PRETTY LITTLE LIARS 2/3 'Oh, What Hard Luck Stories They All Hand Me' Recap: Holbrooke Returns!

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS is definitely not one to miss tonight. Detective Holbrooke, who clearly has some connection to Alison, returns to Rosewood after a mysterious absence. The liars have all of their fingers pointing at the detective when it comes to Mona's body being in a barrel, and potentially being the real murderer so having him back in town is going to be one heck of an episode.

Along with Holbrooke's homecoming, Aria is still trying to connect with her brother after the untimely death of his girlfriend. Spencer is getting to know Jonny a little more (which I am cool with, I really like their chemistry...just please don't make a romantic relationship out of it!) Last week, Emily's new coworker Talia admitted to having a crush on her.

Spencer meets up with Emily and Aria to discuss her now rocky relationship with Toby, her mother's involvement in Alison's case, and when Hanna joins them, Holbrooke's return. In the bookstore, Spencer finds Jonny working on a secret project. Hanna interrupts them to talk to Spencer about the police questioning Caleb regarding the storage space. She is paranoid about being called in next. . Meanwhile, Emily tries to talk to Talia, and she's not interested. At the register, a girl, Leslie, is looking for Hanna. She was a friend of Mona's. The girls talk to her about how they were there for Mona's mom when Leslie couldn't be. Spencer is suspicious of Leslie and asks Hanna to keep an eye on her. Hanna, along with Caleb at the police station, is still worried about getting caught. Caleb reassures her, and they see Holbrooke having a bit of a meltdown. Spencer's mom left her briefcase unlocked on the kitchen table, and Spencer looked inside and found a list of visitors Ali's had. Aria's little brother was on that list. Spencer enlisted Aria's help to find out why he visited her.

Leslie and Hanna talk in Mona's old room about their friendships with her. Hanna has a flashback to where she and Mona talked about wishes. Talia and Emily share a sweet moment when she helps Emily tie her apron. Hanna and Leslie go to the bookshop and run into Mike. When he notices the book in Leslie's hands was Mona's, he became really angry. When he walked away, Leslie confided in Hanna about the night Mona was murdered. According to her, she was on the phone with her until someone, a male, angrily told Mona to hang up the phone and talk to him. Leslie thinks that voice was Mike's.

Emily and Caleb briefly discuss Holbrooke's suspension when Caleb notices Emily staring at Talia. He encouraged her to figure out what she wants. Spencer and Jonny talk about the mysterious thing he is building for the coffeehouse and Alison's downfall. Back at the Vanderwaal house, Leslie has second thoughts about letting Hanna tell Aria about Mike. Leslie leaves to go make tea and Hanna goes to put the book back when she hears something in the binding-a cassette tape. She leaves the house, and a car follows her. My guess? Holbrooke. Did you see the way he looked at her when he was suspended?

Aria sees Mike leave the house late at night and follows him. Spencer finally finds out what Jonny was working on. It was a device where someone can record themselves into a microphone on one side of the room, and on the other side, a stranger could hear it by pressing their elbows on the buttons on the table and cupping their ears (I know it sounds sort of confusing, but trust me...it's really cool). Hanna and Caleb listen to the tape that was in the book. It was Bethany saying some not-so-nice things about Alison (or rather it's assumed she's talking about Alison.) Aria followed Mike all the way into the woods (hehe...Into The Woods...sorry.) and found him leaving a bag of candy for someone. He finds her spying on him and warns her not to come back again. When she asked about his visit to Ali, he dodged it. I'm so glad that Mike is getting a thicker plot. He was one of my favorite characters in the books, so seeing him in the show more makes me happy, even if his presence is creepy. Spencer and her mother talk about Jonny's influence on her, and discuss her options for her future. Mrs. Hastings gets a phone call revealing that the blood found near the bin was Alison's. On her way home, Hanna is pulled over by none other than Detective Holbrooke. He tells her that Alison cut him off weeks ago and the person who got rid of the evidence in the storage space (& tried to freeze her friends to death) was a different ally. He said Alison ruined his career. Hanna didn't feel sorry for him because at least he was free from Ali's grasp.

Emily shows Talia the Whisper Catcher (Jonny's invention), and reveals that she was caught off guard the night Talia told her about how she felt. The two of them share their first (and second) kiss. I really hope they last as a couple for the sake of their jobs. Meanwhile, Hanna, Aria an Spencer discuss other options for Ai's helpers. Aria is in denial mode when Hanna and Spencer bring up Mike. To be honest, it wouldn't make sense due to her murdering his first love and all, but as Bethany so eloquently pointed out in the recording, if you spend even a minute with Ali, she'll have you wrapped around her finger. It also doesn't help that he goes to visit Alison, even after Aria warns him not to. The last scene of the episode finds a frustrated A (or A helper possibly?) when they go looking for the tape in the book and it isn't there. I'd like to think it was Leslie looking for it, because she had the book earlier (and has easy access to Mona's bedroom), but I feel like that is too obvious.

Do you think Holbrooke's return will spell trouble for the liars? What is up with Mike's secrecy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below! PRETTY LITTLE LIARS airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC Family. Don't miss a minute of the non-stop drama!

Photo Credit: ABC Family

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