The Remains of the "A"

“	Hey Spence, I have one more surprise for you. Garrett isn't their killer.	”
	— A

The Remains of the "A"

Season: 3

Episode: 6

Information

Airdate

July 17, 2012

Written by

Maya Goldsmith

Directed by

Norman Buckley

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The Remains of the "A" is the sixth episode of Season 3 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired on July 17, 2012.

Synopsis[]

The episode opens with Spencer and Hanna at the hospital, planning to expose "A". They fake a note, asking "A" to meet them at the organ in Rosewood Church tonight. They decide to replace Garrett's note with the fake one to beat "A" in their own game. While Hanna is planting the note, Mrs. Reynolds' heart stops beating. Hanna and Spencer rush out of the hospital.

At Ezra's place, Aria receives a text from Spencer to inform her that Garrett's mother is stabilized but not dead. Ezra starts questioning Aria's job. She tells him that she wants to ditch work today. Ezra doesn't think that's such a good idea, as it's her first day, and then they both have an impromptu photoshoot with the antique camera Ezra gifted Aria.

Spencer is seen searching for "April Rose" (the tip Garrett gave to "A" on the note). Toby and she start to make out, but they're suddenly interrupted by Spencer's father. Toby, feeling embarrassed, decides to leave, and Spencer tells Toby she will text him later. Garrett's case may be closed due to a lack of evidence. Hanna visits Emily at work. She explains to her what happened at the hospital, then hands her a paper with an address on it. The address (Riverside and State St.) is the pickup location of the bag with Emily's jacket in it, which was delivered to the church.

Spencer and Jason have a conversation about Garrett's news. Spencer asks him about someone named April Rose. The name doesn't ring a bell for Jason. Meanwhile, Spencer's father is spying on them. Hanna is seen speaking to Ted, the volunteer coordinator. He invites her to a thank-you party for all the volunteers tonight at the church. Hanna is worried because it interferes with her plan: she thought it would be empty so that she could expose "A".

Jason and Spencer talk about the N.A.T. club. Spencer believes that April Rose was one of the girls filmed by Ian, Garrett, and Jason. However, he denies it. Jason explains to Spencer that he always thought Ian and Garrett used to pay girls to set up their friends and that they would film these for someone else. Meanwhile, Spencer's dad is still spying on them. Aria is looking for a sock while Ezra is taking a shower. She searches in Ezra's sock drawer and finds a massive stack of money. She's shocked and tells Ezra she needs to go.

Hanna, Spencer, and Aria meet at the Grille. Spencer suggests that Garrett might be taking instructions from "A", and that's how he wound up behind bars. Hanna tells them that she had to make some changes to her plan: Emily and she are going to hide behind the organ and see who's at the party so that they can plan their attack. Aria asks Spencer about the reward Jason offered to whoever has information about Alison's body. She thinks that might be related to Ezra's sudden influx of cash.

Peter finds Jason and tells him to leave Spencer alone. He wishes Spencer could put all of this behind her: the trial, Jason's sister, etc., and focus on her future. Jason tells him that he happens to have more than one sister and walks away. At the church, Hanna's mom picks her up and informs her that Ted is her date at the party tonight. Hanna is shocked and worried because that means her plan gets interrupted once again. Her mom offers to drive her, but Hanna lies that Toby is picking her up because she wants to scare off some guy who has been hitting on her.

Emily goes to the address Hanna gave her. She recognizes a cafe named 'Sputnik's' from a flashback from That Night. Hanna begs Spencer to let Toby come with her. Spencer doesn't want Toby to get involved, but she values their friendship more, so she decides to give in. Hanna tells her that they stopped Mona before, and they can stop this new "A" together. Emily gets another flashback from "That Night": She remembers someone (was it herself?) solving a maze, with the words "I'm sorry I left you" written beside it. Somebody with an eye tattoo on their wrist was there with her. She leaves some money on the table and leaves.

Jason comes to Spencer's house. He found April Rose - not a person, but an antique shop. Jason drives both of them there. Hanna and Toby arrive at the church party. Ashley and Ted greet them. Ashley makes some jokes about not getting alcohol in church, not knowing Ted is a pastor. Hanna spots Detective Wilden at the party and pulls Toby out of his sight. Spencer and Jason get to the antique shop. Spencer recognizes an anklet on a mannequin - it was Alison's, who claimed that a 'friend' gave it to her. She takes it off with her scarf to prevent smudging off any fingerprints.

The shopkeeper says it might have been brought there in the past few days, since he doesn't remember seeing it. Jason pays him $400 for the anklet. Ashley tries to ask Ted out on Sunday, but he says he's busy on Sundays. He tells her he's an associate pastor for the church. Ashley realizes she has made a terrible mistake. Toby is suspicious of Hanna's sudden invitation. He wants to know why they're even there. Hanna admits that it's, 'in a way', related to Caleb. Toby leaves a message for Spencer, asking her to explain why she and Hanna lied to him.

