Wren in 4x10; interrogating Mona, setting up Veronica… all to protect CeCe
If you’re familiar with the idea that Wren could be A, you’ll know this particular episode is hugely significant for two reasons:
1) everything he does in this episode is to help CeCe. Everything.
2) it is Wren’s last episode before his long break from the show.
The way his character was left is so interesting considering the current storyline. It seems as though he was left this way on purpose.
Let me remind you of the situation:
Wilden has been murdered by CeCe (not yet a suspect). Veronica Hastings is Ashley Marin’s lawyer because she is a main suspect. Mona has just confessed and is in Radley as a result.
Below, I will talk through each scene and discuss just why it is evidence that Wren has a very strong chance of being A.D. Enjoy!
Scene 1: Mona and Wren in Radley
As this is a really important scene I have broken it down into parts!
1) He uses the picture of a family as part of the therapy
Based on the fact that in this same episode, Wren is shown to be colouring the picture in whilst sat alone talking on the phone, we can assume it is something personal to him. As part of her “emotional response”, Mona makes a sarcastic comment toward the artist, which seems like a dig at Wren based on the looks exchanged.
This lead me to question why he would use something private within a therapy session- but then I realised he may have been testing her loyalties.
Let’s say this picture shows Charlotte and her family (inc Wren)- hold that thought for now, I’ll speak more about this later on.
2) The conversation shifts focus onto the Wilden murder confession
Mona claims that she realised herself and the liars were “on the same side” so she needed to help them.
At this point, I urge you to watch the video if you can. When Mona says “she’d do it again” she becomes very intense. I hadn’t noticed this before, but this time, I interpreted it as if it were a threat… Possibly to Wren himself.
When she says this, Wren becomes rather smug- he clearly doesn’t believe her.
I’m no body language expert, but Wren comes across as very sure of himself whilst Mona appears defeated almost. It’s like she has realised Wren knows what really happened- and he knows she had nothing to do with the murder. She has realised the true nature of their discussion.If you watch the scene, it really feels like there is a major underlying issue here. I’m certain Wren knew for a fact Mona lied about killing Wilden, and Mona is now scared because of it.
3) Wren stops the session and says it will continue when Mona can be honest with him
The conversation then takes a rather interesting turn…
The first key point is based on Wren’s line; “you used to be.” Look at his face. He doesn’t mean a bog standard Dr / patient relationship here. We’re back to that underlying issue.
The next key point: Wren’s loyalties. Why is this significant at all? Here’s what I think:
Mona has caught onto why Wren is interrogating her. She doesn’t want to speak to him anymore because she knows he is attempting to protect CeCe. By asking Mona about why she confessed to the murder, he is ensuring she has no intentions of switching things up and telling the police about CeCe instead. Why might this concern Mona though?
According to Charlotte, Mona was so drugged up when she first joined Radley that she didn’t even realise it was CeCe she was talking to. She supposedly told her all about the liars, yet had no recollection of it…
BUT, she could have lied. To me, this conversation is proof of it.
I think Mona always knew who took over her game and why they did so (more later), and this all includes knowing of Wren’s involvement. The picture (either literally or the story behind it) may have been used in the past to gain her sympathy and encourage her to give the game up to Charlotte; hence why Wren used it again this time around. Previous threats such as “I’d do it again” imply she is onto him. Overall, it definitely seems as though Wren was trying to have CeCe’s back and Mona was not willing to help him despite doing so in the past.
4) Wren mentions their relationship, to which Mona responds with more lying accusations
What Wren says may come across as quite innocent, and as if he is simply referring to their doctor / patient relationship, but based on the previous discussion, it seems as though he might actually be talking about the trust they used to have regarding the true theme of the conversation. Wren was a doctor at the time Mona was first admitted- he began working there during her stay I believe. He could be referring to the trust they once had when him and CeCe used her for information on the liars and the A game. This clearly isn’t the case now and he could be reminding her that she used to be their puppet.
