Pretty Little Liars - Welcome To The Dollhouse (Episode Review)
(Spoilers after here!)
I've been an avid viewer of Pretty Little Liars since the beginning of the TV series. I found myself in a gap year after university and was delighted by the fashionable, mysterious show. I haven't read any of the popular books by Sara Shepard, although I plan to read them all once the show is over. (Last year ABC Family announced the show will return for two last seasons.) I'm usually the type to either read all the books before watching or watch all of the series/movies before reading. I definitely don't want to ruin anything for myself with this great series. I'll admit it was tempting to think I could probably Google “A” and know everything, but it just wouldn't be as satisfying.
“Welcome to the Dollhouse” promised to reveal Big “A” and it did just that and more! Not only did we find out who “A” is, but we also found out that Mona is alive! I strongly questioned if Mona was actually dead, but this was a super reveal anyway. The girls all walk into the room fashioned as Ali's living room and see a blonde girl in an Ali mask at the piano. She takes off the mask and reveals it is Mona, although the girls thought she might have been Ali. Mona, at first, seems like she really believes that she is Ali. Later she reveals that she has only been playing along with what “A” wants (I wonder for how long and what activities has she been having to endure?) in a moment when the girls can speak freely. She shows how smart and crafty she can be, which is one reason why it will be cool to have her back.
Speaking of how eerie she was on her big reveal, let's talk about how eerie the beginning was. It starts with the girls, sans Ali, being transferred to prison and talking about what they should expect once they arrive. What they didn't expect was for the vehicle to skid to a stop and a formidable figure to open the doors, shoot gas at them, and stalk inside as they panic. They also didn't expect to wake up in their bedrooms afterward. Or at least it appeared that way until they started exploring. When you think about how much time and detail was put into the rooms (and the whole dollhouse) it is astounding and...creepy. “A” has been busy. I give props to the PLL cast and crew for how they handled this important episode. It felt edgy, shocking, and dangerous in a way that was fitting for this big reveal.
Mona being alive was the first big reveal, but I was definitely waiting to find out who “A” was while the girls planned the Prom that “A” wanted and secretly planned their way to break out. I was literally counting how many minutes were left at the start of each commercial break and wondering just how “A” would be revealed. I wondered if the girls would see “A” or if only the viewers would be the ones to find out. We all discovered it together; Big “A” is Charles DiLauentis!!! The viewers can assume Charles is brother to Ali and perhaps twin to Jason after seeing the old home video of Mrs. DiLauentis with the children.
I know some viewers are upset about this reveal while others are excited for what's to come next. Some do not like that the show is not the same as the book. Some may feel disappointed because we didn't actually get to see Charles' face or learn more about him. I'll admit when it was first revealed I was a little perplexed and can see why some might be confused. I think we were all guessing who “A” could be and some might feel a little tricked since he is someone we likely wouldn't know about (at least from the TV series). I had a twin theory, but I thought it was Ali who would have a secret twin. Nevertheless, we are to assume that most shows do take some liberties with source material so as to keep the viewers guessing. It's also the season finale so we will undoubtedly be left with more questions than we had answered. By the end I knew the girls would be left in an unsettled state and that we wouldn't know what happens next. The slow zoom out of the woods was creative and disconcerting, but the sudden credits did leave me a bit frazzled and wanting more. PLL will return in June 2015 with episode “Game On, Charles”.
After a bit of research I found that I. Marlene King says we will find out the why behind Big “A” as well as more about the who. The writers started working on Big “A” once they were going to reveal that Mona was A. We are to assume that Big “A” took over the game at the beginning of season three. I've heard a rumor that the next ten or so episodes will explain more and then perhaps we could see a Uber “A”.
I definitely started asking more questions once it was over. Some questions made the mystery so much more rewarding and some thoughts made me feel excited to find out more. Find my questions/ramblings below:
-Are Charles and Jason twins?
-If so, isn't he Spencer's brother as well?
-Has Charles killed Jason and/or pretended to be Jason? ...over the years ...with Mrs. Marin
-Could Jason be the one in the barrel?
-Does anyone know about a possible other DiLauentis child? Is this why Mrs. DiLauentis died?
-Did Charles hurt Ali and cause Mrs. DiLauentis to bury her because she was trying to protect her other child? (I initially wondered if this was the case for Jason).
-How did Charles fund the dollhouse? Is there an Uber “A”?
-Was Charles always in Radley Sanitarium? Why?
-Did Charles kill Toby's mom in Radley?
-How will the girls escape?
-Why did Mona get the mask? Was it because Charles wanted to kill the others with gas or was it because he was going to gas the others, take them back to the van, and just keep Mona?
-What would have happened if the girls didn't manage to turn the generator off when he was coming toward them?
-Review by LBurden
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