Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin was a very, very nice surprise in 2022. It was a show loosely related to the Pretty Little Liars franchise that didn’t care much for associating itself with the universe of the teen mystery that’s already spawned several spin-offs. But, this one did its own thing. The genre is full-blown horror; we’re talking pure slasher bliss. It could be categorized sometimes as “young adult” content, but there are enough horror references in the show that you can’t help but feel it’s more oriented towards the other side of the spectrum. The one that’s ugly and messy.
It tells the story of a group of teenagers who start to get spooked one day. After Imogen’s mother dies under suspicious circumstances, a mysterious entity known as “A” starts stalking her and her group of friends. Bodies start dropping, but there’s no coincidence; all of their mothers were also friends when they were teenagers and their lives were marked by a tragedy of the past that the violent killer seems to be familiar with. We won’t spoil more because this is one of those shows that works under the figure of “you have to see it for yourself.”
A Max original whose second season called Pretty Little Liars: Summer School has been already confirmed, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is one of those shows that honestly, doesn’t look like it’s going to appeal to horror fans, but in the end, it’s got enough grasp to keep you hooked to its slasher-driven plot. What do you say we take a look at its characters and the performers behind them?
Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison)
Played by Bailee Madison, Imogen is a girl whose trauma begins early on. She finds her mother dead in the bathtub, and she’s forced to continue on with her life becomes she’s a pregnant teenager still in school. Her mother’s past is significant enough to make her a key piece in A’s murderous trail. Imogen’s baby gets adopted by Aria and Ezra, stars of the Pretty Little Liars original universe, which makes this storyline one of the few connections with the main franchise.
Madison had quite the career before Original Sin. Audiences may recognize her from series like The Fosters, Good Witch, or The Hardy Boys, but may also know her from movies like Netflix’s A Week Away and The Strangers: Prey at Night.
Tabby Haworthe (Chandler Kinney)
Tabby, played by Chandler Kinney, is one of the best characters in recent TV. Her knowledge of cinema and horror, and her filmmaking abilities, make her an essential piece as the series constantly points the finger at enough horror references to make it extremely fun for horror connoisseurs. Tabby is Imogen’s best friend and another teenager being terrorized by A. Her mother, of course, is also part of the secret that involves A and his revengeful rampage.
Kinney is known for her work in the Disney Channel movie trilogy Zombies, which featured the actress in the second and third installments. She also appeared in the most recent Lethal Weapon series.
Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco)
Maia Reficco is one of the show’s best actresses. Her character Noa is smart, physical, and extremely badass in the group of girls fighting A. Her relationship with her mother is fragile and even though she’s a recognized athlete, she’s done time in juvie. It has to do with drugs, the substance that’s turned her relationship with her mother a bit sour. Oh yeah, and her mother? Also on A’s list. Noa’s boyfriend Shawn (Alex Iona) is one of the few males in the show who have a secondary but pretty important role.
Before Original Sin, Reficco previously appeared in over 100 episodes of the Nickelodeon series Kally’s Mashup.
Faran Bryant (Zaria)
Zaria plays Farah Bryant with enough wit to make her very, very interesting. In fact, she’s volatile but extremely clever. Her emotions get the best of her because all she wants is to be a famous dancer, but her physical condition is too much of a burden. She’s part of the posse as well, but her mother isn’t part of the picture. At least in the beginning. Zaria previously appeared in Black-ish and Made in Hollywood.
Mouse (Malia Pyles)
Mouse is the group’s most interesting character. Malia Pyles plays her in one of the show’s best performances. Mouse is a representation of teen chaos but whose emotions are natural enough to make her character compelling. Mouse needs to be released from her mothers’ grasp, but they overprotect her. Elodie, one of her mothers, is responsible for the event in the past that took the life of a bullied girl, the incident that spawned A’s brutal acts. The actress has had roles previously in series like Batwoman, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Fosters.
Kelly Beasley and Karen Beasley (Mallory Bechtel)
Mallory Bechtel plays twins Kelly and Karen, the precious stones of the Beasley household where the white picket fence is the only normal thing. After one of them dies (we won’t spoil which one, because it’s a key part of the plot), the trauma in the home becomes clearer and the real mom and dad dynamics show up. In the end, the twins are victims as well, not only of A but of a secret that shatters the standard of the all American (white) family.
While Original Sin is Bechtel’s first role in the main cast, the actress also appeared in Ari Aster’s Hereditary and episodes of FBI: Most Wanted and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Sidney Haworthe (Sharon Leal)
Sharon Leal plays Sidney, Tabby’s mother, and the woman who’s forced to play a motherly figure to the now-orphaned Imogen. Her treatment of the mothers’ secret could be better, but Sidney does what she can with what she has: a ticking time bomb of a daughter who will never stop.
Leal has had a vast career, appearing in movies like Amateur, Shot, and Freedom. She also boasts appearances in Suits, Private Practice, and The Good Wife, with recurring roles in The Good Doctor, Grimm, and Supergirl.
Marjorie Olivar (Elena Goode)
Marjorie Olivar is played by Elena Goode in the show, and she’s Noa source of instability. She makes her daughter lose control of her current struggle, because of a drug addiction that gets the best of her. She’s also one of A’s targets. The actress previously appeared in As the World Turns and Straight Outta Compton.
Elodie Honrada (Lea Salonga)
Lea Salonga, the famous actress that lent the singing voice to two of Disney’s princesses, plays a very different role in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. She’s one of Mouse’s overprotective mothers and the one who holds a secret in regard to A’s target list. She knows what she did in the past and when she decides to reveal it, it’s almost too late.
Salonga’s voice can be heard in the animated versions of Aladdin and Mulan. With a stellar career, the actress also appeared in As the World Turns, ASAP, and ER.
Sheriff Beasley (Eric Johnson)
Sheriff Beasley has a secret. A huge one. And Noa’s community service has made her witness it. He’s inconsistent in terms of priorities, a lousy sheriff, but worst of all, he’s a bad, bad father to the Beasley Twins. He’s the show’s male element that proves perhaps it wasn’t really necessary to include a man in the plot. Except for a few scenes, we could do without Beasley, and A’s adventures would be the same.
Eric Johnson is known for his work in Smallville. The actor also appeared in Flash Gordan, Vikings, American Gods, and Rookie Blue.
You can stream Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on Max.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
