A Hot Piece of A

A Hot Piece of A is the 15th episode in Season 2 of Pretty Little Liars. It aired on January 9, 2012.

Synopsis
After their recent encounter with "A," Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer think they may be closer than ever to figuring out who "A" really is. They head back into the greenhouse to look for the box and decide what to do next. They have a contest over who has had the worse day. Spencer suggests calling Caleb to help them recover information from the phone, but Hanna doesn't want to get him involved. The phone rings, caller unknown; each girl is afraid to answer it. They never get the chance because more glass comes crashing down from the ceiling. They drive away, heading straight to Caleb against Hanna's wishes.

Caleb hooks the phone up to his laptop and explains the recovery process. While downloading the information, the owner of the phone shuts it down remotely. Caleb agrees to try to unlock the files they do have if Hanna is okay with it. She reluctantly agrees.

Aria leaves her room in the morning before school. Byron walks by and tells her to change her clothes because she is dressed inappropriately. Before an argument can break out, Ella steps in. She tells Aria to pick her battles while choosing new clothes for her to wear. Aria had hoped perhaps Ella would be more accepting of her relationship with Ezra, but Ella is in agreement with Byron and forbids Aria from seeing, and even saying goodbye to, Ezra. She admits to having liked Ezra prior to his confession yesterday, in which Mike punched him in the jaw.

Spencer approaches Toby outside his house to apologize for not being able to tell him why it's not safe to be together. They sit in his truck for privacy and begin to kiss despite the conversation they just had.

Caleb works on decrypting the files on his laptop at school. Hanna is concerned someone may figure out what he's doing, but he assures her he hasn't told anyone. He tries to get her to tell him what it is all about. Hanna calls out Lucas' name as he walks by and makes plans for a study session later on, even though Lucas doesn't seem to have time for it.

Garrett pulls up to the house, interrupting Toby and Spencer's make-out session, shouting into his cell phone, clearly speaking to Jenna. He pleads with her to open the door and says it was a bad idea to bring a third person into their plan. Spencer wonders who he could be referring to then ducks when Garrett looks their way.

Emily is having trouble focusing on anything with so much going on. She asks Ella if she can postpone the makeup test again because she didn't have time to read the last chapters. Ella agrees to reschedule, then asks Emily if there are more things she does not know about her daughter. Emily says Aria is the same person she has always been; someone to be proud of.

Hanna lends Aria her cell phone to call Ezra. Aria leaves him a voicemail telling him how much she loves him and that things will blow over eventually. Spencer approaches Emily in the hall hoping to enlist her help in snooping around Jason's house, believing him to be Garrett and Jenna's lackey. Emily starts community service at the crisis hotline that afternoon, Aria is on lockdown and Hanna is unhappy with Spencer at the moment for dragging Caleb into their "A" investigation. Emily suggests Spencer let Hanna use her lake house for face time with Caleb. She accidentally lets slip that Hanna has used it for that purpose before, which comes as news to Spencer.

At Hanna's house, Hanna tries to study while Lucas seems distracted. She gets a text from Spencer offering her the lake house. She gets the brilliant idea to use it to throw Caleb a surprise birthday party and enlists Lucas' help in planning it. Lucas says he cannot contribute financially, but reluctantly agrees to help.

Emily attends her first training session at the crisis hotline center. She roleplays with the supervisor, reading the transcript of a call that came in last night aloud. While reading it, Emily realizes the caller seems likely to be the person who tried to kill her in the greenhouse last night; "A's" helper.

Ezra sits alone in his apartment watching a basketball game when there is a knock at the door. He lets Byron in and offers him a beverage. Byron cuts to the chase. He knows navigating certain student-teacher relationships can be tricky and admits to making his own bad choices, pointing out that they were not with a minor. He asks for Ezra's word that he will not see Aria again, but Ezra doesn't give it to him. Instead he thanks him for helping him get the job at Hollis which enabled him to continue his relationship with Aria. Byron spies the rumpled sheets on Ezra's bed behind him and asks if he and Aria spend time at his apartment. Before Ezra can answer, Byron threatens him about going to the police and leaves.

The next day at school, Mona flags down Hanna in the hall to ask where her invitation is. Hanna didn't think Mona, and by extension, Noel, would want to attend a surprise party for Caleb, but Mona assures her all is forgiven between them; they would love to attend a cool party at Spencer's lake house.

Emily shows Spencer and Aria the transcript she swiped from the crisis center; Hanna has already seen it. Spencer thinks this is a big breakthrough and that they all should volunteer there in hopes that this person will call again. Aria declines, citing her lockdown status at home, and Hanna is too busy planning Caleb's party. Speaking of Caleb, he beckons them into a nearby classroom to show them what he recovered from the mystery phone. It is a photo of 4 porcelain dolls sitting in a row on a wooden surface in front of green floral wallpaper. The girls pretend like the photo means nothing to them.

They thank Caleb for his help and exit. Hanna stays behind trying to make a plan for Caleb's birthday, takeout perhaps, so he doesn't suspect a surprise party. He worries that her keeping the information surrounding this phone a secret could be a problem for their relationship. She assures him it is not important and they kiss.

