me a week before exams: im gonna study so hard and get an A and go to an amazing college and be the top in my class
me the night before exams: success and failure are human constructions and aren't real. i am less than a speck in the entire known universe and all of time. time is a construct of humans. we are all going to die.
Season 4, episode 11, The Mirror Has Three Faces. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again… one of the most subtly clue filled episodes in the series.
The picture above is what Wren shows to Mona when he visits her again in Radley. He’s doing a psych evaluation on her. (Is he just qualified for everything? Like seriously. Wtf kind of doctor are you.)
To bring you up to speed, Mona has just “confessed” to Wilden’s murder. I’m including the entire convo here because when you break it down, it’s pretty important.
Wren: What is your emotional response to this picture?
Mona: It’s a family in a farm, smiling, looking at the sun. It’s a happy picture.
(She’s clearly faking it. She sounds like she’s almost patronizing him.)
Wren: How does that make you feel?
Mona: Happy.
(Heavy sarcasm on Mona’s part.)
Wren: What’s your response?
Mona: Tell your artist to take a class, cause this looks like Norman Rockwell sketched it with his teeth.
(She’s insulting him. She knows Wren is the artist.)
Wren: That’s not a feeling, that’s an opinion. I’d like to know how you feel.
(Here’s what I think…this is where Wren, a current A team member is asking her, as a previous member of the A team, where her allegiances lie. He’s testing her after recent events. The reason he’s using this particular picture to do so is another theory all of its own… i’ll post that later.)
Mona: About farm animals?
Wren: About what you say you’ve done.
Mona: Look… those girls used to make me feel bad. But recently I realized that… we’re on the same side.
Wren: *writing furiously in his notepad*
(This is when he realizes she has indeed changed allegiances. He has to do something about her confession, because it actually helps the Liars instead of hurting them.)
Mona: I wanted to make up for all the things I’ve done. He was bothering them, so I got rid of him. And I’d do it again.
(She makes eye contact with Wren for that last sentence. It’s practically a threat to not bother the girls. The fact that she’s taking responsibility for his death to Wren is also another theory all on its own.)
Wren: I don’t think you got rid of anybody. That’s my response.
(The question is, does this mean he doesn’t believe Mona, or that he knows that getting rid of Wilden -despite whoever the actual killer is- won’t stop Big A from tormenting the girls? I think it’s the latter.)
Wren: Let’s take a break. I’d like you to think about if you’re going to be honest with me.
(He’s testing her again. He’s giving her another chance to prove she isn’t abandoning the A team for good.)
Mona: Why would I be honest with you?
(Translation: “I don’t trust or like you. I’m not on your side anymore.”)
Wren: Used to be.
(Translation: “You used to trust me, when were we both on the A team.”)
Mona: “Well, that was before I realized where your loyalties were.”
(“You’re clearly still with the A team, and that’s not the side I’m on.”)
Wren: I’m not sure what that means. But I thought we’d done a good job at establishing a sense of trust while you’ve been a patient here
(He’s being ambitious on purpose. He knows exactly what she means.)
Mona: That was before I realized you were keeping secrets from me.
(Most likely referring to the lodge fire. She almost went down with the liars that night.)
Wren: Hmm.
Mona: By the way, you forgot the “G” in diagnosis.
(The camera pans to Wren’s notes. Notice how what he’s written doesn’t match anything of what just happened in their conversation. What he’s written actually makes Mona seem batshit insane.)
Wren: Mona… you’re the one who’s been keeping a secret. And you’re smart enough to know I was gonna figure it out.
Mona: Figure out what?
Wren: You’ve stopped taking your medication.
(I’ll touch on this bit in part two. Very important to note.)
This entire conversation is the spark that ignites the plan enacted to get rid of Mona. The A team cannot have her acting against them because she was once one of them, and this is exactly where they realize she is no longer on their side.
As always, let me know what y'all think! Message me any additional ideas for this via my ask box. Part two coming later :)