| “ | It must be hard. You know, coming back here knowing someone is still after you. | ” |
March of Crimes is the ninth episode of Season 5 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired on August 5th, 2014.
Summary[]
The episode opens in Hanna's bedroom with Emily asking Alison why Noel would help her. Spencer wonders what Alison would've done if she and Noel got caught playing the trick on Ashley Marin and if one of her excuses would have been that she needed to borrow a butcher knife. Ali thinks Spencer is ‘a little loud’ and Spencer retorts that Alison is a ‘little crazy.’ Suddenly she starts to touch the eye she hurt at the stables. Emily says her eye is getting worse. Spencer reassures her saying she can see plenty with the other one.
Hanna walks into the room and Emily asks her about her mother’s condition. Hanna tells Emily that she's freaked. Ali tells them they needed to do this as Tanner is trying to find fault in their story. Spencer reminds her that it was her story. Suddenly, Alison’s phone starts ringing. She goes to pick it up, but then just turns it off. Spencer asks her who it was; was it Noel or someone else she sneaks out to meet in the middle of the night. Alison is angry that Spencer has been spying on her and starts defending Noel as someone who she can at least count on as one of her friends since Aria didn't even come to see her after receiving her S.O.S. message and the other friend, Spencer, is shadowing her as if she's the enemy. She admits the stunt she pulled with Noel’s help was not the best idea, but she's running out of choices. Alison starts walking outside, but is stopped when Emily questions her about where she's going. Alison tells her she's going to call her dad. She wonders if Spencer will follow her, or set up a camera. After she walks away, Spencer looks outside the door to see where she goes.
Spencer wonders how Noel broke into Hanna’s home and locked them in the stables in such a short amount of time. Emily reminds Spencer about Melissa’s helmet, but Spencer defends her sister by saying Melissa wasn't the one who hired Noel Kahn to terrorize Hanna’s mother. Spencer also thinks Alison hired Noel to choke her in the DiLaurentis living room. Emily thinks that wasn't Noel and Spencer questions her how she'd know that. As Hanna starts drinking, Spencer tells her to take it easy. Hanna complains that it's her bedroom... until someone else invaded it. She throws one of Ali’s dresses in one direction. She complains that even the doorknob smells like Ali. Emily gets a text from her mother saying she needs to leave. Hanna wants to go with her, but Emily denies her. Before eventually leaving, Emily asks Spencer to make sure Hanna doesn't ‘drink and dial.’
Riding a bicycle through the streets, Emily notices Noel in the middle of the street, in his car, listening to a conversation between Shana and Alison, when she hears Alison’s voice. She was telling Shana that she had no choice and begged her to not fight her on ‘this.’ Noel hears a noise and looks around, but couldn't catch Emily, who hid behind a pillar of a nearby building.
The next morning, Ashley tells Hanna and Alison to join her at the mall as she would like to buy Alison something new for Zack and Ella’s engagement party. Hanna tells her she won’t be going to that party. When asked why, Hanna tells Ashley that she needs to study for a make-up test. Ashley thinks Aria will be hurt if Hanna doesn't go, but Hanna thinks she won’t care. When Hanna throws her jacket angrily at her bag, her flask falls out. Ashley is angry and lectures Hanna saying it's disturbing, dangerous and unacceptable. Ashley says she gets why Hanna would want to drink after going through the ordeal the previous night, but she reminder her that she can't afford to not be in control, especially since Ali’s kidnapper is still out there. Ali calls Hanna from the shower, asking her where her moisturizer is. Ashley tells Alison to use her moisturizer. Hanna shakes her head at her mom.
