Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin / Characters

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The Little Liars

In General

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Left to right: Faran, Noa, Imogen, Tabby, Mouse

Consummate Liar: Thanks to having to keep their secrets throughout the story:
Imogen: This year has made us very, very good liars.
Dark Secret: Per its predecessor's tradition:
- Imogen: She became pregnant from being raped the night of Karen's party.
- Tabby: She's been filming the boys in the Millwood High locker room to confront the trauma and find any details of her sexual assault.
- Faran: She has scoliosis, which if the American Ballet Theatre learned they wouldn't accept her because of her risk of re-injury.
- Mouse: She pretends to be missing children for their parents.
- Noa: She took the rap for her mother's drug bust which is what got her sent to juvie.
Disappeared Dad: With the notable exceptions of Faran and Mouse, the Liars' fathers aren't present in their lives. Imogen is estranged from her father, who didn't want her growing up in the quarry where he lived and her mother left her in Sidney's legal custody in her will. And then it turns out that Mouse wasn't conceived by a sperm donor, but her mother became a non-bound surrogate for a couple who didn't follow through with it, and it was her father, not a stranger, who was the one who tried "abducting" her when she was little. And when she meets him he wants nothing to do with her.
Final Girl: What with the spin-off having more of a slasher inspiration, promotion materials call the Liars final girls, with Imogen, who drives uncovering the mystery about A and fights for the lives of herself and her friends, in particular called "the final girl".
Five-Man Band: The Little Liars are a group of five girls — Imogen, Tabby, Faran, Mouse, and Noa.
Generation Xerox: The Liars become all friends when they were in high school like their mothers and hold some responsibility over the death of a girl at a dance.
Like Mother, Unlike Daughter: Unlike their mothers in high school who bullied a lonely girl, the Liars are all good girls, with their only bullying being to Karen when it was a frame-up by A.
Lineage Comes from the Father: Gender-Inverted. The girls' conflict with A stems from being the daughters of their mothers. The Liars, with the notable exception of Faran, don't have their fathers present in their lives.
Reimagining the Artifact: The Little Liars of Original Sin are different takes on the "types" of girls amongst the original Liars:
- Imogen and Hanna are the "it girls". Hanna was insecure for being overweight and modeled herself after Alison following her disappearance, succeeding her as the most popular girl in Rosewood High. Imogen tries to own who she is after becoming pregnant and falling out with Karen Beasley^notean Expy of Alison and wants to outdo her by becoming Spirit Queen.
- Tabby and Aria are the "alternatives". Aria was artsy in fashion with a love for old novels. Tabby on the other hand is an aspiring filmmaker who loves horror movies and an advocate for social justice. They both attract older men they share their artistic interests with, but while Ezra's interest in Aria was portrayed sympathetically, Wes's interest in Tabby is clearly predatory and she's uncomfortable with it.
- Faran and Spencer are the "overachievers". Spencer's desire to excel in academics and extracurriculars was due to her demanding, high-class family and rivalry with her older sister. Faran's discipline as a ballerina comes from trying to overcome the industry's racism and wanting to make it out of Millwood. They also have perfectionist mothers who work in law, but Veronica demanded academic excellence from Spencer. Corey, on the other hand, wants her daughter to be beautiful to succeed in ballet, to the point of making her undergo an unnecessary corrective scoliosis surgery.
- Mouse and Mona are the "outsiders". Mona at first was bullied by Alison and later used her intelligence to harass and harm the Liars as A. Mouse, due to a childhood trauma, spends most of her time online but finds the friends she's always wanted in the Liars.
- Noa and Emily are the "jocks". Emily was a shy introvert who seemed like the ideal daughter as a star swimmer with good grades. Noa is a blunt, ironic track athlete who spent the summer in juvenile detention and wears an ankle monitor as a result.
Theme Naming: Their and their mothers' surnames all share the letter A (AdAms, HAyworth, BryAnt, HonrAdA, and OlivAr) to emphasize their connection to "A" and Angela WAters.
True Companions: In spite of Noa and Faran thinking about blaming Imogen and Tabby for the video of Karen, the girls end up resolving to take the blame for it together. They're fully this after spending two weeks in detention together, comforting Imogen when she works out her anger over her mom's death, telling her that she's wrong for saying she has no one and that they're here for her.
Tabby: To quote "Chucky"... "Friends till the end."

Imogen Adams

Portrayed by: Bailee Madison (Teenager), Everly Vilasuso (Child)

A resourceful, pregnant girl who works on learning the truth about A and fights for the lives of herself and the Liars.

