Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Eps 205 [RECAP/REVIEW]

Last week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School left off with Faran (Zaria) taking on Bloody Rose Water’s test like a champ. Of course, Bloody Rose Waters is a sore loser. So, she still attacks Faran, who not so easily gets away but not before slicing her arm with a knife.

This week’s episode of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School starts with what seems to be content creators going into the woods to check out Bloody Rose Water’s shack. Inside, they see Bloody Rose Waters surrounded by worshipers. Then it cuts to black. Is this real? What is happening?

Next, we see the girls all freaking out and trying to sew up Faran’s arm. Faran then fills in the girls about the phone call and what happened during her trial. I appreciate that Noa calls her out for going. They had just made a pact not to engage and to let everyone know if Bloody Rose Waters reached out. Faran didn’t do that. Faran is then going through a mental struggle feeling like she failed and wasn’t strong enough to take down Bloody Rose Waters herself. Which we all know is nonsense. It’s a miracle she was able to hold the girder that long at all. She survived!

Tabitha then makes everyone promise that they will only answer the phone together from now on. No more going off on your own. They all agree. They then fill Faran in on everything that happened with the real Rose Waters under the bridge. However, they don’t know if Rose Waters is dead because they didn’t see a body. In the end, we can conclude that whoever is under the Bloody Rose Waters mask is NOT the real Rose Waters.

When discussing what to do about Dr. Sullivan and how they learned Rose Waters was her patient, all the girls (except Imogen) decide they’re done with group therapy. Imogen makes the right decision. She’s on prescribed medication. She can’t just quit. That said, Dr. Sullivan has now moved to the top of their suspect board and they need to talk to their moms to figure out how they got involved with her in the first place.

Mouse

When Mouse (Malia Pyles) gets home she sees Lola on her laptop watching a video on Spooky Spaghetti. The video is of the Bloody Rose Waters cult, and the leader says a reckoning is coming soon. They must prove their devotion or risk her wrath. How do they prove their devotion? By slicing their foreheads with knives! Mouse makes Lola promise never to go on Spooky Spaghetti again, but as we see later in the episode Lola is not okay.

When talking with the girls she shares what she saw her grandma watching, We then flash to see that Lola has cut her forehead just like them. So now, she has to use parental controls, and hide every sharp object – Lola isn’t taking her meds. Mouse, CALL YOUR MOMS!

Imogen

That night, Imogen (Bailee Madison) and Tabitha (Chandler Kinney) have a super cute girl moment while sharing that they have both kissed the boys they like. In the morning, they ask Tabitha’s mom where they found Dr. Sullivan. It turns out Deputy Maroon said there was no one more experienced in dealing with adolescent trauma. So, they went with her.

Later at Imogen’s session, she asked Dr. Sullivan why she wanted to take the job as their therapist. Dr. Sullivan shares that she’s worked with the Milwood PD for years. So, when she heard about their case she offered herself as the counselor. At that point, all of Imogen’s tact has left her body. She breadcrumbs the information she knows to Dr. Sullivan to get her reaction and see if she’d tell her the truth. When she finally asks why Dr. Sullivan didn’t tell them about treating Rose Waters, Dr. Sullivan rightfully claims Doctor/Patient confidentiality. Dr. Sullivan then shares that she didn’t see it as a conflict since she hasn’t spoken to Rose Waters since Radly closed years ago. Imogen then grills Dr. Sullivan asking where she had been the night before. Her answer? Zooming with patients. So, she has an alibi.

After her session with Dr. Sullivan, Imogen has to go to work at the ice cream shop. There, Johnny is trying to gauge how she feels about their kiss. Which, of course, she was super into. However, before they could reprise Imogen’s father shows up. He says he wants to spend more time with his daughter, and invites her to dinner. Then, he drops the bomb that he’s been seeing a woman named Rebecca and that they’re engaged. This is all so random. Why drop a brand-new character now? So, let’s talk about this dinner. Imogen and Johnny show up together, of course, Johnny brings ice cream. While sitting at the table, Imogen notices the rings Rebecca is wearing and loses her mind! It gets so bad that she grabs a knife and threatens to cut the ring off of her finger!

Johnny is a pro who handles Imogen’s freak-out with care. He gets the knife out of her hands and they leave. Imogen apologizes to him in the car. He doesn’t seem phased by what happened at all. All of this leads me to believe that Johnny is the estranged son of Dr. Sullivan. His reactions are not what you’d expect from someone in this situation. He’s too cool, calm, and collected for my liking. That doesn’t make him a bad person. He’s just possibly a mole for his mother.

Speaking of, after filling in each other on their day the girls conclude that Dr. Sullivan is hiding something. So, Imogen and Tabitha break into her office. There they find each of their files along with verbatim transcriptions of their session. They’re livid. You can’t record someone without their permission. Also, what is she using these tapes for? Well, it turns out Dr. Sullivan is writing a book about teens who go through traumatic events. She was going to write the book and then have them read it when she was done before publishing. Understandably, they’re all pissed. Imogen warns her to stay away from all of them.

This revelation only adds to my Johnny suspicion. Dr. Sullivan suggested Imogen get a job, she ended up at the ice cream shop, and Johnny was in the perfect position to get some dirt for his mother’s book.

Faran

Faran shares with the girls that she’s unsure about her and Henry. She knows they’ve been driving apart and she’s upset about him discussing their relationship during those church meetings. Faran is worried that they’ve outgrown each other. The girls tell her to take a breath because they believe that Henry is one of the good ones . This may just be a rough patch.

