Keep Your Friends Close

Keep Your Friends Close is the 10th episode in Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars, airing August 10, 2010.

Synopsis
At school, Mona delivers invitations for her camping birthday party on Saturday to her friends in the hallway. Of course, Hanna plans to go, but the rest of the girls are not planning to attend Mona's party, not caring much for attitude-driven Mona. They apologize to Hanna, but then "A" sends a message that she will also be in attendance and that the party is a scavenger hunt for her.

After school, Hanna discusses with her mother their strapped financial situation. Ashley doesn't want to reveal just how deep their money problems are, but Hanna gets an idea when she presses redial on the house phone to hear that she just called the delinquent accounts department of a mortgage company. Then, Mona comes over, hoping to convince Hanna to ditch school with her and celebrate her birthday by going shopping at designer stores and having lunch at Rive Gauche. Ashley, though tight on cash, proudly forks over $100 to her daughter when she hears Hanna refusing to join Mona based on the fact that things have been tight for them lately. She expresses disapproval over the idea of ditching school though.

At the Montgomery's household, Byron is struggling to keep up with his new responsibilities as a single parent. Aria is attempting to work on the overwhelming pile of laundry. Things are also still awkward between Byron and Ella, as the latter has asked him for space.

At the Hastings' residence, Melissa lets Spencer know that she's aware that Ian is back. She wants to know why Spencer didn't tell her, but Spencer counters that it's not as if they are friends. She reveals that he has asked her out, but she turned him down, as she's still getting over Wren and doesn't trust Ian after he broke her heart. Spencer apologizes about Wren, but Melissa doesn't take it to heart. Then, Spencer flashes back to the previous summer when she had been practicing her field hockey swing on the front lawn. Ian had walked by, and, under the pretense of correcting her technique, put his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her neck. Surprised, Spencer had turned around to face him, and this too ended in a series of kisses. Ian walks away, then Alison calls out from where she was standing a few meters away to let Spencer know that she saw her kissing her sister's boyfriend. She had called it disgusting and basically called Spencer a skank to boot.

In school, Aria stands in the cafeteria, talking to Noel. He asks her out, and she accepts, planning a date for the weekend. Her budding feelings for him are complicating her uncertain relationship with Ezra. Ezra sees the two talking, then makes a remark about him being on the football team when Aria walks past him. Aria defends Noel's character and the appeal, but he says she can be with whoever she wants to be with. He is clearly not thrilled to see her with someone else though.

Next, the girls are called to the principal's office, once again, for questioning by the police. This forces Hanna to text Mona that she has to back out of their shopping date, as she is forced to sit in the office at school; Mona had warned her that she wouldn't be forgiving if Hanna backed out, and sure enough, Mona texts back: "Screw You." Then, an FBI agent named Agent Cooper arrives; she has been enlisted as the representative of the FBI to assist the Rosewood Police in the murder mystery. Her approach in questioning is far milder than that of Officer Wilden. She does not seem accusing, rather wanting information. She shows them footage (sent by an anonymous source to the Rosewood Police Department) of Alison on the day that she disappeared. In the video, she is calling to someone (a guy) and teasing him that he wants to kiss her. She asks the girls to provide as much information as they can to illuminate the finding. The girls are cooperative. Hanna, ever the fashionista, lets Agent Cooper know that she is positive that the sweater Alison takes off in the video did not belong to her.

And, having given Hanna the entire contents of her wallet that morning, Hanna’s mother Ashley grows increasingly desperate about their financial situation. When a (dying) old widow with no heirs named Mrs. Potter, who regularly frequents the bank once a year, comes over for her annual visit, Ashley thinks quick and takes advantage of the key she left behind. She steals money from the safe deposit box and drives home nervously, afraid of being caught. Her plan is to return the money when she is able without the loss being detected.

Later, after being questioned by Agent Cooper, Noel walks up to Aria's locker to ask her about being called to the principal's office. She is nonchalant about it and in general until she opens her locker and book of poems falls out onto the floor. It has a note from "A" telling her to read page 22, which has a free verse poem written by Ezra Fitz. Noel asks her what it is, but she is so entranced by it, she doesn't care that he is suspicious and brushes him off to find a quiet spot and read the poem. She is so moved by it, she marches up to Ezra in his classroom and tells him that he is hypocritical for writing what he has and then denying he loves her. Ezra listens without answering much as Aria digs into him. Then, Noel appears in the doorway of Ezra's classroom and asks what's going on. Aria replies that nothing is going on and leaves Ezra fuming. Noel glowers at him before turning too, and Ezra heaves the book across the room in frustration.

