The Pretty Little Liars Halloween Special did not disappoint. - Creative Commons
Pretty Little Liars is a show regularly filled with mysterious stalkers, death threats, and chilling murders looming all around town. It makes sense that ABC Family thus turned the show into a Halloween special. Although the last season of the show ended in the summer, and the next season will not resume until after the holidays, the cast and crew gathered to make a unique show for the Halloween season. The episode was titled "The First Secret", perhaps giving viewers a clue to the plot of the show. So was this special episode a dissapointing break from the usually unique and original plot or a tempting preview that left viewers craving more?
The entire episode is a flashback to the Halloween before the disappearance and murder of Alison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse). The four main characters, high school juniors Aria (Lucy Hale), Hannah (Ashley Benson), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), and Emily (Shay Mitchell), recall the events of the night, hoping it will give them a clue as to who may have murdered Alison.
The Halloween before Alison's disappearance was a particularly chilling night for the friends, when a seemingly normal party turned into a life-and-death situation. That day also happened to be the first time any of the girls met Jenna Cavanaugh (Tammin Sursok), a girl who they would later accidentally blind. This meeting is significant because Jenna had always been a viable suspect to Alison's death. The day also includes the scene where Alison and Aria discover Aria's father cheating. This is a secret that Alison would later use to threaten Aria.
Unfortunately, this episode was missing the frightening text messages from “A” and did not show the plot of the series advance any further than it had during the last season finale. However, this episode did allow viewers to watch an episode without being left on cliffhanger that would taunt them until January.
"The First Secret" allowed viewers another insight into the events before Alison's death and allowed them to decipher for themselves any clues that this flashback may hold for solving the show's mysteries. It was also appropriately themed for Halloween, showing a more haunted “jump onto the screen” type of scare than the traditional episodes. Overall this episdoe allowed viewers to see their favorite show without worrying about being left hanging-- all with an entertaining Halloween twist.
(5 out of 5 stars)