Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - ...If One of Them Is Dead - full transcript

Previously on "Pretty Little Liars
- The Perfectionists"

Nolan Hotchkiss, what
do you think of the book?

Characters got what they deserved.

Oh, Dylan, same arrangement as last year

you'll do the papers for Ava and me.

Uh, I can..

I can cover yours but
I can't do Ava's work.

You are the smartest guy I know.

Figure it out.

Until they find out
who really killed Nolan

everybody at BHU's a suspect.



And even though we
didn't do it, we all have

secrets that make us look guilty.

If there was someone
here with us that night..

They heard us talking about him.

About how we wished he was dead.

And they killed him
just like we imagined it.

Turns out there was partial
Beacon Guard blackout

about the time of Nolan's murder.

Anyone who says they were
at your house that night

is safe for now.

I never thanked you
guys for staying late

at my house last Thursday.

They were with you the
night of the murder.

I mean, you can
ask the three of them.



I can talk for hours.

Bring it on, bitch.

Is it cool to do that?

Not according to the emails that
the university keeps sending me.

But that's not your problem.

So we drank coffee and we ate pie.

Pie's a little too specific,
uh, stick with coffee.

- Ms. DiLaurentis..
- Alison.

You all call me Alison.

I'm a TA, not a professor.

Little bit of informality will help.

Ms. Di.. Alison.

Why did you say we were here with you

that night Nolan was killed?

Why did you lie for us?

The Beacon Guard cameras
in this area were down

when Nolan was killed.

So for now, this is a solid alibi.

Well, that's the answer to
how we might get away with it.

It's not why you did it.

Because I have terrible impulse control.

And authority figures who are
prone to abusing the system

are a trigger for me.

Well, that's Dana Booker for sure.

Just so that this doesn't
all blow up in our faces..

Where were you really
when Nolan was killed?

Walking home.

- Yeah. Me too.
- Yeah.

So, you didn't do anything?

No one saw you, that could
prove that this was a lie.

No.

Okay.

Got any questions?

- So what do you want us to do?
- Nothing.

I want you to act like
nothing is out of the ordinary.

I don't know if I can do that.

Oh, I think you can do
anything you set your mind to.

And when the stakes are this high

you have to stick together.

And what are you gonna do?

Nothing I haven't done before.

This was recorded 12 minutes
before Nolan's murder.

As you can see, they're gathered

together at Thorn Hall.

Well, it doesn't prove that they did it.

Is it proof? No. But they
look and are acting suspicious.

Why would they want my son dead?

You know Nolan wasn't perfect, right?

He had a way of getting
them to do what he wanted

and it wasn't always pretty.

Well, it wasn't, Caitlin.

With all due respect, Mrs. Hotchkiss

she lied about where
they were that night.

She said she was with the others

at Alison DiLaurentis'
house. She wasn't.

Well, is it possible they
went there after they separated

and they were at Alison's
when Nolan was killed?

It's possible but I know
a liar when I see one.

And they're all covering for each other.

Well, you better find out why.

'Use what you have to get them to talk.'

And when Caitlin comes to me for help

I'll be the person that she turns to

the person that she trusts.

You really think she'll
tell you the truth?

Well, she's not gonna
risk her family's future

to protect Dylan or Ava.

It's not in her DNA.

Credit

How do you act normal when
nothing in your life is normal?

When you're forced to
trust people you hardly know

and just hope they don't let you down

because if they do

everything you've ever
worked for falls apart.

Hey, she threw us a lifeline
when she didn't have to.

- I think we should trust her.
- Forget Alison.

We barely know each other.

I mean, how do we know we can trust us?

It's not like Nolan's death
made us instant best friends.

Hey, do you guys just
want to sit for a second?

I've got a few minutes.

Okay.

So how're you two holdin' up?

- It sucks.
- Yeah.

It's, like, there's so much going on

I need to make a list
to prioritize my anxiety.

Well, is priority number one
on your list Nolan's stash?

Because that's number one on mine.

Yeah, if what he was
holding over me gets out

it doesn't just ruin me,
it ruins my entire family.

Guys, our secrets are out there..

- And they make us look guilty.
- What do we do?

Till we figure out who has them

just get back to business as usual.

Speaking of which,
you guys are meeting me

at the student union at 3:00, right?

To kick off the care package drive?

Number two on my list of
things to worry about today

getting 1500 care packages
out to service people

for a volunteer day.

You guys both agreed to help me.

Yeah, because no one forced me to.

Yeah, I kind of assumed
those drills were off now.

No, no, no, if I don't get these boxes

out tonight, they won't
make it to the ship.

