‘Pretty Little Liars’ Summer Finale Recap: Maya’s Killer Is Revealed

Plus, we meet a second member of Mona's 'A' team -- and it's so NOT who you thought it would be! Pretty Little Liars creator Marlene King told me the Aug. 28 summer finale was her "all-time favorite episode" -- and after watching it, I have to agree. Not only did we finally get "justice for Maya," as promised, but a character fans have loved since the series premiere was revealed to have "a" very dark side.  

By:
Reading Time: 3 minutes
August 28, 2012 11:59PM EDT
Courtesy of ABC Family

But let’s not beat around the bush here: It turns out Nate wasn’t actually Maya’s cousin, but rather the stalker she mentioned having at Tru North! (Quite a few fans predicted this already, but hey, isn’t it kind of rewarding when your predictions come true?) He forced Emily (Shay Mitchell) to watch one last video from Maya — just as Bianca Lawson foretold in my interview — then revealed he had Paige (Lindsey Shaw) tied up in his closet!

Employing some kick-ass lesbian teamwork, the girls got free, but it wasn’t long before Emily found herself alone with Nate in yet another tower. (Seriously, when will these girls learn to stop going in towers?!) Fortunately Nate was no match for Emily’s athleticism — she’s on the swim team, y’all — and she stabbed him to death. (Booyah!)

Sadly, Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) joined the party at a really poorly timed moment and ended up getting shot. As his unconscious body was carried off in a stretcher, Hanna (Ashley Benson) bawled her eyes out, and I wondered: “Wait, who actually shot him? Wasn’t Nate already dead when he got there?”

Well, here’s one clue about Caleb’s potential shooter: At the very end of the episode, a second member of the “A” team was revealed — and it was none other than Toby (Keegan Allen)! Could he be the one who shot Caleb? My body will never recover from this shock. You hear me? Never!

Other things worth discussing from the episode:

1. Sleeping with the enemy: Did anyone else feel like they got laid just watching Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Toby have sex? Apparently absence doesn’t just make the heart grow fonder — it also makes it crazy horny. Had I known Toby was “A” the whole time, I would have felt more icky.

2. Emily can haz mom: I was glad to see Nia Peeples back this week, but has Emily’s mom really been in Rosewood this whole time? Emily’s kind of got a lot going on right now — you’d think some of it would have come up during dinner-time discussions.

3. Baby mama drama: Ezra’s (Ian Harding) girlfriend Maggie paid him a little visit this week, but she and Aria (Lucy Hale) decided not to drop the “you still have a kid” bomb on him — yet. Does this mean Maggie will be sticking around for a bit? I’d be OK with that.

4. Garrett on the loose: Looks like Officer Garrett (Yani Gellman) is a free man once again. And just as creepy as ever.

All right, PLL fans, let’s react to this hour of insanity: Did you see either of those huge twists coming? Do you feel differently about Toby now? Drop me a comment with your every thought!

— Andy Swift

More on the Pretty Little Liars summer finale:

  1. ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Finale Scoop: ‘Spoby’ Reunites & ‘Ezria’ Is Tested
  2. ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Summer Finale: Creator Reveals ‘Multiple Betrayals’
  3. ‘Pretty Little Liars’: Who Killed Maya? Bianca Lawson Weighs In