Pretty Little Liars' Dr. Sullivan Checks In

The doctor is back in! Tonight, Annabeth Gish reprises her role as Rosewood's most terrorized shrink, Dr. Sullivan, and Shay Mitchell (Emily) couldn't be happier to have the trained professional around.

"I am so excited about this [story]," she says. "I was asking the writers about when Emily would start to deal with what happened with Nate [Sterling Sulieman]. She killed
somebody, you know?"

Since her fatal lighthouse showdown with girlfriend Maya's murderer, the out and proud Em has been in denial about the traumatic event. "She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't want to remember what happened," says Mitchell, explaining why her character barely acknowledged Nate's demise during last fall's ­Halloween special. But even though Mitchell says that Emily is "starting to crack," she's quick to add it doesn't mean the girl is broken. "She is trying to hold it together, and this brings out a whole other side to Emily. She is a lot stronger than when we met her in the beginning, but she does need help dealing with what took place. She took a human life!"

Enter Dr. Sullivan, who previously counseled the girls — until a certain somebody with a single initial blackmailed the doc right out of Rosewood. This time around, her therapeutic assistance could actually mean a payoff for Emily as she begins to get over the tragedy and uncovers a few secrets she didn't realize she was burying about the night she mysteriously woke up near dead frenemy Ali's empty grave. "That night was insane," teases Mitchell. "This [therapy] is releasing a bunch of those locked-up memories." And if that's not enough, Em and the girls can count on another unsettling event this evening to amp their angst: a memorial service for their dearly departed Ali (Sasha Pieterse). Oh, "A" is so not gonna like this.

Pretty Little Liars airs Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC Family.

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