Tonight’s episode, in case you didn’t notice, was brought to you by the Art of Photography. Cameras, cameras everywhere! There was Lucas, fired from a studio for co-opting the equipment for personal use and begging for his negatives back. There was his boss, newly hired by Jenna to capture images at her birthday party (surely these candids will come in handy later?). And lastly there was Aria, who I forgot was even into photography, but Ezra remembered and bought her a probably really expensive vintage camera (ebay tells me between one and three grand). And for someone who never seems to have a camera in hand, she acted as though he had given her a $10,000 gift card for the Peacock Feather Accessory Emporium (for Aria, that would be ecstasy).

Elsewhere, it’s Jenna’s birthday y’all, and for the occasion she decided to come out of the vision closet by showing off her mad eye skillz to everyone she knows. A bit of a 180 from her previous stance of ‘my secret will get me killed!’ from a couple of weeks ago. Not only has she tossed her glasses and cane (RIP), but she decided to throw herself a party and invite everyone in town, including a certain former teacher… She also requested a specific uniform for the wait staff (that they had to buy themselves?!?!?!?) – white oxford shirts and black ties. Remind you of anyone?

I know that this is standard server-wear, but let me have this, okay?

Ezra was being weird throughout the episode (yay!) – first, he was awfully prickly about Aria buying him some sandwiches. I mean, who needs their teenage girlfriend to buy them lunch when they just got fifty thousand bones from Jason probably? He may only have one lime in his fridge (give him a break – he just got back from his trip to California), but he can definitely afford fancy presents for Aria. I can’t figure out the angle of this gift yet, or how it adds to the Evil!Ezra evidence pile – maybe the camera is housing a smaller, hidden camera or a tiny Outbreak monkey?

But another story altogether was his reaction to being at the party. He was VERY uncomfortable. Perhaps he didn’t like being around so many people who are working for him? It can’t be the fact that he was surrounded by his former students, hand in hand with Aria, their classmate, because why start getting weird about that now? And let’s not forget the scene where Aria went to the studio to get Lucas’ negatives and there was a mysterious hooded dude watching from the shadows. Someone who was not Lucas, because he was waiting outside to beg her to let him in so he could get the negatives that would implicate the girls in Allie’s grave robbery (c’mon Lucas, even Aria isn’t THAT dumb). But JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME, Ezra came around the corner to rescue her.  Coincidence?

As an aside, I know that true photographers love using film instead of digital, but if you’re taking pictures of a crime in progress and you may or may not plan on using those pictures to blackmail a bunch of people, wouldn’t you use the option that DOESN’T require a darkroom to develop? Artistic integrity should not be the primary concern in that situation, is what I’m saying.

Paige was also back, and she and Emily decided to go on a date sponsored by the new Katy Perry movie, coming soon to a theater near you! Emily also gave her her flask, still with alcohol inside, because she’s done with drinking forever (we’ve all said that before after waking up holding a shovel next to our friend’s empty grave, am I right?). Unfortunately for Paige, the liquor was spiked with a tranquilizer (hence Emily’s total blackout from the night at Allie’s grave) and she faceplanted in some cupcakes at the party and needed stitches. Also, Aria later found the same tranquilizer in the film canisters from Lucas’ bag. Is Lucas worse than we all thought he was?

I loved that Hanna, in the first normal thing that anyone has ever worn on this show (black sweats and a grey v-neck tee), is seen by her mother as unfit for public display. (‘Are you really going to school in that?’) This was basically the uniform of everyone at my university (including me) from November to March (often accompanied by Uggs, the sweatpants of footwear), so now I’m questioning exactly how badly I should feel about myself. Speaking of Hanna, Caleb was totally MIA this week (he was visiting his mom after her car ‘accident’ in Montecito) and I have to say…I didn’t miss him. Sorry.

In addition to all of the party/photography studio intrigue, there was a whole other story taking place at the hospital.  Garrett was allowed out of prison to visit his mom, who was coincidentally suddenly deathly ill the night that the rest of the town was distracted by Jenna’s weird hat party. (Technically I think the theme was the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party from Alice in Wonderland but it was never formally announced). Spencer spent the night at the hospital trying to suss out what Garrett was really up to and getting lectured by Detective Douchebag for a being a weirdo stalker. (Hi, pot? This is the kettle. You’re black.) Also, the shadowy, hooded figure was seen outside Garrett’s parent’s place when his mom got sick. What a weird way to be a psycho – gravely injuring people’s moms to make a point/get what you want. Ezra is even creepier than I ever could have dreamed.

Spencer later stalked her way to Garrett’s mom’s room and found a note tucked under her admit bracelet: ‘April Rose has the proof’. Well, goody. Who is that? And proof of what? And who was the note intended for?

The Glovey Shot: Maya’s purse. Bottle of pills (not the same as the tranquilizers). /Shrug.

Lastly, this episode was called ‘That Girl is Poison’, which obviously brings to mind one of my very favorite 90′s songs. I’ve posted the actual Bell Biv Devoe video on this site before, so I’ll use this opportunity to post a video of Turk from Scrubs grooving to the song instead:

Here’s the promo for next week. Check it out and then hit the comments with your thoughts/theories/etc.!!!