“ | This is just the first taste of my venom. Kisses. | ” |
— A
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Gamma Zeta Die! is the fifth episode of Season 4 of Pretty Little Liars. The episode aired on July 9, 2013.
Synopsis[]
Hanna wakes up from a nightmare, then goes downstairs to find her mom. She finds Ashley asleep on the porch. When she sits up, we see she's wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and her hair has been chopped off. Hanna starts screaming again and wakes up in a panic. Ashley asks what's wrong, but Hanna doesn't want to talk about it.
Spencer and Veronica talk in the Hastings kitchen. Veronica tells Spencer that Melissa is in London starting her internship, and gives her a college catalogue to look at. She says that even though Spencer didn’t get into UPenn, there are other good schools out there. She tells Spencer she hired a private admissions counselor to help improve Spencer's image and find the best fit. Spencer reluctantly agrees to meet with the counselor.
Wayne stops by Emily's room and talks with her about her college issues. Emily says that without swimming, she's just average, and colleges won't want to offer her scholarships. Wayne tells her that there's nothing average about her, and that he will do whatever he can to help her.
At school, Ella announces that colleges will be open to visits this weekend and everyone should spend their time wisely, meaning sitting in on classes and talking to faculty, not playing beer pong. When the bell rings, the girls talk about the possibility of "A" framing Hanna’s mom for the murder of Darren Wilden. On her way out, Ella tells them to hurry up to their next class and Aria notes that her mom has been acting strange lately. She wonders if "A" has moved on from Hanna’s mom to hers.
In the hallway, Spencer, Aria and Emily discuss Spencer’s admission counselor. Aria mentions the phone number that Tippi sang, and how all they know is that it's in York County. Spencer looks through her college catalogue and notices Cicero College, a college in York County whose area code and phone number prefix match the one that Tippi sang.
After school, Aria asks her mom if anything is wrong. Ella tells her that she has decided not to go to Austria with Zack, and reveals he changed her mind after Mike told her he doesn't want her to leave. She tells Aria they can talk more about it later. When Ella is alone in her car, she's attacked by a swarm of bees planted by "A." Aria gets an ominous text from "A" saying, "this is only the first taste of my venom.”
In the next scene, Aria tells Emily over the phone that Ella was taken to the hospital, but is home now and resting. Aria is now even more adamant that Ella goes to Austria. Emily then gets back to work and strikes up a conversation with Brendon McGowan, Spencer's private admissions counselor, who is waiting for Spencer to arrive. Emily picks his brain about her college options and he's more than happy to walk her through the selection process.
Ashley meets with Veronica at her home to discuss the situation with Wilden. Ashley didn't want to be seen at Veronica's office because she doesn't want the whole world to know she's a suspect in Wilden's murder. She seeks out Veronica to tell her, her side of the story. Without asking for more details, Veronica says she will check with a contact at Rosewood PD, and tells Ashley to sit tight.
Spencer arrives at the Brew and sits down with Emily and Brendon. She tells Brendon that she wants to visit Cicero College. He's surprised because he was under the impression Spencer was only interested in Ivy League schools. Brendon agrees to take Spencer to visit Cicero and Emily decides to tag along.
At home, Aria talks to Mike about Ella going to Europe. She says he's being selfish for trying to keep their mom from leaving. Mike hits back by accusing Aria of only wanting her gone so she can get back together with Ezra. Aria pushes Mike in response to his rude and hurtful comment and runs off.
At the Marin household, Ashley gets a call from Veronica. Hanna eavesdrops and hears that Ashley needs to meet Veronica at the police station the next day.
Hanna doesn't sleep all night and in the morning, calls Aria and tells her that Ashley’s muddy shoes are gone and that her closet is locked. Since her closet is never locked, she decides she has to break in to see what her mom is hiding.
Emily speaks to her dad while she's packing for her overnight stay at Cicero. Wayne gives her some money and tells Emily to enjoy herself.
Aria finds Byron working at home and asks him to tell Ella to go to Austria. When Byron says it's not his place to do that, and that Ella can make her own decisions, Aria tears up and begins to plead with him. She knows it's an unusual request, but she says she believes her mom deserves to be happy (and out of "A's" grasp).
At Cicero College, Spencer and Emily talk with Brendon about the campus tour. When he step away, Spencer makes it clear to Emily that she's just there to solve this phone number mystery and would never dream of attending a small school like Cicero for real. When Brendon returns, Spencer makes an excuse to follow some leads, leaving Emily and Brendon to tour the school on their own.
Hanna unlocks her mom’s closet and discovers a gun hidden in a bag. She calls Spencer, but Spencer is too busy to talk to her. Hanna doesn't know what to do next.
Meanwhile, Spencer asks a student at an information desk about the phone number. He says he doesn’t know who the number belongs to since it's unlisted. After some snarky banter, he tells Spencer it probably originates on Greek Row, a street on campus, since the first few digits match other phone numbers from that street.
Byron meets with Ella at the Brew and tells her that he’s spoken to Mike and that he will no longer stand in the way of Ella leaving for the year. Since they had always wanted to go to Europe and Ella has put her family's happiness above her own, Byron tells her to take the opportunity and go and that he will take care of Aria and Mike while she's away.
