Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

“	You're not crazy. You're as sane as I am.	”
	— Mona to Spencer

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

Season: 3

Episode: 22

Information

Airdate

March 5, 2013

Written by

Joseph Dougherty

Directed by

Ron Lagomarsino

Episode Guide
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Out of Sight, Out of Mind	I'm Your Puppet

Will the Circle Be Unbroken? is the twenty-second episode of Season 3 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired on March 5, 2013.

Synopsis[]

In the opening scene, we see Mona pretending to look at her reflection in her compact mirror while applying lipstick; she's catching a glimpse of the liars at school. The girls are seen talking about where Spencer might be. Emily says she has sent her at least twelve text messages, but has gotten no answer. Emily adds that if they don't get any answer from her, they will go to her house after school. Melissa and the principal then walk up to the girls at school to tell them that Spencer hasn't been home and that she wanted to check with them before going to the principal's office to call the police.

Spencer, still a Jane Doe, talks to one of the nurses at Radley Sanitarium (who we later learn is E. Lamb), who comes in to check on her dressings. She asks him what a 302 is. He explains that it's a law that lets paramedics send people to a psych evaluation instead of being thrown in jail. He explains to her she's lucky to be there because the county facility is complete. He tells her that she's supposed to have amnesia, and she will also get a doctor to evaluate her mental state. Ashley is seen in her kitchen going through the newspapers looking for anything that could relate to Wilden's disappearance, like a body or a lost car. The phone rings. Ashley tries to ignore a call from Ted, but Hanna picks up the phone and sets up a coffee date for her to keep things normal so there's no suspicion.

Aria is seen lying on Ezra's couch. Ezra tells her that his ghostwriting job is not going great. Ezra tells Aria that he's considering teaching again. He tells her he misses her even though she is right in front of him. Spencer, still at Radley, is playing the piano. Dr. Sullivan arrives and recognizes Spencer. Ashley and Hanna meet with Ted, who's pleased with Jamie's work at the church. Suddenly, Wilden arrives from across the street. Ashley and Hanna look surprised. Wilden says he took a couple of days off and tells Ted he went fishing.

Back at Radley, Dr. Sullivan is seen sitting at a table discussing with Spencer. She tells her they called her in so she could speak to a Jane Doe. She asks her why she didn't tell the staff she was Spencer. Spencer tells her that she didn't want to be Spencer because Toby is dead and that someone killed him, and that she's the reason why he's dead. She liked not having an identity, even just for a few hours. Dr. Sullivan tells Spencer that she's going to contact her family and then the police.

Meanwhile, Aria is at home and talks to Byron about Ezra looking for a job, and asks if he can help at all. Byron is hesitant. Then, Aria gets a text from Emily that Spencer is okay. Back at Radley, Melissa tells Spencer that their parents are looking to fly back from Europe as fast as possible. Melissa says she never considered the possibility that her sister might be sick. Melissa then cries, saying she feels terrible that she could have never foreseen this coming and that it's her responsibility to make sure Spencer is alright. The girls meet up to talk about Spencer being found in the woods. Right now, only family is allowed to see her. The girls all get a text picture from Ashley being pulled over by Wilden the night she ran him over.

Ashley tells Hanna that she wants to cancel a seminar in New York related to a potential promotion. Hanna thinks she should go and offers to stay with Emily in the meantime. Ashley is hesitant, but Hanna reassures her about her safety. In the street, we see Emily catching up to Dr. Sullivan to ask her about visiting Spencer. She reveals what Spencer said about Toby. Nobody has been found in the woods, so Dr. Sullivan isn't convinced that Spencer saw what she thinks she saw. Byron and Ella talk about Aria's request involving Ezra. Byron says he could bring it up to the dean, and suggests that if they get him a job, he might end things with Aria because things could get stable for him to form a family with Maggie and their son. Ella seems to agree. Dr. Sullivan and Spencer argue over the body she saw in the woods. Spencer asks to see her friends, as she misses them, and is told that it will only happen after her 72-hour evaluation.

