Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Unmasks 'A' in Fatal Finale — Grade It! Plus, the EPs Address That Important Loose End
We have to hand it to Original Sin, the Pretty Little Liars offshoot did something its predecessor never would have dared in its first season finale — it actually exposed the identity of “A.”
The big reveal came during Episode 10, the third of three episodes made available to stream on Thursday. We’d ask if you were able to solve the mystery on your own beforehand, but we already know that you weren’t, so don’t bother making a liar of yourself. We all know what happens to them.
More from TVLine
Anyway, the mastermind responsible for the girls’ misery turned out to be Marshall Clanton (who?!), the d-bag principal of Millwood High School (oh, right). He and Rose Waters apparently dated as teenagers, resulting in her getting pregnant with Angela… and her previously unknown twin brother Archie! (Side note: It’s hard, nay impossible, not to balk at that name when you remember that this show shares a universe with Riverdale.)
Rose returned years later to enroll Angela at Millwood High, where her father could keep a close eye on her, but Archie — the one in the scarecrow mask who has been straight-up murdering people all season — remained at home, because he had “a face only a mother could love.” Ouch. Marshall then watched as Angela befriended Davie and the other girls, only for them to turn on her after Angela was assaulted by Davie’s high school boyfriend named… Tom Beasley!
That’s right, it all comes back to that rat bastard Tom, who absolutely got what he deserved in the end. Pushed over the edge by Tom’s threats of violence against Kelly, Mrs. Beasley plunged a knife into her husband’s stomach. He survived, as cockroaches so often do, but his victory was short-lived; Archie escaped police custody and finished Tom off in his hospital room, before heading straight to Chip’s house to dish out the same well-deserved fate. (These final episodes confirmed that Chip sexually assaulted Tabby and Imogen, and that he’s the father of Imogen’s baby, so he and Tom can enjoy hell together.)
And just like that, every secret was revealed and every bad guy met a grizzly end. At this point, you’re probably waiting for the other shoe to drop. Surely Original Sin‘s first season wouldn’t end with so many loose ends tied up, right? … Wrong!
“It was important to us with a cable show — a short-order show, a serialized show — to complete these stories and complete these mysteries,” executive producer Lindsay Calhoon Bring tells TVLine. “[Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa] and I love a complete story, so we wanted to complete these mysteries.”
Aguirre-Sacasa agrees, of course, but he also believes it’s important to emphasize that “Archie is still out there. He’s still alive!” (Come on Season 2!)
Other finale developments worth discussing…
* After giving birth to her baby, Imogen told Tabby that she found a nice couple in Rosewood to adopt her, one named — pause for dramatic effect — Aria and Ezra! We didn’t get to see the couple, but Imogen said that they’re open to staying in touch with her, so all hope is not lost.
* In slightly more encouraging news, Noa’s mom is checking into rehab, while Mouse’s moms are back under the same roof and working on their marriage. Faran’s mom is also moving back to Millwood, which could be a good thing, assuming she can learn to be less controlling.
Were you satisfied with Original Sin‘s all-wrapped-up finale, or did it leave you wanting more? Grade the finale and the first season below, then drop a comment with your take on HBO Max’s PLL offshoot.
Best of TVLine
Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