I'm sorry, I have my Vogue application

video that's due and..

Ugh!

What time is it?

This is so personal for me.

My mom's retired military.

I'm sorry, alright, I got the...

art history paper in
designing to start and..

I have something more
important than school to do too.

Like what?

Andrew's out of town for the
week, he's in Seattle, and..

Our anniversary is coming up

so I'm composing a piece for him.

That's very sweet, but
are we still supposed

to be Nolan's perfect posse?

Caitlin, one pass.

Alright, plus, we gotta get to class.

- You're kidding.
- Well..

I wish you would've reminded us.

- Ava!
- I'm sorry.

I just can't squeeze it in.

What the hell are you
talking about, Ali? God!

I said that alibi was good
for you, not half your class.

Didn't we decide you
were gonna drop the whole

role model routine and go back to being

the old Ali that we know and love?

What? Lying, conniving, duplicitous..

Your words, not mine.

I told you. I'm trying to do
what's right for these guys.

I need your help, Mona.

Alright, what do you need from me?

I have to imagine that Dana
Booker is doing a deep dive

on Ava, Caitlin and Dylan, and me too.

Why not? I mean, she's
got all of Beacon Guard

at her fingertips.

Well, I was hoping that
you have some tricks

so that we can see what she's up to.

Under normal circumstances, good idea.

- Today? No can do.
- _

I'm locked out of BHU's network.

All of my records and my code..

- Everything's been walled off.
- What? Why?

Suspicious activity on my account.

They must know I've been trying
to figure out who killed Nolan.

But we need to do our
own suspicious activity.

Well, right now,
there's only one database

I still have access to.

BHU's yearbook?

Dana Booker's gonna throw

all of Beacon Guard
that she's got at this.

And she's gonna find out that
you lied for your Ali buddies.

The only question is when.

Good morning.

I know this isn't an
easy time for any of us

to return to classwork,
but it could also be

the best thing for all of us.

Get out of his seat.

- W-what're you talking about?
- Get out of his seat.

The-the seat is up
for grabs now, right?

- I mean..
- Mason.

Get out of his seat, Mason!

Calm down. Calm down.

Excuse me.

Let's get started.

Ava.

Ava.

Shouldn't you be in
class? Is something wrong?

N-no, I just, uh, I forgot a book.

Well, you might be
checking on your friend Ava

she seems upset about something.

There are a lot of people here

who could have had
issues with Nolan, okay?

So why are you so focused on us?

'Cause I've been watching
you, and thanks to Beacon Guard

I can see all the way back
to when you first came to BHU.

You know what's interesting?

You three never spent any time together

unless you were around Nolan.

Alright.

I gotta go to class.

Was he holding something on you?

No.

Are you sure?

Because something that would
destroy your family got out.

Nothing stays secret forever.

What is this?

It looks like your mom, the senator

and an unidentified male
doing something your other...

I know. I know. I know what
it is. I've seen it before.

I'm asking you why
you're showing it to me.

I thought it was worth discussing.

Well, it's not. Where did you get it?

Off your boyfriend, Nolan's phone.

Is he the one who showed it to you?

I mean, we both knew it was
fake and he wanted to warn me.

Some people will believe
anything they see.

That's what interests me,
the fact that some people

would believe this is
what makes it dangerous.

If Nolan showed it to you

how many other people did he show it to?

Nolan wouldn't.

I imagine you'd be
willing to do anything

to make sure that was true.

You know where I was that
night, so stop harassing me.

Now, I really have to go.

I know why you asked to see me.

- Oh, yeah?
- Yeah.

Do you think that I should,
uh, report Ava's behavior?

Now, I-I don't wanna
get her into trouble.

But, uh, she seemed a little
aggressive, don't you think?

While I know that Ava's actions
have no place in the classroom

I think you sitting in Nolan's
seat was a little insensitive.

Well, that's exactly
what he would've done.

You and Nolan were friends?

Seemed like you did everything together.

Sports, classes, clubs..

He was always number one,
and you were right behind him.

Guess you'd called it
a good-natured rivalry.

- You're happy with that?
- Oh, yeah. Yeah. Sure.

Membership in, uh, Nolan's
circle came with benefits.

Parties were great.

- And then what happened?
- He came here.

- So thing's changed.
- He changed.

I guess having your name on
half the buildings on campus

will do that to you.

You know, pretty soon
all those benefits..

Well, he took 'em away.

Along with Caitlin.

He took her too.

So today in class... was what?

Tryin' to get back at him?

I told you, it's what
Nolan would've expected.

Hell, it's what he would want me to do.