Action Girl: In the season one finale she ends up fighting off and stabbing A rendering him unconscious, starting with a pragmatic ambush stabbing. This would normally only qualify her as an Action Survivor, but as does this to a guy who has several inches on her while having contractions and her water break no less make her this.
Best Friend: The closest of the girls to Tabby, living with her after her mom dies. The two go on a trip to Rosewood together and are the first to confide to each other about their sexual assaults.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's a very kind and nurturing girl who was raised by her mom to be good, but also kept a humiliating video of her former best friend after their falling out knowing it could hurt her one day, which she shows to their classmates when she's fed up with her bullying.
Child by Rape: She became pregnant from being raped the night of Karen's party. She kept it secret to not have herself or her baby be associated with the stigma.
Class Princess: Imogen aspires to be this as the school's Spirit Queen after Karen asserts that nobody wants her at Millwood High.
Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Her father lives in the Millwood quarry and thought that wouldn't be a good place to raise a child. And her mother specifically stated in her will that Sidney Haworthe would have legal guardianship of Imogen after her death, believing that she would be taken care of and loved as if she were her own daughter.
Determinator: Of the Liars she's noted to be a true survivor, the one most determined to uncover A and save her friends. It shows when she's fighting for her and her unborn baby's life against A, and she is ferocious.
Expy Imogen is similar to Hanna Marin. Hanna was insecure for being overweight and was friends with Alison (Karen’s Expy) and after Alison went missing Hanna decided to become popular with her old friend and lost weight. Imogen was best friends with Karen and they were the most popular girls in school. However, after Imogen became pregnant and was accused of kissing Greg, Karen’s boyfriend, Karen and Imogen fell out. Imogen then became best friends with someone more quirky and less popular.
Final Girl: Played With. Imogen isn't the final survivor so much as the only one of the Liars who's to be killed by A thanks to her mom being dead and unable to pay for her sins herself. As the Final Girl she's the one who gets chased by and confronts A in her home.
Former Friend of Alpha Bitch: Imogen was popular in Freshman year, being best friends with Karen. However, Karen’s boyfriend Greg made out with Imogen at a party when he was drunk and then when Kelly told her twin sister what happened Greg tried to defend himself by saying Imogen came onto him, but to ignore it because Imogen was drunk. Karen turned most of the school against Imogen after this, labelling her a slut. It doesn’t help that Imogen is revealed to be pregnant, leading to more gossip.
Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Played With. She planned on raising her baby with the help of her mom. But after her death, when asked what she'll do now she has a panic attack and asks the school nurse how to get an abortion, now that her mom is dead and the baby's father won't help. The nurse is sympathetic but because Imogen is six-months pregnant she tells her, who knew abortion wasn't possible at the time but was feeling overwhelmed, to wait three months to give birth and then put the baby up for adoption.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Has blonde hair, she's caring, kind and protective of the Liars.
Hates Their Parent: She has a lot more conflicted feelings about her mom after she commits suicide and Imogen learns about Angela Waters, saying she hates her when using a ouija board to speak to her ghost. After learning about what she did in high school that led to Angela's suicide, Imogen chooses to remember her as the loving mother she knew.
Ironic Name: "Imogen" is a female name that can mean "maiden", an ironic name for a pregnant teenager.
The Leader: Of the Liars as the one who leads the girls to uncover the truth about A and the most driven to do so of them.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Imogen is the warm, approachable mother-to-be Light to Faran's cold, sophisticated ballerina Dark.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Said word for word by Principal Clanton when he tells her that she's going to be Spirit Queen like her mom was after Karen drops out. It ends up having a guilty effect on her as Imogen thinks about how her mom would've disapproved of what she did to Karen if she was still alive.
Maternity Crisis: Imogen begins having contractions as she gets chased by A, and her water breaks while fighting him off at her home.
Orphan's Ordeal: Her dad isn't present and her mom's death at the beginning of the story has her grieving and wanting answers about her death, moving in with the Haworthes, and stressed about her pregnancy now that her mom can't help her raise the baby as originally planned. She works out her anger at her mom for all she put her through and abandoning her when she uses an Ouija Board at her old house with the Liars to try to contact her ghost.
Pink Means Feminine: One of the most feminine of the girls, and wears a lot of pink clothing.
Pregnant Badass: She deserves this title twice over the course of the last 3 episodes of the first season, especially for her final confrontation with an A determined to kill her while Imogen herself even went into labor.
Production Throwback: Her name comes from an "Imogen Smith" mentioned in the second Pretty Little Liars book Flawless, a girl Alison says "should hope she's pregnant".
Rape as Backstory: Like Tabby she was sexually assaulted.
Screaming Warrior: She screams viciously as she fights back and stabs Archie Waters into unconsciousness.
"Shut Up" Kiss: Gives one to Chip while he's talking about how any guy would be lucky to have her, telling him that she likes him too.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Begins crushing on Chip for being a Nice Guy who pretends to be the father of her baby at the adoption agency to support her. Very much no longer the case it's revealed he's her and Tabby's rapist.
Slut-Shaming: On the receiving end of this by Karen for getting seen by Kelly kissing Karen's boyfriend Greg, Greg denying that he initiated it at the party, and ending up pregnant, which is ironic because she became pregnant from rape.
Teen Pregnancy: Imogen, a sixteen-year-old high-schooler, is six-months pregnant at the start of the story. Originally planning to raise the baby with her mother and not expecting any help from the baby's father, after her mom's death she asks the school nurse about getting an abortion, with the nurse telling her that she's too far along and to wait three more months. After A takes her infant simulator for health ed and leaves it in a closet while Imogen has to pee, leaving a note telling her "YOU'RE A BAD MOTHER", she begins to consider putting it up for adoption more and goes to an agency. After giving birth, she plans for her baby girl to be adopted by Aria and Ezra.
Took a Level in Badass: She went from a helpless pregnant girl, after joining the liars, she went full on pregnant Action Girl.
We Used to Be Friends: Was friends with Karen before they had a falling out, with Karen telling Imogen that she doesn't belong in Millwood High. It's because Kelly saw Imogen kissing her boyfriend Greg.
White Male Lead: Gender Flipped. Imogen is the only White woman amongst the Liars and the one in the center of the group in promotional images, the first Liar we meet, and the one with the most screen time.
Wise Beyond Her Years: Imogen is described as this word for word by her actress. She was a lot more headstrong and reckless but became much more mature and responsible after becoming pregnant.
The Woobie: In-Universe. She was the "teen tragedy" of Millwood High after everyone learned she was pregnant and again during the new school year after her mom's death, with Sandy giving her fake sympathy.

