Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists finished its premiere with the beginning of a murder mystery. As viewers know, Nolan Hotchkiss met a grisly end in the series premiere. If you thought that Nolan’s murder would be the only mystery, think again.
There will be more to the Pretty Little Liars spinoff than that series-opening murder mystery. When asked what the format would be going forward, series’ creator I. Marlene King told CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable the following:
It is a murder mystery throughout the season, but there are a few other mysteries that we introduce along the way. Some will be solved sooner than later, and some will sort of just get bigger as we go, in the way that 'Who is A?' just got bigger and bigger.
What could these other mysteries involve? Well, there are several options. The first is the mystery of why Nolan’s sister Taylor faked her death. Why did she do it and how did she pull it off? Furthering the mystery is that her brother knew she had, and they appeared to be working against some frightening force.
Speaking of which, the reveal of the all-seeing Beacon Guard is another mystery waiting to be solved. Why Mona is working with them and how Nolan and Taylor’s mom is involved is another angle to the whole thing. Not too mention there is the ongoing mystery of what led to Emily and Alison’s current relationship status.
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists is already setting out on a similar course to the one set by its predecessor series. Did having that brand in place make the spinoff comfortable to push things further? I. Marlene King weighed in with the answer, saying:
You know, when we started Pretty Little Liars, it was ABC Family, so it was much more tame and I would say G, PG. Now it's definitely PG-13. And I mean, you've seen the pilot - there's some really racy stuff in there. It's more sophisticated, more edgy and Freeform really pushed us to push the boundaries. So that was fun.
Towards the end of its run, Pretty Little Liars started to push the envelope more, especially following the rebranding of ABC Family as Freeform. According to what I. Marlene King is saying, The Perfectionists got to start off with fewer restraints. A change from the way Pretty Little Liars got underway.
What can fans expect moving forward? Well, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists’ creator hints at exciting times ahead. She even shared there is a special scene in the second episode that ties back to the original series. In her own words, I. Marlene King said:
Episode 2 has one of my favorite scenes in it, and it's the funeral scene. You know how we love our iconic funerals in Pretty Little Liars. It's a beautiful scene, and it's reminiscent of a scene in the PLL pilot. If you watch that or go back and watch it again, you'll see it.
Thank goodness Pretty Little Liars is still on Netflix! If you want to check the scene out, you can. As fans of the original know, its pilot ended with the supposed discovery of Alison’s remains before concluding with her funeral. Keep an eye out for the link between the scenes.
At the end of the day, Pretty Little Liars has meant different things to different people. What does is it mean to the franchise’s creator? I. Marlene King ended up sharing her take on that, as well as teasing how the new characters would come together, saying:
To me, this show is ultimately about friendship, like Pretty Little Liars, and when we meet The Perfectionists, they're divided. And so, over the course of these next episodes, we're going to watch them become real friends, not just Nolan's pretend friends. That, to me is super exciting, and that's what gives me goosebumps, because I feel like that's ultimately what the show is going to be like. All the murder-mystery and all that stuff is really fun. But I think it's the characters that you fall in love with, that you keep coming back for. Even if they make stupid mistakes, like, you're coming back for more.
Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists did not see its characters get off to the best start with one another. Dynamics change and relationships grow, which will be the case for these new characters. Seeing them develop their relationship along with Alison and Mona developing theirs should be fun.
Find out what other mysteries unfold when new episodes of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.