And that's not a secret.

'Ava? It's Zoey. Can I come in?'

You're not gonna record your
Vogue interview now, are you?

- It's due tomorrow.
- Yeah, but..

But what?

Nolan died?

Well, life goes on.

What?

So your day-drinking which is something

I've never seen you do before this week.

And you're wearing my coat.

Which is something I've seen
you do a lot of before this week.

Oh, wow. How did that happen?

Keep it. It looks good on you.

- Really?
- Mm-hmm.

Didn't your dad give this to you?

If you're being serious,
you must be wasted.

Well, I won't tell him if you won't.

Isn't it like sorority
rush or something tonight?

BHU doesn't have sororities.

And it's volunteer day, remember?

Great.

So go do that.

And leave me alone.

Ava, I'm worried about you.

How am I the perfect choice for Vogue?

How am I the perfect choice for Vogue?

The perfect choice for
Vogue. Choice for Vogue.

I feel like I used to know
the answer to that one.

Who am I?

Who am I?

I am a person..

Who am I not?

I am not someone who'll
ask myself to be defined

by what other people think of me.

By what other people think of me.

Mm-mm.

No, sir. Mm-mm.

Hmm. I know that.

That was good.

Hey, fearless leader.

You're breaking your cardinal rule.

- Caitlyn, what's up with you?
- What?

You just put three tubes
of toothpaste into one bag.

Is there some dental
emergency in Afghanistan

I don't know about?

Yeah, uh, Zoey, I actually gotta go.

I gotta go take care of something.

No, this is your thing and
we're short two people already.

I know. I'm sorry. I won't
be gone long, I promise.

Just please keep stuffing. We
got to get these out tonight.

What is wrong with
everybody around here?

Great. Ah!

There you are.

There we go.

Sorry for the short notice.

Thank you for seeing me. Really.

How are you.. How are you doing?

Oh, I'm keeping it together. Heh!

The, uh, plans for the
renovations of the old campus

are keeping me occupied, thankfully.

You?

Oh, um, I was gonna call you because

I was looking through Nolan's room

and I found this and
clearly, it was for you.

I know your birthday's coming up.

Oh. Um, thank you.

You seem worried.

Uh..

Your new head of security, Dana Booker

came to see me today.

She showed me some
photos from Nolan's phone.

Some... embarrassing ones of my mom...

- Yeah, I've seen them.
- You.. What?

What can I do to help?

Um.. Eh.. You..

You can make sure that
no one else sees them.

I mean, as one of the largest donors

of my mother's campaign in my...

Consider it done.

- Really?
- Well, I..

I've watched you grow up, Caitlin.

You're, you're like family.

And your secret's safe with me.

Thank you, Claire.

Really, if there's anything

that I can do for you. Anything.

Actually, there is.

Dana Booker said that she's
looking into three people

in the investigation of Nolan's murder.

Um, Claire..

I know you had nothing to do with it.

But Dylan is a small town boy

and Ava is a felon's daughter.

The stakes aren't as high for them.

Do you understand?

Yeah, I think so.

Did he have something on them?

Uh, I don't know. I mean,
you have to ask Dylan and Ava.

No, I..

I want you to find out.

Uh-uh, yeah. No, I'll try.

Well, when have you ever
tried, and not succeeded?

- Thank you.
- Thanks, Claire.

What the hell, Ali?

What do you know about Mason Gregory?

Uh, he's... super smart

used to be besties with
Nolan, and that probably ended

when Nolan started
dating his girlfriend.

- Plus he's model cute. Why?
- Just following a hunch.

He was all weepy at the funeral

and Nolan 2.0 in class today.

People grieve in different ways.

Yeah, and guilt looks a lot like grief

if you're covering something up.

- We back on the network?
- Nope.

But I did learn from campus IT

that the suspicious activity
came from a single source.

Who?

Someone who doesn't want me
to find out who killed Nolan.

At least that means you're
on the right track, right?

It does, which is good
because if I don't find out

I'm gonna spend the rest
of my life knowing that

I'm the one who got him killed.

None of us got him killed, Mona.

Maybe. But whoever
did this is smart, Ali.

Smart enough to pin this
murder on anyone they want.

Ava?

Ava?

"From the time I was a little girl

"I always heard, "You're
so much like your father."

I love my mom, but my
dad was my best friend."

No, I'm not doing this.

- Hey!
- Hey!

Uh, door was unlocked.
Is that your lunch?

I thought you'd be in the student union.

This is from Nolan.

Claire thought it was for
me but he totally forgot

about my birthday last year.
So, it has to be for you.

