| “ | It won't be that easy, Bitches! | ” |
— A
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Reality Bites Me is the fifth episode in Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired July 6, 2010, and is the 5th episode overall.
Synopsis[]
Aria looking at A's message
At the Hastings house, the girls are discussing the letter Ella received from A and its potential impact on the relationship between Byron and Ella. Aria reveals that Alison knew about the situation with Byron and Meredith, and the girls act surprised. Still reeling from the haunting message scrawled across Spencer's vanity, the morning after the events, the girls discover an additional, even spookier message from "A" – this one in the form of a video of the girls the previous night that was clearly recording them from inside Spencer's closet. It is sent in a text to Hanna as an attachment. "Ever wonder what's going on when your back is turned? -A" The girls reveal that they have unblocked their phones. They then go upstairs and open the closet to find the lipstick that was used to write the message on the vanity - Aria thinks it is the same shade of red that Jenna wears.
Ella talking with Aria
At Aria's house, Mike enters her bedroom to ask about their parents' unusual behavior. Aria then walks into the kitchen, where she finds her parents arguing. They are discussing the possibility of Byron moving out. After Byron leaves, Aria unwittingly reveals to her mother that she knew about the affair for a year. Ella is hurt and surprised, but not mad at Aria.
Sean gets in with another blonde
As a penance for crashing Sean's car, Hanna is forced to take a filing job in his mom's dental office, working with kids. On her way from work, she's carrying her shopping bag, which contains her uniform sneakers, and that's when she bumps into Sean. Sean lets Hanna know that he tried to take the blame for the car, but Hanna owns up to it herself. She brings up going with him to homecoming, and he says he'll think about it. Just then, a blonde cheerleader picks up Sean to drive him to school.
Mr. Sheldrake congratulates Spencer on her win.
In the hallways at school, the girls talk about who the perpetrator could have been. Just then, Mr. Sheldrake walks over, congratulating Spencer on her 'win' in the Golden Orchid competition.
Toby and Emily in Chemistry
In the chemistry lab, Emily asks Toby where he was the night before (slightly suspicious that he might be "A"). He replies that he was at The Grille doing homework, where he studies typically to get away from Jenna and her noisy machines.
Ezra talking with Aria
Aria then meets up with Ezra in his classroom to see if he can make plans after school. He lets her know that he has a reading of his own work at a bar. Thrilled, Aria asks if she can come, and Ezra bashfully agrees, warning that it could get ugly if it doesn't go over well.
Jenna applying red lipstick in the elevator
While on her way to work at Dr. Ackard's office, Hanna spots Jenna in the building's elevator. We see her applying that exact shade of red lipstick, leaning into the mirror as she applies a fresh coat.
Getting back in good graces
At Spencer's house, Peter is sitting on the living room couch, reading. He greets Spencer as she comes home, letting her know that he bought her buttercreams, her favorite cookies. Spencer takes this as a sign that he's spoken to Wren, if she's in his good graces again, but actually, he's heard about the essay win from Mr. Sheldrake. (Wren was right; he would forgive her as soon as she scored an academic achievement.) He then invites Spencer to play a doubles match the following day with a prospective client named Andrew Newhoff and his daughter. Peter wants to read the winning essay (that she copied from her sister), but Spencer says he shouldn't read this one because it is not one of her best papers.
Toby's drawings
At work, Hanna follows Jenna to her floor, and she has been seeing a psychiatrist in the same building as Dr. Ackard's practice. Meanwhile, Emily and Toby's surprising friendship grows even stronger, as both begin to take an interest in each other. Emily appreciates Toby's artwork in his lab notebook. They discover they have the same taste in music and agree to meet later at The Grille.
Hardy and Ezra talking to Aria
At the poetry reading, an old college friend of Ezra's named Hardy is in attendance as well. He spots Aria, who is clearly there to support Ezra, and introduces himself as Ezra's old roommate; in turn, Aria admits that she is Ezra's student. Ezra then comes over, surprised to see Hardy, and the three hang out, playing darts, eating French fries, and sharing old college stories with Aria. Hardy is quick to pick up on Aria and Ezra's scandalous relationship, warning Ezra that it could bring him more harm than good down the line. His opinion reaches Ezra, who, later, when he and Aria are at his place, makes a comment to Aria about not having been in college. They discuss their relationship. When they spend time together, age is not an issue, but Ezra is concerned about the outside world because he believes it's inappropriate for a teacher to socialize with a high school student.
