5.23 - "The Melody Lingers On"
Directed by Roger Kumble
Written by Joseph Dougherty
Reviewed by Gavin Hetherington
Season Guide
Season 5 Episode GuideClick 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)
Season 6 Episode GuideClick 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)
Spencer finds out Alison was talking to somebody through personal ads. Jonny builds a whispering machine in The Brew. Tanner and Toby run into Hanna at the storage unit, leading Hanna to worry about Caleb. Jason sleeps with Ashley before Ted proposes to her. Aria and Andrew kiss, while Melissa tells Spencer that Alison had a plea bargain to name an accomplice and the Hastings were worried they'd name Spencer. Hanna is arrested when Tanner finds the clothes Mona wore the day she died - the same clothes A planted Hanna's blood on. Alison doesn't take the plea to name Hanna.
'The Melody Lingers On' Review
Episode Awards
Prettiest Little Liar: Spencer Hastings. The Liars didn't do an awful lot in this episode but Spencer did the most.
Most Macho Male: Caleb Rivers. Literally the last decent guy on this show (Him and Ted anyway).
Biggest Asshole: The lawyer who was against Alison. What a dick.
Favourite Episode Pairing: Hanna and Caleb, even if it was just for a brief moment.
Best Line: Veronica: "We're not talking about ethics." Spencer: "That's for sure." Burn.
Best Moment: Spencer, Aria and Emily going inside Mona's house.
Saddest Moment: Ashley telling Ted he can leave.
Creepiest Moment: The music playing through the whispering machine.
Biggest Question Mark Award: The message Spencer and the girls found in Mona's mirror.
Biggest Reveal: Not to us, but the exposure of the Jason and Ashley affair in the courtroom was a pretty good reveal to the characters.
Best Cat Fight: Spencer vs. Veronica Hastings. Two episodes in a row now Spencer has argued with a family member, and can we really blame her?
A's Mysteries
I'm Gonna Swing From the Chandelier!
So, the crazy ramblings on the piece of paper in Mona's mirror could actually be an anagram for Charles DiLaurentis. Look at them, they all spell that when you mix the words around. This may be a crazy theory (aren't all theories) but maybe this Charles DiLaurentis is A - and the writers are going the book route with the twin idea, but maybe the twin on the show will be a boy? So A is Alison's twin brother Charles?
What's Your Game Andrew?
Too obvious to be a bad guy at this point like countless red herrings we've had in the past, or is that what the writers want us to think? He trash-talked Mona while lurking outside her house not long after it was ransacked by A, who left a icepick at her home that has the Ice Cream Factory's name on it.
Honey, Boo Boo's Ice Cream, Child!
So, if Andrew planted the icepick in the house for the authorities to get their hands on, which will lead them to the Ice Cream Factory that has the girls' prints all over them, then there's no denying Andrew is working against the girls. It's possible it's just a coincidence he happened to be watching the house, but haven't we learned by now that there are no coincidents in Pretty Little Liars?
What did you guys think of 'The Melody Lingers On'? Let me know in the comments and be sure to watch the penultimate episode of Pretty Little Liars' fifth season on March 17th on ABC Family!
I thought this episode was oretty boring, expected more than that message from Mona´s house and probably the best scene was Alison and Hanna in jail where they advanced a little bit the plot. And I totally agree with u about Hanna´s blood on Mona´s shirt, I mean, can´t they run tests to see that the blood was implanted after? I hope the last 2 episodes are way more exciting than these last 2. I´m getting suspicious of Andrew, but I don´t think he´s A, bc they wouldn´t show us Andrew watching Mona´s house and all that, but he may be part of the A team as u said.
ReplyDeleteIf Alison does have a twin brother, maybe it's Andrew and his real name is Charles? Episode was alright, I was annoyed that they cut off the court stuff so soon but I guess when they have 25 episodes in a season, things tend to get stretched out.
ReplyDeleteWell, I liked the episode. Which is pretty strange considering not much actually happened, but for some reason it ...moved me?! Maybe it's because I cried during the Hanna - Ashley scene... boo hoo, it really made me emotional. I also liked Jason. Poor Jason, really regrets breaking Ali's alibi now and being the reason his changed testimony loses credibility because he slept with Ashley... Brave Ashley "You can leave Ted, it's all right" (boo hoo again)... enter heroic music and the three girls climb the stairs and go into Mona's room to find that anagram (is there really a Charles Di Laurentis or just a chandelier's ritual, and if so how long before the girls realize that?) This epi really got to me .. It really did... P.S.1 Could Andrew be Alison's brother or is it too obvious? P.S.2 Caleb is the best, he and Hanna are so good together..
ReplyDeleteOooh that's a good theory. They do kinda look alike. Yeah, they have do have to have a season-long plan and unfortunately 25 episodes is a lot to fill. 2 episodes to go though! Thanks for reading and commenting :)
ReplyDeleteThing is, they CAN run tests and they'd know straight away. I mean, when they discovered it was Hanna's blood, surely they would have discovered how long that blood was on the shirt for and see that it wouldn't match Mona's time of death, at all. Promo for the next episode looks like things are heating up again so I think the last 2 will be very good!
