Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Review: A Trip to Rosewood

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We were promised the back half of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 would feature significant connections to the town that started the franchise.

Thankfully, they were peppered throughout Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 6 and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7, and it did not disappoint.

There had to be a reason for a trip to Rosewood that made it worthwhile, and finding out the truth about Angela and Rose Waters sounds about right.

Supportive Friends

Tabby and Imogen both needed some time to themselves, especially after their mutual realization they were both sexually assaulted the night of the bonfire.

There have been many theories online about who the culprit(s) could be, but the series appears to be on a mission to keep us guessing until the big revelation.

Imogen Ponders - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

It’s harrowing for two of these young women to merely trust people because they don’t know their intentions.

That was on full display when Tabby met the Rosewood High jock and immediately had a vision of him forcing himself on her.

Kelly: Where’d you disappear to, Greg? After we hooked up…
Greg: I got my ass chewed out by that Tabby chick. Heard she punched Tyler in the face.
Kelly: Right in the nose.
Tyler: And he must’ve been hella embarrassed because I haven’t seen him at school since.
Kelly: Oh… good. Tyler’s an asshоlе.

Tabby might struggle to confront the trauma of what happened until the person who assaulted her is brought to justice.

It was obvious nothing good would come from turning to the cops in Millwood because everyone answers to Sheriff Beasley.

Beasley With a Plan - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

He has eyes on everything going on in town so that he can control the narrative, and it’s hard to believe he would help Tabby out in any way, shape, or form.

Beasley needs to get his comeuppance sooner rather than later, and I’m starting to get a little bit concerned about how all of this will be wrapped up in three episodes.

Imogen’s story is also horrifying. She recalls going to the beach with the bottle of vodka, but she doesn’t remember what happened next and is now heavily pregnant.

The biggest compliment I can give Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is that it tackles topics in ways many other shows for the target demographic are not.

Tabby Schemes - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

I knew Rosewood would bring some easter eggs along the way, but did anyone else think Ezra’s bookstore looked like it belonged in Ravenswood as opposed to Rosewood?

It was dull, and it didn’t seem to have any of the flair you’d expect from Ezria.

Joe: Angela couldn’t keep up with those girls, and so, eventually she came crashing down… on Y2K night.
Abby: What about her family? Do you know anything about them?
Joe: Her mother… Rose. That was her only family. After Angela was found, Rose snapped. Showed up to the school one day with a butcher knife.
Imogen: Oh my god. What was she there for?
Joe: Revenge.
Abby: Did she… stab someone?
Joe: She tried to. Multiple students.
Imogen: The girls who adopted Angela?
Joe: No… A table of boys.

The drama at the Radley was intriguing because it brought Eddie Lamb into the mix.

If you watch Pretty Little Liars online, you know the dude probably had the most secrets in the entire franchise.

Welcome to the Carnival, Liars - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

He kept tight-lipped about who he helped during their time in the facility and occasionally helped the liars.

I don’t know the ins and outs of why the original actor couldn’t return, but hey, Eddie was perfect to really kick this mystery into high gear.

One of the revelations I didn’t expect was for the Pretty Little Liars Universe to be connected to The CW’s Riverdale, and by extension, Katy Keene and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

It’s a nice little easter egg for the fans of all of those shows, but I hope it isn’t a sign that the series will be embracing the supernatural any time soon.

Carnival Woes - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

We know how that worked out for Ravenswood and Riverdale.

The best part about the trip to Rosewood is that we now know the moms ALL visited Angela’s mother throughout the years, meaning that they all had some form of guilt for what happened to Angela.

Angela’s life must have been horrible because of the moms.

Joe: They took her away… to an asylum. The Radley Sanitarium.
Imogen: In Rosewood?
Joe: Yep.
Tabby: She still there?
Joe: Could very well be.

They consistently dangled friendship like a carrot in front of her, only to whisk it away without a second thought.

There is so much uncharted territory with the Waters family that it feels like we’ll need another season to unpack all of it.

Creepy Joe - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 7

Creepy Joe being thrown in as another potential suspect is nothing more than fodder as the season prepares for its big finish.

He clearly had it out for the moms after what happened to Angela, and somewhere along the way, it’s hard not to imagine him fighting back against them.

But, throwing him in front of viewers with a visible vendetta is a surefire red herring.

Mouse is starting to grow on me. She’s been the hardest liar to read because there’s so much about her we don’t know. 

Minnie's Secret - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5

Thankfully, the layers are finally being pulled back, helping me understand her machinations much better.

However, it’s hard not to worry about what the future holds for her.

Her mother, Dee, is too overbearing, and when you have someone like Simon showing up unannounced, it certainly makes you wonder what the heck is going on.

Mouse tracking Steve down to his workplace to confront him could have gone much more wrong.

HAlloween Blues - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5

The man has zero redeeming qualities and will stop at nothing to have her as his daughter, it seems.

Another confusing aspect is the way Dee acts. Something happened in the past, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Dee orchestrated A in the house of mirrors to terrify Mouse.

Dee always wants her daughter under lock and key because she’s so worried about what will happen to her, or so we’re being led to believe.

It’s an out-there theory, but my money is on Dee being a part of the A team, assuming it is a team.

Imogen on a Call - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5

We’ve had villains working together in this franchise countless times, so why can’t we have it with Original Sin?

A attacking Kelly and letting her live after her screaming she’s Kelly was telling.

Tabby: My mom said they tried to help Angela. Maybe that’s what Crazy Joe meant by adopting her. Whatever it was, it clearly didn’t work.
Imogen: Tabby… your mom’s still going to that real estate conference, right?
Tabby: I believe so.
Imogen: Great. Then we’re going to Rosewood, to the Radley Sanitarium, to find Rose Waters, hopefully.

We saw on Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 4 that A wants to punish the guilty, so why does the villain deem Karen to be guilty?

Kelly is not a patch of her sister in terms of wickedness, and A was clearly interested when it emerged at the Halloween party she could be Karen in disguise.

Tabby Schemes - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5

Was Karen killed because of her wicked ways, or did she have a connection to A or something else that’s going on in Millwood?

This show, you guys.

Faran’s return to the lead of the Black Swan was a compelling enough arc, but I’m tired of listening to her mother.

The moms on this show are horrible. There’s no denying it, and the sooner the girls age up and get out of town, the better.

Noa is Chased - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 1 Episode 5

A sending the image of Tyler’s body to the liars was an effective way of showing his demise.

Did anyone else expect the development to land with more of a thud?

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin continues to set itself apart from its predecessors.

Now, we have a long week ahead as we try to figure out who A could be.

A Liars Mama Bear - Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

Hit the comments with your best theories.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin concludes Thursday, August 18, on HBO Max.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.

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