There is so much drama packed into season five of Pretty Little Liars that at times it can get overwhelming. That’s what the story and show were built for handling/distributing, as is the audience that is viewing it. Season five of Pretty Little Liars lays on the Twin Peaks-esque spin quite thick. You have the group getting adjusted life at Rosewood again, some parental drama/divorce/death, as well as the group breaking into small pieces, while picking up guys on the way to what is a fascinating conclusion.
Oh, yeah, then there is ‘A’.
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Anyway, instead of revealing all 25 wonderful episodes and laying it all out there, let me break down a few of my favorites that truly bring some intelligent drama to the mix:
Whirly Girlie – The girls return to Rosewood and the integration of Alison back into the mix begins. There isn’t much here in terms of long drawn out story ripple, but this episode is great because it starts the drama in Rosewood that would emerge in later episodes of season five. Oh, yeah, there is a dead body in this one that is regretfully gross and shocking.
Thrown from the Ride – A very Ali centric episode that throws in some road bumps for her including impending revenge that might (will) come her way in the short term future episodes. I like this one because we get some Ali perspective and the episode sets up some good drama that will eventually emerge towards the end of the season.
March of Crimes – For me, this is the episode that starts making this show more than an over-the-top teen drama, at least in this current season. ‘A’ hits the scene again, as Emily and Spencer catch an unnerving clue at the eye doctor (not going to give that away). The police start poking their noses into Alison’s business by pressuring her to reveal her kidnapper. This episode starts to ignite a few plot points in the overall story arc. Plus, what a great name for an episode, right?
Welcome to the Dollhouse – The season finale is quite the finale. Jailed, well in a sense, the girls find themselves trapped by ‘A’ and must figure out where they are and how ‘A’ is keeping them trapped. It’s an odd finale episode that certainly departs from the normal school girl drama the show usually dispenses. I won’t give much away, but this is a creepy episode, folks.
These were some of my favorites of the bunch. This show still perplexes me a bit. This is an incredibly violent show that really puts it on another level when compared to other ABC Family shows. That’s not a common thing for a channel that runs Harry Potter marathons. I think the violence separates it from the ABC Family family, so it’s a refreshing departure.
What’s also perplexing to me is how the show’s writers and fans can keep up with so many plot points, characters and individual storylines. This show is amazing complicated, but somehow at the end of the season it all comes together to grab and engage your motivation for the next year. I know I mentioned this in last season’s review, but wow I’m still stunned on the complexity of it all. The outline for this season must have been endless.
Season five of Pretty Little Liars is spot on the previous seasons, though I have to admit the violence and drama seemed to be turned to 11 this time around. The overall story arc really does start breaking the world of the group down a bit and sends it spiraling towards the creepy finale. The final episode ups the ante when it comes to setting a new standard of mystery, creepiness and confusion, so the trip there is completely worth it.
Anyway, can’t wait to see what happens in season six. Until then, season five is pretty solid.
On the special features side of this release, here’s what you’re getting:
– Celebrating A Pretty 100th
– Christmas in Rosewood: Designing the Ice Ball
– Pretty Little Liars: The Guys are Back!
– Good Girls, Bad Lies: The Stronger PLLs
– Episode: We Love You to DeAth
– Deleted Scenes
For a television show this is a lot of added value to the purchase. The featurettes will entertain fans of the series, as will the added episode and included deleted scenes. There’s a lot of nice things to compliment the season here.