Pretty Little Liars 116 Recap: Je Suis Une Amie and Paige Est Une Lesbienne

This week on Pretty Little Liars, nothing overtly gay happened besides me beginning to develop a mini-crush on Spencer and someone infusing the school swimming pool with a jetstream of lezzy energy, which I believe SPOILER ALERT will be followed up on next week in “The New Normal,” an episode title which sounds like the headline of a New York Times Sunday Styles trend piece about unmarried twentysomething urban farmers living in communes outside of Philadelphia which is the New Williamsburg. But it’s not. It’s just this Pretty Little Show.

Here’s the preview for next week’s show, when we definitely maybe but probably not will find out who A. is:

Anyhow let’s not get ahead of ourselves! Wee still have Episode 116 of Pretty Little Liars, “Je Suis Une Amie,” to discuss. Here, watch it:

This week on Pretty Little Liars, Spencer successfully pulls off a shirt/dress which I believe was initially spun by silk farmers as a tablecloth/napkin set for the Queen of England and has since been ruffled, cinched at the shoulders, BELTED, accessorized, and dropped onto he leggings-clad body of Spencer Fucking Hastings. Hanna spends more time with the Hatted Foster Child, who has been living in the high school like that kid who lived in the NYU library, even though he makes more money than I do “upgrading” phones to ring “Single Ladies” in 40 different languages, including braille. Hanna tells Aria that she was the one who gave Aria’s mom the museum tickets (WHY? WHY DID SHE TELL HER? JUST LIE, THAT’S WHAT THE SHOW IS ABOUT, LIE!), which makes Aria’s big beautiful eyes fill with tiny tears that cannot be soothed by Mr. Fitz b/c that actor was not on contract for this episode. Aria’s brother is gay and wants to eat at the sausage restaurant, Spencer’s sister is pregnant with Ian’s Devilbaby, and A. continues pushing her unlimited text messages plan into “taking advantage of Sprint’s generosity” territory.

Now let’s talk about the lesbian.
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via echofades.tumblr.com

The Emily Story begins with Spencer playing stakeout from Emily’s window, wherein the entire neighborhood and all its liars/supsects are visible. Toby’s mailbox has been hate crimed by a bigot who hates alleged murderers, blind people and cats and so Toby’s outside getting some fresh air/picking up the literal and symbolic pieces.

Spencer wants to apologize for disbelieving Toby but Emily says Spencer should just apologize to Toby. See, now that the Keebler Elfmadam from the Woods has targeted Spencer as the bracelet-buyer, Spencer knows how it feels to be accused of doing something you didn’t do — ’cause clearly Spencer wouldn’t ever jewelery shop in Pooh Corner, girlfriend has a Bloomingdales Credit Card for that kind of thing.


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Paige & Emily tied for Best Swimmer of the Pool and need to have a swim-off to determine the new “anchor” for the team, which sounds like a punishment but is apparently an honor.

Emily, persistent in her refusal to raise her voice above a consistently simmering monotone with minimal eye movement, says to Paige,”I guess we’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“You figure it out,” Paige says. “I need to win.”  Right-o. Everyone got that? Paige needs to win, Emily should figure it out. She should drug herself or not shave her legs, maybe.

When Em tells Spencer about the swim-off, Spencer tells Emily that she will win and Emily says probably not because Paige wants it more. “No,” Spencer insists. “You want it more, and it is okay to admit that.” Emily is rendered powerful by the rays of school spirit emanating from Spencer’s eyesockets and defers, whipping out Emily Facial Expression #4, “The Demure Acceptance of my Fate as Instructed to Me By Somebody Else (usually Spencer).”

The girls spot a poster advertising for a French Tutor for a home-schooled kid. Apparently the other French students haven’t exactly been jumping at this opportunity because everybody knows that home-schooled kids don’t believe in Evolution or France, which is creepy. But not as creepy as Toby — or, rather, EXACTLY as creepy as Toby because Emily says it’s Toby’s poster. Spencer, in the interest of diversifying her Burberry-scented resumè, takes a number.

Emily is suspicious of Spencer’s motives — does she really want to conjugate verbs, or does she want to play Nancy Drew and the Case of the Missing Bitch We All Hated Anyhow with Toby as her special informant? Spencer will not let Emily get in the way of her ingenious multi-tasking. She wants it more, is what I’m saying. Elle en veut plus, as they say in Epcot Center.


Also, can we pause to admire the clip art Toby has employed on his flier to indicate the country of France? I think that’s a picture of the tower at Kings Island.

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Later that night or really whenever, Emily, who is perfecting the art of sleeping without messing up her hair, gets a text message that inspires her to immediately trot downstairs to answer the door for a stranger, because you know, it’s a very safe neighborhood, like Canada.

