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

Tue, August 28, 2012 11:59pm EDT by Andy Swift 228 Comments

Courtesy of ABC Family (3)

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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.

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

Follow @AndySwift

More on the Pretty Little Liars summer finale:

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ok.. so I knew “Nate” was creepy from the beginning && it makes sense that he was stalking Maya.. BUT he never actually said he KILLED her when Emily asked him. I think he was just upset that Emily && Maya dated because he easing love with her or whatever.. so I don’t see how Garrett can be released from prison when there was no actual confession. maybe they’ll explain it later.

Nooooooo whyyyy Tobyyyy.? lol this actually came as a real shocker to me. i want to believe that he’s just up to something && not really apart of Team A. it just can’t be that simple.. it would explain why he went away for that short time but his relationship with spencer I feel is real so he can’t be a bad guy right.? RIGHT.?

as for who shot Caleb I don’t know what happened with that. I honestly dot think it was “Nate” because he did appear to be dead. if he suddenly got up to attack Emily again wouldnt they have shown it instead of making it so mysterious.? I agree that the shock on Emily && Paiges face afterwards was kind of suspicious. that tells me something else went on up there. As for Paige.. Idc how innocent she may look right now, she’s not completely off of my list just yet. something is still off about her. she’s very clingy jealous && territorial. hmmm..

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Just saw the finale can’t wait til October!! My conclusion is the writers are awesome Nate DID NOT kill Maya because if he was stalking her why would she have him at the cabin taking pictures of her, he wanted to hurt Emily because like he said she took Maya away from him he wouldve hurt Maya so killers still out there. As far as Toby being apart of Team A I agreed he may be trying to stop Mona and the mysterious A from hurting Spencer. Plus it was not Garrett who called Emily when she was with Nate/Linden it was A, A will do anything to take the liars down!!!!

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In an interview with the producer or whatever it was said asked whether there were any good intentions of Toby being part of the A-team and the producer clearly said “No”, SO Toby is definitely not part of A-team to protect Spencer or the rest of the girls. My heart dropped when it was revealed that Toby was part of the A-team…ugh this sucks so much..BUT at the same time i always sort of suspected him. I still love him though <3

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I think toby really is on the A team because Jenna told Emily be careful who you trust and not everyone is who they appear to be. I think she found out that toby was on the A team and thats why she left. Or Jenna realized that Nat killed Mya and she figured out what Nate was planning and thought she would be next so she dipped out before he went crazy on her to. Just a guess

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There are a lot of loose ends still because its a mid season finale. Nothing is ever as it seems on these shows most of the clues are just teasers so I wouldn’t take everything you see to heart. This show is a success because it always keeps you confused and guessing so I’m sure whatever conclusions we have drawn from this episode and previous others will quickly change. I tend to notice things that aren’t happening over the things that are happening. For instance, there are a lot of characters that are in the show for a reason but aren’t on often enough and for a finale they seemed to leave out a lot of different characters. We didn’t even get to see what A had planned or even did while everything else is going on, which i suppose is smart for the writers because this allows them to change things later on the way they see fit. Some people we haven’t seen in a while or at least not enough lately are: Ali’s Brother Jason, Noel, Jenna, Spencer’s Sister, Lucas, That kid that aria use to hang out with that had the bruises on his body I forget his name, and we only see Wren from time to time. Maybe all of these people are fillers but some may still be relevant enough to think about and consider as potential A’s or other future people that will play a huge roll soon. Lucas seems to have not been shown or mentioned for a really long time and Jason comes and goes a lot along with Melissa. I don’t really know what I thought about Toby but that sex scene seemed to take forever but I doubt the writers would make us watch that and then make him become some creepy creeper after all that. It doesn’t make sense for them to let him take advantage of her like that since its really personal maybe if they were to have done something instead of that it would of been more appropriate. I also wondered if Toby really was bad wouldn’t Jenna have known and outed him or something. I don’t think both Jenna and Toby would be teamed together so one of them seems to be innocent also why did she really leave in that taxi and who was she afraid of? Nate? Paige? Seems odd. Also I secretly kinda want to see Aria and Ezra’s brother hook up but only after Ezra gets in a fight with Aria for lying and breaks up with her. It would spice some things up a bit…I do like Ezra but still wouldn’t mind seeing that play out.

