‘Pretty Little Liars’ Recap: The Girls Discover Crazy Details About Charles

‘Pretty Little Liars’ is getting downright insane. On the June 16 episode, the girls found out insane new information about Charles’ identity, and what they learned was gAme-changing.

The summer of Answers is in full force! The June 16 episode of Pretty Little Liars featured the girls desperately searching for more clues about who in the heck is Charles DiLaurentis, and the details they learned shocked them all. Jason (Drew Van Acker) revealed troubling information about his past, Charles continued to threaten the girls and it appears as if Andrew (Brandon Jones) might not be who we thought he was after all.

After Sarah’s bombshell claim that she didn’t think Andrew was Charles, Emily told the girls what she said. They were all sort of thinking it before, and this latest turn made them think of more possibilities about who Andrew was and who Charles could be. And, in less exciting news, they were finally going back to school.

Sarah was still hanging out at Emily’s, and she wanted to stay. She was upset and ultimately scared. The news had described her as “feral,” and her reaction was heartbreaking. When Emily tried to comfort her, Sarah freaked out. To reassure Sarah that she had someone she could trust, Emily played hooky. 

Meanwhile, Aria was The Brew. With a pastry in hand, Ezra proved he’s just the best. She told him she was going back to school. He was worried about her. He didn’t want her doing something she wasn’t ready to do. He told her she could stay with him. (The way he looks at her makes me melt every. single. time. Yeah, I’m an Ezria ‘shipper. Hate me for it.)

Spencer started off her day fighting with Alison about Charles. Despite the new details Spencer was dishing out about Charles, Ali was defending her father. “A” was for Andrew, Alison thought. She didn’t want to believe her father had been lying to her all this time and possibly — indirectly — had an influence on all the mayhem Charles/”A” had inflicted over the years. Well, if Alison wasn’t going to listen, Spencer was going to try and get Jason to. Alison really didn’t want her to go that route. “Leave him alone. I don’t want anyone else hating me,” Ali pleaded. Alison didn’t have a lot friends, and she was petrified this could all get turned on her. “It always comes down to me,” she said. The girl has a point.

‘Pretty Little Liars’: Imaginary Friends

Hanna made it to school — alone. Poor girl. Taking an active step to move forward, she met with a counselor. She also had horrible flashbacks of her time in the dollhouse. Aria was perusing photography at The Brew and came across a few of Andrew, perking her curiosity. She was desperate to find out who he was. Ezra teamed up with her for answers. During their investigation, they learned that Andrew was adopted. GASP!

Aria ran and told Emily and Hanna about Andrew. He could now be older than they thought! “Before he was a Campbell, maybe he was a DiLaurentis,” Hanna said.

In the midst of this new turn of events, Alison had her eye on the new guy in town — Lorenzo. They flirted it up and he asked her to run a girls soccer program alongside him. Alison didn’t think it was such a good idea. She was the most notorious, talked-about girl in Rosewood — not exactly the best person for young girls to look up to. Toby was snooping on this little interaction and told Spencer that Alison should stay away from him. He still didn’t trust her.

Spencer finally had a face-to-face with Jason about Charles. Jason said he had no idea who Charles was, but the the look on his face said otherwise. After a little bit of thinking, Jason remembered a “Charlie” from his childhood. But Charlie was Jason’s imaginary friend — or was he?! Spencer relayed the news to the girls. When Jason was little, Mr. D. told him that Charlie had to go away, and he was never seen again. However, those home movies they’d seen in the dollhouse made it pretty clear Charlie wasn’t imaginary after all.  Well, Charles/Charlie wasn’t going to let his cover get blown. He threatened to kill Sarah if they spilled. Needless to say, the girls sealed those lips.

‘Pretty Little Liars’: Andrew Goes AWOL

To top off the shocking day the girls were having, Andrew was getting released from jail. He had strong alibis from the day Mona was taken and when Sarah was kidnapped. And he didn’t make that threatening call to the girls. That meant Charles was still out there. Dun dun dun.

The girls revealed to Alison everything they knew about Charles. She realized that, yes, her dad had lied to her. Shocker. Clues about Charles’ existence could be in the DiLaurentis house, so off they went. As they investigated, Alison and Spencer had a chat. Ali dropped hints that Toby was trying to sabotage any possibility she had with Lorenzo. Regardless of what had happened in the past, Alison just wanted a fresh start with someone.

While Aria was searching, she found a photo that changed everything. The photo was taken on the same day and at the same place as the video in the dollhouse. It was two boys and Mrs DiLaurentis. This was a game-changer for Alison, and she was going to confront her dad about it.

As the girls walked home, they saw Andrew getting released. He was furious. Those three weeks the police were trying to find him? He was looking for Aria. He had wanted to help. In a massive fit of rage, he called the girls a “toxic dump” and said the school and basically all of Rosewood wanted them gone. ANDREW JUST DROPPED THE MIC. Ouch.

At this point, the girls’ lives were just as chaotic as ever. Emily was dealing with Sarah, and Spencer was still struggling to move forward. She took one of the anxiety pills she’d stolen. Oh, no. Spencer stay strong! As Alison perused a family album, she noticed pictures missing. When Jason came home, she let him know about Charles. He wasn’t imaginary. When Mr. D. showed up, Jason and Alison were adamant about getting answers. When Alison asked who the other boy was in the photo, Mr. D gave up and told them everything. Charles was watching this all go down from a distance and likely determining his next victim. Watch out.

HollywoodLifers, what did you think of tonight’s Pretty Little Liars? Who the heck is Charles? What happened to him? Sound off on his theories below!

— Avery Thompson
Follow @avery__thompson