It’s Paige, soaking wet/dripping like a hot mess with problematic bangs who’s been riding her bicycle around in a thunderstorm at 2am like a crazy person or a girl in a horror movie about to become What You Did Last Summer.

Emily: Paige are you okay?
Paige: No.
Emily: What happened?
Paige: You have every reason to hate me, I don’t even know why I’m here.

Luckily, we do. She is here because she has A BIG FAT LESBIAN CRUSH on Emily.

Emily: I don’t hate you.
Paige: I would, I do.
Emily: Don’t say that.
Paige: I’m sorry, Emily. I just wanted you to know that.
Emily: Wait — Paige —

Now Paige is unlocking the biggest secret she’s gotta keep it which is that Emily is not a hater. Emily don’t hate nobody (except maybe Allison). Emily would probably fingerblast those tears right out of Paige’s eyeballs if she could, or maybe let Paige run her moist hands down Emily’s exposed spine in that backless t-shirt, but instead Paige dashes off on her Brian Krakow bicycle into the dark/stormy night.

Is it Emily’s homogayness that makes her so patient/understanding of the inner turmoil beating beneath the breasts of other outsiders like Paige and Toby? Perhaps. She gets how all that hiding and lying can make someone get real mixed-up and mean inside.
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The next day at practice, Coach Shark Week tells her baby sharks that the anticipated swim-off will not be happening, just like the Dance-Off and the Bake-Off that got canceled because lesbians ruin everything. No actually it’s apparently because Paige had a little bicycling accident last night because that’s what happens when you try to orgasm by rocking gently against the bicycle seat all the way home from your Lesbian Crush Scavenger Hunt. Or maybe A. did it. You never know.

In any event, my interest has shifted to this underrated actress in the glasses, where’s her scene/lesbian awakening? She looks like a young Deanne Smith.

A hop skip and a waterski-jump later, it’s time to crank up the emo pop-punk and get our swim meet on!

The most important part of this scene is Shay Mitchell’s legs:

Emily glides through the water like a fish in the body of a really cute lesbian. It’s probably a stunt swimming double, but a girl can dream, especially with such DREAMY MUSIC playing. Emily wins, the terrorists lose.

Emily always swims in slow motion, yet she always wins. There’s some queer superpowers for you. Paige and her bangs even make a guest appearance because she is not going to miss the chance to watch Emily swim in a context that does not inspire envy or competition but rather pure, unbridled, closeted lesbian lust.

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Later on Emily, wearing one of those athletic swimtunics they’ve always got around at the Olympics, finds Paige soaking her feet in the pool, probably wondering if Emily has ever been toed and if so, by whom.

Emily: You okay? You didn’t return any of my calls.
Paige: I’m fine, it’s nothing. I didn’t know what to say. I was riding home on my bike and totally wiped out.
Emily: What were you thinking about?
Paige: How easy things would be if I wiped out. I’m kinda done with swimming.
Emily: Yeah, I used to feel that way.
Paige: Obviously you got over it — how did you get over it?
Emily: I started swimming for myself, I quit trying to be better than everyone on my team and I just relaxed. When was the last time you swam for fun?

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?

SLOW-MOTION SWIMMING MONTAGE!!!!

The sweet sweet sounds of Selena Gomez radiate throughout the aqua-blue building as Paige and Emily set off ‘shipping into the big blue seapool. Emily, still straining to execute a wider range of facial expressions and ultimately failing, takes off her goggles to get a good look at this chick’s assets and everyone gets a little chloriney tingle of expectation in their gut. Maya who?


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Also I found some cute tumblrs, like prettylittlepictures, prettylittleliarss, -sparkles, shay mitchell daily and pretty little liars x. Look at all the stuff you can obtain on the internet these days!

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Riese

Riese is the 43-year-old Co-Founder of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, video-maker, LGBTQ+ Marketing consultant and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and now lives in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in nine books, magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. She's Jewish and has a cute dog named Carol. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 3270 articles for us.

23 Comments

  1. ugh. do i need to start watching this show now. i already dont have enough time in my life from following like…two. goddamnitlesbianstorylines.

  2. I’m bitter ABC Family broke Emily and Maya, the one lesbo-of-color couple on cable that I’ve ever seen. Ever.

  3. gawd i love these re-caps. my roommate & i are always so drunk (Margarita Monday!) when we watch this show, so i count on these hysterical write-ups to remind me who lied & what hat Spencer wore, etc. thanks riese!

  4. “..my interest has shifted to this underrated actress in the glasses, where’s her scene/lesbian awakening? She looks like a young Deanne Smith.”

    she IS adorable! I didn’t even notice her when I was watching because I couldn’t take my eyes off of the girl on the far right. supa cute.

