7.12 - "THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR STALKING"
Directed by Ron Lagomarsino
Written by Oliver Goldstick
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
SEASON GUIDE
Click on an episode title to be taken to the review of the episode. Episodes 1-13 were reviewed by Jasmine Alyce.
5.01 - "
EscApe From New York" (June 10, 2014)
5.02 - "
Whirly Girlie" (June 17, 2014)
5.03 - "
Surfing the Aftershocks" (June 24, 2014)
5.04 - "
Thrown From the Ride" (July 1, 2014)
5.05 - "
Miss Me x 100" (July 8, 2014)
5.06 - "
Run, Ali, Run" (July 15, 2014)
5.07 - "
The Silence of E. Lamb" (July 22, 2014)
5.08 - "
Scream For Me" (July 29, 2014)
5.09 - "
March of Crimes" (August 5, 2014)
5.10 - "
A Dark Ali" (August 12, 2014)
5.11 - "
No One Here Can Love or Understand Me" (August 19, 2014)
5.12 - "
Taking This One to the Grave" (August 26, 2014)
5.13 - "
How the 'A' Stole Christmas" (December 9, 2014)
5.14 - "
Through a Glass, Darkly" (January 6, 2015)
5.15 - "
Fresh Meat" (January 13, 2015)
5.16 - "
Over a Barrel" (January 20, 2015)
5.17 - "
The Bin of Sin" (January 27, 2015)
5.18 - "
Oh, What Hard Luck Stories They All Hand Me" (February 3, 2015)
5.19 - "
Out, Damned Spot" (February 10, 2015)
5.20 - "
Pretty Isn't the Point" (February 17, 2015)
5.21 - "
Bloody Hell" (February 24, 2015)
5.22 - "
To Plea or Not to Plea" (March 3, 2015)
5.23 - "
The Melody Lingers On" (March 10, 2015)
5.24 - "
I'm a Good Girl, I Am" (March 17, 2015)
5.25 - "
Welcome to the Dollhouse" (March 24, 2015)
Click on a title to be taken to the review for that episode. Episodes 6-8 were reviewed by Kate Sidwell.
6.01 - "
Game On, Charles" (June 2, 2015)
6.02 - "
Songs of Innocence" (June 9, 2015)
6.03 - "
Songs of Experience" (June 16, 2015)
6.04 - "
Don't Look Now" (June 23, 2015)
6.05 - "
She's No Angel" (June 30, 2015)
6.06 - "
No Stone Unturned" (July 14, 2015)
6.07 - "
O Brother, Where Art Thou" (July 21, 2015)
6.08 - "
FrAmed" (July 28, 2015)
6.09 - "
Last Dance" (August 4, 2015)
6.10 - "
Game Over, Charles" (August 11, 2015)
6.11 - "
Of Late I Think of Rosewood" (January 12, 2016)
6.12 - "
Charlotte's Web" (January 19, 2016)
6.13 - "
The Gloves Are On" (January 26, 2016)
6.14 - "
New Guys, New Lies" (February 2, 2016)
6.15 - "
Do Not Disturb" (February 9, 2016)
6.16 - "
Where Somebody Waits For Me" (February 16, 2016)
6.17 - "
We've All Got Baggage" (February 23, 2016)
6.18 - "
Burn This" (March 1, 2016)
6.19 - "
Did You Miss Me?" (March 8, 2016)
6.20 - "
Hush... Hush, Sweet Liars" (March 15, 2016)
Click on an episode title to be taken to that review. Episodes 2-3 were reviewed by Kate Sidwell.
7.01 - "
Tick-Tock, Bitches" (June 21, 2016)
7.02 - "
Bedlam" (June 28, 2016)
7.03 - "
The Talented Mr. Rollins" (July 5, 2016)
7.04 - "
Hit and Run, Run, Run" (July 12, 2016)
7.05 - "
Along Comes Mary" (July 19, 2016)
7.06 - "
Wanted: Dead or Alive" (August 2, 2016)
7.07 - "
Original G'A'ngsters" (August 9, 2016)
7.08 - "
Exes and OMGs" (August 16, 2016)
7.09 - "
The Wrath of Kahn" (August 23, 2016)
7.10 - "
The DArkest Knight" (August 30, 2016)
7.11 - "
Playtime" (April 18, 2017)
7.12 - "
These Boots Were Made For Stalking" (April 25, 2017)
7.13 - "
Hold Your Piece" (May 2, 2017)
7.14 - "
Power Play" (May 9, 2017)
7.15 - "
In the Eye Abides the Heart" (May 23, 2017)
7.16 - "
The Glove That Rocks the Cradle" (May 30, 2017)
7.17 - "
Driving Miss Crazy" (June 6, 2017)
7.18 - "
Choose or Lose" (June 13, 2017)
7.19 - "
Farewell, My Lovely" (June 20, 2017)
7.20 - "
Till DeAth Do Us PArt" (June 27, 2017)
'THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR STALKING' REVIEW
The game continues in the second half of the final season of
Pretty Little Liars. Liars' Lament looks like it is going to be the one to rule them all as more of the liars fall victim to the allure of the board game. I don't blame them, and unlike Clay in
13 Reasons Why (who took his sweet time to play the darn tapes), I would have played this game the first night. I found this episode to be a little slow at times but generally on par with a standard episode of the show - not a big deal but it had enough to keep me interested all the way through. I mean, Emily finally had some meat to work with and for once I'm excited to talk about her storyline. Mona appears to be getting more screen time than we've been used to lately which is beautiful. And Jenna has come out of hiding, which was quicker than I was expecting.