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Well I do not think that shot is toby and emily still alive and I would tell her friends think it’s very disappointing that toby is part of the A team, I thought that maybe I joined the team of A to help girls, yet I do not think

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Bueno no creo que sea toby el que disparo y que emily sigue viva y le diria a sus amigas creo que es muy decepcionante que toby sea parte del equipo de A , a mi se me ocurrio que quizas se unio al equipo de A para ayudar a las chicas , pero a la vez no lo creo

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I still think someone else was there in the light house by the was Emily and Paige were acting afterwards! But, by heart dropped at the end when Toby turned around.

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I missed it..

http://www.michelledanner.com

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honestly i’m so disappointed of last’s night episode , i mean Caleb getting shot , and yeah Toby is -A i kinda of suspected him right after the face and the smile he made after he got out of Spencer’s house it was more like of a smirk, and i suspected Paige which i’m totally feeling guilty about, overall it sucks that Toby is -A i really liked him and his relationship with Spencer i totally loved spoby and yeah i’m disappointed

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Do we really know that it’s Toby booking the Halloween tickets at the end of the episode? If so, why not show his face? It’s more likely that this A is the “lead A.” The ticket-ordering A is likely the same A who calls Emily and tells her to get out of the cabin (the voice distortion is the same). A wants to protect Emily from Nate to prolong the game.

I would argue that Mona and Toby have joined Team A for different reasons, and whoever is the leader has by far the most sinister motivations. Even Mona seemed just a little disturbed by the décor at A headquarters!

One more important note – Mona used a key card to reenter Radley Sanitarium. Maybe she stole it, but probably not. Maybe it was given to her by “lead A,” and maybe “lead A” volunteers at Radley Sanitarium. And maybe “lead A” is the only character who has been around from the beginning, and seems to always be above the chaos A creates. Maybe A is Wren.

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Its Wren, hes connected to every character somehow.

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Why wren? he did not know that there is nothing to connect him with alisson

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I am sad it is Toby I really liked him..I had a feeling it could be him because he is sketchy but I didn’t want it to be him

I KNEW IT WAS NATE!!! I was right I had a feeling he was Myas stalker and I was right!!

And I was thinking Paige was it too but I was dead wrong about her

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omg i can’t believe toby is A
I kind of had a funny feeling it was him while they were having sex
I also had a feeling it was one of the boyfriends (Ezra in particular)

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Toby is in the A team, so is Mona but there is definitely another one…at least one more. Here’s a thought—> Toby went away and realized somehow who A is…he entered the team to help the girls. He was the one who warned Em about Nate….In my theory someone was following Paige in the woods,he/she saw that Nate – who probably has nothing to do with A- took Paige and and so A’s trap was destroyed…that’s the same person who called Mona and then she told Toby “change of plans”..then Toby warned Em…
On the other hand i have to admit that Toby has the strongest motive to be A because Alison and “her gang” ruined his life…Don’t forget that he approached Emily first and then got stuck with Spencer. It seems to me that he always wanted to get inside the girls circle of trust one way or another….This episode was soooooo confusing..but the way A’s identity was revealed, suddenly, was AWESOME!!!!

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Omfg .. JUST when I began to actually trust Toby and stopped being creeped out by him, the producers of the show just had to dump that big bomb of a twist on me here! I’ve always thought Toby was suspicious but because he was being such a “nice & trustworthy” guy, I didn’t suspect him of anything and liked him. But the fact that he’s on a A team – FORGET IT. Kiss my ass goodbye Toby!

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I was totally shocked that Toby was “A” but something tells me there is alot more to the story then we realize. In my theory, I believe Toby is part of the “A” team to protect Spencer and the girls. Ironically Emily got a phone call right after someone (whom I think was Nate) called to tell Mona there was a change in plans and that’s when Mona told the new A what happened. Then Emily gets a phone call telling her to get out? If that’s not ironic I don’t know what is. I also think that when Caleb sat the gun down after he found Emily that it got hot next to the huge light and accidentally shooting Caleb. But I guess we won’t really know till next season maybe longer!