At school, Tanner is interviewing Aria and Ella. She asks Aria when she first met Mr. Fitz. Aria tells her they met when Ezra started teaching classes at Rosewood High during Aria’s junior year. Tanner then askes about the romantic relationship between Ezra and Aria, which according to the principal, it began after Ezra left Rosewood High. Before Aria can answer, Ella interrupts as she's having a hard time understanding the relationship between Ezra and Aria’s dating history and the incident at the Marin house the previous night. Tanner tells them they have several open cases and so it's helpful to explore any possible connections. Ella wants to know the connection, but Tanner says she cannot say. Ella thinks Tanner doesn't know the connection to begin with. Tanner suggests if they would want to conclude the meeting, then they have every right to do so, but Ella says she'd like to get it over with. Tanner wants to know if Ezra and Shana ever met socially; alluding to Ezra being a serial student dater. Aria vehemently defends Ezra, but Tanner reminds her that they're just questions.
Spencer is texting Emily in front of her locker saying she just saw Noel at school. Spencer is approached by Alison at the locker, asking her if she's next. Spencer is confused and Ali tells her that Tanner is at school to question the girls. Alison tells Spencer that Aria is completely icing the whole thing and asks if something is going on between Aria and Hanna. Spencer says she doesn't know. Ali tells Spencer that she asked Hanna and that she also said she doesn't know. Spencer asks Ali how long will she stay at Hanna's. Ali tells Spencer that her dad will be rushing back to Rosewood after he heard about what happened in the Marin house. Alison tells Spencer that she doesn't feel safe in her own bedroom. Spencer says she needs to get to class and that she needs to get to the eye doctor later as well. Alison reminds Spencer that if one of them falls, they'll all fall, and ‘A’ will win. Spencer sees a drunken Hanna walk in. Spencer asks Ali if they came to school together. Ali informs Spencer that Caleb dropped Hanna off, then tells her that Hanna is the one she should be following.
Emily is talking with the new swim coach who asks her a few questions. He asks Emily if she’ll be able to meet him on Tuesday for practice, Emily replies that she can. He gives her the job of the Assistant Coach and reminds her not to be late on Tuesday as he escorts her out. When he leaves, Emily sneaks back in and takes a picture of a page with Noel’s name on it, from the file of the Boy’s Locker Assignments.
Walking through the school corridor, Ella tries to get Aria to wait so they can talk, but Aria says she's going to be late for class. Noel walks past and greets Aria and Ella and then Ella tells Aria that she's not supposed to lose her cool when she's asked questions like that. Aria tells her that Ezra is on Tanner’s hit list, but Tanner is wrong about him. Ella tells her that it's just her job to find out more, and reminds her that everybody has a weak spot for the people they love. Aria bids her goodbye to go to class, reminding her she’s already going to have to skip 5th period to help her arrange her engagement party.
Emily sneaks into the boys’ locker room, and using the locker combination she stole from the file in the coach’s office, she opens Noel’s locker and steals his car keys. She leaves when she hears a door slam, quickly shutting the locker.
Spencer visits Caleb and lectures him on his drinking problem and how he needs to stop supplying Hanna with drinks as well. Spencer tells him that lately she’s been making mistakes, and with A back, they cannot have her drinking in the middle of the day and be a loose cannon. Spencer lets it slip that Hanna might have something against Zack. She reminds him that he's the best thing that has ever happened to Hanna, and that it hurts her to see them destroy that by drinking because of something that eating at Caleb.
At school, Alison apologizes to Hanna for her stunt. Hanna yells at her that all she wants is to be left alone and denies Alison’s offer to fix her relationship with Aria. She suggests Alison stay with somebody else. Alison stops Hanna and says their group is falling apart. Jenna walks into the room and Hanna leaves. Alison greets her and tells her she didn't know Jenna enrolled back in Rosewood High. Jenna tells her she came back a few weeks ago. Ali tells her she's sorry about Shana’s death and that she meant a lot to her as well. Jenna also says she's sorry for Alison, explaining she heard about the break in and says it must be hard for her to come back to school knowing someone is still looking for her. Alison asks how Jenna "turned" Shana against her to which Jenna responds that Alison turned Shana against her herself.
Aria is texting Ezra asking him to not come back to Rosewood and fills him in on what happened with Tanner. Hanna spots Aria in the quad, but Aria gives her the cold shoulder, leaving without a word.