I'll show Emily some love first this week and just say how much more I enjoyed her this episode. It started off rocky, not gonna lie, when she stormed out of the barn and insisted she would not be part of it. Haven't we heard all this before, Em? But then her story with Addison kicks in and I live for it. I like that she had a rival in a schoolgirl for the fact that the little brat reminded me of Alison. I mean, the rhyming also helps. What a little bitch she was. The accusations got a little intense and it wasn't what I was expecting at first, but it played out well. It meant Emily got to play the game - something she insisted she was not doing at the start of the episode. Just shows how desperate these Liars can be. I love that it gives the girls what they want, but we all know it comes at a price. Loved the scene it led to in the locker room with Emily confronting Addison. At first I thought it might have been a poor move (and Emily could have went about it smarter), but it meant she got to put the little twerp in her place and I enjoyed every minute of that.
I'm glad Veronica is still around so the Hastings family drama is not being brushed under the rug. All we need is Peter to hurry up so we can have that big intense parental talk that we need. I cannot stress how much I love every scene Spencer is in, she just makes everything so relevant. My heart continues to break for Veronica, despite her having kept that huge secret for so long, her love for her daughter really shows. I hope Spencer comes around soon. I thought maybe the speech about the house being a home to Veronica would have done the trick, but evidently not. And sue me, but I like Spencer and Fury. Their scenes always interest me too and it led to a pretty quick return for Jenna, which was a little shocking to me as I thought she'd hide a little longer.
Regarding what Jenna discussed in Fury's office, do we believe her being another Noel victim? Absolutely not. Is there more to it? Absolutely. I enjoyed Jenna walking back into the lives of the Liars at that dramatic moment with Spencer. I would have also called her out on her bull if I could have - she is a good actress after all. Absolutely adored when Mona confronts her about Hanna's design, as it really did highlight what a badass Mona is (and how much she lightens up Hanna's life, not gonna lie). Caleb also confronting her was pretty good too. It really shows how many people are in Hanna's corner. I hope Jenna sticks around for a few more episodes so we can really crack what is going on under those glasses. With Sydney coming back next week, maybe we will find out...
Hanna had a bit of a scary moment this week. We start as usual with her aspirations of being a designer, and the absolute awesomeness that is her exchange with Mona. Not very exciting just yet, even with Jenna seemingly taking her designs somehow. It isn't until she goes to the shoe repair guy that things turn up a little bit (and even then, not by much). So she gets locked in and the equipment turns on, which is indeed a scary moment. What I did like was that she was having flashbacks still of her kidnapping, and even when Caleb came to save her, she was still sitting on the floor, absolutely frozen in terror. The girl needs therapy. The text from A.D. also added a little flame, but still, I wasn't that taken by Hanna's story this week. Or Aria's...
I do like Holden, but surely they could have given Aria something else instead of making her spend time with another guy. It's the same old, right? Whenever Ezra isn't in the picture for the moment, Aria is spending time with a different guy? This close to the end and I am holding out hope that this changes, stat. I liked the reporter business at the start, but that was it until nearer the end when Aria sees the article, then goes to see Nicole. How sweet of Holden to follow her (or is it), and stop her from seeing her. The little moment at the end in the pizzeria was cute, but unfortunately too inappropriate considering Aria's track record. I need some Nicole now, she's been a phantom for too long now and they've been beating round the bush. Resolve this, soon!
EPISODE VERDICT
I like the game and it's providing the show with its final injection of life, but pretty much everything else around it is not as interesting. I still enjoy the Hastings family drama, though, and I hope Peter comes home soon otherwise next week will end up getting too tedious for Spencer's story. I especially enjoyed Emily's story, whom I am typically bored by, she really came out this week. Hanna is getting too same old, and Aria is getting more redundant by the episode - bring on Nicole so we get more drama with her please! All in all, it was a fine episode, but with only 8 episodes to go, we need more than fine.
EPISODE AWARDS
Prettiest Little Liar: Emily - I enjoyed her story this week.
Boyfriend Material: Holden.
Biggest Asshole: Addison, no question.
Most Sympathetic Character: Hanna - getting those flashbacks.
Favourite Episode Pairing: Aria and Holden.
Best Line: All of Veronica's speech about what makes a house a home to her.
Funniest Line:
Mona: 'Tell me you don't wanna lick this."
Best Moment: Emily telling off that little brat.
Saddest Moment: Veronica's speech of the home.
Creepiest Moment: Hanna being trapped and the equipment turning on.
Shadiest Moment: Addison being a little sneak.
Funniest Moment: Can't think of one.
Damned Disappointment: Still no sign of Mary Drake.
Biggest Question Mark Award: What is the importance of the jigsaw pieces?
Biggest ReveAl: Not really any reveals this week.
What did you think of last night's episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and make sure you tune into the next episode, airing May 2 on Freeform!
About the Author - Gavin Hetherington
SpoilerTV Senior Staff Writer and award-winning author of the 'Abyssal Sanctuary' series. Gavin joined SpoilerTV in August 2014 and, as of 2016-17, reviews Pretty Little Liars and Salem. Previously, he reviewed 2 Broke Girls, Devious Maids, Mistresses and Sleepy Hollow. Gavin also writes special anniversary articles, most recently for Charmed and Desperate Housewives. You can contact him at gavin@spoilertv.com.