Tabby Haworthe

Tabitha "Tabby" Haworthe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_tabby.png

Portrayed by: Chandler Kinney

A movie buff and aspiring filmmaker.

Ambiguously Gay: It's turned out she wasn't attracted to both Chip and Wes, and it feels like she doesn't like Chip the most, and wanted to stay friends with him. But there's some Ho Yay moments and Ship Tease with her and Imogen.
Best Friend: The closest of the girls to Imogen, living with Tabby after her mom dies. The two go on a trip to Rosewood together and are the first to confide to each other about their sexual assaults.
Black and Nerdy: A young Black woman who's also a huge movie geek.
Book Worm: One of her passions is books along with films, going to a bookstore when she and Imogen go on a trip to Rosewood.
Brainy Brunette: Long, curly black hair and she's very knowledgeable regarding cinema and well-educated in social politics. She also comes up with the idea to catch her and Imogen's rapist through the school blood drive.
Expy: Tabby is similar to Aria Montgomery. Aria was creative and had a passion for old novels. Aria is quirky and at one point was a bit of a Goth with pink hair extensions. Tabby is quirky and not the most popular, and has an interest in older movies and novels, especially movies from the 1990s and early 2000s. She’s also an aspiring horror movie director.
- Not only that, but both had relationships with older men. Aria’s was with her handsome English teacher, which was Aria’s best subject. While Tabby was not interested or in a relationship with anyone, her boss Wes at the Orphium (where Tabby works part-time) flirts with Tabby frequently and makes some advances on her, which Tabby is uncomfortable with. However, Aria and her teacher Ezra Fitz are portrayed sympathetically, with Ezra being respectful. The couple even get married. Tabby’s on the other hand is portrayed differently, with Wes being portrayed as a predator.
Fictional Fan, Real Celebrity: She's a huge fan of Jordan Peele's work.
Imagine Spot:
- Has one of the Rosewood High football player and her going on a date and then forcing himself on her in his car due to the trauma from her sexual assault when he asks her out for coffee.
- She has this of her stabbing Wes's hand with her pen with blood gushing out when he talks about these films that depict graphic rape scenes are highly moral as products of their respective times.
Ironic Name: "Tabitha" is an English name that can mean "gracious", ironic for a girl who's fiery against injustice and upfront about her opinions.
Mistaken for Romance: With Chip, who's been crushing on Tabby for three years, by Noa:
Tabby: No, Chip is not my boyfriend. He's more like my gay best friend who happens to be straight.
The Movie Buff: Tabby is an aspiring director with her biggest passion being film that she uses an outlet for expression, with Tabby dropping many horror film references whenever she's talking.
Oblivious to Love: She's not aware that her best friend Chip has liked her for 3 years.
The Peeping Tom: She's been secretly recording the boys in the Millwood High locker room with a mini camera, with A calling her one in a text message. It's to confront the trauma about her sexual assault and to find any detail to trigger a memory.
Psychological Projection: Given that she was sexually assaulted, she is quick to assume that every guy she knows has an ulterior reason and contributed in a way to her humiliation. When Chip tried to finish her movie, she got angry at him and thought he was taking her agency away, when he genuinely tried to help her. Tabby confronts Chip about his rape of her caused this, angrily telling him how if a guy gets near her she imagines the worst because of what he did.
Rape as Backstory: She was sexually assaulted at the bonfire party.
Sexual Extortion: Subverted victim of this. Despite Wes's romantic interest in her, and him holding some power over her in his connection to NYU and his old professors, he never threatens to leverage that against her if he doesn't date her. In fact, the absence of this seems to influence her into believing that he wasn't the person who raped her.
Shipper on Deck: Is fully supportive of Imogen and Chip when Imogen asks if it'd be weird for her, enthusiastically saying she should go to the carnival with him.
Soapbox Sadie: Very knowledgeable in social politics and doesn't hold back on her opinions, making it her mission to fight the system for the underdogs. She's vocal about wanting her film class curriculum to be more inclusive and the sexism in cinema. Tyler being a misogynistic douchebag gets him a broken nose courtesy of Tabby.
Spell My Name With An S: The subtitles of the first episode have her surname as "Hayworth" despite it being spelled "Haworthe" In-Universe.
Trauma Button: Seeing Greg naked with his penis out triggers Tabby's memories of her sexual assault. And she can't talk to a guy flirting with her asking to get coffee without imagining him forcing himself onto her.
Unequal Pairing: Defied. Her manager Wes who's 36^noteHe says he's the same age as Ari Aster is romantically interested in her, offering her rides home from work, saying she's mature for her age, and making her go to a romantic dinner at his place if she wants her flash drive back. Tabby is clearly uncomfortable with his predatory behavior, calls him "manipulative" to Imogen, and leaves his place while he's cooking them dinner once she gets the flash drive.
We Used to Be Friends: Tabby is horrified and disgusted to learn that Chip, who was her best friend, was the one who raped her and Imogen because she didn't want to be with him. After lying to him to get a confession she and Imogen plan on pressing charges.