Later, Hanna is abruptly dumped from the guest list of Mona’s birthday party because she ditched Mona and also due to an alleged text sent by "A" to Mona, spreading the rumor that Hanna got liposuction to lose weight. Apparently, the rumor made its way to more than just Mona, because an overweight girl randomly approaches Hanna and asks who her doctor was. Hanna laughs it off to this stranger, but not to Mona. Mona is so upset she even embarrasses her (former) friend in front of Naomi and Riley, as she dis-invites her from the party. Later at her party, Mona goes so far as to relish in how she treated Hanna, bringing up how she dissed Hanna in front of her friends to her party guests! At least Spencer and Emily are supportive and comfort Hanna about the falling out. It is ironic that Hanna mentions that Mona was her friend when the girls were no longer, and now that she is in a fight with Mona, she has them to fall back on. Can't she have both?

Meanwhile, Spencer tries to mend fences with sister Melissa at home. When Ian comes over to the Hastings' residence, hoping that Melissa will finally give him another chance at a date over coffee, Spencer races after her and tells her to go for it with Ian. Melissa is persuaded, and Ian nods in her direction. After they leave, Spencer confides to her friends that she had kissed Ian, and, after the two broke up, she had dated Ian for a while early last summer. The girls are understanding, unlike Alison had been. Speaking of Alison, the girls suddenly see Alison's photograph on the television screen. The report is talking about a sweater found in Alison's home with a matching blood stain. It is then revealed that the police have issued an arrest for Toby Cavanaugh, being wanted for Alison's murder. The girls are led to believe that Toby was Alison's mystery boyfriend, since the sweater was identified as his.

In Emily's house, Maya comforts her friend, who is grieving over her error in judgment about Toby. To be playful, when Emily's phone rings, she has Maya answer it, not caring if it is her mother. However, the caller on the other does not identify his/herself and hangs up. Suddenly, the front door opens, and, afraid, Emily calls out to see who is there, though gets no answer. Suddenly, Emily's father, Wayne, appears in the doorway of her bedroom to surprise her; he has come home early from his tour in Afghanistan. Emily is overjoyed; she had just been telling Maya how safe he makes her feel. Them Pam appears, and her face falls a little when she sees Maya standing there. Emily makes the introductions. Pam coldly suggests that Maya leave so that the family can have a more private reunion. Emily gently tells her that she will call her later.

At lunch with her mother, Aria discloses how much she felt that Alison hated Toby. She cannot believe how duped they were by her. Aria then looks down and sees paint stains on her mother's hands; she is happy to see that artistic side reemerge. When Ella mentions that it is due to dealing with the lies, Aria feels remorseful and asks her mother if she blames her. Ella answers that she would have preferred that Aria told the truth, but understands that she was in a very precarious position in the center of her two parents.

Back at Emily's house, Wayne asks his daughter how she is coping with the news that the boy who took her to homecoming murdered her best friend. She's obviously a little distraught. He goes on about the nobility of telling the truth while Emily's mother stands in the hallway holding the photos of Emily and Maya kissing. It appears they were mailed to Pam anonymously. Emily seems to want to tell her father about Maya, but doesn't go there; he's only been back for a few hours.

That evening, the girls plan to attend the party at the Rosewood Camping Grounds, and Hanna plans to secretly stake out the woods near the party, should "A" rear his or her head. Aria and Spencer arrive at the party together, taking in Mona's huge stack of presents, as well as the massage and makeover tents, in addition to the lavish dessert and refreshment stands. Mona welcomes them to "Camp Mona" and hands them custom-made sweatshirts for the occasion.

Emily drives to the party separately. When she parks, Toby pops his head up from the backseat and tells a freaked out Emily he needs to finish telling her what he started at homecoming. With the two alone in the woods, he professes his innocence and claims that he met Alison the night of her death and gave her his sweater when she got cold. Ironically, he had allegedly met her in order to thank her for getting Jenna away from him. Then, apparently, she had joined another guy in a car, who Toby did not recognize, and the last time Toby remembers seeing Alison, she was alive. He also explains that the tattoo commemorating September 1 was celebrating his freedom from Jenna, not Alison. Emily finds out from Toby what really happened between him and Jenna. Emily still isn't sure that he believes him and says she has more questions, so he asks her to meet him at the church later, where his stuff is hidden, but Emily makes no promises. His ride is set to pick him up at midnight, and he tells Emily to keep a secret; her friends would surely call the cops if they knew he was back.