That night, Spencer and Emily meet back up and head to Greek Row, where a party is going on at a sorority that Emily insists on visiting. She admits that the real reason she's at Cicero is to ask the sorority sisters about the possibility of getting a scholarship. Spencer rudely says that Emily's flirting with Brendon all makes sense now, and that she conveniently failed mention that she's gay. Emily retorts that Spencer did the same thing with Andrew to get back on the decathlon team and that she couldn't understand what she's going through right now since she will always have a safety net of her parents' money to fall back on. Before the fight can escalate further, they are regaled with a spontaneous a capella song by the sorority sisters of Gamma Zeta Chi.
Hanna puts the gun into her bag and decides to bring it to Cicero to show Spencer and Emily so they can figure out what to do next. Ashley questions her on her way out, and is surprised that Hanna changed her mind about visiting colleges.
At the party, Emily speaks with a member of the sorority about how to apply. She notices a strange paddle and mask on the wall; Marissa informs her that it belonged to Mrs. Grunwald, the sorority’s house mother who had been fired years ago. She mentions that nothing could get past that woman and that she somehow knew when girls were planning to sneak out before they even knew it themselves.
Spencer goes around the party showing Ali’s picture to attendees, asking if anyone recognizes her. She notices Brendon approaching Emily and flirting with her, but goes on asking people if they recognize Ali. Hanna shows up at the party with the gun in her bag and shows Spencer. Spencer says they should give it back to Hanna's dad, but Hanna wants to ditch it so that if the police question her dad, he will truthfully not know where it is. Spencer tells her to wait there while she goes to look for Emily.
Spencer is directed upstairs to find Emily. When some drunk girls bump into her, Spencer stumbles upon a secret door to a hidden room. It's completely empty except for a disconnected phone and a radio. She connects the phone and uses it to call Aria (who is in the middle of family night) proving that it's indeed the phone that Ali had been calling the summer she went missing. While on the phone with Aria, Spencer notices scratch marks on the walls.
Frustrated, Hanna decides not to wait any longer and leaves the party, heading for the woods. When Emily spots her across the room, she begins to follows her, but is interrupted by by Brendon. When he offers to help her find her friend and takes her hand, Emily finally admits she has a girlfriend and isn’t interested. Brendon looks disappointed, but agrees to help her search the woods anyway.
Spencer heads outside in search of Hanna. Emily is startled by a drunk frat guy. In the woods, Hanna begins to bury the gun, but is suddenly surrounded by police officers. She's put into handcuffs and is hauled away, while Spencer and Emily look on. They get a text from "A," which suggests that "A" called the police on Hanna.
In the final shot, "A" pours honey into a cup of tea and takes out a dusty photo. "A" wipes away the thick layer of dust and we see a picture of Carla Grunwald, the house mother of the sorority.
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first appearance of Mike Montgomery since the Season 2 episode, "Father Knows Best."
- The table read was on April 22, 2013.
- Filming for this episode began on April 23, 2013 and ended on May 1, 2013.
- The name of the sorority house they're going to is ΓΖΧ, which means Gamma Zeta Chi.
- Carla Grunwald will also be a character on the spinoff Ravenswood and is portrayed by Meg Foster.
- Spencer (Troian Bellisario) makes reference to HBO's Game of Thrones in this episode.
Title and Background[]
- The title refers to the Gamma Zeta Chi sorority house the girls visit in this episode.
- The episode was originally titled "Omega Sigma Die," but was retitled to "Gamma Zeta Die!".
Main Cast[]
- Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings
- Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin
- Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields
- Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery
Guest Cast[]
- Cody Allen Christian as Mike Montgomery
- Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin
- Lesley Fera as Veronica Hastings
- Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery
- Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery
- Eric Steinberg as Wayne Fields
- Cherie Daly as Marissa
- Meg Foster as Carla Grunwald (in picture)
- Mark Schroder as Brendon McGowan
Quotes[]
Mike [to Aria]: The only reason you want her to go is so you can start boffing your teacher again. It's hard to get frisky with Fitz when someone's looking over your shoulder, huh? |
Emily [to Spencer]: You get to act like a total snot rag because Mommy and Daddy have a safety net of cash to catch your fall. |
Aria [answering a phone call from the mysterious number Ali called]: Who is this? Spencer: It ain't Tippi the bird. |
College Geek: I know girls like you. You've got the crazy eyes. Spencer (offended): They're not that crazy. College Geek: Crazy enough. |
Emily: Even if we could afford it, I doubt I'd even get in. Wayne: Why would you say something like that? Emily: Because without swimming, I'm... average. Wayne: There is nothing average about you. |
Featured Music[]
- "Moments Like This" by Kai Brown (Spencer and Emily talk to Brendan at The Brew)
- "Prove" by Karmina (Byron tells Ella to go to Vienna)
- "Love is Beginning" by Imaginary Friend (Emily and Aria talk on the phone)
- "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" by P!nk (the girls check out the sorority house party)
- "Would You" by Sash Kuzma ft. Nadia (Hanna arrives at the party)
- "Baby I Need You" by The Manhattans (Spencer finds a secret room)
- "Trouble" by Hands (Hanna leaves the party)
Gallery[]
Gamma Zeta Die! has a photo gallery. |
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