Another point to mention is that in season 3, Wren is very eager to keep Mona at Radley when it is a possibility she could be moved to a different facility. This is further evidence that the two had a different relationship, and it is very likely that him trying to keep her at Radley was a way of ensuring him and CeCe could still use her for information.
5) The mention of Wren’s incorrect spelling
I know this part of the conversation is mostly associated with being a hint that Wren isn’t actually a doctor, which might be true, but based on the conversation as a whole, I think it could mean something else.
This entire conversation is Wren attempting to interrogate Mona and get her on Charlotte’s side, or at least to see if she already is. He isn’t there because he cares about her mental wellbeing (friendly reminder of Eddie Lamb!) Mona pointing out an error in his notes could be a dig at him and his loyalties to his patients. She knows exactly why he is talking to her, and so pointing out his mistake is her way of reminding him he isn’t being honest either and his focus isn’t on “diagnosing” her.
6) Wren points the finger at Mona and claims she’s been keeping secrets too
Mona’s face seems genuinely shocked when Wren mentions her “secret”, which is another reason I think she knew all along who took over the game.
As you can see, Wren knows Mona stopped taking her medication. But he doesn’t specify when. Based on Mona’s shock, her curiosity as to what secret he was referring to AND everything before that in the conversation, I think Wren meant she stopped taking it during the time she was meeting with CeCe.
I think he is implying she was sober when she gave out all of the information on the liars, and she knew exactly what she was doing and who she was doing it for.
Throughout the entire scene, Wren is trying to assess if he can trust Mona and get her to admit why she confessed to murdering Wilden. He wants to help CeCe stay off the police’s radar, and he is testing whether Mona is still helping them, or if she has confessed in order to get CeCe caught once and for all. He is doing this because he knows she is aware who CeCe really is and is aware of the fact she probably realises CeCe killed Wilden too. He doesn’t believe her “motive” regarding helping the liars, because he knows she is smart enough to have an even better one; one that might involved framing CeCe. This is made evident throughout the rest of the episode, where Wren sets up a scheme which causes Mona to be an invalid suspect, making her unable to speak up about CeCe, assuming that was an intention.
She implies she can’t trust him because of his loyalties, suggesting she knows something about him… and Wren is now confirming why she knows this. He just dropped the final bomb; she knows because she was never drugged in the first place. This can be taken by Mona as a warning. Wren is saying “you know who CeCe is. You know she killed Wilden. You are able to turn around and point the police toward her. And you better not.”
Scene 2: Hanna confronts Wren about CeCe visiting Mona
Fast forward a bit, Wren is on his lunch break and he is interrupted by Hanna. She abruptly asks if she can see Mona, and Wren denies her request, adding on that he shouldn’t even be talking to her about Mona considering her mother is also a Wilden murder suspect- this is important a bit later on.
Hanna then adds something rather interesting.
Wren is suddenly a lot more interested in what Hanna has to say.
Immediately after this, Wren turns on an“innocent” act. He claims a young blonde tried to visit Mona last night, and he assumed it was Hanna. She was turned away but Wren suggests she may have got in somehow anyway because they are short staffed and“things are missed.” He tells Hanna he will check security cameras.
The next part of this scene is very important, and goes hand in hand with Wren’s conversation with Mona and his upcoming talk with Veronica Hastings.
****Remember, the current situation is that CeCe murdered Wilden, Ashley Marin has been framed, Veronica Hastings is her lawyer and Mona has confessed“to help the liars”, according to Mona herself.****
As soon as Hanna leaves, Wren’s entire demeanour changes and he phones someone saying there is a problem. Obviously Hanna’s concerns over CeCe talking to Mona have worried Wren, and he is going to react to it in some way. His reaction is shown in his next scene.