At the party, Emily fills the others in on Toby's confession before they start roasting marshmallows and getting their hair done in crazy 80s 'dos. A text from "A" sends Spencer back to the woods near the Kissing Rock, where she finds a woven bracelet with the name "Jenna" planted there. Hanna calls to let them know that she is on her way, but their phone service is unreliable. Also, Aria gets a text from Ezra that he needs to see her. After this, the girls get a text from "A" which tells them they are looking in the wrong places, so Spencer figures they should visit the right ones - or "Wright's" Playground.

Meanwhile, Ashley is in her car, on the way home from the bank. Byron spots her and congenially asks her for a lift home, since it is on the way. But Ashley lies that she isn't headed for home and abruptly turns him down, saying she is late for something. She gives him a half smile before speeding away from a confused and rejected Byron. Everything becomes clear, though, when the camera focuses on the the front seat, where Ashley's bag is sitting unclosed, because it is too full. The camera settles on the contents of the bag filled with wads and wads of cash.

Later that night, Toby is discovered by the police and arrested when they find and corner him, waiting beside the church, exactly as if someone told them he was there.

Meanwhile, Hanna is on lookout with binoculars in the woods. She sees a car pull up and someone get in. She strains to see in the dark and realizes it is Mr. Fitz's car and Aria just got into it! Sure enough, a figure Hanna assumes to be the elusive "A" shows up and writes "I see you" in the condensation on the back windshield. Hanna tries to get a hold of Aria to warn her, but Aria is deep in conversation with Ezra and doesn't pick up her phone.

Back at the party, Spencer lets Aria know that she's cracked the clue about "Wright's Playground." She locates Emily, but not Aria, who has disappeared. At the Playground, Spencer and Emily spot a tree that has the words Alison + Ian carved into it with a heart drawn around it.

Ezra has come to reconcile with her and apologize; he explains that he had left school in order to find another job in order to make their relationship work. He asks for her forgiveness and the two begin kissing passionately. (Obviously, Aria's pending date with Noel is off.) They do not notice the person writing on the car.

Hanna texts the girls "I know who A is" and directs them to meet her in the parking lot. Hanna's discovery yields possibly fatal results because when she gets to the parking lot and spots the girls, she’s quickly hit and flung over the top of an unknown car, whose driver doesn't stop to assess the damage. The girls rush to her side and call 911. A text from "A" reveals that she/he is responsible. Hanna "knew too much."

In the final scene, somewhere undisclosed, someone watches the same footage of Alison at The Kissing Rock with mystery boyfriend, wearing Toby's sweater. This time, after she says, "I know you want to kiss me," the camera turns to reveal Ian Thomas behind it. He replies, "come closer." Are the police totally wrong about Toby?

Continuity

 * Ezra's poem, B-26, shares its name with the song that was playing on the juke box in Hollis Bar & Grill when Aria and Ezra first met.

Title

 * This episode title features half of the popular phrase, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." In this episode, the liars do just that by attending Mona's birthday on their quest for "A."

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
Janel Parrish as Mona Vanderwaal

Keegan Allen as Toby Cavanaugh

Brant Daugherty as Noel Kahn

Eric Steinberg as Colonel Wayne Fields

Ryan Merriman as Ian Thomas

April Grace as Agent Cooper

Nia Peeples as Pam Fields

Ian Harding as Ezra Fitz

Laura Leighton as Ashley Marin

Chad Lowe as Byron Montgomery

Helen Slayton-Hughes as Mrs. Potter

Samantha Cutaran as Naomi Zeigler

Rya Meyers as Riley Wolfe

Julianna Rose as Female Student

Kevin Hoffman (V) as Football Player

Featured Music

 * "Lover Take Me" by Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
 * "Crush" by Aidan Hawken
 * "Chocolate & Cigarettes" by Angus & Julia Stone
 * "Uh Oh (I'm Falling)" by Shelly Fraley
 * "Where the Road Meets the Sun" by Katie Herzig and Matthew Perryman Jones
 * "Dig With Me" by Allie Moss
 * "BlackLight" by One Call
 * "Out of Reach" by Matthew Perryman Jones*