When I previously wrote my review of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, I mentioned that I was optimistic for the series to be renewed for another season, but questioned how the showrunners would be able to introduce a fresh batch of conflicts for our Millwood liars to tackle. After all, “A” had been apprehended! The main characters seemed to have found closure, and the future seemed bright and unobstructed for each of them.
And then came the summer. Summer School, that is.
As expected in any iteration of Pretty Little Liars, a new A has emerged to torment our five final girls who are stuck in Millwood attending summer school; this time in the form of Bloody Rose–a crimson soaked, knife brandishing antagonist that I would argue is much scarier than our season 1 stalker, Archie Waters. As things heat up with Bloody Rose, the summer brings a slew of new tribulations for the liars to face, including a mysterious new church group, and Milwood residents with nefarious intentions. It’s fresh, it’s campy, and while I wasn’t as blown away by the first half of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School as I was Original Sin, it still feels like a satisfying and seamless continuation of everything the first season had set up.
Editor’s Note: This review covers the first five episodes of ‘Summer School.’
For anyone craving a summer slasher romp in the vein of Fear Street or a Scream film, Summer School will satisfy. The new season feels like a love letter to horror classics similar to how Original Sin was–from a pool setting that looks straight out of the iconic scene from The Strangers: Prey At Night, to a Chuck E. Cheese-esque parlor full of animatronics that look straight from the recent Five Nights At Freddy’s movie. It continues the trend from season 1 of pivoting Pretty Little Liars completely into horror territory and proves that it can stand tall in the genre.
As previously mentioned, the new main antagonist donning the A moniker is Bloody Rose–a mysterious pursuer who lurks in the shadows of Millwood. Her design feels much more inspired than her predecessor: perpetually soaked in blood, donning what appears to be a crown of thorns, typically one eye exposed through what look like bandages on her face, the sight of her sends a chill down my spine as she pursues the liars. While her antics appear to be similar to Archie’s in terms of tormenting the girls, her influence seems to stretch further than just the five main characters, acting as a sort of Boogeyman in Millwood as its residents discuss the lore of who she is on “Spooky Spaghetti,” the PLL’s in-universe Creepypasta.
While the girls come to grips with the fact that a new stalker has emerged, they’re also still reconciling with the hurdles that they just surmounted. Having already come face-to-face with A–and on the brink of death by extension–they’ve each become hardened and cautious, embracing their identities as final girls. Without sounding too much like the meme of Jamie Lee Curtis, Summer School is an exploration of the baggage that comes with being a survivor of trauma. It’s a much more present story–Original Sin would often jump to flashbacks to show the mistakes of each of the girls’ mothers, whereas in Summer School, the mothers are essentially absent. This is now the girls’ story, and theirs alone.
The girls are constantly watching their backs and questioning the intentions of everyone around them, but have also toughened up and learned to lean on each other. It’s a refreshing expansion of what Original Sin had built–while the 1st season was tasked with providing exposition and introducing us to each character, Summer School settles in quickly and gives the characters much more breathing room. One of my critiques of Original Sin was that it felt like we didn’t get enough time with Mouse (Malia Pyles), Noa (Maia Reficco), and Faran (Zaria). We were treated to a lot of focus on Imogen (Bailee Madison) and Tabby (Chandler Kinney), who acted as the main duo of the group in that season while the others were a bit more on the backburner. Summer School quickly rectifies this: each of the main cast are given more time in the spotlight and come across as more dynamic characters as a result.
On the flipside, the pacing doesn’t feel quite as tight as the previous season. In the scenes where Bloody Rose is wreaking havoc on her chosen liar, the tension is palpable and gripping. But at times, the tension is weighed down by scenes that heavily detract from the main plot. I couldn’t help but think at times during the five episodes that I’ve watched that Mouse was the only character trying to get to the bottom of who Bloody Rose is while the focus of every other character was spending multiple scenes cozying up with their romantic interest. Romance is obviously an important facet of a summer slasher vibe, but more often than not I found my attention span wandering as the romance subplots seemed to take precedence over the murderer that was stalking the characters. Original Sin was effective at maintaining focus while knowing when to pump the brakes, while Summer School feels a bit bogged down at times.
Despite this, the mystery surrounding Bloody Rose has sunk its hook in me. Without spoiling too much, she clearly has some sort of vendetta against the liars that’s causing her to torture the group in a way specific to each of them. The introduction of a handful of new characters has me constantly rearranging my suspect list–by episode 5, I found that my main suspect up until that point had fallen completely off my radar of who the one stalking the girls could be. The essence of Pretty Little Liars has always been the audience’s participation in identifying clues throughout the show that indicate who the culprit is, and Summer School succeeds in beckoning you to do so episode by episode.
I’m also eager to see how a couple of subplots, specifically one that hints at religious fanaticism and the occult, will end up tying into the larger picture as well. Kelly Beasley (Mallory Bechtel) is a standout character–the unofficial 6th member of the main group, she’s undergone an intense character transformation and seems to be harboring some of the most complex secrets of the cast that I’m excited to see revealed. The predatory movie theater manager, Wes (Derek Klena), has also returned with seemingly nefarious ulterior motives, and it’s satisfying to see Tabby disillusioned with his friendly persona and butt heads with him.
While I don’t think the first five episodes pack as much of a punch as Original Sin, Summer School straddles the volatile line of a worthy slasher sequel for the most part. The characters feel like real teenagers (albeit with some clunky Gen-Z slang sprinkled in here and there); they’re fallible, act rashly, and make mistakes, and are endearing as a result. It’s a testament to the cast’s ability to embody final girls that are easy to root for, and I’ll be intently staying tuned to see how the mystery of Bloody Rose unfolds.
The first 2 episodes of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School will debut on Thursday, May 9, streaming on Max, with a new episode premiering weekly until June 20.