Faran Bryant

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_faran.png

Portrayed by: Zaria

A driven, disciplined ballerina who deals with the micro-aggressions in the ballet world.

Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Long black hair and a poised, closed-off young woman.
Ballet: Faran is a disciplined ballerina who deals with racism in the ballet world. She decides to take a break from ballet to fully treat her chronic pain from her unnecessary scoliosis surgery.
Big Sister Instinct: After hearing about Kelly’s abuse by her father, she becomes this, going as far to threaten Sheriff Beasley with revealing his corrupt behavior if he doesn’t stop.
Brutal Honesty: She straight up says she doesn't feel guilty at all about leaking the video of Karen while Imogen is guilt-ridden, tells Sheriff Beasley his dead daughter was a bully, and tells Karen she didn't like her at her grave.
Bullying a Dragon: She seems to be the bully but ends up being the dragon. Threatens to blow the whistle on Sheriff Beasley making boys give him sexual favors if he doesn't stop emotionally abusing Kelly and step down as community service leader. It bites her back hard when he gets one of his deputies to arrest Faran's father, though she lives up to her threat, leading to Martha fighting back against him, ultimately proving herself to be the dragon.
Calling the Old Woman Out: Calls out her mom for making her go through with the unnecessary scoliosis surgery that left her with chronic pain and a back scar in her Swan Lake bio. Faran does this again when her mom says she should have said something about her pain, telling Corey that she brought it up dozens of times but she didn't want to hear her and she won't let her poor decisions affect the rest of her life by getting better the right way.
Daddy's Girl: Close to her father, and a reason she chooses to live in Millwood rather than Pittsburgh is because she'd rather live with her dad than her mom.
Deadpan Snarker: She's quite sassy, often making sarcastic comments:
Noa: Maybe one of us should go up there?
Faran: Yeah... maybe you should.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She's noted to be closed-off and distrustful, not wanting to trust the Liars at first, but through the drama befriends and learns to rely on them.
Disproportionate Retribution: She believes that Karen's death was this. Despite not liking Karen, she very much is not happy with Karen's death.
Expository Hairstyle Change: Having associated straight hair with beauty and success in ballet, Faran stops straightening her hair after accepting that she will have to take a break from ballet for her recovery, embracing her natural hair and that she can only be the best version of herself which is good enough.
Expy: Faran is similar to Spencer Hastings. Spencer always aims for success to impress her parents high standards, by being very academic, taking all AP classes she can, being on the field hockey team, being class president, and being in the debating club. Faran is a disciplined ballerina who’s mother has high standards, and must always be the best she can be.
- They both also have a Gender-Blender Name, “Spencer” and “Faran” typically being a boy’s name.
The Fashionista: Of all the girls not counting Imogen (who is pregnant and therefore forced to wear comfortable clothes out of necessity), Faran has the most elegant and sophisticated style of clothing and towards the end of the season she also pulls a major change of hairstyle by deciding to stop straightening her hair and instead decides going to school with her natural curly.
Gender-Blender Name: "Faran" is traditionally a boy's name.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: A composed ballerina, she's easily the most elegant and graceful one of the Liars and often seen wearing with colors tending to lilac.
Jerkass to One: On the receiving end of this. Madamie Giry is a harsh ballet teacher as is, but she's especially this to Faran, readily taking Karen's word over hers and having her kicked out of Swan Lake, only takes her back in due to the threat of a lawsuit by Faran's mom, and then gives her role of Black Swan to Kelly after she tells her Faran accused her of actually being Karen. She's finally impressed by Faran after her performance in Swan Lake as Odile, and offers her the part of Giselle next semester.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Faran is the cold, sophisticated ballerina Dark to Imogen's warm, approachable mother-to-be Light.
Lovable Alpha Bitch: She seems to have some shades of it, but despite being a Aloof Dark-Haired Girl, her heart is in the right place for the Liars.
Meaningful Name: "Faran" is an Islamic name that means "advances", fitting as an aspiring ballerina who wants to make it out of Millwood.
Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: She has a long back scar due to her corrective scoliosis surgery, which left her with chronic pain, as a child. Learning the surgery was unnecessary and her mom went through with it anyways makes Faran depict it as a sign of her mom's unrelenting quest for perfection in her bio for Swan Lake.
Pink Means Feminine: She often wears pink and is one of the most feminine Liars in personality and lifestyle.
Prim and Proper Bun: As a poised ballerina she wears this hairstyle during ballet practice and often outside of it, having this updo for the Spirit Week dance.
Rugged Scar: Faran fully embraces the long scar on her back from her corrective scoliosis surgery after learning it was unnecessary and her mother chose it for her due to her perfectionism, calling it the "Mother Wound".
Sherlock Scan: She is very observational at every tiny detail and quick to connect the dots. She is the first one to suspect that Karen is alive, and that the one who got killed was her sister, Kelly, and decides to play along until she is certain. She notices that only Karen used to call her "girl" when Kelly herself calls her suddenly as such, and her cuts on the hand and left foot.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She begins being interested in Henry because of his supportiveness of her and recognition of Faran as a great dancer.

Mouse Honrada

Minnie "Mouse" Honrada

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_mouse.png

Portrayed by: Malia Pyles

A survivor of a childhood trauma who spends most of her time on the internet.

