‘Pretty Little Liars’ season 7, episode 1 review: Is Hanna Marin still alive?

Did Alison DiLaurentis really kill her own sister Charlotte? This was a question that was asked at the start of the “Pretty Little Liars” premiere, and that went along with another important one: Was Hanna Marin going to survive? She was imprisoned at the end of last season by A.D., and the quest to rescue her turned out to be a tricky, difficult affair.

Specifically, one of the biggest roadblocks the Liars ran into was so simple as having to execute a one-for-the-other trade, handing over Ali in return for getting Hanna back. Even if they did believe she was behind some of what had happened, it was still cruel handing over anyone and leaving them at the mercy of someone else. The problem for Ali is that, based on the end of the episode, she’s clearly at the mercy of someone else in Dr. Rollins, who seems to have no problem effectively poisoning her mind. That’s at least our take on it, anyway, since we don’t want to believe that she is the killer here.

Nonetheless, this suspicion surrounding Ali’s status was enough to send some characters in an emotional tailspin, in particular Emily as she looked back at her past with her. Even without saying much dialogue, this was one of the better performances for Shay Mitchell on the series.

While it feels like we’re getting closer to Aria / Ezra becoming a full-time relationship once more, we suppose that the other big surprise of the night was seeing Hanna escape her imprisonment, only to find herself in the potential clutches of someone else in Mary Drake. Was all this entertaining? Sure, but we do need more answers … and the show still seems hesitant to give them. Grade: B.

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