ReplyDeleteYes! You're so right, we have to care about who is A, totally. I wasn't fussed with Shana because I never really liked her character anyway, whereas yeah, Mona and Toby and Ezra (though they weren't team A it was still a shock moment when we thought they were) we care about. The sooner we find out, the sooner we can move on with our lives because the guessing and the waiting for answers is totally taking over my life! Thanks for reading and commenting :)
You're right, I definitely see where you're coming from about being moved. I totally get that and I got that feeling too. I don't think this episode was filler though, while it was a little boring to me, it was pretty vital in moving forward so I like the episode for that. Poor Jason, and poor Ashley. I really want Ted and Ashley to be endgame. Notice how Ted was there for Hanna instead of Hanna's actual father who is a dick? He gets the Worst Parent Award.
ReplyDeleteAndrew could definitely be Alison's brother as they do kinda look alike. Could be twins since they're both in the same year at school and be the Charles in the anagrams. And yes haha Caleb and Hanna are totally the best couple, they've stood the test of time and are still going strong. Long Live Haleb!
Thanks for reading and commenting :)
Exactly!!!! Thanks for bringing that up. That is a major point! Where was Hanna's father??? He is a total dick! He definitely has his priorities mixed up. Yes you are divorced but she is your daughter and she needs you now. This was so wrong! So, yes can Ted and Ashley be endgame please show?
ReplyDeleteYou know what those sweet Haleb scenes reminded me? In 4x14 when they say goodbye and he leaves Rosewood they have this big fight on the door of her house and later she is waiting for him outside his car because "she doesn't want their fight to be the last memory" so she gives him his coffee and they say goodbye. The way they write them, emphasizing that deep care they have for one another that goes above everything, it' s what makes them so special
I liked the theory on reddit that Charles could actually be Alison's child.
ReplyDeleteShe was late the summer she met Beach Hottie and Board Shorts (one of which was Ezra). She also told Cece that if 'He' found out then he would kill her. 'He' most likely being 'A'. Thus when it was confirmed that she was pregnant, Alison went into hiding to protect herself and the baby (which she must have had and named Charles).
'A' eventually found out and went after the liars to flush Alison out. Now 'A' wants to torture them so Alison will talk and reveal where Charles is (probably France somewhere due to all the french references in the show). The whole dollhouse concept in the season final sounds like it'll have a lot of baby references which could hint at the theory (baby blocks that spell Charles for example).
Mona suggested previously that it was a false alarm based on Alison's diary, however Alison could have been lying in her diaries.
The liars previously suspected that Beach Hottie was Detective Wilden after finding an image Melissa took however it was never confirmed. We know she spent time with Wilden, Cece and Melissa during the summer she had her pregnancy scare (she also spent time with Ezra in secret during that summer). However what if there was another and he was Beach Hottie? What if Wren was there (either dating Melissa or when he first met Melissa) and he just wasn't in the the image the liars found?
Team Tashley. Haha that sounds funny actually.
ReplyDeleteOh my God yes! I almost forgot but with you mentioning them, I remember Haleb in that episode perfectly. Amazing. Reminds me of that now too. The writers haven't messed up this couple which is amazing, they continue to deliver great Haleb scenes and Caleb continues to be a major asset to Team Liars. They are definitely special :)
Oooh that is a great theory. I never would have thought Charles to be Alison's son but it makes sense with how you explained it there. Wren totally could have been there. Could he be the father since Charles is a common British name?
ReplyDeleteYeah I think Wren is the father and he wants Alison to talk. But Alison's smarter then she lets on, if he went after her then she wouldn't talk.
ReplyDeleteHe believes however that her friends (the liars) are her weak link. So Alison is now in a box (jail) where she can't help them. And Wren is going to torture them in his own twisted way until she talks.
That is so cool, I actually really want to see this happen even though I'd now see it coming. It makes sense and I think it would be so interesting to watch unfold on screen. Love it!
ReplyDeleteAnd there is this theory about Ezra's book timeline that shows pictures where we can see he wrote Aria spent three years in Iceland after Alison disappearance - that would make finally perfect since with her possible child storyline.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, love your reviews :)
ReplyDeleteOMG how do u people come up with those theories? :P
ReplyDeleteI never would have come up with any of this myself haha.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a good theory too! Ahh, I'm loving these, I need to get out more in the PLL community. Somebody has probably already guessed all the answers.
ReplyDeleteI suggest looking into the PLL subreddit:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.reddit.com/r/PrettyLittleLiars/
Some of my favorite discussions and theories come from there.
Thanks so much for that, gonna have fun with that!
ReplyDeleteThe card is actually an anagram for "Nerd Lucas is a Liar"
ReplyDeleteOh my God, my mind is blown haha thanks for sharing that, that makes so much sense too!
ReplyDelete