PLL Original Sin - Masked Man's Connections to the Orpheum & Wes
In 1x01, the first time that Tabby ever sees the Masked Man, it's with Wes when he is taking her home. Wes almost gets out of the car, and Tabby has to convince him not to before they drive off.
He shows up in 1x02 to the Jordan Peele double screening and watches the Liars through a hole in a wall behind the projection screen.
In 1x03, Tabby discovers that Wes took the flash drive containing the video of Karen before the deputies could find it.
In 1x05 we see two tickets to the Jordan Peele double feature in the suitcase.
In 1x04, Ash tells Mouse that, “Usually I go to a midnight movie at the Orpheum, but I hear they're not showing one this year”.
In 1x05, Wes says to Tabby, "Look, uh, I don't wanna put you on the spot, but Jackie bailed on me for tomorrow, which is our all-day Halloween horror-a-thon, free concessions for whoever comes in costume."
In 1x05, we see a ticket for the Halloween Horror-A-Thon at 3 PM.
Time for - I hyper-fixated and overanalyzed the scene with the Masked Man (Referred to as "MM" because I don't - like many - believe him to be "A"). Here, are a few things that I observed.
(1) The suitcase says, “United Stated Army Reserve” and it is beaten up. I doubt Davie - no matter what change of heart she may or may not have had - did time in the Army. Though, my instinct is to say that it's "MM's" (as him having a military background would make a whole lot of sense from both a character and a skills standpoint) that doesn't necessarily make it so. The specific logo used here has been in use since 1972, so it could have been passed down to either of the two.
(2) First, and foremost, most of the contents of the suitcase are old.
The picture of the OG Liars from the night Angela died. (the one from the intro as well as the one taken in the FB from 1x01)
The old teddy bear (seemingly the one that was replicated in 1x04)
A flyer for the Y2K party (the same one given to Davie in 1x01 before she died, seen in the intro and in "MM's" lair in 1x01)
The pumpkin mask that Angela had worn in the Flashback from earlier this episode (1x05)
A picture of Angela in which she appears to be in a play(?)
A picture of a young boy pushing an even younger child in a stroller.
A page torn from a book that includes two poems by Henry Vaughan - “The Night” and “The Waterfall”. It is on this page that the hair is tacked on to.
An even older picture that looks like of an ancestor.
Some sort of ticket. There is a name at the top. The first name is difficult to read, but I swear the rest says “M.L. King Jr”. There is also a date in red on the line below. The year is either “91” or “01).
Implication #1: This is the picture that we see the OG Liars take right outside the warehouse the night Angela dies - you can see them get it taken as Angela (not yet on screen) calls out for help. What's interesting is that this isn't a polaroid. The man that took the photo, never handed them one. So, either, this is Davie's photo that "MM" took the night that Davie died or whilst he's been living there OR she never had it in her possession at all. After all, I can imagine having proof that you were there the night a girl died isn't something Davie would want to keep. I would imagine that she'd get rid of it.
Implication #2: The old teddy bear is especially interesting because we've literally seen it every. It was in the intro - where we watch "MM" drag it on the ground like a toddler (I had flashbacks to young Michael from Peter Pan). We also see it in "MM's" lair at the end of 1x01 when he kills the janitor. Clearly, things had to get moved after. This is also the same bear that Marjorie gifted Angela in the FB from the previous episode and the one that "A" used to taunt Marjorie at the hospital with the knowledge that they knew about her drug abuse.
Implication #3: The pumpkin mask speaks for itself. I guess I'm just surprised that Angela kept it. Bully's suck and those girls were cruel.
Implication #4: I think it's very clear at this point that Angela loved English. There's been several allusions to the play the Scarlet Letter (Imogen's class discussing it in 1x01 and her finding it at Angela's shrine in 1x03). We see a page of poetry and what looks to be a picture from her in a play here. I'm not sure the importance it's going to have here - if they're going to go the parallel route and their be a connection between Imogen and Angela with the plot of the Scarlet Letter. It just feels too similar at this point to ignore.
(3) However, there are some other things in the suitcase that we know for a fact are recent additions.
There are TWO tickets for Tabby's Jordan Peele double feature, that is even dated for "Thursday, October 1st @ 4 PM" as well as a flyer that says the same thing.
Implication: The implication is that "MM" went to the screening with someone else - and since it was a screening for Millwood High Students... it was most likely someone the girls' age. That would lead me to believe that "A" could be someone the girls' age. Or Wes.
(4) Then, there are some... even odder items.
A lock of someone’s hair – it appears blonde is tacked onto a page of poetry.
A blank wages card is hung next to the poetry page.
Looks like some type of coin/medal of valor?
An old, beaten up can of chili.
An old toothbrush.
Implication #1: The hair is weird for a number of reasons. With the obvious - this man has a strand of hair out of the way - no one on the show is even blond except the twins... Not Angela or even Davie was blonde. Not even the crazy lady in the trailer for 1x06-1x07 who we assume is Angela's mother is blond. I mean, it definitely resembles the hair that "MM" is using as a wig, but I can't figure out if that is suppose to mean anything.
Implication #2: The medal of valor would only make sense, if, again, "MM" was once in the military.
(5) After the camera zooms back out, there are some noticeable differences to the contents of the bottom of the suitcase. Where the toothbrush once was sat on top of some nondescript journals, there is now new additions. This would mean that "MM" just put those items there.
There is the Halloween Horror-O-Thon movie ticket on top (The same one from the intro)
Underneath the ticket are the journal entries (The same ones shown in the intro)
The very bottom left is the childish drawing of Y2K (Also from the intro)
Implications: There are several that can be made, but at this point, they would just be called theories. However, we shall do our best.
Implication #1: "MM" went to the Halloween Horror-A-Thon at 3 PM. There was only one ticket, so we can deduce that he went alone.
Implication #1-B: The level of shadiness at the number of times that we've seen "MM" hang at the Orpheum is concerning. Yes, he also seems to stay at the school (concerning) and Imogen's house (concerning). I don't know what point I'm trying to make here... Wes is horrible. I don't necessarily think he's working with "MM" but I just wanted to say that. Thank you.
Implication #2: The easy conclusion to make would be that the papers in the fireplace were placed there to then throw the girls off. And yet, "MM" left the suitcase in the basement with a whole slew of other evidence...? That doesn't add up. It's clear that either he was the one to rip them out of Davie's journal, or found where Davie originally hid them. He clearly wants the girls to uncover what happened to Angela. I just have to figure that giving them the journal entries would be too easy and would give them all the answers. Whoever "A" is, clearly wants to make them work for it.