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To Amy: If Emily was on the A team then A wouldn’t say “thank you” to her. Also, how do we know Nate died instantly? You know how movies are, the dead person comes back to life and kills the other person. Haha

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I knew something was wrong when Spencer and Toby hugged when they were at Spencer’s house the way he looked like he had a secret. But I never suspected Toby to be part of the A team. My heart was pounding sooo hard during the episode.

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I think that it was emily that shot caleb because nate was already dead and “a” did say thank you to emily and that could possible be for shooting caleb as well as killing nate/

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people asked the writers of the show who actually killed caleb and they said ti was nate. so as shocking as it would be for it to have been emily it was nate.

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I definitely think there is more to Toby being on the A team than meets the eye. We all know that someone couldn’t fake love that long just to get back at a girl who is already dead. Toby loves Spencer and doesn’t really have a reason to hate the other girls (because Allison is the one who blackmailed him). He must be trying to protect Spencer some way, or either Spencer is against the girls too. Which very well could be a possibility… With all of her family’s sketchy on-goings and such (but that’s not my first choice). There could be a million different possibilities, but I am standing firm that Toby is definitley not against Spencer or the girls. Because why would they just throw in the fact that they sleep together/say they love each other for the first time? There would be no need for that part of the plot if he was so against spencer. He could just kiss her and come back and that would be enough betrayal. There has to be another explanation for him appearing to be on the A team. Because no one ever spoke the words that he was a part of it. Also, how Caleb got shot was either an accident or Nate was not dead and fired off the gun. No one else could have been there. Not paige. Not Emily. Oh and frankly, the Aria and Ezra plot for this show was kinda a flop… a little more drama there, please?? CanNOT wait until October!!

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I know right? Would you be okay with your boyfriend ‘bonding’ with her ex right in front of you? I’m really not getting Aria this time.

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i think the a team is reallllyyy reaallyyy big. cause there’s obviously mona and toby, and i suspect jenna,garett, and lucas… but why did caleb say he loved hanna? i don’t know that made me think he was a!! hmm

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I honestly wasn’t that shocked that Toby is A. He has the most motive to be A than anyone else in the series. After all those girls put him through. That’s probably why Toby saved Spencer In the lighthouse. And hurt himself so that he looked less guilty. So nobody would suspect him. I love spoby, but I’m not surprised. I’m glad it’s not aria or any of the other girls. Lol. Again, he has the most motive to be A

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Paige could have definitely been the one that shot Caleb. I want to know who it was, because that ending was confusing. This finale definitely left some cliffhangers to be answered. I couldn’t watch it last night when it air, so this morning I went onto Dish Online to watch it. I can watch several shows on there free and it even has previous episodes of some of the shows. I wanted to make sure I watched it before I got to work at Dish, so I could talk to my co-workers about the episode. I feel so bad for Spencer if Toby is really working for “A”. I cannot wait until next season.

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i think toby found out about A and he just went into the A team for answers.

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Honestly, I wasn’t surprised that it was Toby. He has the most motive to be A. After all the girls put him through. I love spoby, but it wasn’t that much of a schocker!! I’m so glad it’s not aria or any of the other girls. I would have stopped watching. But again, toby has the most motive than anyone else in the series. He prob did all those things to himself to make him look less guilty. So nobody would suspect him. Poor spencer! She’s like my favorite!!

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I don’t think Toby is on the A team for protecting Spencer… He knew he would have to deal with things that could hurt her and her friends, so it kinda doesnt make sense. There’s definetely more than 2 As, Mona, Toby and 1 or 2 more people. I’d like to think one of them is Ali, or somebody really close to her, like a twin sister or something (theory I think it’s on the books). I’m really hoping its not someone obvious, because finding out that Mona was A it wasnt much of a shock for me… The episode was really nice, it left me tense and curious all the time, although it was a bit confusing, I mean, who shot Caleb???? If there was another person there, Emily would have seen it… Or was it Nate? But if it was Nate… wasn’t he already dead??? So, there’s Emily? I don’t believe she would do that… That was so confusing… and also, was really Nate who killed Maya? I mean we think so, but it wasn’t left that clear on the episode…And I can’t believe we’ll have to wait almost TWO MONTHS for another episode! hahaha it’ll drive me crazy!

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