Animal Motifs: Unsurprisingly mice. Her nickname is "Mouse", she uses a mouse emoji to obscure her face on webcam, and she's the smallest of the Liars, the most quiet one, and spends most of her time not outside but online and alone.
The Baby of the Bunch: It's stated that Mouse is the youngest of the Liars. While Imogen, Tabby, Noa and Faran appear to be in their Sophomore year at Millwood High, Mouse seems to be a Freshman, having only started attending Millwood High school a month before the first episode.
Bait-and-Switch: Her online session with her face hidden by a mask make it seem like she's engaging in online/offline underage sex work, but she's really just helping fathers of missing girls live out a fantasy of playing father to her.
Beware the Quiet Ones: The most quiet and introverted of the girls, but when Steve stalks her after their meeting she comes to his workplace and threatens to dox him.
Calling the Old Woman Out: Mouse to her mom after using a burner phone to get her to tell the truth about her attempted kidnapping. After learning it, she calls Elodie out for turning her father into the boogie man when he just wanted to be her dad.
Disappeared Dad: She wasn't conceived by sperm donor but by a man with Elodie who was originally supposed to be a couple's surrogate until she backed out... and it was her father who tried to "abduct" her at the carnival when she was five. When she meets her father he wants nothing to do with her.
Embarrassing Nickname: On the first day of school when she introduced herself as "Mouse" to Karen, she mocked her nickname and called her "Rodent" since.
Expy: In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Malia Pyles compared Mouse to Mona Vanderwaal from the original series, having her tech-savvy, analytical characteristics.
Flipping the Bird: Gives Karen the middle finger after she calls her "Rodent" and mocks her for looking at the Spectrum Club poster.
Friendless Background: Before joining the Liars, she had no friends and was really lonely thanks to her moms isolating her after her childhood trauma.
I Just Want to Have Friends: According to her behind the scenes clip Mouse has always wanted a close group of friends like the Liars, but was unable to due to being isolated by her moms.
Ironic Name: "Honrada" means "honest" in Spanish, ironic for a little liar.
Meaningful Name: In-Universe — her name Minnie and nickname "Mouse" is because of her family's Disney obsession and wanting her to stay a little girl forever.
Only Known by Their Nickname: She's always called Mouse not Minnie, even by her moms.
The Quiet One: Easily the most introverted and quiet of the Liars.
Replacement Goldfish: Acts as this for missing children to strangers she meets online, meeting up with a man named Steve and pretending to be his daughter Rachel for his comfort.
Shrinking Violet: She is very shy and not very comfortable in big crowds, even though she wants to participates in typical teenage events like going out and parties.
Twofer Token Minority: Like Emily Fields before her, Mouse is Asian and queer, seen looking at a poster for joining Millwood High's Spectrum Club for Coming Out Day.

Noa Olivar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_noa.png

Portrayed by: Maia Reficco

A sardonic track star who spent the summer in juvie.

Aborted Arc: She, along with Faran, were hinted to be unloyal to the other Liars with some of their early-episode behavior, but it's quickly dropped and forgotten as the first season progresses and she's depicted as entirely loyal to the other Liars.
Affectionate Nickname: Her mom calls her "Noacita".
Antagonistic Offspring: Downplayed. Noa evidently loves her mom, but after taking the rap for her drug bust only to learn that she's stealing patients' drugs and being chased by A for her sins leads her to report Marjorie to her hospital.
Bring It: To A after outrunning them by leaping from the rooftop of her apartment building:
"FUCK YOU! Why don't you come and get me, you little bitch?"
Can't Hold Her Liquor: She becomes quite drunk after only a few drinks at Imogen's Halloween party.
Deadpan Snarker: She's quite ironic and straightforward.
Mouse: I've never been to a dance... in real life.
Noa: Have you ever done anything in real life?
The Dutiful Daughter: Very loyal to her mom, taking the rap for her drug bust and getting sent to juvie for it because her mom would've lost everything if she was the one caught. Noa turns down a spot on the track team to keep an eye on her mom after she's fired and gets Nurse Simmons to help arrange her mom to get rehired after going to rehab. But when Marjorie refuses after Shawn confronts her, Noa accepts that her mom doesn't want to get better and she can't keep enabling her.
Extremely Protective Child: Noa takes out a baseball bat when Marjorie's dealer is at their apartment, thinking he's harassing her when Marjorie asked him to give her drugs.
Expy: Noa is similar to Emily Fields. Emily is athletic, being on the girls swim team. She’s very talented, aims to do her best while also having fun. Emily’s relationship with her mother Pam is shaken a bit when Emily comes out as a lesbian, due to Pam’s views. Gradually, Emily and Pam get better however. Noa is on the girls track team, and is not only great at running, but also enjoys it and aims to do her best. Noa also has a difficult relationship with her mother Marjorie because Marjorie made Noa take the fall for her during Marjorie’s drug bust.
Fall Guy: Took the fall for her mom's drugs which is what got her sent to juvie.
Grew a Spine: She struggles prioritizing herself at first, taking the fall for her mom who decides what she does while she has her ankle monitor on. After getting the monitor off she becomes much more independent and determined in fighting for what she believes in and defending the people she loves.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Easily the Liar who casually swears the most. If a liar drops the f-bomb, it's probably her.
Meaningful Name: "Noa" is a Hebrew name that means "motion", fitting for a track athlete.
Mistaken for Junkie: Got sent to juvie over the summer for doing drugs and has to take a urine drug test everyday at school. Noa gets framed for using again by A who switches out her urine sample for one with cannabis in it. And she tells Shawn that she's never even used drugs before, Noa got arrested because she took the rap for her mom.
Passionate Sports Girl: Noa is "the athletic girl" of the Liars as a track star. It comes in handy when she leaps across building roofs to get away from A. She turns down a spot on the fall track team to be there for her mom after she's fired but takes it up when Noa accepts that Marjorie doesn't want to get better.
Secret-Keeper: Gets not-so-subtly threatened by Sheriff Beasley to keep secret that she accidentally saw him receiving oral sex from a male minor doing community service with her.
Shipper on Deck: For Mouse and Ash:
"I am so shipping this. 'Mash' needs to be canon."
Tomboy with a Girly Streak: Noa is a blunt, witty track athlete who casually puts her feet and sits on a table and tends to wear athletic wear, but with a fashion-forward edge and she has a big heart.
Tracking Device: She has an ankle monitor on as part of her probation, which would have stopped her from going to the Spirit Week dance if Sheriff Beasley didn't remove it for the night. She no longer has to wear one in Episode Four.
Undying Loyalty: Very loyal to her mom, taking the rap for her drug bust because she had more to lose if she was the one arrested, and her boyfriend Shawn. She eventually develops this for the girls as well.

