Pilot

Background
Pilot is the first episode of Pretty Little Liars. The episode aired originally on 8th June 2010 on ABC Family. It was written by I. Marlene King and directed by Leslie Linka Glatter.

Plot
The episode starts in Spencer's backyard barn, where all five girls (Aria, Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Alison) are having a sleepover. Ali arrives later than the others and scares them as a joke when she enters the barn. They all settle down, have a drink and chat, with Ali commenting that the secrets they tell each other are what keeps their friendship bond so strong.

The scene cuts to later that evening, when Aria wakes up in the barn to find Spencer and Ali gone. She wakes up the other girls just as Spencer arrives back. They ask her where Ali is and she says that she doesn't know; she looked everywhere for her and she thought she heard Ali scream. The scene ends with the girls anxious faces on screen.

The episode continues a year later, with a newspaper on the ground stating that Alison is "still missing" after a year. The picture on the front of the newspaper shows Alison from not long before she disappeared. Their are leaves on the ground, suggesting that it is autumn.

Aria is in her old bedroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She is surrounded by boxes because the family has just moved back from a year abroad in Iceland. Her mother enters and tells Aria that she should call her friends to help her deal with her issues surrounding Ali's disappearance, remarking that the bond the girls shared a year ago could not have just disappeared.

Mike is going to lacrosse tryouts and Aria offers to give hm a ride. As they head downstairs, Byron pulls Aria aside and asks her how she's coping with being back in Rosewood. However, Aria senses an alterior motive to the conversation and therefore promises to keep his secret. We are not yet shown what this secret is. Aria and Mike go to lacrosse and Ella and Byron hug, with Ella remarking that "we're officially home".

Aria pulls up in front of Rosewood High, the local high school. Mike gets out of the car and tells her a time to come and pick him up. Once he leaves, Aria looks at her watch and decides to go and get something to eat. She goes to a local pub, Snookers and orders a cheesburger. There is a man sitting next to her at the bar and the two start to talk. They realise that they have a lot in common, including one of their favourite songs (Happiness by The Fray), which is playing at the background. The man remarks that the track is "B26" on the jukebox. Aria tells him that she likes to write and he is impressed by this. They end up kissing in the pub bathroom after they both say that they would like to know more about each other.

The scene cuts to the Rosewood Mall, where Hanna is shopping with her best friend Mona. She is trying on sunglasses and sees Spencer, her old friend, shopping on the upper level. She goes to talk to her and Spencer reveals that she is choosing a top for a celebratory dinner for her sister's engagement. Hanna helps her pick out the top as they talk about how Alison is still all over the news. Hanna soon leaves the mall with the sunglasses still on her head and catches up with Mona outside, who has stolen a scarf. They think they are caught out when a security guard approaches them, but it turns out he's just returning Hanna's bag, which she left in the store.

Aria arrives at school with Mike and her dad. She is about to get out of the car, but her dad stops her and asks to talk. Once again, he tells her that he's sorry for what he has done and we are finally shown what the secret. Aria has a flashback to last summer, when she and Ali discovered her dad kissing another woman in his car.

Aria gets out of the car and sees Emily. The two catch up as they walk to their first class; English. Once they sit down, Emily points out all of their old friends to Aria and she is surprised to see how much they have changed, especially Hanna. She also seems surprised at how they all grew apart as Emily tells her that they didn't just lose touch with her when she left for Iceland.

The new English teacher enters the room. He writes his name "Mr Fitz" on the board, before turning around to reveal that he is the man that Aria met in the bar the previosu day. They both stare at each other awkwardly until Aria's phone breaks the silence. She is shocked again to find that someone has sent her a text mocking the fact that she had kissed Mr Fitz. The text is signed -A, which leads Aria to think that Alison may be behind it.

The Next scene takes place in Emily's house. Her mother is discussing the fact that a new family is moving into the DiLaurentis house and has made a welcome basket to take to them. Emily brings up the fact that Aria is back in town, which leads her mother to criticise Aria's parents for letting her have too much freedom as she remembers that she had a pink stripe in her hair before she left for Iceland.

Emily takes the basket over to the DiLaurentis house. She sees Ali's things packed up in boxes and picks out a medal from one of them. The new girl approaches her and introduces herself, revealing that her name is Maya St. Germain. Maya is inquisitive and asks Emily about Alison. Emily doesn't really answer her questions, but Maya doesn't seem to mind as she asks Emily if she would help her move the last few boxes into her room, an offer which Emily accepts. They discuss their boyfriends and seem to get along really well.

Back at the Hasting's, house, Spencer is devastated to find that Melissa and her boyfriend Wren are going to move into the barn, which she worked so hard to rennovate so that she could live in it for the school year. Melissa is smug about the situation. Wren seems more sorry, but Melissa tells him to forget about it and that her sister will "get over it".

Later that evening, Wren and Spencer meet outside the house. Spencer is reading a book and notices that Wren is smoking, leading to comment that he should no better than to do so because he is a medical student. She then asks if Melissa knows, but he replies by stating that she doesn't need to know everything. The two seem to get on well, with Spencer commenting that he's different to Melissa's other boyfriends because she likes him.

At Rosewood High School the following day, Aria meets up with Ezra to discuss their situation. Ezra is annoyed that Aria lied to him about her age, but still comments that he thinks she's amazing. Aria tries to persuade him that they can still have a relationship, but he pushes her away, telling her that it is wrong, although he does not deny that he feels a connection with her.