At the eye doctor's office, Spencer is given dilation drops which makes her vision blurry. While waiting, she sees what appears to be two girls who look an awful lot like Jenna. She can't make them out and so tries to take a picture, but fails as they leave. She doesn't know it yet, but Sydney is the girl with Jenna.
Using the stolen key, Emily opens Noel’s car and finds some photographs of Alison in an envelope along with the recorder Noel was listening to the previous night. She puts the whole envelope in her bag and her phone starts to ring as she slams the door shut.
It's Spencer who's calling her from the eye doctor’s place. Emily fills Spencer in on what she did and Spencer tells Emily about the two Jennas. Spencer is sure she's not hallucinating. Suddenly, Emily hears someone coming and stops speaking. Spencer cuts the call and dials again. Emily apologizes saying she thought Noel was coming to his car. Spencer turns and sees something. She lowers her phone. At first the vision is blurry, but then it becomes clearer. The board with alphabets hung in the check-up room has a message from ‘A.’ The letters “C A N U C M E Y E T A” were highlighted ("Can you see me yet? -A"). Spencer turns around, but there's no one else in the room.
Aria arrives at her house, talking with Emily on the phone who's filling her in on what happened at the eye doctor’s office with Spencer. Ella has to go to a hair appointment, which leaves Zack and Aria alone. She mentions to him that Hanna can't make it to the party; she carefully watches his reaction.
Emily arrives at the eyey doctor's office in time to see the "two Jennas" walk out of the office. One of them turns out to be Sydney, and Emily is shocked and asks when she and Jenna became friends. Jenna doesn't let her answer any questions at all, and they leave.
Caleb asks Hanna why she's not going to the engagement party. Hanna tells him about Zack giving her his number and nobody believing her story. She tells him she feels terrible about the whole thing and doesn't want to talk about it. Caleb leaves, telling her he's going to pick up some food.
Ella and Aria are getting ready for the engagement party. Ella wants to know Aria’s feelings about her dress and accessories. Aria says she looks great, and Ella thanks her. As she's leaving, Aria stops her. She wonders how well Ella knows Zack. Ella directly asks Aria if he has ever been inappropriate with her. Aria tells her no, but that he might have been inappropriate with Hanna. Ella is sad and Aria wants to know why her mom went to that scenario right away. Ella says there was a similar incident in Vienna, but she ignored it as she thought it was just pre-wedding jitters. Aria tells her she's sorry. Ella says she's sorry too.
At the Brew, Zack is preparing for the party, when Caleb walks in. Zack informs him that they're closed for an event, but Caleb tells him he didn't come for a latte, and confronts him for hitting on Hanna. Zack says he respects him for coming to meet him. He says he was joking and Hanna took him too seriously. Zack pulls out a letter, supposedly from Hanna that reads "Sorry if I acted shy before. I promise I'll make up for it." Zack says it was slipped into his pocket by Hanna and Caleb punches him in the face.
Hanna is watching a black and white movie when Caleb returns without food. He tells Hanna he hit Zack and then shows her the note and wonders if perhaps A wrote Zach it.
Emily is on the phone with Spencer, who's going to the lake house to bring Noel's pictures of Alison to a safe place. She says she'll make it back in time for Ella and Zack's engagement party. Emily tells her to be quick. Sydney shows up on Emily's street and tells her she met Jenna few years earlier at the school for the blind. When Jenna heard Alison was alive, she reached out to Sydney for emotional support. Sydney says she never expected to like Emily so much; Emily tells her she's going to repay the favor as her coach, watching her very carefully.
At the lakehouse Spencer locks the pictures in a cabinet. While she's there we see something move on a chair covered by a sheet. Spencer grabs a fireplace poker and then pulls the sheet back to reveal Noel. He wants his pictures back, pointing out that his car was broken into. Noel says Alison doesn't know he has the pictures. He has them for insurance in case Alison turns on him. He explains that Shana sent the pictures to Jenna and that he broke into Jenna’s house to steal the pictures minutes before the house blew up. When Spencer won't give him the key to the cabinet, Noel begins to shout and she hits him in the hand with the poker. She tells him they need the insurance as well, and promises to keep the pictures in a much safer place, and shouts at him to leave. He leaves while Spencer then gasps for a breath.
