Pretty Little Liars recap Season 5, Episode 18: A machine full of secrets

The best part of this week’s “Pretty Little Liars” (because Hanna can’t win every week) was a clever installation built by Johnny, the mysterious tenant staying in the Hastings family barn.

It was, as Spencer called it, brilliant. As for the inspiration behind the project — which turned customers at The New Brew into human tuning forks — Johnny had this to say: “I was inspired by Rosewood. This whole town is strung together by whispers.”

Such poignant analysis — and from a newcomer, no less! I still don’t know what to make of Johnny, but I appreciate his “perpetual motion machine powered by secrets” and the awkward, but romantic exchange it led to between Emily and Talia.

Not that Rosewood needs an art installation to keep the secrets swirling. There were plenty in this week’s episode, which marked the long-awaited return of Detective Holbrook and introduced a new player: Leslie, who was reportedly one of Mona’s good friends.

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For once, the Liars had a healthy dose of suspicion about someone who just showed up out of nowhere. Leslie claimed that she and Mona met a few summers ago and that she was supposed to spend Thanksgiving with her. Leslie says she was with Mona’s mom when she got the call telling her that something had happened to her daughter. When the Liars point out that Leslie was nowhere to be seen at Mona’s funeral, she tells them that she was taking exams and wasn’t able to reschedule.

“You don’t suppose she could be who she says she is,” Hanna managed to ask without laughing.  Spencer reminded her that the last old friend to surface out of the blue was CeCe. Good point, Spence. Hanna goes over to Mona’s house to quiz Leslie some more. She recalls their complicated friendship in conversation and flashbacks: Mona loved reading scary stories with a flashlight aimed at her face. “I love this stuff. It’s like maple syrup, all sticky and sweet.”

The flashback also offers some insight into Mona’s overactive imagination. She says given three wishes, she’d ask for a stopwatch that could literally stop time while she does important things like shoplift and break into people’s houses. Ultimately, it’s about mind control, she says. “They wouldn’t even know they were being controlled. That’d be the best part.” It basically sounds like a day in the life of A.

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When Leslie and Hanna take Mona’s book of horror stories to The Brew, they run into Mike Montgomery, who freaks out over the book being removed from Mona’s room. “You can’t take everything apart like you want her to disappear,” he tells them. After he storms off, Leslie tells Hanna that she had been on the phone with Mona the day before she died. In the middle of the call, she heard a male voice telling Mona to talk to him. Mona hung up and never called back. Leslie hypothesizes that the male voice was Mike.

In other weird Mike Montgomery news, Spencer finds out that he’s listed on Alison’s visitor log. Why would Mona’s grieving boyfriend go and visit the person suspected of killing her? In a quest to answer that question, Aria follows her brother to a bridge, where he leaves a bag of what I think were gummy bears. Aria didn’t get the answers she was looking for. “None of your business,” is what Mike tells her before sending her off with this sweet, brotherly advice: “Be careful going home through the woods.”

And that book that Mike was so worried about? Hanna discovers an audio tape in the book’s spine. It’s Bethany and it sounds like a therapy session. “Five minutes with her, you’d drown a bag of kittens if she asked,” Bethany says on the tape. “Two minutes if you’re a man.” The Liars make an educated guess — Bethany’s complaining about Ali.

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Count Holbrook among those who would agree with Bethany’s assessment. Holbrook’s been suspended from the police department, thanks to what looks like his handiwork with Ali’s lie detector results. He blames Alison, and by extension, her erstwhile friends. Having not gotten around to turning in his police car, he aggressively pulls Hanna over. When Hanna confronts him over helping Ali, he tells her that he really has been on special assignment and that he isn’t the henchman they’re looking for. “How does a girl like Alison become a girl like Alison?,” he asks.

Luckily, Hanna is a girl like, well, Hanna and puts Holbrook in his place. “You don’t get to play the victim here. You’re the grown up police detective, she’s just a girl.” Respect.

While Aria, Spencer and Hanna worked to stay one step ahead of Ali, Emily focused more on Talia and whether she should pursue something with her. Johnny’s project helped her tell Talia how she really felt — basically “happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time” — and the two shared a kiss.

If only every secret in Rosewood were so easily revealed. I’m looking at you, Mike Montgomery.

Lingering questions: Why did Mike go to see Alison … twice?! Do the Montgomerys ever watch color TV? With all due respect to Toby, are Johnny and Spencer going to be a thing? Do we need to be concerned about Leslie? And what’s the significance of Bethany’s audio tape?

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