Can You Hear Me Now?

{episode }}
 * name    = Can You Hear Me Now?
 * season  = 1
 * number  = 4
 * image   = 4.png
 * airdate = June 29, 2010
 * writer  = Joseph Dougherty
 * director = Norman Buckley
 * previous = To Kill a Mocking Girl
 * next    = Reality Bites Me

Can You Hear Me Now? is the 4th episode in Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars, airing June 29, 2010 - and the 4th episode overall.

Synopsis
After wrecking Sean's car, Hanna gets lectured by her mother who says she never wants to see another cop car in front of the house again. Going along with their new plan, the girls map out the details of Alison's new memorial park bench. Spencer then comes up with the idea of "A-proofing." She blocks all messages from people she doesn't know and does the same with the other girls' laptops and cellphones. The girls also appreciate the view when Mr. Fitz rides buy on his bicycle, wearing shorts; Aria is silently mortified when they comment on his legs. Just then, a crunched up missing Alison flier blows towards them with a celebratory remark about her death.

At school, Maya gives Emily a scarf, which she puts on shyly and takes off soon after the other girls compliment her on it. She lies about it being new, feeling uncomfortable, thinking the whole world knows who it's from and why. Then, Hanna's father calls, telling her that he is coming to Rosewood. She suspects that it is because he's heard of her crashing Sean's car, but doesn't have the guts to ask him directly.

Aria meets up with Ezra in his classroom, where they admit that neither one of them knows the terms of their relationship. So, Ezra invites Aria over to his apartment for dinner, where they can discuss. They agree to meet that night.

In the hallways, Hanna tells the girls about her father's return, and they ask whether it is because of her accident, but she gets defensive. Then, Mr. Sheldrake, Spencer's Russian history teacher lets Spencer know that her essay was excellent and that he submitted it to an essay contest called The Golden Orchid. The other girls think it typical seeing Spencer get academic recognition, not knowing her secret.

Emily then heads to her chemistry class, where she sees Toby standing alone. He lets her know that he's transferring to her chemistry lab, then comments on the scarf that she is no longer wearing and compliments her on it. To Emily's chagrin, the chemistry teacher assigns Toby as her lab partner, and Emily lies that she is okay with it. When Emily opens her lab book, she is shocked to find the photo of her and Maya kissing from Noel's cabin party. She shuts it immediately, hoping no one else saw it. Did Toby see it?

At the Montgomery's, Ella is cooking dinner. Aria lets her mom know that she can't make it for dinner tonight, and Ella informs her that Mike also has other plans, so dinner will be a romantic evening for two for Byron and Ella. Just then, Aria again flashes back to her father's kissing Meredith in his car. This time, she additionally recalls how Ali had tried to convince her to tell her mother what she saw. When Byron tried to call Aria, Alison had warned her not to pick up, correctly suspecting that he would try to talk Aria out of revealing what she saw. Alison had warned Aria that she could risk losing both parents if she didn't tell. Aria calls out to her mother like she is about to tell her something important, but instead she asks for a carrot and walks away, leaving Ella curious.

In Spencer's room, Hanna tries on outfits for dinner with her father that night. Spencer reveals the trouble she is in with Melissa's stolen essay. Hanna also asks if Spencer peeked to see if she got any "A" messages, but Spencer has not, and neither has Hanna.

Emily approaches Maya at the restaurant where she works, showing her the photos from the party. She asks Maya if she slipped them into her lab book, but Maya denies it. Emily asks again, and Maya is offended by Emily's accusing tone and the fact that she is clearly ashamed of the pictures, as if showing them is a bad thing. Maya had wanted to admire the pictures; instead, she goes back to work, affronted.

Later that evening, Tom shows up at Hanna's house to take her out to dinner. Ashley was under the impression that she was invited to dinner as well and clearly dressed for the occasion. She tries to hide her disappointment/hurt when he breaks the news that he intended to take only Hanna. Outside, Tom makes a comment about his car being new and therefore he should drive, and Hanna freezes, realizing that he is only there to see her because of the incident with Sean's car. He agrees, but asks to her to indulge him all the same, and after a pause, she goes along with him.

At Ezra's apartment, Aria is excited to have the tour. The subject shifts to Ella and Byron, and Ezra suggests that maybe Ella already knows about the infidelity. He brings up his own parents who had an understanding between each other, wherein they both tolerated each other's infidelity. He tells Aria that it is not her responsibility to fix her parents' problems, but she takes it as his accusing her of not being an adult. Affronted, she leaves.

The next day, Hanna happily retells the details of the past night to the other Pretty Little Liars, how she had spent quality time with her father, and he had listened. She has another dinner date set with her father that night, and Hanna talks about visiting Maryland more to see him. The bell rings, and Ezra begins his English class. An awkward class discussion ensues over a character's hypocrisy in the assigned novel they are reading, "To Kill a Mockingbird." When one student named Sperling speaks up, Ezra jumps down his throat, accusing him of not attempting to understand the book, while defending Aria's statement. Eventually, he comes to his senses, but Spencer and Emily seem to pick up on the awkward tension.

After class, Toby is seen opening his locker. A ton of shaving cream falls out, and some guys are heard laughing loudly in the background, the perpetrators of the prank. Emily watches silently before turning around.

That night, Tom brings more than Hanna bargained for to dinner. He starts off the evening having a conversation with his daughter about how she is doing, but then interrupts it to beckon two people over to them: a new fiancé with a daughter Hanna's age, to boot. Tom kisses both women, and Hanna is flabbergasted, though polite.

