Know Your Frenemies

Know Your Frenemies is the 13th episode in the series. This episode aired on January 17th, 2011.

Synopsis
Spencer sneaks downstairs while Melissa and Ian whisper ominously about something (not audible). A stair creaks, and she runs back upstairs, while Melissa investigates to see if anyone is listening. Ian insists that no one could have heard them, but they look concerned. Spencer sneaks back into her room to find a message from "A" wondering if Ian got married for love or for an alibi.

The next morning, Spencer sneaks downstairs again. She attempts to make some coffee, but of course Ian appears. He asks if they woke her up last night, but she lies that she didn't even know they were back. He mentions that he and Melissa will be moving out and claims that he and Spencer are now family and she has to start looking at him like that. Spencer then spots a resort tag from Hilton Head attached to Ian's luggage and starts quizzing him about his visit. He claims it was a while back. The tag is from the same country club that Alison had visited while supposedly visiting her grandmother the weekend of her disappearance. In a flashback, we see Spencer had always doubted the veracity of Ali's story about going to the country club with her grandmother, since it was in South Carolina, and her grandmother lived in Georgia.

At the Montgomery's place, Aria's dad has made breakfast for Aria and her brother, then reveals that their mother is dating other people. Mike does not take the news well.

Meanwhile, Spencer calls up Hilton Head to try to get some info about Ian. She tells Emily about her suspicions that Alison was with Ian right before she died. Emily is skeptical about what motivations Ian would have to kill Alison. The subject changes to Toby, who Spencer still does not trust completely and accuses him of being a liar. However, Emily forces Spencer to acknowledge the fact that Alison, Toby, the girls, and practically everyone else on this show lie like crazy. Just then Agent Cooper passes by and bids them good morning. She informs the girls that there's a solid case against Toby, so if they don't need her for anything else, she's planning her leave. Spencer then finds out that Ian was at Hilton Head the same weekend as Alison.

As Ashley drops Hanna off at school, sans cast, Hanna brings up her guilt over losing the money. Her mom says she already paid off their debt, but now she can't invest the rest to earn enough to pay it all back. Then her mom insists that "it's only a felony if they find out."

Over at school, the girls continue to suspect Noel, who chats up Mike to Aria's surprise. Maya comes over, and she and Emily discuss their plans for studying later, despite Pam. The rest of the girls giggle their approval, supporting of Emily's newly gay status.

Noel continues to attempt to blackmail Mr. Fitz into giving him an A. Ezra refuses until another student comes in, and Noel makes an ominous remark about Aria liking older guys.

Meanwhile, Hanna finds a note attached to a Benjamin Franklin in her locker, telling her to pick up an order for "Hefty Hanna" from Lucky Leons on Main Street. Hanna quickly hides the money when Aria appears, then lies about having physical therapy in order to avoid getting coffee with Aria after school. Emily heads over with the news that Toby is back at school. Toby gathers his books from his locker, on which someone has scrawled "KILLER," and is escorted through school by security and/or police. Everyone gives him weird looks and one student calls him a murderer to his face.

Hanna has flashbacks to her heavier days while "A" forces her to eat a half-dozen cupcakes, cruelly decorated like piglets, in public to earn back more of her mom's stolen money; she recalls the time Alison gave her advice to purge after binges to drop the pounds. She eats, as jocks from school, including Noel, look on and taunt her. Hanna sees this as proof of Noel's identity as "A."

At the Fields' home, Emily and Maya are giggling in her room when her judgmental Mom sees their bare legs through the partially open door. She busts in, scandalized, as if they were doing much more than just studying. Maya senses she should go and heads out, while Emily tells her mother that she is ashamed to be her daughter.

After Hanna finishes the cupcakes, she receives a text from "A" presumably taunting her to purge the cupcakes. Just then, Aria spots her and comes over, capably getting rid of the athletes, who are still oinking at her. Aria asks Hanna why she lied about physical therapy, and Hanna confesses about the bulimia. Hanna goes to the bathroom, but not to take "A" up on the second part of her dare; instead, she goes to wash her face and reaches for the paper towels. The first one reads "Oink, Oink Hanna," followed by a few hundred dollar bills, also courtesy of "A."

It seems Maya left her bookbag at Emily's place, which Pam discovers. She invades Maya's privacy and finds drugs hidden in a breath mints tin. She calls her parents who have Maya sent off to a juvie camp, putting great distance between her and Emily.

Meanwhile, Spencer is out for a run when she sees Toby across the street and crouches down next to a car to watch the townsfolk be mean and judge him. After some little kids run away from him, truly frightened, he runs into an alley to cry, and Spencer seems to pity him for once.