Excited about their upcoming tennis game, Spencer practices serving at the club. There, she meets an attendant named Alex, who comments on Spencer's game. Meanwhile, Hanna, jealous of Sean's new interest in this cheerleader, checks out her social networking page. Her name is Amber, and Hanna totally resents her. Ashley reassures her daughter that Sean isn't necessarily dating this girl, just because she has been driving him to school. Hanna also fills Ashley in on the fact that Tom is engaged, and she is shocked. Just then, "A" sends a shocked Hanna an attached file of Maya and Emily kissing in an email. "Now I know TWO secrets. Hanna got dissed... and Emily got KISSED! -A"
Emily sits with the Liars and not Toby
Emily and Toby are scheduled to meet, but when Emily arrives at the cafe, she sees Spencer and Hanna. Too embarrassed to socialize with Toby in front of them, she reluctantly blows him off. They fill Emily in on the Jenna lipstick situation. Later, the waitress hands Emily the mixed CD Toby has left for her, leading Hanna to believe Maya made it for her. Hanna encourages Emily not to be scared to pursue a non-conventional relationship, assuring her that she will support her. However, Emily takes this to heart regarding Toby.
It's just business
Peter's request for Spencer to play a doubles match with him seemed like an olive branch, but it turned out to be a business venture: Peter wanted to hand the win to their opponents, a potential business partner, thus sealing the deal. She reluctantly throws the match. Afterwards, she finds a fast, unlikely friend in Alex, who picks up on the fact that they were playing games off the court. The two make plans to hang out sometime outside the club.
Hanna returns to her office and heads to the psychiatrist's office, where she saw Jenna walking in the other day. She sneaks inside, and a man comes through a door, telling her to push the button next time she arrives. He mistakenly calls her Martha. Hanna goes inside, and the man offers her papers to sign. She discovers the man is Jenna's therapist, and Hanna says 'Martha' has to go, and she leaves.
Byron and Ella fighting
At Aria's home, Mike approaches Aria with his concern about Byron and Ella fighting, feeling vulnerable, but Aria tells him that it isn't their business. Meanwhile, their parents are arguing about the affair. Ella has discovered that the woman is Meredith, whom she had foolishly and embarrassingly befriended. She is angriest about the fact that Byron unfairly used Aria to hide the relationship from her. Byron says he doesn't want to lose Ella.
Hanna talking to Sean
Ashley discusses relationships with Hanna at home. Later that day, Hanna bumps into Sean on her way to his mother's office. She discovers that Amber is not Sean's love interest, but rather a fellow member of "Real Love Waits," the school's virginity club. Sean expresses to her that he never meant to let her down; he's just serious about his abstinence pledge. So, Hanna decides to keep close tabs on Sean by joining his abstinence club to spend time with him.
Who is A?
When Aria accidentally leaves her phone at Ezra's overnight, he intercepts a message from "A" in an attempt to stop the buzzing noise. "Lucky you, Aria! Other girls have to do their homework. You get to do the teacher... --A" Ezra, assuming it's a friend of Aria's she's confided in about their affair, quickly puts a stop to their relationship indefinitely.
Spencer firing back
Later, Peter is ecstatic about Spencer's help in scoring the client. At that moment, Spencer admits to her dad about stealing the essay for the contest, as she expresses that her dad's throwing the match has taught her that success is more important than honesty or integrity.
Emily giving Toby a CD she made
Later, the next day at the Grille, an upset Toby tries to ignore Emily when she comes to sit with him, but gives in when she presents him with a mix CD of her own. She apologizes for blowing him off, and he accepts. Spencer meets up with Alex for their date, while Aria makes dinner for Mike and herself, trying to shield him from the negativity in their household.
Trivia[]
- Patrick J. Adams stars in this episode as Ezra’s friend. He would later go into a relationship with Troian Bellisario, who plays Spencer. They are currently together and have two kids.
- This is the first appearance of Alex on the show.
- Ezra finds out about A. Not their identity, but that the girls are receiving texts from this person.
- Aria received a text from A, which Ezra read. The text says: ''Lucky you, Aria! Other girls have to do their homework. You get to do the teacher... --A''.
Continuity[]
- Toby is reading "Catcher in the Rye" in the café, a nod to Spencer's tutoring him in French later on.