At the Hastings', Spencer hears a crash from downstairs as she is sitting on her bed, looking at the Alison friendship bracelet. She carefully goes down the stairs to investigate, grabbing a sharp knife from the kitchen before she realizes that the visitor is a very drunk Wren. He brings a big potted plant from the yard into the house, and Spencer sees that he's broken the back door to get in. He says that Spencer is blocking her number, and she realizes that while "A-proofing" her life, she accidentally Wren-proofed it too. Spencer tells Wren to leave, but he asserts that he is here to speak to Spencer's parents, as per her request. But Veronica and Peter are in New York, shopping with Melissa, and that is probably in both of their best interests, as Wren drops the plant onto the floor. Wren gets flirtatious, and Spencer eases Wren into a chair, replacing the knife back into the block. From the window outside, someone is video recording everything that is going on inside the kitchen...

Later, Aria heads to Ezra's apartment in a fury. She blasts him for the way he handled the class discussion, snappily defending her in a way that people could detect something amiss. She also goes off about the suggestion that her parents have an arrangement, telling him that he doesn't understand the situation. But Ezra defers to Aria and doesn't try to argue. Instead, he tells her that he would like to get to know her better and closes the door.

Back at Spencer's, Wren apologizes for his behavior, least of all the broken plant. Spencer offers him a ride to the motel he booked because he is in no shape to drive. At dinner with the Marins and Hanna's potential new family members, Kate is telling a story about her sailing; Hanna smiles politely. Isabel suggests that Kate could teach Hanna how to sail, and Hanna makes a joke that nobody gets. Tom awkwardly uses that moment to embarrass Hanna and bring up Sean's car and the deal he's made with Mrs. Ackard, which is to have Hanna work in her dental office in order to pay off the damages. Hanna then gets an S.O.S. text from Spencer.

While walking outside her house, Emily rips up the photos of her and Maya kissing and places them deep in the dumpster. Toby catches sight of her and strikes up a conversation. Emily asks Toby if he saw the pictures in her lab book. It seems that he has, but Toby says he's cool with her not wanting people to know. Toby uses it as a teaching moment to speak to Emily about not being the person people want you to be, but being the person you want to be.

Back at Ezra's, Aria and him finally relax together. They talk candidly, and Aria says the most she can do is tell the truth. She suddenly questions her decision to leave her mother in the dark about her father's affair and makes a move to leave, boldly planning to finally spill the beans to her mother. When Aria returns home to her mother, she discovers Ella sitting in the living room. She announces that she has something important to tell her, but before she starts, Ella hands her the notes she is holding from "A" revealing Byron's infidelity and Aria's knowledge of the affair. Ella walks away, wordlessly.

Spencer walks Wren to his motel room, and before she leaves, the two kiss with Hanna watching in the car. He invites her in, but she doesn't take it that far. Suddenly, "A" dedicates a radio song - "I don't need you anymore" - to Hanna on the channel that Hanna happens to be listening to. Hanna is freaked out. Next, Emily meets with Maya and, inspired by Toby's words, apologizes to Maya about the way she treated her. Emily asks her for space, and Maya agrees, telling her that she cares about Emily and therefore will wait.

Hanna and Spencer return to Spencer's home and find a message scrawled in lipstick on her vanity: "It won't be that easy bitches." Spencer sends an S.O.S. to Emily and Aria, and the girls survey the vanity together. The Alison bracelet has not been touched, and the broken flower pot downstairs has creepily been arranged to look like a tombstone.

Title

 * The phrase, "Can You Hear Me Now?" was popularized in Verizon Wireless ads, in which a Verizon representative changes location every couple of seconds, asking "Can You Hear Me Now?" before saying "Good!"
 * It is also the title of the fourteenth studio album by the American Country music band Sawyer Brown.

Main Cast
Lucy Hale as Aria Montgomery

Ashley Benson as Hanna Marin

Shay Mitchell as Emily Fields

Troian Bellisario as Spencer Hastings

Sasha Pieterse as Alison DiLaurentis

Guest Stars
Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh

Julian Morris as Wren Kingston

Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin

Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn

Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz

Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain

Holly Marie Combs as Ella Montgomery

Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery

Amanda Schull as Meredith Sorenson

Roark Critchlow as Tom Marin

Heather Mazur as Isabel Randall

Natalie Floyd as Kate Randall

Colby Paul as Sperling

Keith Pillow as Mr. Sheldrake

Jami Ferreira as Shop Owner

Featured Music

 * "Thieves and Their Hands" by Rachel Cantu (Ashley gets Hanna from police station)
 * "Seven" by Chew Lips (Maya gives Emily a scarf)
 * "Go Jettsetter" by The Postmarks (Hanna decides what to wear to dinner)
 * "Charmed Life" by Joy Williams (Ashley is not invited to dinner)
 * "In My Stride" by Oh Mercy (Aria and Ezra argue)
 * "Ride" by Cary Brothers (Kate and Isabel show up for dinner)
 * "We Started Somethin'" by Lana Mir (Aria talks outraged with Ezra)
 * "My Oldest Friend" by Andrew Belle (awkward dinner conversation)
 * "Comatose" by Timmy Curran (Aria and Ezra have dinner and talk)
 * "I Don't Need You Anymore" by Jim Camacho ("A" dedicates this song to Hanna)