Emily runs into Shana at the coffee shop and finds out that she swims, something she or Paige ever mentioned. She introduces Emily to Olympic gold medalist swimmer Missy Franklin. Emily is in awe and takes pictures with Missy. She promises Shana she will send her the pictures. Shana then leaves the coffee shop, with Emily pleasantly surprised. Spencer is having a discussion in her room at Radley with Eddie Lamb. He asks her what was making her so sure someone had stolen his badge. Spencer tells him she saw a guy with his ID, with his own picture. Eddie asks her what he would have needed it for. Spencer tells him it was to visit someone, someone who he could not simply visit because he was doing things for her outside the walls. She tells him the patient's name was Mona Vanderwaal and that the guy's real name was Toby. Eddie tells Spencer that there were not just stolen badges, but problems with the visitor passes, and they had traced it back to someone on staff. He tells her he has to keep his mouth shut to keep his job. Before leaving, he tells her this was Mona's room when she was interned at Radley. Spencer looks at the desk and sees an engraving on the wooden surface that says, "Will the circle be unbroken[?]".

Spencer then flashes back to her and Alison sitting in a church with everyone singing along to "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Alison was making fun of Mona, who was singing really enthusiastically. As they leave the church, Spencer turns around and sees Mona. Spencer asks Alison why she bothers going to church; Alison replies, "I like to cover my bets." Spencer brings up Ali's diary, which she had been writing in throughout church; Ali says she won't let her see it until after she's dead. Spencer denies wanting to read it anyway, but Ali says that the entries are for her and that they're beyond scandalous. Ali then tells Spencer, "You're gonna need them if you're gonna carry on after I'm gone." Spencer asks, "Carry on what?" but Ali sidesteps the question.

Byron meets up with Ezra at his apartment. Byron has spoken with the dean. There is no room in the department right now, but he lets Ezra know that he's still trying to help. While in the school's bathroom, the girls are discussing Spencer being at Radley. Hanna suggests they pretend to be Spencer's cousins to be able to get into Radley to visit Spencer. Aria says no one will believe that. Emily chips in that they have to find out why she is certain Toby is dead. Aria says that A has been turning the screws for so long, and so one of the girls was bound to snap a string. Aria adds that she didn't think it would have been Spencer. Hanna says that she did, as there's a downside to being too bright. Aria tells Emily she was never the weakest link; Spencer was. Mona walks into the bathroom. She asks about Spencer. Aria tells her she's the reason why their friend is in Radley and makes a threat.

The principal meets with Aria, telling her Ezra has applied to be a substitute teacher in the Rosewood School District. He asks if she's still seeing Ezra socially. He tells her it's an embarrassing question, but that there were rumors going around, and that he needed to get an answer. She says she isn't seeing Ezra at the moment and says that they stopped short of ever having a romantic relationship. The principal then thanks her and says that he's just doing what he has to do. Aria says she finds it completely understandable. Ashley apologizes to Ted for canceling on him so late. She says her promotion could lead to her taking Hanna with her to New York. He says he likes seeing her and doesn't want her to leave, adding he'd like to try and help keep her in town if there's anything he can do. He also asks her if there was ever a genuine reason for her leaving Rosewood, would she tell him. She looks hesitant, lies, and says, "Yes."

Spencer needs Mona — Spencer *needs* Mona

Mona visits Spencer. She brings cookies for Spencer, but Spencer refuses her kindness. Mona tells her she came to visit the nurses because they had treated her kindly, and that she knows how to pay back a favor. Spencer asks why she killed Toby. Mona says that if she had actually killed Toby, she wouldn't want to talk to her. Mona tells her that Alison told her she was never pregnant; she was just worried she might have been. Mona also has all of Alison's diary entries on a tablet and says she has answers to questions "you haven't even thought of. You need me."