He could very well be talking to CeCe. In the following episode we see CeCe herself on the phone to someone saying she “sure as hell isn’t returning to Rosewood.” Is this what Wren meant by“your end”? Was he saying to CeCe;“they’re onto you, get out of town now and I’ll take care of it”?
It seems that way to me. Let me explain why.
Scene 4: Wren lies to Veronica about why Mona confessed to killing Wilden
So, as we just learnt in a previous scene; Mona told Wren she confessed to killing Wilden because she wanted to help the liars, particularly Hanna whose mother is a suspect. Wren didn’t believe her and obviously has a very different idea as to why she might have confessed.
In this scene, Wren meets up with Veronica, despite their rocky past, and blatantly lies to her face about why Mona has confessed.
Hold up. If he’s basing this“warning” off of what he has spoken to Mona about previously, he’s lying. She told him why she confessed; to help out Hanna.
Veronica responds to Wren by saying she“doesn’t care” why Mona has confessed; by doing so she has given an alternate explanation for the crime, which leaves her defendant, Ashley Marin, more likely to not be charged.
After hearing this, Wren is quick to fire back another attempt at shaking her confidence and make her worry.
Another lie! A huge, obvious lie! This is the complete opposite of what Mona told Wren. She told him she confessed to help Hanna and Ashley, yet here Wren is telling Veronica she is going to frame them.
The next scene shows Veronica meeting up with Mona. Wren’s plan has worked and Veronica has gone to check Mona’s true intentions. She warns Mona that she better not be confessing to mess with the girls (including Ashley.) What she says isn’t important, the fact she went is. The next scene with Veronica proves why.
Veronica walks in on Hanna, Spencer and Caleb talking. Veronica starts speaking to Hanna, and tells her she should speak to her mother. Hanna asks why and Veronica reveals that she doesn’t have a lawyer anymore. Because of her visit to Mona,Veronica has had to leave the case.
So someone, who was aware Veronica visited Mona, complained to the court because she could have been messing with the case. Veronica explains that the complaint said she had bullied Mona into confessing, which obviously seems as foul-play on her part in order to win the case. It is assume Mona is the one who complained, because Hanna still doesn’t trust her.
It seems highly likely that Wren was the anonymous complainer. He knew Veronica would go to see Mona, and so used this to his and CeCe’s advantage. By complaining, Veronica was dropped from the case leaving the main suspect extremely vulnerable. What’s more, Mona too has been dropped as a suspect. Anything she has to say isn’t valid as they believe her confession was forced. She couldn’t tell the police that it was really CeCe even if she wanted to. Through one conversation and one lie, Wren has successfully framed someone else (Ashley) and protected CeCe from being mentioned to the police by Mona. Two birds, one stone, and one protected murdered.
Scene 5: Wren is hinted at being the anonymous complainer
Up next comes Wren’s most classic moment. Straight after Hanna shouts“An anonymous tip, who do you think called that in?!” the scene ends and cuts to Wren, who is sitting alone in Radley. He is colouring in the family picture he showed Mona previously and talking on the phone.
I urge you to watch the scene as much of the interpretation is based on the way he says things. Here is the clip.
When it comes to this scene, I have two theories.
1) This scene is showing the actual complaint against Veronica happening
Wren is on the phone to the court. He has just came out of therapy with Mona and is worried she is using her confession to point the police toward CeCe (scene 1.)He visited Veronica, manipulated her into going to see Mona, and is now using this against her by telling the courts that Mona literally told him Veronica made her confess.“I was beginning to suspect” and“I was shocked to learn” implies he was speaking to Mona, grew concerned about why she confessed and so angled the conversation in a way that made her admit to being forced. This is obviously untrue but Wren is trying to protect CeCe from being caught. He manipulated the entire situation so Mona wouldn’t be a suspect anymore, and so couldn’t turn around and blame CeCe, and Ashley Marin would end up without a lawyer, and so would be more likely to take the blame for CeCe’s crime.
or
2) Wren is on the phone to someone else. Someone like CeCe, Mary or Archer. Someone who is also Team CeCe.
