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Pretty Little Liars Review: “Taking This One To The Grave” (Season 5, Episode 12)

Even before viewers tuned in to tonight's summer finale of Pretty Little Liars, the network promised a tragic ending to a somewhat lackluster first half of the season. They advertised this heart pounding episode as the fatale finale, and that about sums it up. After the Liars band together, siding against Alison (Sasha Pieterse) in a valiant effort to make things right and protect themselves (err, mostly the latter), they needed some reinforcement. The ideal ally is Mona (Janel Parrish), but despite her bravado, Ali is one fear she was never able to overcome - no matter how she dressed it up - even in the end.

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pretty-little-liars

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There were a number of things about this episode that were problematic. The scene where Spencer is arrested for the murder of Bethany Young was supposed to be start of series of emotionally charged moments that wrapped up the summer season. Instead, it came across more like a bunch of girls simply shouting empty promises and trying to be heard over each other.

The performances didn’t get any better when the Liars discovered that Mona was the potential victim of A, better known as Alison. For the limited time that the Liars were actually shown in the house, they came across a bit on the unintelligent side. Clearly, there was a struggle, and clearly, there were bloody hand prints on the walls. Yet, it didn’t seem to initially register with anyone in that room. And, another thing that was particularly bothersome, was the reaction of her mother – who we only just met.

It’s not realistic for every character to have an extensive side story, but considering Mona’s role in the series as a whole, it may have been appropriate to introduce her before now. Mona’s mother seemed distraught while she was standing on the sidewalk, but she in no way gave a believable performance when she reacted on cue to the news that her daughter was believed to be dead.

For a teen drama, there is an exceedingly high body count. A number of peripheral characters have been killed off over the years, but Mona marks one of the most prominent characters that viewers have watched bite the dust.

Tell us, were expecting Mona to be the one to make her exit from Pretty Little Liars, or did you suspect it would be someone else? Let us know in the comments section below! We look forward to hearing from you.