Ezra's well-plotted attempt to fool the Liars started to unravel on Pretty Little Liars Season 4 Episode 20, as Spencer's drug habit put her own credibility into question.
Join staff writers Teresa Lopez, Nick McHatton, Leigh Raines and Carissa Pavlica as they discuss Spencer's habit, Aria's response to Ezra's admission and what's next for these super stressed Rosewood residents.
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Did you feel just a little anguish for Spencer as Ezra set her up, and do you her drug problem being exposed was more helpful than harmful in the long run?
Teresa: I do feel bad for her; it's not easy fighting a diagnosis of crazy. The more people call you crazy, the angrier it makes you that no one's listening, and the more likely that you come off as crazy. But I do think someone needed to put a stop to her drug use, especially since it was clear she was still looking for more pills even after that confrontation with her friends.
Nick: I'm a little mixed about Spencer. On one hand, she's my favorite of the liars, and I hate to see her getting thrown under the bus because she's usually the only one keeping and piecing things together; however, her drug use needs to stop, and Ezra was attempting to take care of the suspicions on him and her drug problem all in one swoop. Ultimately, her drug problem coming to light is better for her in the long run because she's being forced to be accountable now. She can't hide behind long nights and caffeine withdrawals.
Leigh: I felt her frustration when the prescription pad from Wren was planted on her because Spencer had a legitimate concern and Ezra knew just how to sideline the liars attention. She was right when she was screaming about how good he was. Also it seems she had this problem before as Veronica was saying "I can't go through this again." I'm really curious about the last time. Glad she was exposed though because she was running herself beyond ragged.
Carissa: I'm with Leigh. Spencer had enough on her plate without Ezra planting extra evidence, but in the long run he probably did her a favor. She could have fallen very too far, but Ezra's cunning plan to expose her gave Aria just enough evidence to question him as well as for Spencer's friends and family to get her the help she needs. Phooey on you Ezra!
What did you think about Aria putting the pieces together on her own without the need for Spencer's input?
Teresa: It made sense. Aria's probably one of the more reasonable liars, although she still makes bad decisions. Once the idea is planted in her head, she can't help but be curious.
Nick: It's the only way she would come to believe about EzrA. Aria has the unique position of testing the EzrA hypothesis, and so she took the chance.
Leigh: I think Aria needed someone like Spencer to tip her off to start paying closer attention. I think Aria often has her head in the clouds when it comes to Ezra.
Carissa: It was a proud moment. Aria could have just dismissed the helmet/tattoo comment, but she didn't let her love for Ezra blind her, just cloud her a little. It was enough for her to poke around. He miscalculated just how much she was willing to accept from him.
Do you believe Ezra was writing a book?
Teresa: I think Ezra knew he was going to be exposed soon, so he needed to come up with a reasonable explanation for his involvement with Alison. The book is enough of a confession that it makes him seem untrustworthy, but not dangerous. He might be writing a book, but I don't think that's the only reason he's following the girls, surveilling them, and paying people to investigate Alison's disappearance.
Nick: Like all good lies they have a grain of truth to them, so I tend to believe Ezra when he says he's writing a book. He's an English teacher, and he needs to have the passion of reading and writing to be able to do the job. Reading and grading student essays is one thing, but many English teachers I know also love to write on the side.
Leigh: I actually do believe he was. Even though it would've kind of implicated him as a bit of a pedophile. It still doesn't explain why he's terrorizing the girls. He never stopped following them, he lied to Aria about that. Ezra would make a good case for someone with split personality.
Carissa: If I was a betting woman, I'd guess he started writing that book about the time Ezra found his apartment and backed away without going through the door. He could have written it swiftly. That's also about the time he removed his new lair from the basement, carved out the book and planted it for Aria to find. It is all an elaborate plan to make him look just guilty and disgusting enough to cause doubt without tying him directly to A. FAIL!
If we look at the timelines, Ezra was with Ali when she was about 14 and Aria at 16. Do we want to see him arrested for that, at least, before the series ends?
Teresa: Ugh, I didn't even think about how young Ali was! Why would he think that was 1) okay to confess, and 2) something to write a book about? Why does this show seem to send the message that it's okay for adult men to date teenage girls as long as they're hot? Pretty Little Liars seems to have some big blinders up when it comes to statutory rape.
Nick: This is the one area about Pretty Little Liars that irks me. Most of the men that come along are much older than the liars' high school ages, but they can get away with it because the actresses' don't look like high school aged girls because they're in the mid 20s. As much as I would love to see some of the men arrested this is one of the gray areas that PLL is probably going to ignore.
Leigh: So when Ezra was with Ali he was probably what 18/19? Ali acted a lot older than her age. Yes it's def illegal, but it's not the craziest thing to imagine happening. I wouldn't be surprised if Ali was hitting on men in their 30s and 40s. She was a ho.
Carissa: No, Leigh, Ezra wasn't a freshman when he met Ali. He had to be getting his teaching certificate about that time so having graduated or nearly. He was ready to go when he met Aria, which was a year after Ali's death — and he spent time with her, so he was grossly older. I don't care how much of a ho Ali was, she was a kid, and the conversations we've seen in flashbacks showed that at least one party (was it Ali?) talked about her being too young. Yuck. Arrest him!
Pretty Little Liars Photos from “She’s Come Undone”
Should there be any chance of more Aria and Ezra in the future?
Teresa: No, but I'm sure the show will continue the "will they/won't they" game with the two. Separating the couple with circumstances and then finding ways to bring them together. They're in love, you know??
Nick: Here's the thing: we're not entirely sure what EzrA's endgame is, or if he's the final person in the A-chain. Right now, there's a lot of very understandable mistrust and shock from Aria's point of view, and she had every right to break things off with Ezra. So to answer the question, right now there's zero chance of Aria getting back together with Ezra, but if and when she learns more about his situation, there's a chance they might get back together.
Leigh: Ugh. Well I thought he was A. Now I think he's just on the A-Team. If they pull a Toby and make Ezra good and have a fakeout, I'll be PISSED. I think he signed on for Pretty Little Liars Season 5 so we'll be seeing him!
Carissa: I still think he's either a twin or A. I trust him less after the declarations and fake novel crap than I did believing him to be 100% evil. He's so manipulative that I wouldn't be surprised if he was a frakking terrorist at this point. The guy is a nutter. Aria needs to move on and really ruffle his feathers with a lot of PDA with an age appropriate boyfriend in school. A hot, age appropriate boyfriend.