I really tuned in to catch some Rosewood drama. The supernatural atmosphere of Ravenswood just didn't fit with the more reality-based (although at times ludicrous) show. And this Grunwald character had better not be another red herring!

The time spent with Spencer and Toby also showed how this big lie has started to damage both their relationship and her friendship with the other liars. Toby always has a secret to hide, and Spencer's decision to keep choosing him over her friends has already had some major consequences. Should Toby really be trusting A? Should Spencer trust Toby?

Hanna's storyline was probably one of the most intensely emotional moments for the character. Not only is she facing serious jail time, but she's also acutely aware of how her misstep helped A get Ashley arrested. Hanna looked tortured with the knowledge that no matter what she does, she always ends up falling into one of A's trap. The episode ended with Ashley getting arrested, but she claims she was set up.

Do you believe Ashley didn't kill Wilden? I definitely think Ashley's version of that night seems to ring true. And A would definitely take advantage of an opportunity to rid himself/herself of Wilden while pinning it on someone else. With Ashley's fingerprints all over the gun and the bullets and ballistics match, things look pretty grim for her. Is there anyway to save Ashley with incurring more of A's wrath?

Looks like has effectively taken down one parent, but who's next?

Plus, this time Emily also fell for one of A's tricks and got herself put on Lt. Tanner's radar.  That video of someone wearing the Emily mask was very unsettling. If next week's promos are any indication, A's use of the Emily mask is going to cause her even more trouble.

Aria's drama this week was less about A and more about Ezra. Apparently, rumors have been floating around about her affair with Fitz, and a little jerk named Connor decided to slut-shame Aria. After engaging in the stereotypical locker room banter about "scoring" with Aria, Connor didn't even have the decency to look embarrassed when Aria confronts him.

Unfortunately, Aria's painful experience with being classified a slut can be a common experience for teenage girls. It was good for the show to highlight the ways rampant misogyny and slut-shaming can really affect a person, even someone as strong as Aria.

But Mike's misguided attempt to stand up for his sister by trashing Connor's car was a little too self-destructive. It wasn't that long ago that he was getting into some serious trouble, and maybe his way of helping his sister doesn't have to involve damaging other people's property again.

Under the Gun Review

Editor Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.7 / 5.0 (80 Votes)
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Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Episode 6 Quotes

Aria: Ew, taste this, it's disgusting.
Spencer: No, you just spit in it.

Well I'm ruining my mom's life, so that's got to count for something!

Hanna