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Pretty Little Liars Review: “Cat’s Cradle” (Season 4, Episode 3)

Pretty Little Liars is doing what it does best and is keeping us guessing all the way to the end in its usual frustrating fashion. Just when you think you have 'A' figured out, she throws you a curve ball from somewhere out in left field - and she isn't concerned about the consequences either.

Pretty Little Liars

Pretty Little Liars

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Pretty Little Liars is doing what it does best and is keeping us guessing all the way to the end in its usual frustrating fashion. Just when you think you have ‘A’ figured out, she throws you a curve ball from somewhere out in left field – and she isn’t concerned about the consequences either.

‘A’ has set her sights on an older crowd these days and seems bent on showing the Liars just how much control “she” has over their lives. We’ve seen her target the parental units before, so it’s no surprise she would go there, but she’s taking it to a new level now. Is ‘A’ conspiring to remove all the Liar’s parents? Because if so, her plan seems to be working.

This isn’t the first time Hannah’s (Ashley Benson) mom has been an easy target for ‘A’ given her propensity for committing less than honorable acts. She took her time toying with Hannah the last time around, and this time doesn’t seem that much different – a little grittier, but more of the same. At least we knew going into it that she had actually stolen the cash from the safety deposit box. In round two we’re just as lost as the Liars about whether or not she killed Wilden. Fortunately, it’s not the first time things have looked obvious and turned out to be anything but.

Ashley Marin (Laura Leighton) definitely looks like the most obvious suspect in the murder of Detective Wilden (Bryce Johnson). The muddy Manolos stuffed in the laundry bag stashed under the sink, the lying about being in New York, the weird meeting with her ex-husband, and now the missing gun – all the evidence is pointing straight in her direction.

And, then there’s her lost cell phone hidden in the inside pocket of Wilden’s suit – a gift from ‘A’ – left inside his coffin for the Liars the find. Someone is sure going to a lot of trouble to make Hannah and the other Liars second guess themselves, and the people closest to them. First the water-logged car in the center of town, and now the pile of evidence mounting against Ms. Marin. Even though there were plenty of other people that would have liked to see Wilden out of the way, it’s not looking good for Hannah’s happy household.

Making matters worse is the bulletin board in the police station that Hannah stumbled upon. If she wasn’t freaking out before, she is now. Not only did all the Liars make the suspect list, but Hannah’s mother hasn’t escaped police interest. It’s official, ‘A’ has topped herself this time.

If potentially sending one parent to the slammer wasn’t enough, ‘A’ is doing double duty in destroying families this week. Emily (Shay Mitchell) is also falling victim to the same tactical approach by Rosewood’s resident mastermind. After almost being run over and doing some hearty damage to her shoulder, she may have inadvertently set herself up for something even worse – another growing list on Pretty Little Liars is the list of things to pin on Emily’s mom.

Family services is now getting involved, putting Emily’s personal life in the limelight with all of ‘A’s’ glory moments at center stage. What could setting Mrs. Field’s up to look like a child abuser accomplish? Besides wrecking her life and adding some more unnecessary stress to Emily’s load, it’s just another way that ‘A’ shows you who’s boss.

Luckily for the Liars, one parent seems to be in good standing. Aria’s (Lucy Hale) mom may be taking a much needed hiatus and heading to Austria with her new love. Things haven’t always been easy between Aria and her dad, especially since all his dirty laundry came out and her parents split – plus the crazy girlfriend antics – but it’s a great opportunity for her mom who has been on the wrong side of ‘A’ in the past. It’s also a great opportunity for Aria to take her mom out of the equation. ‘A’ has an extensive reach, but hopefully it doesn’t span continents.

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