Later at work, Faran is moving chairs around and Greg offers to help. He knows she’s injured and tells her she has nothing to prove. Which only pisses Faran off more. So, she challenges him to an arm wrestling match that she wins. Faran really shouldn’t have quit therapy. She’s dealing with some pent-up rage and taking it out on anyone who is in her way. That night, Faran and Henry talk about him sharing about their relationship in the church meetings. Henry asks her to come to the church to one of the youth group sessions because for him “it quiets the noise and shines the light on what’s really important”. Faran agrees.

At the meeting, Kelly stands up and gives her confession about how she was cruel to Faran. She was jealous of her and her talent, but she gave Kelly a second chance which she’s grateful for. Greg stands up and shares how he’s been giving Faran shit all summer. How he tried to make her feel weak and not as strong as the boys. He apologizes and says, “I respect you”. Finally, Henry stands up and makes a public apology for not being strong enough to be direct about how he was feeling. He misses dancing the way they used to, but he hopes to still be together in a new way.

After the meeting, Greg tells Faran that he thinks it’s really cool that she showed up. Faran takes this moment to grill Greg about the church and what’s going on there. He tells her that he doesn’t know much because he’s not in the inner circle like Kelly and Henry. This of course peaks her interest. What is this inner circle? She has to know. So, later she sneaks into the church and follows what sounds like chanting, moans, and speaking in tongues.

When she opens the door she sees everyone, including Kelly and Greg doing some culty stuff. They all see her and she runs away. Henry runs after her and Faran is understandably freaked out. She thinks Henry wants to try and indoctrinate her. She asks him to walk away from the church and leave with her. He stays silent not moving. That’s the answer. He chooses the cult and they are done.

Tabitha

Tabitha and Chrisitan are at the theater getting ready for the upcoming Friday the 13th Marathon they’re hosting. Wes comes in upset about finding a fake hand in the popcorn machine. He’s then even more upset when he learns they filmed a movie at the theater without permission. When Tabitha explains it’s because PITH called her asking to submit something new he seems shocked. Later, Wes tells Tabitha that he’s been looking at PITH’s socials and thinks the only reason they asked her is they need more diversity. Of course, Tabitha rips him a new asshole with some of the best writing of the season. Wes blames his whiteness for holding him back and Tabitha is not here for it. So, she lays down some truth to which Wes throws a tantrum refusing to help with the marathon.

When the day of the marathon arrives, the a/c is broken and Wes sticks to his word. He’s nowhere to be found. So, Tabitha and Christian decide to move the entire thing outdoors and show the films at the abandoned Camp Milwood! We love a good theme. They have a HUGE turnout. We see Ash for the first time in this entire episode. I was worried something happened to him when he and Mouse split up last week. Imogen and Johnny are running an ice cream truck. Faran shows up alone and shares everything about Henry and the church. Then they realize…Noa isn’t there.

Noa

Turns out, Noa (Maia Reficco) is making her own trouble this week on Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. Jen comes to Noa’s apartment to talk. Noa gives cryptic info about how they’re all dealing with bad stuff again. So, when Jen comforts her they end up sleeping together. The next morning, Shawn shows up because they have plans to train together. Noa is trying to hide what happened with Jen, but Jen is more than happy to be childish hinting, but Shawn is oblivious.

While jogging, Noa stops to apologize to Shawn. Was it for sleeping with Jen? No. Instead, she flips gears and apologizes for not spending more time with him. Shawn is a good guy and tells her he loves her and she has nothing to apologize for. He understands. Later at work, Jen confronts Noa about being upset with her, but before they can finish their conversation Shawn’s mother comes storming in. She has found out about the $2,000 missing from Shawn’s bank account. Noa is a terrible liar saying it was for her mom’s rehab because she relapsed. Girl, just say you have no idea and maybe it was for a gift he hasn’t given you yet. Of course, now his mother is even more furious and wants her to pay him back, then storms out.

What does Jen do? Instead of offering to help figure it out because she’s the one they needed the money for she tells Noa to break up with Shawn. I cannot stand this character. She’s bad news bears. Noa isn’t going to do that. So, Jen is pissed and gonna figure out how to get the money. That night Shawn comes over and they sleep together. In the morning, Noa tells him about his mother. Of course, he’s upset so he leaves to confront her. Later, he tells Noa he’s moving out and wants to move in with her. This is all one giant whirlwind of chaos for her. Then, at home, Jen has the $2000 for Shawn but doesn’t tell Noa how she got the money. Amidst the chaos, this is when Noa sees her note and roses from Bloody Rose Waters.

“You’ve been walking the forbidden path. Go there now alone, or one of your beloveds dies.”

So, what does Noa do? Does she call the girls like they promised? Nope. Instead, she picks a fight with Jen to protect her. Of course, Jen doesn’t believe anything she’s saying, but she leaves. Noa heads out to the trail. There she finds another note, “A final girl must have a high threshold for pain. Take off your shoes and start walking.” This is possibly the dumbest trial idea ever. Noa is supposed to run barefoot through thorny rose stems while maybe being chased by a dog. It doesn’t happen the whole time. How much time does Bloody Rose Waters have on her hands? Do you know how many roses she’d have to buy to take up that much space on the trail? I understand sometimes you have to suspend disbelief, but this time they’re asking a lot of me.

As the dog is chasing Noa and we see her feet stepping on the thorns Jen comes flying up with her car and tells her to get in. When she does the dog jumps on the window before heading back to Bloody Rose Waters. THE END!

This was the weakest episode of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School so far. Not a lot happens to move the story forward. Noa’s trial is terrible. I don’t know what they were thinking. The dog may be a clue. It’s a police breed. So, that makes me lean more towards the idea that it’s Kelly’s mother or possibly Karen back from the dead!

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Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, Eps 204 [RECAP/REVIEW]