This is when watching the video comes in handy. At times he sounds very sarcastic and smug, as if he is boasting about what he has achieved. When he was saying“I was beginning to suspect a confession was coerced….” etc, he might have been quoting what he said in his complaint. I think it could be a more casual conversation based on two things: he speaks about his personal involvement with Veronica and he says“you can’t trust anyone.”
Whilst speaking he says“dodged a bullet there” implying he was lucky to be free from the Hastings family. Again, likely to be sarcastic as Wren was the one who made Veronica look bad, but he wouldn’t say this to the courts. He also wouldn’t say“you can’t trust anyone” to someone at the court, but you would to someone you knew personally. I think it’s more likely that he was phoning someone like CeCe, talking over the situation and reassuring her she was off the hook.
It all goes back to the earlier phone conversation;“I’ll take care of my end.” His end was ensuring CeCe wasn’t suspected by the police based on Hanna’s knowledge that she had visited Mona. His end was manipulating Veronica into visiting Mona, so SHE would be blamed for forcing Mona to confess instead of CeCe being dragged into it.
To end, Wren is shown again with the drawing of the family, this time colouring in what seems to be the mother’s coat, red.
Red symbolises two main things: danger and lust. This could be a hint that the family depicted in the image are dangerous, and/or that Wren himself wishes he was a part of that family.
Either way, whatever this picture represents is highly significant to what motivated Wren to act the way he did in this episode. It started with the image, and ended with the image; full circle.
***See my theory that Wren and CeCe are siblings here.I also speak about the significance of the image in point #1.
To summarise
This entire episode is a massive giveaway that Wren was working for CeCe. More than that though, he was protecting her. Let’s recap.
1) Wren was worried about Mona’s true intentions behind confessing to Wilden’s murder. He implies she stopped taking her drugs when she was helping CeCe during her first stay at Radley, and so fears she knows that CeCe killed Wilden and is going to get her involved with the murder case due to knowing who she really is (A).
2) Mona is aware Wren has false intentions and will not be honest with him. This may also go back to the fact she was off her medication when she was speaking to CeCe and giving her information; she knew Wren was working with CeCe and feared him.
3) Hanna knows CeCe had been visiting Mona which worried Wren and began his overall scheme to manipulate Veronica and the murder case. He might have worried that Hanna thought CeCe was the one to force a confession out of Mona, potentially putting her on the police’s radar. Before starting the scheme, he phones someone saying there is a problem and he will take care of his end, suggesting his end was to ensure the police had no reason to go to CeCe and make sure someone else took the blame.
4) Wren visits Veronica and lies to her about what Mona told him. He said she confessed that she’s going to“turn the tables” and use her confession to get at the liars, implying she is going to frame them or Ashley Marin, who is a main suspect.
5) As a result, Veronica visits Mona and threatens her about getting the girls involved.
6) Veronica reveals she has been removed from the case due to an anonymous complaint about her, saying she forced Mona to confess to killing Wilden in order for Veronica and Ashley to win the case and get off free.
7) Wren is seen talking on the phone about how he learnt Veronica forced Mona and was“shocked” by it, implying he filed the complaint. He is shown to be colouring in the family picture meaning this is probably highly significant to his plan and motive.
So, all in all, this episode is very telling in terms of Wren’s role in the story. This episode is evidence that Wren was always protecting CeCe, and as we know, the current villain is trying to avenge her. This episode could be the proof we need to work out just who AD is.
As mentioned in the introduction, this episode is Wren’s most recent, which I think is another highly significant point. Wren was last seen going to great measures to protect CeCe, and now the current villain is going to great measures to avenge her. Whoever AD is has to be someone with a great passion to protect her, and I think this episode is proof that he has that. Thanks to this episode, Wren can fit into this current storyline like a piece to a puzzle.