The Mothers

In General

Ascended Extra: The mothers in the original series were background characters who didn't really factor into the main plot so much. These mothers are effectively a previous generation of Liars and drive half the plot forward.
Broken Pedestal: Become this as the Liars learn that their moms were responsible for Angela Water's death and their secrets are revealed to their daughters.
- Imogen discovers the truth that she didn't know Davie, who she saw as an amazing, loving mother when she was alive, wasn't who she thought she was in the past, and is angry at her for leaving her and to deal with all the bullshit of being a pregnant teenager and A.
- Noa's relationship with her mom worsens after she continues to steal patients' drugs despite having took the fall for her drug bust. When Shawn tells Marjorie that Noa turned down an offer to join the track team to take care of her, Marjorie refuses to go to rehab, with Noa accepting that her mom doesn't want help.
- Faran puts Corey on blast at her ballet recital when she learns that Corey made her undergo surgery, which caused her to have chronic pain for 8 years, to treat her scoliosis for her future ballet career despite her scoliosis being mild and the surgery not recommended by the doctor.
- Mouse is understandably angry to find out her attempted "kidnapping" at the carnival wasn't by a stranger but her own father, with Elodie having been a surrogate for a couple who kept her through not being under an agency, and that he might not have even been trying to abduct her but spend time with her, with Elodie having made her own father a boogie man for Mouse all her life.
Girl Posse: Were one back in high school led by Davie who bullied Angela, with Joseph calling them a "gaggle of she-bitches" for it.
History Repeats: Their secrets regarding their daughters mirror their actions to Angela in high school:
- Marjorie pinned the blame on Angela for smoking on school grounds. She let her daughter take the rap for her drug bust, which got Noa sent to juvie. And she was willing to throw her daughter under the bus again when Sheriff Beasley inspects their apartment for drugs.
- Corey convinced Angela to get a tattoo of her initials, lying to her that the others were also getting them and leaving her at the tattoo parlor by the time she had already gotten it. She also scarred her daughter by making her undergo surgery for her scoliosis for her ballet aspirations despite it being unnecessary, which left Faran with a scar on her back and chronic pain.
- Elodie made Angela think that she liked her and snuck away to kiss her at the Millwood carnival, only for Davie to walk in on them and Elodie accusing Angela of attacking her. Mouse was "abducted" at the carnival by her father, with Elodie making Mouse think that she was almost kidnapped by a stranger all her life until revealing the truth to her at the carnival 10 years later.
- Sidney knew about Angela's rape and did nothing to help her. Because Tabby didn't tell her about her sexual assault, Sidney nearly didn't do anything to help her daughter until Tabby finally shares with her what happened, not wanting to do the same to her own daughter as she did to Angela.
My God, What Have I Done?: All of them collectively felt horrible about causing Angela's suicide, so much so that each of them took the time to visit her mother Rose in Rosewood's Radley Sanitarium, each one signing in under Angela's name.

Davie Adams

Portrayed by: Carly Pope (Adult), Ava DeMary (Teenager)

Imogen's mother and the leader of her popular friend group in high school.

Alpha Bitch: Was one in high school, being the school's Spirit Queen and the leader of her friend group who bullied Angela and intimidated Sidney into not helping her minutes before her suicide. She made her friends and the school "erase" Angela by ignoring her, taking her then-boyfriend Tom Beasley's side after he raped her.
The Atoner: Highly implied that her guilt for what she did to Angela was the trigger for her drastic change from a popular high school girl who mistreated her friends into a loving mother and woman, who even did the soup kitchen charity and has tried in vain many times to apologize to Rose Waters for what she did to her daughter.
Driven to Suicide: Committed suicide in the bathtub after receiving the old invitation to the Y2K party. Imogen suspects it may not have been suicide and wants her corpse exhumed for an autopsy. Principal Clanton confirms that A didn't kill Davie, who struggled with depression before having Imogen.
False Friend: She was never a real friend to Angela, Davie and her popular clique made friends with her only because they felt bad for her family situation.
I Hate Past Me: Implied to be why Davie didn't like Karen and complained to Imogen about why she was her friend. Davie was a mean girl in high school like Karen and her bullying played a big part in Angela Waters's suicide. Not to mention that Davie has behaved the same way Karen did to Imogen in the past when Angela tried to reveal her rape by Tom Beasley to her, blaming the poor girl, bullying her cruelly and turning her into a pariah for the whole school.
Karma Houdini: Principal Clanton shows that he thinks this about Davie's suicide, which is why he decides to order his son Archie (a.k.a. A) to kill Imogen.
Open-Minded Parent: She was fully supportive of her daughter keeping the baby and raising it alongside her.
Pet the Dog: To her credit, Davie did seem genuinely concerned for Angela after learning she was raped. It's only after she says Davie's own then-boyfrend Tom Beasely did it that she switches gears back to her Alpha Bitch mode and chooses him over her.
Plot-Triggering Death: She kill herself in the very first few minutes of the show's start, kicking off the whole storyline about A's identity and why he torments her daughter and the rest of the Liars.
Reformed Bully: As a young girl, Davie had no qualms about mistreating a troubled girl like Angela Waters and dominating her group of friends. In the present, she was a loving and supportive mother who strongly frowned upon Imogen's friendship with individuals like Karen. Imogen chooses to remember her as the loving mother after learning who she was in high school.
Struggling Single Mother: According to Sidney, Davie wasn't doing very well financially shortly before committing suicide.

