7.17 - "DRIVING MISS CRAZY"
Directed by Oliver Goldstick
Written by Oliver Goldstick and Francesca Rollins
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)
'DRIVING MISS CRAZY' REVIEW
Ever wondered what a musical episode would be like for
Pretty Little Liars? We scored a teensy little taste of that possibility in the latest episode of Freeform's hit show. I'll throw my hands up and say I enjoyed it, as strange as it was, I enjoyed every second of it. That's perhaps not the only weird thing to happen in this episode, which would be how I would describe 'Driving Miss Crazy'. I mean, whoever thought we would also see Mona and Emily as a couple (albeit not real but still perfectly executed by Mona), as well as a couple of twists at the end that have made me freeze and go 'hold on a minute, what fresh hell is this?' But, the journey to the finish line remains a bumpy one, but it's a journey I am so glad to be on.
I can really see the black hole Aria is falling into; it's becoming more apparent with each passing episode. The fact that her musical dream was also black and white proves just that. She's deteriorating, and I'm surprised the others haven't clicked on yet - her distance from them is so obvious. It appears Mona took note of that, the only one who seems to know what to do (will get to that later). What this episode does well is put into perspective Aria's decisions to betray her friends - I'll never fully understand it, but this sheds more light on it. Her situation feels more desperate so I can understand it better. I can imagine she would never want Ezra to find out what she said about him, but I think he would understand too, especially since he still feels regret over what he did to the girls. A few may think the musical touch was out of place - I didn't think so. It felt relevant to me and it highlights Aria's deepest fears; Ezra in jail being beat up, and possibly having to get married there. Yes, the scene is totally extra when it doesn't have to be with Mona's 'Jailhouse Rock' cover, but I loved it. Veronica stole the show, of course, with that incredible line. Also, I was expecting Aria to be caught when she put the puzzle piece in place - but it seems like her exposure will be in the next episode...
Poor Spence. A lot of things happened in this episode that I was waiting for - a nasty confrontation with Peter, and a heartfelt confrontation with Mary Drake. Aria's tampering with the Hastings family by planting that mobile phone and playing the audio recording perhaps seals Aria's exclusion from the group. I, for one, am glad she did it as it A) Created drama and B) forced Peter to at least attempt to be honest. There are 3 scenes I loved with Spencer too. One of them was when Furey caught up to her and she handled him like a boss. Oh how the tables have turned since her situation appeared desperate in the previous episode, and now she's cool af. Second one was her scene with Veronica when Veronica announces that she's forfeiting her senate seat. Honestly, I feel bad for the woman, she's caught up in so much and it broke my heart when she said 'I guess dreams are meant to be just that - dreams'. Finally, I was so happy to have the reunion with Mary Drake. I thought we would never get it, but fortunately it happened. I couldn't help but sympathise with her, and for a moment I was thinking maybe it would be best for Spencer to leave with her. But Spencer proves that she's a great character as she tells her that her friends need her, little does she know one of her friends caused her family so much pain just hours before.
It is so fantastic to have Ashley back - as limited as her role was in this. I would have enjoyed Caleb spilling the beans to her, just to at least see how one of the parents would react. However, we did get something far greater, and that was a truly sweet proposal. I originally thought Ashley didn't like him in this episode and that she had some suspicions about him, especially whilst probing him intensely, but then when Caleb confessed he didn't want to spend life without Hanna, that's when it became moment of the episode. I am really happy for these two (though I'm still heartbroken for Spencer), and they couldn't have had a sweeter engagement. Was that cigar wraps that they used as makeshift rings? Either way, so adorable! I also like how they handled Furey; they can work so well together. Another great thing about Hanna this episode is what she said about Mona when the other girls didn't seem to want her in on it - 'She's brilliant - she knows the answer before you even ask the question.' I even love Mona's reply, 'Well the question is why you waited so long to ask and for that I have no answer.' I hope that Hanna's trust is not misplaced...
In every scene that Emily was in, Mona dominated it. I do like Emily but she is so overshadowed by Mona, who takes the initiative in the pursuit for answers. She basically embodied everything Emily should have been considering she's the main character and not Mona. I mean, Mona's idea to go to the guy who did the fertility treatment on Alison was something Emily should have thought of, and I loved that Mona already had a plan of them going in together as a couple seeking his help. That was a touch of genius. Even more so that she stole the magazine with his mailing address on it - hello, can you get any more productive? Take some tips Emily, this is why Mona would be an A and not a victim. However, I genuinely hope she is not an A, or affiliated with A.D. in any way. The end scene, with Mona in her apartment and all of the board game information on the wall and the shovels Hanna was looking for - red flags are going off. But - it could just be Mona's way of helping the girls, despite how intense it is. Remember, she did say it's addictive when pursuing something like this, and she's just gone a little OTT in her way to help the girls. To be fair, the girls REALLY do need her, and they should have had a similar sort of set-up the day the board game arrived. Mona, I salute you.
EPISODE VERDICT
I loved this episode mainly for Mona, not going to lie. Other than that little scene-stealer, I adored the scenes of Spencer with her family, and Aria and the musical number. Desperate times call for desperate measures and I feel the show is getting more intense as we now only have 3 episodes left. There were some super sweet scenes to sweeten the episode, such as Hanna and Caleb's engagement, so there was some light relief there too. No matter what people say, I have enjoyed 7B so far and I continue to enjoy it now. This was a very good episode.
EPISODE AWARDS
Prettiest Little Liar: Mona Vanderwaal.
Boyfriend Material: Caleb Rivers.
Biggest Asshole: Peter Hastings.
Most Sympathetic Character: Mary Drake / Veronica Hastings
Favourite Episode Pairing: Spencer and Mary
Runners-up: Hanna and Caleb, Mona and Emily
Best Line:
Caleb: 'I would have spent the next fifty years of my life kicking myself for losing the best thing that's ever happened to me. I can't imagine my life without Hanna. I don't want to.'
Ashley: 'What are you saying?'
Caleb: 'I wanna marry your daughter, Mrs. Marin.'
Funniest Line:
Aria: 'Mrs. Hastings. I am so sorry. Please forgive me.'
Veronica: 'Forgive you? Oh honey, you're just a selfish little bitch. I wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire.'
Best Moment: Caleb and Hanna's tent scene.
Saddest Moment: Spencer telling Mary Drake that she can't leave with her.
Creepiest Moment: Mona's apartment.
Shadiest Moment: Aria planting the phone in Spencer's house.
Funniest Moment: The musical number where Veronica calls Aria out.
Damned Disappointment: If Mona turns out to be evil, I'll throw stuff.
Biggest Question Mark Award: Is Mona evil?
Biggest ReveAl: MONA!
What did you think of the episode? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and make sure you tune into the next episode, airing June 13 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.
