8. FrAmed

The police name Charles DiLaurentis as the main suspect in the girls’ abduction and Jessica DiLaurentis’s murder. Alison struggles to reconcile the Charles she met as a kid with the monster behind the ‘A’ mask. Clark asks a lot of questions that Aria isn’t comfortable answering. As a finalist in the photography contest, Aria’s work will be displayed at a gallery exhibition. Tanner offers to fill the event with undercover cops to discourage ‘A’ from interfering. Emily is thinking about asking Sara to prom, but she doesn’t know whether the event will be suitable for a first date.

Aria is the only single friend in the group now, and she doesn’t know whom to take to prom. She floats the idea to Ezra before realizing how weird that would be. Hanna and Spencer go to The Carissimi Group to return Hanna’s scholarship and gather intel. They speak with a man named Rhys Matthews who looks like he could be a DiLaurentis. His answers to the girls’ questions are vague, and he won’t take back the money. Lorenzo tries to get information about Charles’s case for Alison, but his access is limited.

Alison takes care of Lorenzo and his broken arm, then swipes his police badge after he falls asleep. Tanner catches Alison at the station looking mournfully at the evidence bags full of Charles’s childhood mementos. Lorenzo is angry that Alison betrayed his trust and got him in trouble at work. Ezra surprises Aria by showing up to the gallery exhibition. Nicole comes with him, but Ezra insists it’s not a date. Nicole is a fellow photographer, and Ezra is thinking about joining her Habitat team. When the gallery lights go up, it’s revealed that Aria’s photos have been replaced with pictures of the liars in the dollhouse.

Ella is frustrated that the extensive police presence couldn’t prevent a catastrophe like this from happening. Feeling re-traumatized, Aria looks to Ezra for comfort. Hanna, Spencer, and Emily spot Rhys outside the gallery and follow him to an abandoned doll factory. Clark arrives shortly after and follows Rhys inside. The girls don’t know what to make of Clark’s apparent involvement. ' A' ending: ‘A’ has a tuxedo, a toolbox, and six syringes in the trunk of their car. Red Coat hands ‘A’ two tickets to prom.