Pretty Little Liars Review: Bedlam (Season 7 Episode 2)

It looks like Pretty Little Liars is back in neutral. After the explosive opening of “Tick-Tock Bitches,” they’re once again circling the wagon and asking questions that get them nowhere.

“Tick-Tock Bitches” ended with the Liars turning in Alison as Charlotte’s killer and then Hanna escaping A.D.’s clutches and running into a car driven by the likes of Mary Drake.

Those first few minutes were the most explosive of the entire episode. The rest of it was wrapped up in emotional turmoil as Liam and Aria broke up and the Spencer, Caleb, and Hanna triangle continued.

Two storylines that we were really interested in seeing progress were Alison and Eliot and the mystery of Mary Drake.

Pretty Little Liars has taken the turn of something akin to a gothic novel and Alison’s predicament screams like it’s straight out of the pages of one.

We know that Eliot is no good. That he’s drugging her and making her seem crazy, but now he’s taking it a step further. He’s actively denying Alison’s closest friends and family access to her.

We’re not experts in legal issues of medicine and family, but we’re pretty sure that Eliot can’t legally preside over Alison’s treatment.

For that matter, Welby doesn’t seem to be any better run than Radley. Do they even have patients besides Alison?

If we didn’t have confirmation of Eliot’s state of evil, maybe this plot would have been compelling, but given what we know about Eliot and Mary Drake, it falls flat.

The biggest revelation regarding Alison is that this is not part of Mary Drake’s plan! So, what angle is Eliot working?

Under the influence of the psychiatric medication that Eliot is drugging her with, the confession Alison makes in “Tick-Tock Bitches” isn’t admissible. We don’t have confirmation of her guilt and so we can’t assume that Alison is guilty of her crime.

The bigger mystery here is Mary Drake. She’s a character that has come into the story out of the blue. We don’t know what she really wants but we know that she’s in town.

Here is what we do know. Mary Drake is after the DiLaurentis family, particularly their money. With what we know from this week, we have to ask if its for Charlotte or herself.

This whole Mary Drake storyline seems to be progressing a little too easily.

Mary and Spencer’s bonding over their time in Radley Sanitarium reveals that Mary was sent to Radley because they believed she caused the death of an infant that Jessica was babysitting.

Does it seem a little coincidental that Charles was sent to Radley because Alison’s father thought he was trying to kill her?

If this was a show where science factored in, like Orphan Black, I would say this was a nature/nurture question. However, this is a show that is based entirely on the main characters and their lies.

So, that means one thing: someone in this equation is lying. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Hanna and Lucas going into business together is just about the most adorable thing ever. Hanna has proven over the years that she is brave and smart and she will take over the world if A.D. doesn’t find a way to use this opportunity against her. Who are we kidding? A.D. is totally going to do that.

What did you think of this episode of Pretty Little Liars? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Freeform.

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