RECAP: 'Pretty Little Liars' Ends In Murder

ABC Family’s teen drama/thriller Pretty Little Liars wrapped up its mid-season finale Wednesday night with sex, betrayal and a pool of blood. The episode, "Lady Killer," opened by flashing forward to a crime scene, setting up an hour of speculation about who was the victim, who was to blame, and just who exactly was the “A” that had been torturing the girls all season.



"Lady Killer" then flashed back in time, revealing that Paige (Lindsey Shaw) had received a mysterious text from the "A" to go to the cemetery, resulting in her going missing. Meanwhile Maggie (Larisa Oleynik), the mother of Ezra’s (Ian Harding) child, showed up at Ezra's door, but his girlfriend, Aria (Lucy Hale, pictured) greeted her. Maggie asked Aria not to mention that she stopped by while she made plans for what to do with their son, whom Ezra does not even know about. And on the sensual side of things, Toby (Keegan Allen) and Spencer (Troian Bellisario) were reunited for a steamy encounter.

Back on the main timeline, the girls were still trying to figure out who the “A” was. Their suspicions last week lead them to believe the “A” was Paige, but the evidence didn’t quite add up. Aria, Hanna (Ashley Benson) and Spencer then received text messages telling them to go to Ali’s (Sasha Pieterse) grave where they could expect to meet the "A."



Meanwhile, Emily (Shay Mitchell) was on a date with Nate (Sterling Sulieman) at a creepy cabin, where all the girls started texting Emily to hit the road, because Nate appeared to be dangerous. When Emily recognized Nate’s shoes as being identical to the shoes of Maya’s (Bianca Lawson) stalker, she cut and ran, but Nate caught her. He then confirmed he was Maya’s stalker, Lyndon James, and that he had the missing Paige tied up. So much for Paige being the next “A.” Emily then made another escape attempt just as Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) showed up to help. In the ensuing struggle Emily stabbed Nate while Caleb suffered a gunshot wound.



Just when it all seemed to be over, the summer finale dropped one more bomb. The newest “A” torturing the girls has been … wait for it … Toby!



Pretty Little Liars has been an important summer staple for ABC Family and its success helped the network become the highest rated cable network for women ages 12-34, according to the A.V. Club. Pretty Little Liars will pick up the remainder of its third season on October 23. –Hal Sundt

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