Ashley talks to Hanna. She thinks she has ruined all of her chances of being together with Ted, because he's a pastor and her résumé shows that she's no angel. Hanna convinces her mom that nobody's perfect, and they might still have a chance. Emily arrives at the party and meets Holden. As he offers her a cupcake, she sees the same eye tattoo from her flashback on his wrist. Holden shows her that it's erasable, and not a tattoo. It's for some club/party. Holden tells her he used to see Maya there. He looks uneasy and walks away.

Ashley and Ted start to dance, but are interrupted by Wilden. He tells her that their "paths may cross again," suggesting that they've found something new regarding Alison's murder. Ashley says she has a headache and leaves the party. Jason and Spencer hand the anklet over to the police, telling them they received an anonymous tip. Spencer asks to see the letters that helped Jason figure out Spencer's dad is also his dad. Jason tells her they'll just hurt. Spencer is surprised by how different he is from Alison, because that is precisely the reason Alison would want her to see them.

Hanna meets Emily at the party. Emily tells her about Holden. Hanna rushes to the organ at the church, saying she wants to get there before "A" does. Hanna crouches behind the organ and hears footsteps approaching. She looks up and sees Detective Wilden staring at her. He produces the note she faked. He thinks the girls are helping Garrett. He also tells her she only keeps creating more problems while her mother tries to solve them. Hanna denies his accusations and leaves.

Aria goes to Ezra's place. She confronts him about the money in the sock drawer. Ezra tells her he sold a car belonging to his grandfather. He didn't want to tell Aria because he was embarrassed that he lost his job, and is now answering want-ads for webzines and is reusing coffee filters. Aria feels sorry for suspecting him and asks to join him on the couch. They snuggle together, but Ezra steals a secretive glance at his sock drawer.

Spencer's father tells her that vital evidence in the Garrett Reynolds case was turned in last night, and he knows she turned it in. It turns out the police have been looking for the anklet for two years. Traces of blood were found on it - Alison's and someone else's. Not Garrett's. The charges against Garrett were dismissed. Spencer rushes to her room and cries into her pillow; she's upset because she has helped free Garrett of the murder charge by turning in the anklet, instead of assisting the prosecution in building up its case. She wants to call somebody, but receives a text message from "A". "Hey Spence, I have one more surprise for you. Garrett isn't their killer."

In the last scene, we see "A" eating a bowl of ice cream, reading the news about the dismissal of charges in the DiLaurentis murder case. "A" then circles an ad ("Rooms for Rent") in the Classified section, and proceeds to call the number on the ad.

Notes[]

A scene between Toby and Hanna took place during this episode.
Holden appears in this episode.
"A" is seen circling an ad on the "Rosewood Observer" newspaper, which seems to remind us of Ali & A's way of communicating.
Garrett is proven not guilty.

Title[]

The title of this episode is derived from the book title, "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro, which is about a butler who remembers his former friendship with his employer, whom we slowly realize harbored a secret love for him.

Main Cast[]

Supporting Cast[]

Co-Starring[]

Bart McCarthy as Emmett
Dee Baldus as Waitress

Featured Music[]

"You Make Me Happy" by Cathy Heller (Aria & Ezra are in his apartment; Ezra & Aria take photos of each other using the camera Ezra got her.)
"A Night Like This" by Caro Emerald (Hanna arrives at the party with Toby, where they meet up with Ashley & Ted; Hanna sees Detective Wilden arrive.)
"We Turn it Up" by Oh Land (Spencer gets a flashback of one of her sleepovers with Alison after she sees an ankle bracelet that Alison wore at the antique store.)
"Starlight" by Rachel Yamagata (Emily's sitting at a diner when she gets a flashback of what happened the night she disappeared.)
"I've Got You Covered" by Sugar & The Hi Lows (Toby asks Hanna if she wants to dance; They slow dance as Ashley & Ted talk; Toby and Hanna talk; Toby calls Spencer; Ashley confronts Hanna on why she didn't tell her Ted was a pastor.)
"Back it Up" by Caro Emerald (Emily arrives at the party and is greeted by Holden; Emily has a flashback after seeing a tattoo on Holden's wrist.)
"Think I Said Too Much" by Sugar & The Hi Lows (Hanna asks Emily where she's been; Emily tells her about her conversation with Holden & her flashback.)
"The Other Woman" by Caro Emerald (Ashley asks Ted if he wants to dance when Detective Wilden approaches them both; Ashley & Ted dance while she watches Wilden.)