Ashley says goodbye to Hanna and leaves her at Emily's. As soon as Ashley pulls away, Wilden pulls up in his car. Hanna tells him to go away, and he asks her to tell him where his car and keys are. He says that's all he wants, and if she gives it to him, then he'll leave them both alone. During a group session with Dr. Sullivan and some other patients, Spencer tells the story of falling in the woods and looking down at her hands. She says she thought if that was the last thing she ever saw, she was okay with it: "I'd had enough." She asks about how to survive when the "worst thing" has happened. Spencer looks over and pictures Emily, Aria, and Hanna sitting in the circle, admitting that her friends can no longer count on her, and they no longer know who she is.

In the last scene, "A" drives off in an RV, filled with things from "A"'s old lair.

Notes[]

Wilden reappears after being missing. He tells Hanna that he will leave her and Ashley alone if he gets his car back.
E. Lamb is revealed to be the name of an orderly, Eddie Lamb, who works at Radley.
E. Lamb reveals to Spencer that she's in the same room as Mona, who was a patient. He also reveals to her that it was not just about his stolen badge, but that there were problems with the visitor passes, and they had traced it back to someone on staff.
Toby's body is missing, leading Dr. Sullivan to question if Toby really is dead.
Dr. Sullivan makes a visit to the Radley Center for the first time (on the show).
In a flashback scene, we see Alison with her diary in her possession, leaving the church with Spencer. She refuses to give Spencer a glimpse of her diary. But she tells her she will need it once she's gone.
Mona has an electronic version of scanned pages of Alison's diary on her tablet. She tells Spencer she has answers to questions Spencer would not have even thought of yet.
Mona offers Spencer a chance to be on the A-Team for a second time.
Spencer finds out that Toby's mother was a patient at Radley.
The "A" team is revealed to have a new lair, but it's inside an RV (recreational vehicle).
Mona got admitted to see Spencer in Radley, but Hanna, Aria, and Emily weren't able to see her in Radley. However, Mona said to Spencer that she brought cookies for Sybil, her favorite nurse. So instead of seeing the nurse, she went right to Spencer.

Title[]

The title is a reference to the hymn "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?", which was a message from A, and the song everyone sang in Church during a flashback scene.

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Featured Music[]

Headlights by Morning Parade (Shana introduces Emily to Missy Franklin at The Brew)
Black Magic by Magic Wands (Emily, Aria & Hanna are at the Brew; She tells them that Spencer is at Radley)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken? by Ada R. Habershon & Charles H. Gabriel (Ali, Spencer, and Mona singing at church)
Slipping Away by Barcelona (Hanna listens to music on her computer)

Gallery[]

Will The Circle Be Unbroken? has a photo gallery.

Memorable Quotes[]

Spencer: Why do you even bother coming to church?
Ali: I like to cover my bets.

Aria [about Spencer]: A's been turning the screws for so long, one of us was bound to snap a string.

Hanna: "You know, Emily, sometimes you poke the bear, and sometimes the bear pokes you. *sighs* It's from a movie.

Ali [to Spencer]: What do you suppose Mona was doing in there? Praying for bigger boobs?

Hanna: Honesty is tough.

Spencer: My Toby's name was Cavanaugh.

Aria [to Emily]: You weren't the weakest link, Em. Spencer was.

Spencer: It's okay, Melissa.
Melissa: No, it's not okay! None if this is okay!
Spencer: Fine then it's all screwed up, does that make you feel better?

Aria: Don't all cop cars have GPS?
Hanna: No, it doesn't work underwater!
Aria: It doesn't?
Hanna: Nothing works underwater, it's a scientific fact!

Spencer: "...but it wasn't the last thing I saw. I just kept going. How do you keep going when the worst thing has happened. What do you have to change inside to survive--who do you have to become?"

Aria:(to Mona) No you listen, If Spencer doesn't get better soon and you have something to do with it. Your going to wish you broke your neck when you fell off that cliff.