In the Eye Abides the Heart

"In the Eye Abides the Heart" is the 155th episode overall and the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of Pretty Little Liars, which premiered on May 23, 2017, on the cable network Freeform. It was directed by cast member Troian Bellisario and written by executive producer Joseph Dougherty. The installment received a Nielsen rating of 0.4 and was viewed by 0.85 million viewers, down from the previous episode. This broadcast is rated TV-14.

Plot

Detective Furey (Nicholas Gonzalez) expresses his concerns about the Dunhill case. Spencer (Troian Bellisario) is shocked when he reveals that she is a person of interest in the case, since she is attached to the Liars — who wanted Archer's death — and Mary Drake, who worked with him. Hanna (Ashley Benson) and Emily (Shay Mitchell) begin a secret investigation at Lucas's apartment to find some clue that links him to Charlotte. While searching in a box full of comic books, the two find an envelope containing a comic book designed and created by Lucas and Charles. It ultimately worries the girls, with Aria (Lucy Hale) insinuating that he may be "A.D." Alison (Sasha Pieterse) and Emily find themselves in a dilemma between conceiving or not the baby, which leaves the situation tense between the two, leading Emily to Paige (Lindsey Shaw) to talk. Paige gets stunned after learning that Alison and Emily will have a child together. In addition, Paige goes to Alison's house to talk about the pregnancy, putting aside the resentment. The two confess their feelings for Emily, and make up after years of hate. Also, after a blood test, Alison confirms that Archer is not the child's father. Ezra (Ian Harding) and Aria discuss their marriage when Nicole's parents call Ezra to spend two days in Maine in order to stabilize Nicole's mental health.

Meanwhile, Aria installs herself definitively in the new A-Team after stealing the comic book and giving it to "A.D.", who gives her back a black hoodie, representing her entrance in the team. They communicate through FaceTime, and "A.D." threatens to reveal a supposed secret of Ezra that could get him to jail. The stalker pressures her to talk about everything she and her friends talk about, and Aria reveals about Charlotte's father's discovery and the discussion about Lucas. Spencer communicates with Mary through messages left in a bottle of wine. With this, Mary leaves a golden key to her, possibly of the Lost Woods Resort, but, after Spencer arrives there, she discovers that Furey was following her. Afterwards, Spencer finds another message in the bottle, with Mary saying goodbye to her after she thought Spencer had called the police.

Mona (Janel Parrish) is enlisted by Hanna to investigate the Liar's Lament board game after the first reveals to the latter that Lucas canceled Hanna's fashion business ahead of its release. Mona gets fascinated by the game's structure, and start taking photos of the building. Hanna instigates Mona to play the game to find out how far "A.D." would go, but Mona insists she may end up getting addicted again in the game. Hanna is, however, able to convince her to play, stating that Mona will feel good when she realizes that she has defeated the stalker. Paige and Emily tearfully end their relationship when Paige realizes that Emily will never be able to love her more than Alison. Paige then leaves Emily and Rosewood for good.

Outside of town, Ezra is at the airport waiting for his flight when he sees Spencer and Wren (Julian Morris) talking, and Spencer calls him to introduce him to Wren. Spencer then pulls Ezra off to the side and explains to him that she hasn't spoken to Kingston since before Charlotte's homicide. She met up with Wren in order to seek for enlightenment on his behalf given that he helped her former tormentor sneak in and out of Radley. Alison decides to have the baby, although still undecided. Ezra returns to his apartment to stay with Aria, revealing to her that his flight wasn't canceled, he just decided not to pick it up. While Aria and Ezra embrace, "A.D" calls her, but she doesn't see, leading the stalker to record a video tape threatening her.

Production

Lindsey Shaw, Julian Morris and Nicholas Gonzalez (left to right) guest star as Paige McCullers, Wren Kingston and Marco Furey, respectively.

"In the Eye Abides the Heart" was directed by actress and cast member Troian Bellisario, making it her directorial debut.^[1][2] Executive producer Joseph Dougherty handled the writing for the episode. The title was revealed by Dougherty via Twitter on August 8, 2016.^[3] Table-read for the episode occurred on August 15, 2016, the same day the filming for the previous episode, "Power Play", wrapped.^[4] Filming began on August 16^[5] and wrapped on August 24.^[6] Actor Julian Morris returns to the series in this episode,^[7] portraying Wren Kingston after last appearing on the fourth season.^[8] The episode also features recurring appearances from Lindsey Shaw as Paige McCullers and Nicholas Gonzalez as Detective Marco Furey. This is the last episode to feature Shaw and the character of Paige McCullers. The episode's title is a reference to the episode "Kingdom of the Blind", in which Mona sings a song named "In the Eye Abides the Heart". The installment features the songs "Dusk" by Wilsen, "Meadows" by Wild Child, "Black Out Days" by Phantogram, "Wants What It Wants (Hushed)" by Andrew Belle, "Love Will Make Me Stay" by Butterfly Boucher, and "Breathe" by Fleurie.^[9]

Reception

Ratings

"In the Eye Abides the Heart" premiered on May 23, 2017 to an audience of 0.85 million Americans,^[10], acquiring a 0.4 rating/share among adults 18–49,^[11] a decrease from the previous episode, and the lower rating in the season until then.

References

External links

• "In the Eye Abides the Heart" on IMDb
• "In the Eye Abides the Heart" at TV.com