| “ | Thanks for getting Toby out of my way. | ” |
— A
| ||
The Homecoming Hangover is the seventh episode in Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired on July 20, 2010, and is the seventh episode overall.
Synopsis[]
Emily passed out in Toby's car
At the homecoming dance, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna scream for Emily. They call her, only to find her cell phone abandoned outside the chemistry laboratory. They enter the lab to find it upturned, with broken beakers and blood on the floor. They think it is Emily's, while it is actually Toby's, but Emily is bleeding too, from her fall in the fun house. Toby drives an unconscious Emily to the hospital and drops her off at the emergency room.
Mrs. Field's talking with police
The next day, Emily is back inside her room, recovering from her wounds. Aria and Spencer come to visit and quickly inform her of Toby's sordid past with stepsister Jenna to keep her from contacting him again. They tell her that Jenna and Toby had an inappropriate relationship, and they assume that Jenna did not have a choice in the matter. The girls think that Toby wanted Alison and them dead because Alison knew his secret. Emily does not reasonably believe that Toby killed Alison and had intended to kill her as well. Why take her to the ER if he meant to kill her? Meanwhile, Officer Barry comes to the house to let Mrs. Fields know what had happened the previous night; Toby Cavanaugh had taken Emily to the emergency room before driving away. Mrs. Fields covers up her shock at hearing that Emily had not gone with Ben, not wanting Officer Barry to know that she hadn't been aware of who her daughter's date was. Pam also learns that Toby had taken off on his motorcycle after taking Emily to the emergency room and is now nowhere to be found.
Emily flipping through the file
It seems that Emily thinks she was injured due to Toby attacking her, and not from tripping on her dress as she had run away from him. However, she hadn't admitted her belief to the police. Hanna comes over next, while Spencer and Aria try to convince Emily to come forward to the police. Hanna pulls out Toby's psychological report; she had wanted to return it, but upon arriving at the office, she saw cops searching for that very piece of evidence!
Emily and Hanna with Toby's file
While Hanna and Emily are alone, Emily finds out from Hanna why she had thought Maya would have been her date to the dance. Hanna confesses that she saw the picture A sent her of them kissing and finds out from Emily why she went with Toby instead of Maya. Emily admits that she's afraid of everything changing. But Hanna states that she is not signing a contract. Emily worries about the reaction her parents will have to her dating Maya. Interestingly, Emily is the winner of a Toyota Corolla from the dance's raffle.
Flowers from....Sean!
Aria begins to wrestle with the separation of her parents, further inflamed by their refusal actually to speak to each other and instead communicate through their kids. Ella won't attend Mike's lacrosse game so that she won't have to sit with Byron. She tries to contact Ezra, but he won't return her many phone messages. On top of all of this, she receives flowers from a surprise suitor – Sean, who admits to having fun with her at Homecoming once Hanna ditched him.
Another chance?
Spencer tries to repair her burgeoning relationship with Alex, who's now been reduced to kitchen duty at the Hastings' country club. Spencer's presence in the kitchen angers a server named Stephanie, who is afraid of getting in trouble with management. But Alex tells her to back off, and Spencer gets Alex to give her another chance - he's willing as long as Spencer gives him complete control of the evening.
Jenna coming to "see" Emily
Later, still recovering from her head trauma, Emily awakes to find a surprise visitor: Jenna, along with her seeing eye dog, Shadow, pretending to be there only to deliver Emily some cookies. She urges Emily to share any information she has about her stepbrother’s whereabouts and asks her to promise to return the stolen file to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. After all, she did keep quiet about what she knew of Emily and her friends, blinding her. She claims that she is doing it because she cares about Toby, but perhaps she is just trying to protect her own reputation.
Homecoming king and queen in the after-shot
Meanwhile, Hanna finds herself increasingly attracted to the geeky, different Lucas, who takes photos of the discordant Sean and Hanna as a belated homecoming royalty shot for the yearbook. Lucas takes several shots of the two (perhaps purposely) annoying Sean with his suggestions, such as to have Hanna pose sitting on his lap. Sean smiles through gritted teeth, and the shoot ends in a bitter argument between Hanna and Sean.