Ella and Byron argue over what to do about the situation with Aria and Ezra. She wishes he hadn't gone to speak with him without her. She tells Byron that they cannot go to the police, much as they would like to, because it would ruin Aria's reputation. She is already considered a liar by many in town after the bell-tower incident and the recent arrest. They have to do whatever they can to protect their daughter. Byron can't argue with that.

In the neighborhood to pick up a cake, Hanna pops in on Ezra in his office to let him know she and Aria's other friends approve of their relationship.

At the crisis center, Emily's supervisor tells her to listen in on the call that just came in because it is the transcript caller calling back. He says he is in way too deep and doesn't want to have to hurt anyone. Spencer and Emily listen together and recognize the caller's voice as that of Lucas! They try to convince Hanna Lucas must have been the one in the greenhouse, but she refuses to believe it without proof. No matter what they say, they can't get through to her.

Aria calls Ezra again and this time he picks up. She says she just needed to hear his voice. He says he needed to hear hers as well, but she can't call him again. Aria tears up when he hangs up on her.

Toby watches a car service pick up Jenna and drive away, just as Garrett arrives. Garrett demands to know who was in the car with Jenna, saying he should have been the one to accompany her to Boston for her eye-surgery. He vents to Toby about doing everything Jenna ever asked and it still not being enough. Toby suggests he walk away because that is just how Jenna is. Garrett says he can't because he actually loves her and will keep proving it if he has to.

Spencer and Hanna look for tiki torches in the attic of the lake house. Hanna runs downstairs to answer the door while Spencer keeps searching. She moves around a few boxes and discovers that the wallpaper in the background of the doll photo is the same as that on the wall. "A" has been in her attic! Lucas then appears, in search of tools. Spencer backs away from him and heads downstairs after informing him there are no tools up in the attic.

Aria and her parents walk toward a restaurant in town for dinner, but stop short when they see Ezra through the window dining alone. Byron insists they go somewhere else and bickers with Ella about their earlier conversation. Aria and Ezra stare longingly at each other before she's forced to walk away. During their search for a new restaurant, they bump into an old colleague of Byron's and his son, Holden. He and Aria go way back. Their parents make plans for them to have dinner one day soon so Holden and Aria can catch up, a not-so-subtle wink wink nudge nudge that Aria should date a nice boy her own age.

Emily answers a call at crisis center even though she is only there to return the transcript she "accidentally" took home with her. This time she speaks to Lucas who discloses he has to take care of his problem tonight and how hard it will be to lose "her." Emily hears Hanna's voice in the background and heads straight to the party, fearing for her friend's safety.

At the party, which seems well underway, Spencer tells Hanna what she discovered in the attic, but Hanna is distracted by all her party-planning responsibilities. Mona and Noel inform her the pizzas she ordered all came with green peppers, then Noel leaves, offering to help hang the birthday banner. Hanna is clearly stressed out and refuses to listen to anything Spencer has to say. Emily arrives and sees Lucas standing near the cake. She reminds him what a loving and forgiving person Hanna is and tells him not to do anything he will regret. Lucas realizes Emily must know what he's planning and shoots her a strange look. Afraid she just made things worse, she tells Spencer what happened. They learn from Mona that Hanna took the rowboat out with Lucas to set up the fireworks across the lake. They watch them float away into darkness from the window.

Halfway across the lake, Lucas stops rowing. She becomes more and more frightened by Lucas' tone and asks to go back, hearing Spencer calling her name from shore. Lucas stands and shouts at her. Hanna flips, pushes him overboard, and takes the oars. She doesn't get far before a hand latches onto one of the oars and Hanna herself falls overboard. Spencer continues calling her name and directs Emily to go inside and call the police.

Aria leaves Ezra another voicemail, saying that she thinks her mom is coming around if they are just patient. Ella walks into Aria's room and Aria lies, saying she was just talking to Holden, making plans to see a movie, if she's not still grounded. Ella says maybe they can make an exception.

Other partygoers gather 'round Spencer, wondering what is going on. After a few tense moments, Hanna swims to shore. Spencer tries to warm Hanna up and find out what happened. Mona and Noel appear, half-dressed and dripping because they just "took a dip." Caleb arrives and Hanna mumbles "surprise." The episode ends with an individual in a dark sweatshirt and gloves fishing Lucas' shoe out of the lake.

Continuity

 * Emily makes a reference to the "memories" Hanna and Caleb made on the couch of Spencer's family's cabin. This is from the time they made out in"Save the Date."

Title

 * The phrase "a hot piece of A" is a crude expression for someone sexually appealing. The A is usually short A$$, so the pun is on the series' mystery antagonist.
 * The title in this episode may literally refer to "A's" stolen cell phone in a clever way.

Main Cast
Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings

Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin

Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery

Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields

Guest Stars
Shane Coffey as Holden Strauss

Tyler Blackburn as Caleb Rivers

Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh

Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal

Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn

Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz

Yani Gellman as Garrett Reynolds

Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery

Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery

Anthony Tyler Quinn as Ron Strauss (Byron's friend)

Featured Music

 * "Where Are You (I Am Already Gone)" by Kate Tucker (The girls chat in Hanna's room)
 * "Airhead (I Have Been Waiting)" by Right the Stars (Hanna and Lucas study together)
 * "Hidden Agenda" by Fur Patrol (Mona and Noel invite themselves to Hanna's party)