- After Spencer complained to Wren that her family had changed their opinion of her as a result of the kiss, he had assured her that as soon as she scored another academic achievement, she would be back in her parents' good graces. Wren was proved correct in this episode when Peter came around to Spencer, offering her candy after he heard about her winning the "Golden Orchid" for her essay.
Errors[]
- During chemistry class, Toby asks Emily, "So whose house did you stay at last night?" However, his lip movement doesn't match the words he's saying.
- In a text message from A, the video attached is labeled as "64397.mov", but on the actual video, it is shown as "64379.mov," with the last two digits swapped.
- Jenna leans into her reflection in the elevator to apply her lipstick. She's supposed to be blind. This is possibly a deliberate error by the filmmakers to make the characters and viewers doubt that Jenna is blind.
- When Hanna said, “See it for yourself,” her lips were not moving. That line was ADRed into the scene.
Title[]
- "Reality Bites" is the title of a 1994 American romantic comedy-drama featuring the directorial debut of Ben Stiller, starring himself, Winona Ryder, and Ethan Hawke.
- "Reality Bites Me" may be a play on the film title, with the reality of "A" constantly plaguing the Liars' lives.
Main Cast[]
- Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery
- Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin
- Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields
- Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings
Supporting Cast[]
- Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall
- Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery
- Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery
- Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz
- Patrick J. Adams as Hardy
- Nolan North as Peter Hastings
- Chuck Hittinger as Sean Ackard
- Diego Boneta as Alex Santiago
- Michael Mantell as Therapist
- Carlson Young as Amber Victorino
- Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh
- Keith Pillow as Mr. Sheldrake
Co-Starring[]
- Cody Christian as Mike Montgomery
- Christopher Michael as Security Guard
- Eileen Fogarty as Waitress
- Amanda Clarke as Boonie Wilson (uncredited)
Featured Music[]
- "Heard It All Before" by Meiko (Aria tells the girls about the letter "A" sent to Ella)
- "I Will Follow" by Katie Herzig (Hanna runs into Sean)
- "Always A First Time" by Jets Overhead (Aria and Ezra flirt after class)
- "Lie To Me" by Evolove (Aria hangs out at the bar with Ezra and Hardy)
- "Somebody Else" by Aidan Hawken (Spencer meets Alex at the country club)
- "Light It Up" by Love Grenades* (Emily blows off Toby to sit with her friends)
- "All Those Pretty Lights" by Andrew Belle* (Emily looks at Toby's mix CD in bed)
- "No Matter How Hard We Try" by Jaylene Johnson (Emily meets Toby at the Grille)
Gallery[]
 Reality Bites Me has a photo gallery. |
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Memorable Quotes[]
Hanna: It'll help me get over my fear. Sean: You're afraid of dentists? Hanna: Children. Your mom is making me hand out sugar-free lollipops to six-year-olds. They don’t bite at that age, do they? |
Toby [to Emily]: Different is good. I like different... This town has too much of the same. |
Hanna: I’m sorry, but if you’re going to cheat, you might as well do it with somebody who deep conditions their hair occasionally. Spencer [handing her a bagel]: Here, put something in your mouth besides your foot. |
Jenna [to Hanna who is watching her apply lipstick in the elevator]: Do you like the color? |
Ashley: Don’t give him too much space. I tried that with your father, and he found a woman in Maryland who graduated with honors from William and Mary and loves to golf. Hanna: How do you know that? Ashley: I Googled her. |
Aria [to Ezra]: You’re a teacher; I’m the student, remember? |
Hardy [to Ezra]: When this is all over, she’s gonna get her diploma. You’re gonna get a pink slip… and an orange jumpsuit. |
Ezra: How many of your friends did you tell? Aria: I didn’t. Ezra: Because if A knows, I’m thinking that B and C and everybody else does too. |
Sean: This club I joined, RLW. It stands for Real Love Waits. Go ahead, make a joke. Hanna: Is it some kind of holy roller virgin society? |
Spencer: You’re right. I am competitive. I’m just not sure it’s something I want to celebrate anymore. By the way, you don’t have to read my essay… Because I stole it, but I’m going to win a big fat award, so I’m guessing you’re okay with that because winning is all that matters, right? |
Ella [to Byron]: You used our daughter to hide this from me. How could you do this to me? I don't even know who you are. |
Spencer: Maybe he took a break from sitting on his porch and pulling the heads off of squirrels. |
Hanna [to Sean]: What are you doing with that skinny latte who drives you around? |