REVIEW: Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Is Both Addicting & Terrifying
HBO Max is bringing the world of Pretty Little Liars back to the small screen tomorrow, July 28, with Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. Based off the beloved series by Sara Shepard, and the hit Freeform show of the same name, viewers find themselves transported to Millwood, PA, where a fresh set of Liars are being terrorized by the elusive “A”. However, unlike its predecessor, “A’s” revenge stems from something that happened twenty years in the past, with the only connection between the Liars being the friendship between their mothers.
Riverdale & Chilling Adventures of Sabrina showrunner, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, steps in as the showrunner on this new creation and it definitely has his touch all over it. Aguirre-Sacasa has a knack for creating the perfect balance between drama and suspense that leaves an addictive taste in viewers’ mouths and he continues that with Original Sin. Though this time, he is able to add a dash of teen slasher to the mix that will leave viewers closing their eyes at points throughout the episodes, but always coming back for more. It’s an interesting twist for the Liars universe, to add the teen slasher element to the mix. But, no matter how many times I found myself closing my eyes, it added a whole new layer to “A”. A layer that makes, whoever they are, less of a bully with a complex, and more of a deranged individual that should truly be feared.
As with its predecessor, there are moments throughout the five episodes I screened that left me completely shaking my head at the pure ridiculousness. The adults, once again, handle things inappropriately, especially when it comes to dealing with the minors on the show. The costumes for the high schoolers never would fly at any school, and a few other things that I cannot mention do to there spoilery nature. However, if viewers can see past these flaws, then they should have no issue tuning in for the next episode.
Chandler Kinney, Maia Reficco, Bailee Madison, Zaria, and Malia Pyles play our fresh faced Liars. Viewers will have a hard time not finding something relatable about these five characters. Each of them bring a uniqueness to their individual scenes, but it is the scenes they share together that truly makes this show shine. For those who watched the Freeform series, Mallory Bechtel plays Karen, this show’s Allison. However, she doesn’t just play Karen. She is also tasked with playing Karen’s twin, Kelly. Not an easy feat for an actress, but Bechtel does a wonderful job.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is quite outlandish at points and the first two episodes are a little hard to get into. But, when it finally finds its footing, which occurs towards the middle of the season, it will feel like the old PLL days where social media will be a flutter with theories, thoughts, and reactions to their new favorite characters!