Pam insisting on mother-daughter time
At home, Emily tries to contact her friends to make sure they keep the file, but Pam sits herself down in Emily's room, hoping to spend some quality time with her daughter. She takes Emily's phone, entirely thwarting Emily's attempts. They get into an argument about Toby and whether he can be trusted; Emily tries to defend him, but her mother is livid that Emily dated him behind her back. When Pam presses Emily for details about the night before, she firmly insists that she needs sleep, ending their discussion.
Later that day, Aria is looking at the flowers she got from Sean when Byron walks in. They talk about Mike's lacrosse game, and Aria asks if Ella made it. Byron says she didn't, and Aria comments on the non-talking situation between her parents. Aria asks if Byron is leaving them. He explains that Ella thinks it is better if they spend some time apart. Byron says he still loves Ella, and Aria believes he should fight for what he really wants, but then she walks away disappointed.
Cast your bread out to the water...and it will come back to you.
The girls, minus Emily, head to the shed to hide Toby's file, which Hanna stole. However, in a panic, Aria decides to throw it into the river instead – just as Emily finally reaches their cell phones, pleading with them not to destroy it. All the while the girls bicker and panic, Hanna complains that she's the only one caught for her mistakes. Unlike Spencer, who got away with stealing Melissa's essay, Hanna had to pay dearly for shoplifting.
Miss Shepard
Later, Aria reels from the sudden disappearance of Ezra, who by all accounts has skipped town. In place of Mr. Fitz, the English class gets a substitute teacher, the familiar "Miss Shepard."
It's been taken care of...
Jenna approaches Emily at her locker, and Emily lets Jenna know that the file has been "taken care of." Jenna is unhappy about being forced to trust Emily that the details will not get out.
The Bitch Board.
When Spencer hears that Alex has canceled their date to work at the club, she thinks he's lying, as the club is supposed to be closed. But, on an impulse, she visits the kitchen, and to her surprise, finds him there, working overtime. She helps him with his kitchen chores so they can spend time together. However, the fun comes to an end when she discovers a nasty prank called The Bitch Board that he and some of the other club workers have created, poking fun at the elitist members (which include Spencer, as well as her sister, Melissa). Alex reminds Spencer that her sister had treated him with the same level of respect.
Mike in a fight!
At school, Sean tries to pursue Aria, but she cuts him short, reminding him that Hanna loves him. Taking revenge on her by asking out her best friend is low. He agrees, and just then, Mike comes barreling through the hallway, physically fighting with another student. Sean helps Aria break up the fight, and Mike walks away, ticked off.
Lucas and Hanna getting closer
Hanna joins Lucas to pick out prom king and queen photos for the yearbook of her and Sean. She says she thought she looked happier when she finally became prom queen. Later, Lucas and Hanna bond over funny internet videos. Lucas confesses how intimidated he used to be by Hanna when she was still a part of Alison's ''coven''. He reveals how much it had hurt that Alison called him "hermy, the hermaphrodite," and Hanna shares how Alison had called her "Hefty Hanna." Lucas can't understand how Hanna had been her friend.
Again, another chance?
In school, Emily approaches Maya and honestly lets her know that she cares about her. She also tells her that she is okay knowing that the photographs of them are about to go public. Maya is afraid Emily will bail on her again.
Bryon wants to talk to Ella
Ella and Byron meet in the Rosewood High School hallways after hearing about Mike's fight at school. There, they argue over their children and come to an impasse about Byron's leaving. Byron doesn't want to leave; Ella wants him to go. Later that night, she decides to move out since Byron won't, and the two arrange for how they will care for their children.
Aria tries to visit Ezra in his apartment, but he is nowhere to be found. She uses the key under the mat to get in, and while she's inside, she hears the answering machine record a message from a New York school confirming their interview with Mr. Fitz the next day.
Hot and steamy in the kitchen
Sean then visits Hanna at home, ready to make up. However, they still don't connect fully, especially when Hanna shows Sean the videos she had enjoyed earlier with Lucas. Sean doesn't get Hanna's humor and calls them dumb. Back at the club, Spencer finds her way back to Alex, ready to move past their disagreement. He then pulls Spencer into a slow dance that ends with the two of them kissing deeply.
Jenna crying over Toby
The next day, Emily arrives at the Cavanaugh house to find police officers surrounding the area and a visibly shaken Jenna in tears. She notices a damaged motorcycle but is too afraid to ask whether Toby is alive. As she tries to process this unsettling news with her friends in her room, she receives a text from "A": "Thanks for getting Toby out of my way. --A." They believed they were done with "A," but it seems that isn’t the case.