Maya and Emily are walking home from school together before Emily's swimming practice. As they approach Maya's house, Emily notices that a removal van is collecting the last of Ali's boxes from the street. This prompts her to reveal to Maya what really happened to Alison. Maya tells her that she's sorry and before going inside, she kisses Emily, leaving her shocked. Later, at swimming practice, Emily bumps into Spencer just as she receives her first note from "A", mocking her about her kiss with Maya. Spencer asks Emily what's wrong, but she brushes the question off, unsure of what to make of the contents of the note and the identity of its sender.

At Spencer's house, she is geting ready to use their jacuzzi when Wren walks in, also seemingly ready to use the Jacuzzi at the Hasting's. She is surprised that he is there, but Wren reveals that he and Melissa are moving in early. Spencer seems stressed after field hockey practice and so Wren offers to give her a massage. It seems that the two have natural chemistry. Melissa arrives back and interrupts.

In the Montgomery house, Ella and Byron take a break from unpacking and have a drink. Byron confides in Ella about the fact that he is worried that now they've returned to Rosewood, the close family dynamic they built up in Iceland will disappear. Ella states that she believes Aria isn't happy to be back and thinks that it's because of Alison, but of course, we know that it may also be because of knowing about her dad's affair.

Back at the Hasting's, Spencer receives an email from A after her encounter with Wren, warning her about repeating the events of last summer. This leads to have a flashback of when Alison was trying to get her to tell her sister, Melissa, something important about her then-boyfriend, Ian Thomas. Once the girls step outside, it is revealed that Spencer kissed Ian and that is the secret that Ali wants her to tell her sister. However, Spencer blackmails Ali, stating that if she tells Melissa, she will tell everyone about  "The Jenna Thing". We are not yet told what "The Jenna Thing" is. When the flashback ends, Spencer looks towards Alison's house and sees a silhouette in the window. Given the email she received, containing information only Ali knew, Spencer starts to think that the silhouette may be Alison.

The following morning, Emily goes over to Aria's house and reveals that she received a note from "A". Aria admits to receiving a note too but neither reveals the content of their notes. They begin to discuss the possibility that Alison may not be dead.

At the Marin's, Ashley and Hanna talk about how Aria is back and how difficult it is to have to tell another friend about Ashley and Tom's divorce. Hanna seems calm about it and tells her mum to change the story of what happened to make her feel better. As Ashley takes a work call, the police arrive on the doorstep to arrest Hanna for shoplifting. Hanna waits in the police station for her mother to sort out the situation and is then allowed to go free. However, her mother won't tell her what deal she struck with the police force to get her off the hook.

In the car, Ashley asks Hanna why she did it and reveals that she thinks it might be to get her father's attention. It becomes apparent that she is worried about both her and her daughter's reputation in Rosewood. She goes on to tell Hanna to deny everything and that she is "sorting" the situation.

Emily is walking down the street as she sees an ambulance heading towards Maya's house. She heads there too as Maya comes running out towards her. Emily is intially excited, thinking that they've found Alison, but is soon brought back down to earth when Maya tells her that they found Alison's body. We then see a body bag on a stretcher being wheeled away. The other girls have also arrived on the scene and discuss that Hanna went to the police station. They are worried that she talked about the Jenna Thing, but Hanna turns up and tells them she didn't, stating that they all made a promise to keep the secret.

Later on, Hanna watches the news to find out more information about the discovery of Alison's body. It is revealed that the body was discovered in the garden, buried under a gazebo that was being constructed the summer Ali went missing. It is then that Hanna finds out how her mother is "sorting" out her situation with the police, when she arrives home kissing Detective Wilden. They head upstairs as Hanna continues to watch the news.

The episode skips to the day of Alison's funeral. We see that Ezra has also attended the event. He and Aria talk in a stairwell and he tells her that he is sorry, both for her loss and for how he has treated her. She seems to accept his apology as she gives him a small kiss on the cheek before walking away, saying that she would never do anything to get him in trouble. This seems like it will be the end of their relationship. However, Ezra pulls her back and kisses her passionately, before letting her go down the stairs and to the funeral. This may hint that they will continue a relationship.

Aria joins the other girls in the church. She also bumps into Ali's mother, Jessica, who asks her to sit at the front with the other girls as she believes that what Alison would've wanted. She, of course, complies with this request and they all listen on as the vicar begins the service. The girls chat quietly and reveal to each other that they have all been contacted by "A". At this moment, everyone is shocked when Jenna Marshall, a blind girl who we assume has something to do with "The Jenna Thing" and her step brother Toby Cavanaugh turn up at the event.

After the service, the girls are approached by Detective Wilden outside the church. He warns them that they will need to be questioned again as the case has now become a murder investigation, making it a lot more serious. He also tells them adamently that he will find out what happened that summer, leading the girls to worry that he either already knows, or will find out about, "The Jenna Thing". At that moment, they all receive a text from "A" simultaneously. They all read it aloud. It says, "I'm still here *******, And I know everything -A.



The episode ends in the curch, where we see Ali's coffin and a picture of her. She looks similar to the way she did in the flashback at the beginning of this episode and so it is assumed that it is quite a recent picture of her.

Cast
Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings

Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin

Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery

Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery

Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz

Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain

Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin

Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery

Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields

Nia Peeples as Pam Fields

Julian Morris as Wren Kim

Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal

Torrey DeVitto as Melissa Hastings

Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis

Tammin Sursok as Jenna Marshall

Amanda Schull as Meredith Sorenson

Byrce Johnson as Darren Wilden

Carlo Marks as Ian Thomas

Anne Marie DeLuise as Jessica DiLaurentis

Cody Christian as Mike Montgomery

James Neate as Toby Cavanaugh

Stephen Park as Department Store Clark

William Stewart as Department Store Security Guard

Dale Wolfe as Male Reporter

Sophie Lui as Female News Reporter

Michael Bean as Minister