Ava?

It means a lot that you took
the time to bring this to me.

Thank you.

I better get back to the student union.

I've got about 800 more bags to stuff.

Hey, hold up.

I'm coming with you.

What about your Vogue video?

You went outta your way to
do something nice for me..

And I did make you a promise. So..

Thank you.

Plus, I let Zoey take my coat and..

I want it back.

_

Got a minute?

How bad a secret was it?

I don't..

Bad enough to want to

kill Nolan to keep it hidden?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I read over your BHU application.

You and I have some things in common.

I'm guessing not as much
as we don't have in common.

You'd be surprised.

We both come from small towns

where we didn't conform
to approved norms.

We didn't come from money,
but we achieved our goals

through hard work and determination.

You know, it sounds
like a great essay, but..

My point is..

You're not like Caitlin and Ava.

- That should worry you.
- And why is that?

You all have secrets. That's clear.

You need to ask yourself if your secret

is safe with the others.

You know, I just remembered that, um..

I've to be somewhere.

Hey, uh, I thought you
were too busy to help.

Well, I am, but..

Felt bad about ditching you.

Yeah. I had the guilts too.

Like Alison said, we
gotta be business as usual.

If Nolan were alive,
this is where he'd be.

- Yeah.
- Tell me what to do.

Catch.

_

Who ate all the candy corn?

I'm sorry. I needed the energy.

Yeah, and you also ate
most of the licorice

and don't deny it, because
for about a half hour

your lips were black.

And you didn't tell me?

Well, I wanted to tell
you but you were too busy

stuffing your face with my candy corn..

Uh, hey, hey. Hey, guys.

Focus. We're almost done.

On three.

One..

Two.

Three.

- That's so not funny.
- I think it's pretty funny.

I don't know, I think
it's pretty funny too.

Glad to see the kids are having fun

while the adults are doing all the work.

Uh, yeah, she's actually kinda right.

Okay, let's get back to
work. Let's finish up.

No, I-I meant about the fun part.

I know, I kinda like
hanging out with you guys.

I need to tell you guys
something, alright, I..

I didn't come here
tonight because I felt guilty.

Tonight I came because I let

Dana Booker in my head.

And..

I didn't know if you guys
were gonna turn on me.

Dana cornered me too..

And she's got Nolan's phone.

Oh, great, so we have to
worry about Nolan's phone

and his stash of secrets?

She's just trying to
divide and conquer us.

Well, now that the two of you started it

there is actually something
that I need to tell you.

So I wasn't completely
honest with you guys

about what happened the
night that Nolan died.

I followed him..

Out here to this cabin.

What was he doing?

Some blonde.

I know.

I was so humiliated.

But now I'm thinking that maybe
it wasn't what I thought it was.

- It was the gift.
- What gift?

Um, Claire Hotchkiss found a present

that was meant for me from Nolan.

- It was a broken camera lens.
- Mm.

Does that mean something to you?

Do you guys remember, um,
last year when that jerk

found out about my dad and..

Outted me to the whole school?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, well, it was the
worst day of my life.

And o-on top of feeling so ashamed

the paparazzi found
out where I was and..

They started taking photos,
and Nolan tried to stop him

but this one guy, he was
just getting aggressive

and Nolan ended up
smashing his camera.

Yeah, that sounds like Nolan.

Of course, he-he bought
him a new one but..

Nolan kept the broken lens.

'He was worried about me and..'

he said that it was a symbol of how much

he wanted to protect me..

And how much he loved me.

I know it's a reach

but is it possible that..

Maybe he was still
trying to protect me..

Even the night he was killed?

Maybe. But it's a theory, you know?

It gives us something to do,
which is better than nothing.

That Dana woman..

She isn't gonna stop coming
after us until one of us breaks.

Look, I know Alison
told us to do nothing..

But we have to find out who killed Nolan

before Dana finds a
way to destroy us all.

Hello?

Hello?

When has a cabin ever not been spooky?

When the person that
was last in them wasn't murdered.

- Fair point.
- Yeah.

Alright, so how do we wanna do this?

- Quickly.
- 'Why?'

- Because someone's coming.
- What?

- Someone must've followed us.
- S-s-shit.

- What do we.. What do we do?
- Hide.

What! What..

Oh, my God!

What part about "Don't do
anything out of the ordinary"

did you miss?

Hey, we're in this
just as much as you are.

Even more so if you think about it.

Why are you here?

Nolan came here the night that he died..

And I followed him.

- Did he meet anyone?
- Yeah.

Some blonde woman.

Who kinda looked like you.