Sidney Haworthe

Portrayed by: Sharon Leal (Adult), Kirsten Maxwell (Teenager)

Tabby's mother, a real estate agent who takes Imogen into custody after Davie's death.

Mama Bear: Sidney becomes much more protective after learning about Tabby's sexual assault, coming into the Orpheum and accusing Wes of being a predatory rapist.
My Greatest Failure: Her failure to be a better friend to Angela Waters weighs on her, especially not helping Angela after she confided in Sidney about her rape.
My Greatest Second Chance: After learning that Tabby and Imogen were both raped, she works hard not to make the same mistake she made with Angela, and works to get their rapist caught and help them through their trauma.
Parental Substitute: She welcomed Imogen into her home after Davie's death and tries to be a stable and supportive figure for her as much as she is for her daughter Tabby.
Properly Paranoid: She tells her daughter Tabby after learning of her sexual assault that nine times out of ten, a sexual assault victim is assaulted someone she knows. This is not an exaggeration. Statistics show that more than 90% of sexual assault victims who report their assaults knew their assaulter. And Sidney is right, not just about this general fact, but that Tabby already knew the person who raped her. The only thing she got wrong was which person it was, as it wasn't Wes but Chip.
Token Good Teammate: So far she is the only character in her group to have shown some level of empathy towards Angela, at least shortly before she committed suicide. She's also the only one who didn't actually do anything to Angela to bully her, at least not personally. Her confessed sin is her not fully helping Angela with the rape she suffered, which was something carried by all the mothers. She’s also the only living mom that owns up to her mistakes by avoiding her failure, unlike her friends, who commit the same acts done onto Angela, but to their daughters

Corey Bryant

Portrayed by: Zakiya Young (Adult), Kristian Mosley (Teenager)

Faran's mother who works as a paralegal in Pittsburgh.

Amicable Exes: With her ex-husband Zeke, co-parenting Faran together and her staying with him whenever she's in Millwood.
My Beloved Smother: Cory wants Faran to succeed in ballet, and had her in tutus by the age of 6, undergo spinal fusion surgery for her scoliosis, and schedule a consult with a plastic surgeon for her surgical scar. Finding out from A that she didn't need it and the doctors recommended against it has Faran call out Corey in her performance bio, leading her to get into a car accident. Faran takes a break from ballet to treat her chronic pain from the surgery, not wanting her mom's decisions affecting her for the rest of her life.
The Perfectionist: Not towards herself but her daughter, arranging a consult with a plastic surgeon to remove Faran's scar from her corrective scoliosis surgery with Faran confronting her about how Corey makes her feel like she isn't beautiful enough afterwards. And then it's revealed her being this led to her making Faran undergo her surgery as a child, keeping secret that it was unnecessary.

Elodie Honrada

Portrayed by: Lea Salonga (Adult), Emily Bautista (Teenager)

Mouse's mother who is overprotective due to her daughter's childhood trauma.

Affectionate Nickname: Called "Dee" by her wife Shirley.
Crazy-Prepared: She's very protective of her daughter, enough that she can track her location. This pays off when she goes missing from school to Steve who recently lost his daughter when the police found her body in a landfill, and this allows Elodie, Shirley, and Ash find her.
Dirty Coward: As a teenager, she kissed Angela Waters, but when Davie caught them, pretended that it was Angela kissing Elodie against her will.
Improperly Paranoid: Zig-Zagged. She doesn't like Mouse going at home and wants her home by a strict curfew, thanks to being nearly abducted when she was 5 at the carnival. She doesn't want her going to the carnival, worried that the man who tried to take her will do it again. It's because her father was the one who came up to her at the carnival, not a stranger. Shirley kicks Elodie out for being "such a basket case".
My Beloved Smother: Because of Mouse's childhood trauma, her moms don't want her going out and staying out too late and she's never had a close group of friends thanks to being isolated by them. It's revealed that Mouse's trauma is a lie — she wasn't abducted so much as her biological father wanted to spend time with her, with Elodie making him out to be the boogeyman all of Mouse's life.

Marjorie Olivar

Portrayed by: Elena Goode (Adult), Sarah-Anne Martinez (Teenager)

Noa's mother and a nurse at Millwood General.

