23. The Melody Lingers On

Complete story — includes the ending

Alison's lawyer consults with her one last time before her trial begins. Ashley and Ted check in on Hanna, as her fate is also dependent on the verdict. Spencer realizes that Varjak's number matches the number in Alison's personal ads, proving that whomever Alison was communicating with shares an identity with Varjak and 'A'. Alison says that this person claimed to know who killed her mother, and that their messages stopped after Mona was killed. 'A' quickly shuts down the idea that Mona was ever behind the number by calling and playing a French song that Mona used to love. While talking to Aria, Andrew seems to imply that Mona's death was a welcome occurrence. Later, Andrew apologizes and assures Aria that the comment he made doesn't reflect his true feelings. Veronica forbids Spencer from attending Alison's trial. After missing the first day, Spencer decides she cannot continue to follow her mother's orders. She cares less about what the public thinks of her and more about what her friends think of her. In the prosecutor's opening statement, he tells the jury that Alison lied about being kidnapped, that Mona knew the truth, and that Alison killed her to keep the secret. The girls begin to panic because the first of his claims is true. Jason takes the stand to rescind his earlier identification of Alison in the video of Mona's killer. The prosecutor presses Jason about the change to his testimony, accusing him of doing a favor for Hanna's mother in return for the "favors" she did for him. The public broadcasting of Ashley's affair riles up Ted's congregation and puts some strain back on their relationship. The girls return to Mona's bedroom to search for more clues, only to find the place turned upside-down. It looks like whatever Mona left for them, 'A' found it first. However, Aria realizes that 'A' could have staged the scene to trick the girls into leaving. Her theory is proven correct when Spencer looks behind the glass of a hand mirror and finds a note consisting of three cryptic phrases. Meanwhile, Andrew watches the Vanderwaal house from outside, and a crime lab analyst looks at evidence from the ice cream factory. ' A' ending: 'A' shreds paper evidence, including a social security card for "Paul Varjak", and uses the scraps to line Tippi's cage.