[WARNING: Spoilers ahead from Tuesday’s season five premiere of Pretty Little Liars, “EscApe From New York”]
Another season of Pretty Little Liars has begun.
Picking up after a dramatic cliffhanger with the “fate” of Ezra Fitz in the air, ABC Family’s mystery soap (renewed through season seven) began to chip away at a backlog of questions in Tuesday’s season opener.
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Among the highlights were an Ezra flashback, the early stages of a full-fledged anti-Alison army and several key revelations.
The Hollywood Reporter breaks down a few of the biggest reveals from “EscApe From New York.”
Ezra’s shooter revealed
It’s Shana — just look at the way Ezra went into shock when he saw her in his hospital room — who pulled the trigger wounded Ezra in the finale. The girls quickly found out about Shana’s trigger-happy tendencies when she confronted them, gun and all, at the Fitzgerald. (The Fitzgerald, it turns out, was the family theater where Ezra took Alison years ago.) Does this mean Shana is “A”? Probably not, but let’s let Aria, Hanna, Emily, Spencer and Alison believe that for now. In a twist of events, Aria — with a rifle the size of her body — pummels Shana, who dies in the saddest way possible: by falling off the theater’s barely three-foot-tall stage.
Mona puts together an army
It was clear Mona wouldn’t take the news of Alison’s return well. She has begun immobilizing her very own Mona Army, consisting of Melissa, Paige, Lucas and a few other people who have suffered under Alison’s wrath. Their goal is pretty simple: Topple Alison. But not everyone in the army is with Mona. Whether they’ll actually succeed, or even get close to their goal, is another question.
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CeCe Drake’s Red reveal
Was CeCe Drake ever Red Coat? Turns out she never was. The only reason CeCe was in Rosewood was to help collect information for Ezra, but she ended up getting caught in some major drama, including killing Detective Wilden. But Alison paid it forward, offering her plane ticket (under the alter ego Vivian Darkbloom) to CeCe. Goodbye, for now.
Melissa’s near-confession
It wasn’t revealed in tonight’s episode, but Melissa was close to spilling the beans to her mother. “She’ll have a reason to come home,” Melissa says to her father, speaking of Spencer. Unfortunately, her father stops her from doing so. What’s Melissa’s big secret?
What did you think of the season five premiere?
Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC Family.
Email: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
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