‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 6, episode 5, and Mona vs. Lesli showdown

There are a few discernible flaws within the ratings machine that is “Pretty Little Liars,” and to us one of the largest ones is the massive, almost “Game of Thrones” level recurring cast that the show has accumulated over five seasons. For every Hanna and Aria there is an Andrew, Lesli, and about five or six names we vaguely now remember. It is so hard to go back and track many of these people, where they played a part in the story, and where they are now. Some of them (see: Wren) we are very curious about; others, we find ourselves completely indfferent.

For the present time, we find ourselves largely unmoved by Lesli’s appearance. For now, our perception of her is rather simple: She is a woman scorned by Mona’s lies coming back for some element of revenge. She has a thirst for vengeance, and can you really blame her? Mona’s actions have put her own career in jeopardy, regardless of whether or not Janel Parrish’s character intended for it to be so. You can see more in the sneak peek below, included glasses that briefly make us consider that Mona really wants to hide her identity (yes she is actually going out on the town).

Here is where the disconnect enters the picture for Lesli: Aren’t there countless people at this point with an ax to grind with Mona? What makes her so darn special? What this feels like to us is an easy way to characterize her as the latest “A” suspect, though we feel the chances of this are marginal at best. As much as the show may want you to believe that the biggest bad is the new flavor of the month, we’re still picking some of the originals off the wall as top suspects.

Maybe we will change our mind come tomorrow night; if we are entertained, though, does it really even matter? Sometimes we perhaps think too much about the endgame that we forget certain aspects of the journey.

If interested in seeing another “Pretty Little Liars” sneak peek, you can do so here. Also, sign up to have some more news on all we cover, sent over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC Family.)