'Pretty Little Liars': Covered in mud

I am not looking forward to next Tuesday.

Not because I don’t want to know what happens on the mid-season finale of the most scandalous TV show of the season, but because I’m not confident I can make it through the rest of the summer without my “Pretty Little Liars.”

Last night’s episode didn’t waste any time before delving into drama and suspense. While Hanna, Aria and Spencer flipped through flashcards and prepared for the dreaded SAT, Emily was nowhere to be found – and not because she doesn’t like studying in groups.

When we caught up with Emily, she was running into her bedroom with a terrified expression on her face. Covered in mud, she read a text message from A: “There’s only so much you can bury, Emily. You’re not done with me yet.”

After a quick commercial break, the girls met at school to take the test, except when it ended up getting postponed due to the severe weather, mayhem ensued.

As it turns out, Alison’s memorial was vandalized the night before and, true to form, the creepy cop didn’t waste any time before jumping on the case.

He approached Emily - who forgot to rinse the mud off her shoes - at her locker, and informed her that Toby was spotted at a gas station. Emily said she hadn’t seen him, and before the creepy cop walked away, he suggested she check her basement.

Though it’s not clear if Emily really has been in contact with Toby, we know she’s not interested in telling the truth… to anyone. She told the girls she never made it to their study session because practice ran late.

At school, Emily got another text message from A: “Hey Em – you weren’t the only one with ‘Great Expectations.’ Check it out. Xoxo.” She immediately left the girls and set off to find the book, at which point, Spencer’s phone rang. “Define ‘desertion.’ Seems like you’re about to lose Emily. Who’s next? –A”

Tucked inside the book, Emily found the letter she wrote Alison just days before she disappeared. We’re then treated to a flashback to the time they spent kissing in the library. When she comes out of her daydream, she realized the storm has picked up outside. Books began to fall off the shelves and her bag, as well as the letter, is nowhere to be found.

Emily then has another flashback, this time recalling a moment in the girl’s locker room. When Alison asked Emily to hook her bra, she leaned over and gave Emily a kiss on her shoulder. “Just because we kiss in the library doesn’t mean I’m into you,” Alison snapped back. Harsh.

In another part of the school, Noel and Aria had wrapped a very “High School Musical”-esque moment and were leaning in toward each other as if they’re about to kiss, but then Aria spotted Fitz standing in the doorway. (Yes, Fitz was back!)

Noel scurried back to the rest of the students, but Aria stayed to ask a “homework question” (sure; whatever you say, Aria). She couldn’t seem to understand why one minute Fitz told her he got a haircut for her, and the next he’s interviewing at schools in New York.

The creepy cop then found Emily (again), and told her he found her belongings, which included the broken pieces from the memorial. That evidence, combined with the pictures of Emily sitting at the memorial and the letter she wrote to Alison, lead the cop to conclude that Emily wanted to punish Alison for rejecting her. Luckily, the girls were there for her, as was Spencer’s mom, who put the cop in his place for questioning minors without an adult present.

Speaking of Spencer’s mom, she told her daughter that she has nothing against her boy toy Alex. It turns out she spent one very drunken day at the country club, and Alex took care of her and listened to her talk about the lump she found in her breast. It was definitely a breakthrough moment for Spencer and her mom.

The most unsuspecting part of the episode comes after Lucas thanked Hanna for sticking up to Mona. Why did everyone forget to clean the mud off their shoes? Or at least wear a different pair. Could he have vandalized the memorial? Better yet, is he “A”?

The episode ended with the same black gloves we’ve come to expect around 8:57 p.m. on Tuesday. A video of Alison appeared on a laptop. “I know you want to kiss me,” she said into the camera. The video was placed in an envelope, clearly on its way to the Rosewood Police Department – hopefully it will get there by the next episode.

Most of the speculation I’ve seen is based on what happened in the book series, but what do you think will happen based only on what we’ve seen on TV thus far? And what did you think of last night’s episode?