PRETTY LITTLE LIARS 1/27 'The Bin of Sin' Recap: The Barrel is Opened!

ABC Family's hit drama PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is known for its ability to always keep its viewers guessing and questioning every move, every motive and every character on the show. Tonight's episode is no exception. With Mona's body potentially being found (during an illegal break-in), everyone had better watch their backs.

To recap the last episode in a nutshell, Spencer and Caleb went digging through Detective Holbrook's secret storage locker where they found supplies for keeping a body from decomposing and a bin they think Mona's body is being kept in. The locker is in Hanna's name, so if police investigated, everything in it could potentially link her to the murder of her once best friend.

Spencer has a new house guest living in THE SHED of her backyard. Jonny and Spencer discussed her options for after graduation and their shared interest of Italy.He seems to pop up at the worst times for Spencer,including in the middle of a fight between her and Toby. I'm still not sure what his role will be in the show, but I'm very curious to learn more about him.

Aria is still freaking out about her acceptance to Talmadge College and isn't sure if she should tell Ezra that she got in, or about the way she did it. Meanwhile, Emily is struggling with her non-existent relationship with Paige and her new coworker Talia who seems to have an interest in Ezra. Hanna's mom is still dealing with her one night stand with Jason just a few days before her boyfriend proposed to her. I think that storyline is so bizarre, but I'm enjoying seeing Jason more because I love his character.

The episode started with Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna and Caleb catching each other up. The next day, Aria visited Emily at work and told her that the guilt over the letter was too much. She left to call Ezra, and Emily warned Talia that Ezra was taken after she baked him a pie. I don't really now how baking a pie equals having a crush, but that's just me. Good for Emily for looking out for her friend. Meanwhile at the Marin house, Ashley decided not to tell Ted about her night with Jason because she does not want to cause him any unnecessary pain. Hanna-and I-disagreed. Honesty is the best policy, right? Then again, the show is called PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, so that ship's sailed. Spencer went to the police station to find Toby and ask for his help to prevent Hanna from doing something stupid, but she was interrupted by Detective Tanner and left. Toby was reviewing Ali's case file and brought up the possibility of someone tampering with her polygraph-Holbrook. Needless to say, Tanner was not happy about it. Aria finally told Ezra about Talmadge and her letter, and he reads it, but there's no immediate response. Caleb knocked on Hanna's door and found that Hanna had plans to tamper with the evidence and Caleb, wanting to protect her, reluctantly agreed to help her.

Ezra's reaction to the letter was not what Aria expected. He completely understood why she had done it, although he seemed upset when he hugged her (which is totally normal after reading a letter like that from the woman you love). Ashley and Jason had lunch together to discuss her leaving her job and the status of their relationship. Jason was surprised to learn about her relationship, but seemed more hurt about the fact that she didn't feel the same way he did. Hanna and Caleb started to break into the storage unit while Emily, Spencer and Aria find out that Mona's laptop is moving, most likely because Hanna took it.

Jason and Ashley ran into each other again at the office where they discussed her engagement and why she didn't say yes yet. The three girls went looking for the laptop the same time Hanna and Caleb had just opened the storage unit, meaning they did not have the laptop. In fact, all they had was the barrel. There was nothing else in the space. In his office, Ezra reread the letter Aria wrote, looking distressed. Spencer, Emily and Aria arrived to the location of the laptop and decided to split up to find the couple. Shouldn't they know by now that any dark, creepy abandoned building is not the place to separate?! Something is going to go wrong there. Speaking of going wrong, just as Hanna and Caleb were looking to exit, they bump into Toby and Detective Tanner. Busted.

Caleb jumped in and said that he was looking to rent a storage unit, though Tanner saw right through it. Suspicious, she and Toby began their search of the premises where they found the barrel. Back at the abandoned building, Spencer found Mona's laptop with a video of Hanna talking to Caleb about her plan to move the evidence from the unit. Aria found her shortly after, and they go to find Emily when-surprise!-A showed up and locked them in the room they were in. Apparently, the room had been some kind of freezing chamber because the room started to fill with liquid nitrogen. Lucky for the girls, Emily saved them before they turned into popsicles. So I guess I can't think it was that bad to split up or who knows? It could have been all three of them freezing to death. Back at the storage unit, Detective Tanner opened the barrel, but it wasn't revealed what was inside;she just had Toby call for back up. When he let, though, she found a drop of blood on the floor.

Jason helped Ashley move all of her things out of her office and she gave him a list of recommended replacements. They had a really nice moment that turned awkward when he tried to kiss her again. Emily received a message from Hanna about what happened in the unit that day while she was helping Talia in the kitchen and set the food on fire accidentally. Ezra gives Aria a beautiful journal as a gift for her acceptance to college, then tells her that he does not want to hold her back. She protests, trying to tell him that the letter wasn't true, but he trusted his gut and asked her to think about it. Hanna stormed into Spencer's house accusing her of telling Toby about the locker and she told Hanna she didn't tell him anything and that by going to the storage place, she made things worse for herself and Caleb. Tanner can't tell for sure what was in the barrel, but she let Toby know that if the blood she found was Mona's, his friends would be the first people the police would question. She also warned him that if there was any information he was withholding, to give it to her then.

Emily and Talia talk after work about their first impressions of each other. Talia then reveals that she likes Emily, but flees before getting a response. Hanna wants to protect Caleb after finding out that Holbrook was spying on them, and tells him to stay away from her. Caleb, of course, does not plan on that anytime soon. Meanwhile, Aria takes a look at her high school yearbook and notices all of her classmates' extracurriculars compared to hers (she doesn't have any)., Ashley is still debating Ted's proposal, and Spencer is waiting by the phone for Toby. When he finally answered, he could not give her any of the information she needed, nor did it seem like he wanted to. I'm intrigued by how blurred Toby' loyalties are. It makes me wonder whose side he is really on. For all we know, he is still part of team A (I'm mostly kidding). At the end of the episode we see another hooded figure doing something suspicious, which made me want to yell "WHO ARE YOU?!" very loudly to my television screen. Maybe one day we'll find out, but until that day comes, I'll be watching every minute of intensity. Tuesday cannot be here faster.

Do you think it's Mona's body in that bin? What do you think of Jonny? Let me know what you think in the comments below! PRETTY LITTLE LIARS airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC Family. Don't forget to come back here for my live commentary!

Photo Credit: ABC Family

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