    • I noticed glasses girl in the photo before I even read that sentence. SO ADORABLE. I think she and the girl to the far right of Emily could totally be homogay.

      I’m so glad I decided to read this despite the fact that I have never seen this show. Waking up at 5:30 am for no reason has yielded something good.

  5. paige has heinous bangs.

    best thing on the internet today:
    “No actually it’s apparently because Paige had a little bicycling accident last night because that’s what happens when you try to orgasm by rocking gently against the bicycle seat all the way home from your Lesbian Crush Scavenger Hunt. Or maybe A. did it. You never know.”

  6. I don’t even watch this show, but I do read these recaps because of things like:
    “Paige had a little bicycling accident last night because that’s what happens when you try to orgasm by rocking gently against the bicycle seat all the way home from your Lesbian Crush Scavenger Hunt.”
    make me literal-lol.

  7. I would just like to say i am thrilled to know I am not the only person who uses “A BIG FAT LESBIAN CRUSH” (janis-mean girls) in everyday speech.

    Also I am trying so hard to resist this show but I am beginning to waver JUST because of these recaps, damn you autostraddle

  8. While I’m glad they found a replacement for Maya(who was a. wayyy too old and b. really boring), I don’t like that they’ve done a complete 180 on the Paige character in only two episodes. She tries to DROWN Emily and then an episode later we’re supposed to believe that she is kind and misunderstood? Uh-uh, not into it.

  9. I’m all for Emily getting some action but this thing with Paige is RIDICULOUS.

    Emily, BITCH TRIED TO DROWN YOU. That is Single White Female shit. DO NOT GO THERE.

    Ugh, damn you Shay Mitchell and your stratospheric hotness for holding me hostage and subjecting me to atrocious acting and implausible/inflated storylines.

    :(

  10. what I want to know is when we will see the lesbian backstory of the lady standing to Emily’s right in the picture with the total alternative lifestyle haircut.

  11. okay, it’s weird that Emily got completely over Maya in a couple of episodes. But, Bianca Lawson was distractingly overage to be playing someone 15 years younger. Let’s try to keep the tv high school actors to a max 10 years older than their actual character…

    Paige is a bit crazy, but much more interesting than Maya. And the crazy ones are always fun.

    And just because it needs to be said: Spencer is awesome. Now if she and the bespectacled swimmer had a lesbian awakening together – that’d be the best thing since Naomily.

  12. I am addicted to this show. My thoughts are as follows:
    1. PAIGE is a nutcase…I also thought the whole “you have every reason to hate me…I would, I do…I’m sorry, I just want you to know that” shit was her verbal suicide note. (a girl can dream, right?)
    2. Those BANGS…problematic indeed.
    3. EMILY is way too hot for psycho head.
    4. SPENCER gets a little sexier every week.
    5. ARIA yum.
    6. HANNA…just bone the orphan boy already.

  13. I called this when I first saw Paige and those terrible bangs. She just needs some lesbian lovin and then she won’y be such a bitch. haha scissor me timbers woo hoo!!!

  14. I love that when Emily got that text you could see that the picture on her phone was still the one with her and Maya. And then when she answered the door she was wearing the bracelet Alison gave her while talking to the next girl she is going to hug sensually at some point. She is a girl who likes her emotional baggage. Emily is *so* gay.

    I can’t believe Mrs. Fields is OK with Spencer just spread out on Emily’s bed.

    If I were actually in high school when this show was on Spencer would have made my questioning period go by a whole lot faster.

  15. I can’t believe Spencer actually wore a beret in this episode. If i hired a french tutor and she showed up wearing a beret i would slam my door in her face. There needs to be a post solely devoted to Spencer fucking Hasting’s wardrobe. i seriously look forwards to her costumes every monday night.

    • Remember the time Spencer wore Heidi braids and a matching outfit. And everyone was like WTF? I guess there must have been a deleted scene where she was actually teaching someone German.

      I love Spencer’s crazy outfits. She is like a little kid playing dress up all of the time.

  16. I think Paige’s rant was sort of a verbal suicide note. I don’t think she REALLY wanted to die or anything, but she clearly says later that she was thinking about how much easier things would be if she just crashed. That’s definitely a little suicidal.

    And yes, more of glasses girl, alternative lifestyle haircut girl and the gayest high school swim team ever. Is swimming the new softball?

    And seriously, I have a big fat lesbian crush on Spencer Hastings. The hats, dear god THE HATS!

  17. I seriously love Paige’s problematic bangs and overall crazynnes Im weird like that XD
    Cmon yeah Paige it’s kinda (totally) crazy but Maya was just too boring.. and since when is swimming so damn homogay?

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