I was obsessed with the original Pretty Little Liars, and while I thought it was too soon for a reboot, I was still excited to see what they would do with PLL: Original Sin. However, I have mixed feelings about the first three episodes.
I love the horror elements that they’ve brought into the series. Tabby Hayworthe (Chandler Kinney) is a film buff and cites movies all the time, especially horror. This is part of the series I’m here for and very much enjoy. Given the creepiness of A from the original series, it fits nicely in.
I like that A is some kind of monster. They always felt like a monster before we knew their identity. But the identity of A could be even more tragic if it’s the girl who presumably killed herself. So calling them a monster wouldn’t be a good thing, but every time they show up, it feels like the stalking part of the horror movie or the part where you almost cross paths with the killer. So they are painting a picture of a monster like in these classic horror films. There’s even a moment that points directly to Halloween. That was a fun little reference.
I kind of like that they weren’t all friends before this happened. This time A puts them in detention, and they find a common enemy in Karen Beasley (Mallory Bechtel). Karen was an easy target, given how big of a bully she was. It’s like the writers did their best to make you hate her. And giving her the name Karen didn’t help. The other difference is that we see A starting to play with them in real-time instead of flashing back to see Allison getting tortured by A before her disappearance, and she started on the core four unless there is something the parents aren’t saying.
This time it’s the young women’s parents who have a secret, to begin with. Their friend jumped from the rafters during a Y2K party. They show us that night but with little context. We don’t know why these five girls are refusing to talk to her. So, there’s still much to learn from that side of things.
Even though there were five central women this time, getting to know them felt like more. Maybe it’s because only two of them were friends and the rest all have their own stories. It made the first episode feel long. It wasn’t until the end of the first episode that I started to be interested.
I also don’t understand why Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison) has to be pregnant. One Tree Hill successfully did the pregnant high school girl storyline, but she was also married and living with Nathan. Imogen isn’t with the father. Another part of the story we don’t have all the pieces for. Maybe it will bring something to the story later, but other than giving more reasons for Karen to bully her, I don’t see what yet.
A lot is going on outside of the A storyline. Faran Bryant (Zaria) is an inspiring ballerina, but past medical issues may threaten that, and a teacher who doesn’t seem to respect her much. Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco) has legal issues she’s dealing with, but her burden goes much deeper than that. Mouse Honrada (Malia Pyles) seems a little lonely and spends most of her time online. Everyone has something, and now they have A on top of that.
The police are just as incompetent as in the original series, if not worse. This Sheriff is a piece of work, and his actions may explain many things. And will cause the new liars a lot of trouble.
There’s definitely enough here that I want to keep going. So, I’ll give it a few episodes before I make up my mind. As I said before, it’s very mixed feelings right now.
Have you watched the three-episode premiere of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin yet? If you have, what do you think? Tweet me @PrimetimeDrama or @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
