Emily (and even her phone) are dragged into being secretaries for her friends’ heterosexual dramas :/
Emily literally does not have her own plotline this episode, she just gets absorbed into the Spoby drama. Don’t get me wrong, there’s stuff I love here, like Emily’s comically bad “Spencer is unable to come to the phone right now”
But I am pretty meh on Emily not getting her own stuff to do, and the way the disparity between f/f and f/m relationships on the show feels starker in S2
It’s good/convenient that Caleb is a newcomer to Rosewood, so that when he hacks these videos of a bunch of weirdos hanging out in Ali’s room, it’s not like he has any prior beef or knowledge that would skew his efforts
The girls all think Holden is gay because he’s never tried to kiss Aria. Aria, the one true test for any boy’s heterosexuality apparently.
Do enjoy Emily looking a little smug as she explains what a beard is, even though everyone clearly knows.
My notes: “I’m so bored of Ezria.” Indeed.
We get another glimpse of Halloween 2008 when the girls find the threatening notes A sent Ali, which is a nice connection that episode. Ali really was experiencing it all that night huh.
Toby gets injured via the wobbliest scaffolding sabotage. A really does not want Spoby to date, is extra invested in it, and I’m unclear why.
I mean, A threatened Ezria with reveals before but A saved Ezria via framing Noel and A has never put Ezra’s life in danger.
I wonder if it’s because Toby seems like the SO most likely to be told about A, given that he was investigating Ali’s murder with Spencer back in S1.
Most likely until Spencer’s protective instincts are kicked into overdrive here.
Toby gets to wake up to Jenna giving him all the standard abuser lines blah blah you can’t trust anyone but me blah blah no one is going to care about you like I do blah blah
Complete with creepy leg touch that makes Toby flinch
About Spencer, Jenna says “She’s haunted”. Not that Spencer is dangerous to Toby, but that Spencer is in danger, and by extension Toby’s in range to get hurt
Again, the girls really should tell Caleb, he’s already in danger if A can see someone is hacking into their phone. A’s not gonna be like wow, I bet Aria picked up Hacking For Dummies at the Rosewood Library and is the one exfiltrating my shit
Caleb confidently saying “I can protect you” to Hanna is very funny and very dude though, like bro you don’t even know what it is, and this angle of unearned confidence will only make Hanna more certain you won’t take the threat seriously
So Hanna destroys the thumbdrive in the blender. And later throws the blender in the trash can.
Hanna commits so much waste in this kitchen y’all. She’s thrown away a blender, just opened yogurt cups, uneaten takeout, my wallet winces at all of this.
Jenna is so fucking weird to Emily. Why does Jenna always talk to Emily as if Emily ever wanted to fuck Toby. She’s gay, Jenna. Like here’s their dialogue.
Emily: How dare you come here.
Jenna: Emily? I’d ask you the same thing.
Emily: I’m Toby’s friend.
Jenna: Well, there was a time you wanted to be more than that. Good thing he didn't feel the same way, or things would be awfully confusing with Maya, wouldn't they?
Emily: You're lucky I don't take that stick—
Jenna: Mm, careful, Emily. Misplaced anger can be dangerous.
Is Jenna just sooo distracted by her own rapey ways that she thinks everyone wants to fuck Toby. Maybe so.
Still enjoy Emily being terrible to the blind girl, always the liar most pissed at her somehow.
Oh so now Ella knows about Toby, where was this back when she thought Ezra/Spencer was a thing. Wait, didn’t Toby even come yelling in the police station about how much he loves Spencer too, while the other parents were there? Did Ella just assume Spencer was two-timing? Damn Ella
Anyway the Montgomerys are super into the Holden solution for their daughter, because they remain the silliest parents of the lot.
Spencer is so guilt-wridden about Toby. She stares through the window at his injured body instead of entering the room to sit by him. I very much enjoy how much the show has her brood, Spencer at heart should be a noir detective brooding through rainy windows
Spencer: Jenna's right. I'm putting Toby in danger, and I've always known it.
Emily: We've always done everything we can.
Spencer: It's not enough. It'll never be enough. I need you to do me a favor.
Emily: Anything.
As kicked puppy as Toby is this episode, I obviously care more about the Spemily angle here, where Emily agrees immediately even though she knows how deranged Spencer can get and does ultimately go through with the plan.
And the genre gender inversion of sorts, where Spencer, Emily, and Jenna are the actors upon Toby, while he is the acted upon, the one that is protected or hurt or violated
I like Emily’s little vest in the hospital scenes
I...have nothing to say about Ezra getting inspired by this random-ass student that we’ll never see again, other than I hate him. Not just for Ezria, but also because he stops his car in the middle of the road while it is raining to make out with Aria, thus blocking traffic. Park your damn car.
Got distracted wondering if the Hastings move when your daughter is dating an authority figure you don’t like is to hire a PI to follow him specifically to snag a photo of them kissing so that you can get him super fired and blacklisted everywhere.
Fields move would be police police police, Marin move would be to go :/ :/ but not actually do anything about it
While Toby and Wren talk I wonder if the show ever passes the reverse Bechdel test. I hope not.
Caleb goes to Spencer and Emily to offer his hacking services. They really are the investigative ringleaders this season, and Caleb once more proves himself to be the most integrated SO
Spencer discloses to Caleb that Jenna is trying to frame them, Garrett is helping her, and that Ian’s confession likely isn’t the full story.
Not a bad set of facts, but it does overstate their certainty on the Jenna question, which will lead Caleb to focus on her