Aria grows increasingly suspicious of Mike's burgeoning friendship with Noel, especially when Mike tells Byron and Aria at the dinner table, rather unwittingly, that Noel has been spreading a rumor about Mr. Fitz being with one of his students. Byron reacts scoldingly, knowing all too well how an illicit relationship with a student can permanently ruin one's teaching career. Mike assures him it's true. Noel saw them and would be telling the principal tomorrow. Aria, flustered, makes up some excuse about studying with Spencer and runs out to her car. Of course, she ends up at Ezra's, where he tells her that the lying and sneaking around is over. Apparently their relationship is the "most real and honest thing" in his life. Ezra has decided to resign and leave Rosewood so that Noel has no reason to tell on them. Apparently Noel has made him feel like what he's doing is wrong, and he doesn't want to feel like that. Aria tells him she loves him, and they kiss passionately.

Spencer, meanwhile, actually is studying like Aria said they would. She gets distracted by Ian's boxes and starts to open one when Melissa gets home, and she has to dive back to her books and look nonchalant. Melissa drops something, and Spencer picks it up to discover an ovulation kit. Melissa asks if Spencer can keep a secret from their parents, then says she's trying to get pregnant. In her shock, Spencer hilariously asks, "With IAN?!" Melissa rolls her eyes. Spencer wants to know what the rush is, since Melissa has always been career-driven and has never mentioned babies before. Melissa then says, "I don't feel like I need to be the best and the first anymore. All those things that used to matter just... don't seem that important." Spencer is concerned that her super-driven sister has been married for all of three days and has done a complete 180 personality-wise. Ian walks in surprised that Melissa has revealed their secret to Spencer. Melissa insists that Spencer can keep a secret, and Ian gives her a pointed look and says he knows she can.

At home, Hanna tries to sneak her hard-earned cash back into the lasagna box, but her mom walks in and busts her. Hanna claims that she found it in the bathroom at the cupcake place, and mom is skeptical, but not going to complain about the influx of cash. Hanna's mom also refuses to reveal how she can tell when Hanna is lying, so Hanna stands in front of the mirror and declares she is a virgin, then says she isn't a virgin, hoping to catch the difference in her demeanor.

Aria calls her father to lie that she's sleeping over at Spencer's. She and Ezra cuddle by candlelight, instead, hoping it's not the last night they can be together.

Spencer has already spilled the beans about Melissa's impending pregnancy to Hanna. Spencer voices her suspicion about Melissa sudden decision for children. Emily comes over and reveals that Maya is being shipped off to juvie camp for three months because of the joint Pam found.

Ezra is getting ready to resign when security breaks into Noel's locker and finds stolen exam answers. Mr. Fitz and all four girls witness this, and then the girls get a text from A, basically taking credit for the bust.

The girls are at Spencer's house, and Aria is all smiles because A saved her relationship. Hanna reminds Aria that A also tried to run her down, but as long as Ezra gets to stay in town, she's happy. Melissa comes in and makes some pleasantries with the girls, which ends in her telling the girls that she doesn't have to worry about Ian looking at other women. Then, the girls surprise Emily by sneaking her away for one last, romantic night between the two in Spencer‘s room – with lit candles and plenty of privacy.

The rest of the girls go through Ian's boxes downstairs while Emily and Maya have a bittersweet farewell dance upstairs. The girls downstairs accomplish nothing. Maya thanks them and hugs everyone goodbye while someone watches from the window. After she's gone, Emily thanks them and Hanna mentions another girl who went where Maya is heading for huffing spray paint and came back as a drummer in a gospel band.

They then receive a shocking video (no doubt from "A") about the night Alison disappeared. It is the same footage that Officer Cooper had shown them, but there's extra in this video: seconds of footage center on a smiling Ian. Then the camera angle shifts, and we hear signs of struggling. Alison's hand comes into the view of the lens, groping the leaves on the ground, as she seems to have fallen, until the hand stops moving and goes limp. The girls scream as they see this and hear a noise outside. Whoever it is runs through the woods, and the girls try to chase the stalker, but it's gone by the time they're outside.

Continuity

 * Although Hanna was in a wheelchair the previous episode, there are no signs of injury or even limping, when she appears in this episode. It is mentioned that her cast just came off. This, combined with the fact Pam said Wayne would be leaving at the "end of the month" and is now gone, indicates a time jump between episodes 12 and 13.

Main Cast
Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery

Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin

Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields

Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings

Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis

Guest Stars
Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh

Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz

Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain

Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn

Torrey DeVitto as Melissa Hastings

Ryan Merriman as Ian Thomas Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin Nia Peeples as Pam Fields

Featured Music

 * "Wonder-Dummied" by Brooke Waggoner (Ezra packs up his things to leave Rosewood High)
 * "Plans" by Hayley Taylor (when Hanna has a flashback while eating the cupcakes)
 * "Brittle Winter" by Gemma Hayes (when Spencer sees Toby crying in an alley)
 * "Go Easy Little Doves, I'll Be Fine" by Brooke Waggoner (the girls find something surprising in Ian's stuff)

Messages from "A"
(email to Spencer) Married for Love or an Alibi? - A

(text to all 4 girls) A is for Alison, not Amateur

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