Aria drops by Caleb's cabin to see Hanna. Aria tells Hanna that she isn't the first person Zack has made a pass at; that he's a "big jerk internationally." Hanna tells Aria that A stoked the fire, but Aria says it doesn't matter, he took the bait. Hanna asks Aria why she didn't believe her. Aria tells her it wasn't so much that she didn't believe her, she just wanted to believe her mom could find someone again and be happy. Aria asks Hanna for her forgiveness, she nods, the two hug.
While home alone with Alison, Ashley gets a call from Tanner saying they've caught the person who broke in and they think he's ready to talk.
Byron stops by the house and Ella tells him the engagement is off. She's crying and doesn't want to talk about it. Byron's makes her feel better by reminiscing on their past and tells her how special she is. She cries on his shoulder.
At the Rosewood Police Department, Ashley and Alison are brought into a room where they can view the interrogation area. Tanner is talking to a guy who claims he hit Ali with a rock on the back of her head and took her took Philly. He says he kept her locked up in his basement the entire time. Ashley asks her if that's the man who kidnapped her. Alison looks at Ashley, wondering what lie she can conjure up this time.
A is at the eye doctor office and is informed by the nurse that the doctor will be a little late. A shows the nurse his/her headphone, indicating he/she can keep himself/herself entertained. As the nurse leaves, A plays the tape of Alison‘s confessions to the police after returning to Rosewood.... Or at least it seems like it.
Notes[]
- Spencer visits Caleb and lectures him on his drinking problem and how it's affecting Hanna.
- Jenna returns to Rosewood High.
- Spencer goes to an eye doctor, where she sees Sydney with Jenna. At first she thinks there are two Jennas and so she calls Emily to the hospital who recognizes Sydney.
- Emily threatens Sydney, as her new coach, in return for deceiving her about not knowing Jenna.
- Caleb punches Zack after finding out he flirted with Hanna.
- Noel broke into Spencer's lakehouse to retrieve the pictures and recording Emily took from his car.
- The police arrest who they thought broke into the Marin House. While in custody, Cyrus confesses to allegedly kidnapping Alison.
- Ella reveals to Aria that Hanna is not the first person Zack has hit on, and that there was an incident just before they left Vienna.
- Byron returns and comforts Ella after her breakup with Zack.
Title and Background[]
- Episode 5x09 title, "March of Crimes" was confirmed by Maya Goldsmith via twitter.
- The name may be a play on March of Dimes, a non-profit organization in the U.S. that works to improve the health of mothers and their babies.
- By the end of this episode, the police catch a man for supposedly kidnapping Alison. The title could be a reference to his various crimes.
Main Cast[]
- Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings
- Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery
- Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin
- Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields
- Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal
- Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis
Supporting Cast[]
- Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall
- Chloe Bridges as Sydney Driscoll
- Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers
- Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery
- Brant Daughtery as Noel Kahn
- Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery
- Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin
- Steve Talley as Zack
- Roma Maffia as Linda Tanner
- Jake Weary as Cyrus Petrillo
- Brian Letscher as Coach Mazzara
Trivia[]
- Filming began May 30, 2014 and wrapped June 9, 2014.
- The episode was watched live by 2.05 million viewers.
- Chad Lowe directed this episode, this is the second episode of the season to be directed by him and the 10th overall. He also appeared in this episode. Though he only appeared at the end of the episode comforting Ella.
- This is Zack’s last appearance on the show
Featured Music[]
- "Beautiful Disaster" by The Rix ft. Jessi Collins - (Hanna tells her mom that she's not going to Ella and Zack's party; Ashley calls Hanna out on her drinking).
- "Bird in a Cage" by Spelles - (Aria is texting in the courtyard when she sees Hanna approaching and leaves; Spencer is getting eyedrops from the eye doctor and sees "two Jenna's").
Gallery[]
 March of Crimes has a photo gallery. |
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