On July 28, HBO Max officially premiered its reboot of the well-loved series “Pretty Little Liars.” The reboot, “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” is directed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (commonly known for being the director of CW’s “Riverdale”) and Lindsay Calhoon Bring.
As television enters its “reboot era” by using nostalgia as its selling point, it’s not a secret that a lot of these shows have subpar writing and acting, as well as mediocre storylines.
However, “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” avoids these issues and is a breath of fresh air in modern television.
The show follows Imogen Adams (Bailee Madison), Tabby Hayworthe (Chandler Kinney), Faran Bryant (Zaria), Noa Olivar (Maia Reficco) and Mouse Honrada (Malia Pyles) who are brought together after becoming the target of an anonymous assailant, “A.”
(left to right): Mouse (Malia Pyles), Faran (Zaria Simone), Imogen (Bailee Madison), Tabby (Chandler Kinney), Noa (Maia Reficco) and her boyfriend, Shawn (Alex Aiono), at their school dance.
Photo courtesy of HBO Max
The main actresses play characters with complex storylines, which is remarkable for a show with only 10 episodes. The cast brings their characters to light in ways that cannot be done by anyone else.
While all the acting on the show is done efficiently, the star of the show is Madison, who plays Imogen.
Madison is a former child actress, starring in memorable roles in some classics such as “The Strangers: Prey at Night” and “The Fosters.” With her film and television resume being as diverse as it is, Madison channels her past acting experiences into playing Imogen, with an indisputable amount of hardships and trauma.
All five girls come from different backgrounds with different personalities, giving a lot of room for viewers to relate to these characters and their stories.
Since the girls come from different aspects of life and do not share common interests and groups at their school, it’s clear from the beginning that in any other circumstance, they would not cross paths.
However, as the relationship they have continues to blossom, they become closer and more trustworthy of each other, which is beautiful to watch.
The girls bond outside the movie theater.
Photo courtesy of HBO Max
The way their friendship is portrayed on screen could not have been done any better, especially when Imogen and Tabby bond over shared traumatic experiences. The characters are able to find light in each other while being presented with the ongoing darkness of constant attacks by A.
“A” is the anonymous assailant.
Photo courtesy of HBO Max
While the plot of the girls being targeted by an unknown character follows the original show, what sets these two shows apart is that in “Original Sin,” the girls are targeted for their mothers’ previous actions and not their own. This presents them with the horrifying question of what exactly their mothers did that was so wrong, and makes them realize their mothers are not who they thought they were.
The show does have a few references to Rosewood, the main setting of “Pretty Little Liars,” and some of its characters, but it is not essential to the plot. As a whole, “Original Sin” does not have anything to do with “Pretty Little Liars,” which is great for those who have no desire to watch the original show.
While “Pretty Little Liars” oftentimes changed plot twists after fans had seemingly figured them out, thus creating more plot holes, “Original Sin” gets straight to the point and easily explains their mysteries. They make an effort to clarify which characters did what and why.
“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” is a great show for those that enjoyed the original “Pretty Little Liars” or are simply looking for a new and fun slasher-like television show with a good story.
