Pretty Little Liars returns to ABC Family tonight with an all new Tuesday December 9, season 5 episode 13 called “How the ‘A’ Stole Christmas,” and we have your recap below. Tonight, the girls don’t feel merry at Christmastime because Spencer’s [Troian Bellisario] murder charge looms over them, but things perk up when they see an opportunity to gather evidence to clear her name. Elsewhere, a ghostly presence visits Alison [Sasha Pieterse].
On the last episode, with Alison leading them down a dangerous path and “A” barring them from telling the police the truth, Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer felt trapped and were desperate to find a way out of this mess. With nothing else to lose, could the PLLs lose everything by putting their faith in a possibly untrustworthy ally? Meanwhile, Alison began to build up her own army now that the PLLs have turned their back on her. Did you watch last week’s episode? If you missed it we have a full and detailed recap, right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the ABC Family synopsis, “Christmas is quickly approaching, and all of Rosewood is full of merriment, except for Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, who aren’t feeling much holiday cheer after the loss of Mona and Spencer’s murder charge looming over them. But when an opportunity presents itself with the chance to get evidence to clear Spencer’s name, the girls and their partners devise a plan to get justice for Mona and finally bring Alison down. If the plan is successful, it could be a very Merry Christmas after all.”
The thirteenth episode of season five’s PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is going to be really exciting and we’ll be recapping it for you right here.
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Tonight’s episode of Pretty Little Liars kicks off with the girls walking through Rosewood. Spencer says that she and Toby aren’t exchanging gifts this year because she feels funny celebrating when she is out on bail for murder. They stop by a Christmas tree where they are supposed to make a Christmas wish – Hanna gets emotional because the last time she was there was with Mona.
A lawyer approaches them and says that he is handling Mona’s affair and she instructed him to deliver the letter to Hanna if she ever died. Hanna opens it and it is a bunch of drawings of Alison’s house and all of her hiding spots. The girls are certain that they can use Mona’s drawings to find proof that Alison killed Bethany Young and Spencer didn’t. A Santa Claus walks by and hands Aria a snow globe – she shakes it and realizes it is a picture of the liars inside it and a note from A: “A” Takes A holiday And You Should Too.”
Meanwhile, at Alison’s house she is sleeping in her room and the lights start flashing. Alison sits up in bed and is shocked when her dead mother walks through the door. She tells Alison, “She has a lot to show you, pay attention.” Alison gets up out of bed and lays down on the couch with a picture of her mother and goes back to sleep – she wakes up and sees that she has gone back in time. She sees younger Alison playing a song on the piano with Corpse Mona. Mona tells Alison that it “isn’t pretty but she needs to see it.”
Younger Alison finds Christmas present hidden in the piano and opens them – she finds two boxes of yellow dresses and her mom walks in. Alison wants to know why her parents got two dresses – her mom tells her that she has to lie and can’t tell anyone there were two yellow dresses or else her daddy will leave them. Young Alison agrees to keep the secret for her mom.
Spencer is in her room getting ready for the Christmas dance – she and the other girls have a plan. Toby is sitting in his wheelchair in Spencer’s room looking through Alison’s window. Spencer explains that this could be her last Christmas, she seen the look on her lawyers’ face and she has already lost the case.
Aria is serving cookies at an elderly home with Ezra, and he surprises her with gifts, even though they agreed to be “low key.” After they are done caroling for the elderly, Sydney corners Emily and says she just wants to say “Merry Christmas,” but Emily snaps on her. Meanwhile, Paige is arguing with her parents on the phone – they want her to go to California with them right after Christmas. At Alison’s house she is giving two nerdy girls that worship her a make-over, she jokes that it is a “Christmas miracle.”
Spencer, Alison, Emily, and Aria head to the Christmas dance decked out in gowns, but they can’t find Alison anywhere. Spencer checks in with Santa, who is actually Lucas, and reminds him that it is his job to make sure Alison stays at the dance. Alison finally arrives and makes her grand entrance with four girls following her with masks on. Hanna and Spencer sneak out the back, while Alison is busy wowing everyone. Aria and Emily stay behind at the dance to keep an eye out for “A.” Aria is shocked when she sees Alison kissing a Santa Claus – but they have no idea which Santa Claus because half of the guys at the party are dressed like Santa. Aria is looking for Alison when she bumps in to Holbrook, who is also dressed as Santa – and he teases her about her boyfriend Ezra.
Alison steps outside and someone in a long fur white robe follows her. Cece Drake takes off her hood and says “Merry Christmas Ali.” Meanwhile inside the dance, Sydney and Jenna corner Emily and reveal that they were two of the masked girls that showed up with Alison. Sydney and Jenna explain that they are just being friends with Alison because they “are doing what they have to do to survive.” They won’t be safe until Alison is locked away.
At Alison’s house, Spencer and Hanna are searching all of the secret hiding places Mona told them about in the letter. Toby is watching them from Spencer’s bedroom window. Hanna finds a passport hidden with the name “Holly Varjak,” in case Ali needs to leave town in a hurry. Meanwhile – Spencer finds a cut up old newspaper and realizes that Ali was talking to someone in the personal ads just like she used to with Mona.
At the dance, Emily and Aria and Ezra and Caleb are watching Alison and Cece leave, with Holbrook. They are convinced that Alison has been sleeping with Holbrook for a while and he is the one that helped Cece leave the country. They chase Ali and Cece outside and Paige and Lucas help them corner them. But, when Ali and Cece turn around they realize that it is the two girls that Alison gave makeovers to wearing masks – and they just fell for a decoy.
Spencer and Hanna are still searching Alison’s house, Hanna finds a key to a chest and opens it – it plays a recording of Alison saying “get out of my stuff or I kill you.” Caleb calls Toby and warns him that Alison left the party, they can’t get a hold of Spencer and Hanna. Toby hangs up and looks back inside Alison’s house and sees someone dressed in black carrying a butcher knife. Spencer is hiding behind a chair, but Hanna is up in the attic and has no idea that someone is in the house with a knife. Spencer texts Hanna to warn her and then hears Hanna’s phone vibrate and realize that she left it downstairs.
Hanna is upstairs in the attic reading Alison’s letters and realizes that Ali knew Bethany and she invited her to Rosewood on Labor Day weekend – when she was killed. Spencer hears Hanna screaming and runs upstairs – she finds her passed out on the floor and “A” has gone out of the open window.
Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna all head to Spencer’s house to regroup with their boyfriends. Spencer says that she feels optimistic about her case now that they have the letter proving Alison invited Bethany to Rosewood.
Meanwhile, now Mona’s ghost is showing Alison her future – she takes her to a church where she is lying dead in a coffin. Alison’s mother shows up dressed in black and tells Alison that “they are coming for her.” Alison cries that she is going to hell and tries to get out of the church, she wakes up from her nightmare screaming “Mona.”
Meanwhile, Aria, Spencer, Toby, Caleb, Hanna, Emily, Ezra, and Paige are all snowed in and spend Christmas together. Paige breaks the news to Emily that her parents are moving her to California for good – before graduation. Hanna fells guilty and wishes Mona was there with them. They all sit down to eat Christmas dinner together – they hear a noise and head outside and see that “A left them a message in Christmas lights on Spencer’s barn. “Merry Christmas Bitches – A”
THE END!