In the final scene of the episode, a gloved figure—presumably "A"—carefully retrieves the sheets from Toby's psychiatrist file, which Aria had thrown into the river.
Trivia[]
- Sara Shepard, author of the Pretty Little Liars novels, makes a brief appearance as Ms. Shepard, a teacher substituting for Ezra.
- Diego Boneta's song Siempre Tu comes on the radio when Hanna and Sean are studying. Alex, played by the singer, is listening to the radio and is dancing along to it in the kitchen. Spencer comes along and joins him in a salsa-like dance.
- After Toby drops Emily off at the hospital in this episode, he runs away.
Errors[]
- When the girls are in the woods going to destroy the file, Aria throws the file up in the air. At first it's in normal speed, then it's slowed down. When it's slowed down, you can see Aria speaking but no audio coming out. It was probably the line she said before.
Title[]
- This episode records all the negative fallout of the previous Homecoming episode for all four liars and is therefore appropriately named, "The Homecoming Hangover."
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
- Chuck Hittinger as Sean Ackard
- Brendan Robinson as Lucas Gottesman
- Jim Titus (II) as Officer Barry Maple
- Sara Shepard as Miss Shepard
- Nia Peeples as Pam Fields
- Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery
- Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery
- Diego Boneta as Alex Santiago
- Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain
Co-Starring[]
- Cody Allen Christian as Mike Montgomery
- Valerie Rose Curiel as Stephanie, server at Rosewood Country Club
- Mark Beltzman as Charlie
Featured Music[]
- "Let Me Down Easy" by 2AM Club (the girls look for Emily)
- "Wish You Well" by Katie Herzig (Aria gets flowers)
- "Starting Now" by Ingrid Michaelson (photo shoot with Lucas)
- "Siempre Tu" by Diego Boneta (Alex and Spencer dance in the kitchen)
- "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins (Emily sees Jenna crying)
- "Icarus" by White Hinterland (-A pulls Toby's file out of the river)
Gallery[]
 The Homecoming Hangover has a photo gallery. |
|---|
Memorable Quotes[]
Pam Fields: My daughter doesn't lie. Officer Barry: Ma'am. Everybody lies. |
Hanna: I really can't afford to take more field trips to the precinct. |
Hanna: Emily, you're not signing a contract. You were Emily dating Ben, and now you're Emily dating Maya. We love Emily. No one cares who you're with. Emily: Really? Have you met my parents? |
Alex: Ooh, you got Stephanie mad at you. Spencer: I’ll worry about that if I ever order the clam chowder. |
Hanna: Look, I have already gotten busted for stealing sunglasses and my boyfriend’s car. Spencer: Wait, you stole sunglasses? From who? Hanna: Not from a person - from a store. God, I have some class. Aria: Wait, are you talking about those... the Gucci ones with the gold... Spencer: Focus! |
Spencer: The devil has a name and it's Toby. |
Lucas [about Carl, the janitor]: He’s out of it. Thirty years of breathing floor wax does wicked things to your brain. And there’s the vodka. Hanna: Ugh, I got three hours of sleep last night. I look like something Carl coughed up. |
Lucas: I didn't mean to invade your personal... skin. Hanna: It's okay. The leprosy cleared up. |
Lucas: Alison called me Hermy the Hermaphrodite for three years, just because she didn’t like my glasses. Hanna: Well, your shoes weren’t that great either. |
Stephanie, the waitress: You're violating like a million health code violations. Spencer: Look, I've already had my shots, and I won't touch the tartar sauce. |
Byron: I don't wanna leave. Ella: I don't want you to stay. |
Spencer: You taking something for the pain? Emily: Yeah, but nothing that dulls my mother. |
Aria [to Byron]: Are you moving out? Just tell me now. I don't wanna find out when I'm setting the table for dinner. |
Jenna: I've kept quiet about a lot, Emily. The least you can do is get me that file. You owe me that much. |
Lucas: We need candid shots, too. Sean: You put that in your yearbook, bro, and I'll pull that camera out of your... |
Sean (fed up with Hanna): Go out, answer it. I'm sure it's someone who pulls rank over me. |