Well, it, it wasn't me.

Hey, did Mason ever say
anything about coming out here?

Mason? No. Not to me.

Why did he do that?

That thing earlier today in class.

I think he's got a pretty
big chip on his shoulder.

Did he mention this place to you?

Is that why you're here?

He said a lot.

And so did last year's yearbook.

I just had to connect the
dots to find this place.

So what are you looking for?

- Secrets.
- Okay.

Well, let's all take a look around

and see if we find something.

Worth a shot.

Find something?

'No.'

I thought so, but... no.

So did you find anything?

It's hard to tell when you don't
know what you're looking for.

Do you need a ride?

No thanks. I parked down the road.

When you don't know what
you're gonna run into

it's best not to announce your presence.

What's that smell?

- I don't smell anything.
- Mm. Me neither.

I guess it's confined to the back seat.

Alright. Moving on.

This wrapper is the same as
the one we saw in the woods.

So whoever heard us that
night was also in the cabin.

Or two different people
like the same kind of gum.

I mean, three is a pattern.
Two is just a coincidence.

And why didn't you show that to Allison?

I mean, you're the one who
said that we could trust her.

Uh, I don't know. I guess I should've.

Best way to find out if you can
trust someone is to trust them.

Yeah, I guess I just
thought that maybe she was

the same blonde that you saw that night

in the cabin with Nolan.

No, I don't think so.

It seemed like this was her
first time in that cabin.

- Yeah, you're probably right.
- 'Why?'

Are you sure that you don't smell that?

- Yes.
- No.

Stop the car, please.

'It's gotta be coming from the trunk.'

I think I would know if
there were something in my..

Guys, guys, what is that?

That's Nolan's stash..

Hey. Don't. Wait.

Are you sure you wanna open it?

None of our secrets smell that bad.

Mm. Mm-hm.

- There's...
- There's a note.

- Of course there is.
- This is gonna be fun.

"One of you is a rat

you tell or I will."

Awesome.

So what?

One of us is a snitch?

Yeah, if our secret
stealer's that literal.

And they're trying to
turn us against each other.

I got no rats riding in my car.

- Bold move.
- Yeah.

Totally impressed me with that one.

Does anybody have some Purell?

_

_

Okay, so, w-we're
supposed to be scared, right?

Is that why they sent the rat?

No, the rat is the cherry
on the sundae. Alright?

The note is what we're supposed
to be paying attention to.

And it wasn't a poke.

That was a threat.

Guys, how are we
supposed to be business as usual

when this is happening to us?

Like, Alison just said, we
don't.. We don't have a choice.

Until we get out secrets
back we have to find a way

to do it all.

No.. I.. It's-it's too much to take on.

Kate, you of all people can handle this.

Look, I know I joke about
you being good at everything

all the time..

But, somehow you make
it seem effortless.

It's not.

I know.

I'm just glad that...
we're not alone, right?

That we're in this together.

Yeah, I mean, are we together?

We did make a good team out there.

Well, I've got my Vogue
application video to..

Suck less on.. So..

Yeah, I've got my congressional
interview to prep for

and moms have been bugging me for days.

I've got everything.

So, goodnight.

Okay.

- Guys?
- Yeah?

Can I borrow you for, like, ten minutes?

_

Let's get something straight..

I am not a perfect choice
for the Vogue internship.

Actually, I'm not a perfect
choice for anything, really

but... that's kinda my point.

Spending your whole
life chasing perfection

and surrounded by people with that same

impossible goal..

It makes it seem as if

every setback is a defeat.

And every roadblock is a sign

that you've chosen the wrong path..

That you're inadequate..

A failure.

But sometimes we overcome

and we realize that we're not alone

that you can rely on
others to lift you up

and that it's okay to ask for help

because even in our
darkest moments of grief

and loss, we persevere,
and we make connections.

Look, I'm a work in progress.

But I'm realizing that
success isn't about

never making mistakes

it's about learning from your mistakes.

So, no...

I am not a perfect choice for anything

but I am the right choice for this

because my mission statement
is in line with yours..

To lead and inspire.

Ali?

Come in.

Do you know why I faked my own death?

Because everyone in
Rosewood wanted to kill you?

Not everyone.

But that's not the point.

This campus, this town..

Something's wrong here.

Something worse than
we've been thinking.

What?

I think Taylor Hotchkiss might be alive.

- At the end of the day..
- Hey.

You want us to walk you home?

I mean, there's a killer
on the loose after all.

Ugh. No, I'm-I'm good.

Alright, suit yourself.

Hey, I think I know who
was in the woods that night.

It was Mason.