Dirty Coward: Not only did she let her own daughter take the fall for drugs that were actually hers, but a flashback shows she did the exact same thing to Angela in the past.
Junkie Parent: Has been using drugs for as long as Noa can remember and let her daughter take the rap for her drug bust. She gets angry when Shawn calls her a burden to Noa and refuses to go to rehab, saying she can take care of herself without Noa. She tries detoxing at home but fails. By Christmas time she finally chooses to go to rehab.

Millwood High School

Marshall Clanton

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pll_os_principal_clanton_infobox.jpg

Portrayed by: Robert Stanton (Adult), Nico Kiefer (Teenager)

The stress case principal of Millwood High School.

Big Bad: As the mastermind behind A, he's the hidden main antagonist of Season 1.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Marshall initially appears to be nothing more than a meek and stressed-out principal who's trying his best to do his job. It then turns out he's been having his son (who's none other than A) target the Liars as well as their mothers.
Connected All Along: A is his employee/son Archie, Angela was his daughter, and Rose is his ex-girlfriend along with the mother of their kids.
Evil All Along: He's an unforgiving mastermind hiding in plain sight.
Evil Old Folks: Marshall's in his fifties and the Big Bad of the first season.
Faux Affably Evil: He's disdainfully civil to the Liars and their mothers once his true colors show themselves in "Chapter Ten: Final Girls."
Framing the Guilty Party: He intends to frame Tom—Angela's rapist—for his scheme.
Freudian Excuse: While he was Millwood High's vice principal, he watched his daughter suffer at the hands of Davie's clique before she committed suicide—not to mention his discovery that Tom raped her. Those misfortunes become his motives for masterminding a vengeful scheme against them over two decades after everything went down.
Foreshadowing:
- "Chapter Two: The Spirit Queen"
  - Marshall says "Like Mother, Like Daughter is [his] understanding" to Imogen while congratulating her for becoming the school's Spirit Queen like Davie did. Eight episodes later, he coldly declares "the sins of the mother must fall upon the child" before ordering his son to murder her.
  - A shoves Karen to her death from the rafters while she's trying to pull off a Carrie-style prank on Imogen. He was probably tipped off about the details of the prank by his father once he caught onto it.
  - When the Liars receive a group text right after Karen's murder, A is shown looking down at Imogen while holding onto a metal beam—meaning they couldn't have been the sender. Marshall's nowhere to be seen in the ensuing chaos, so it's likely he sent the text to them.
- "Chapter Three: Aftermath"
  - Tom tells the Liars that Karen's bucket wasn't found in the rafters. Marshall probably had Archie get rid of it to ensure his daughter's rapist turned against the daughters of the Girl Posse who drove her to suicide—making all of their lives even more miserable as part of his revenge.
  - While meeting with the Liars and their mothers, Marshall describes Karen's death as "tragic but accidental." He's lying through his teeth so they don't figure out that he orchestrated her murder.
- "Chapter Seven: Carnival of Souls"
  - Mouse mentions to the Liars how they don't know anything about Angela's father and that it's possible he's still around. Little do they know he's a Millwood resident who happens to be their high school's principal.
- "Chapter Eight: Bad Blood"
  - Believing the proposed content of Tabby's short film to be inappropriate for any class, Marshall explains he can't approve it—adding how he sympathizes with her and wishes "the world were a better, safer place for young women." The sympathy's probably genuine since his daughter Angela was raped by Tom.
- "Chapter Ten: Final Girls"
  - He announces the school's closure until the new year because of the discovery of "significant amounts of lead paint." It's a lie to get the students and staff away—allowing him and Archie to set things up for the Liars to find that night.
Grave Robbing: In "Chapter Nine: Dead and Buried," he and Archie steal Davie's corpse from her grave so they can set up the Secret Test of Character for Imogen seen in the next episode.
Hidden Villain: Unbeknownst to anyone else at first, he's the employer and father of A.
Hostage Situation: "Chapter Ten: Final Girls" sees him helping Archie hold the Liars' mothers and their "bullies" hostage at Millwood High.
Hypocrite: Imogen points out that he's no better than the Liars' mothers were in high school, "erasing" Davie by driving her to suicide just like what happened to Angela.
Info Dump: Once he's outed as the Big Bad, Marshall explains a lot of stuff with expository disquisition. For example, after Elodie voices her surprise at him being Angela's father...
Elodie: How did we not know that you were her father? This doesn't add up...
Marshall: But it does. How about I explain? I grew up in Millwood. I was classmates with Rose Waters—Angela's mother. As teens, we sang in the school choir together. Eventually, she took a liking to me, and after spending some time together... Rose got pregnant with twins. My parents didn't approve. The Waters family needed money, so we paid them off to move to another town—never to return. I stayed in Millwood, became a teacher here, then... eventually vice principal, and that's when Rose Waters came back. She wanted Angela to attend Millwood High. Get a decent education.
Imogen: Just Angela?
Marshall: Rose said she wanted Archie at home with her. That he had a face... only a mother could love. But no one could ever know the truth about our past. Rose understood, and she kept her promise. And I watched my daughter go from class to class... and then... Angela took her own life. Not because of the assault; no, afterwards. Because of something you did. Corey Bryant, Marjorie Olivar, Sidney Haworthe, Elodie Honrada—it's time for the truth!
The Man Behind the Man: He masterminds Archie's crimes and sends several of the A messages to the people they're targeting, but he never dons an "A" disguise himself.
Mercy Lead: Marshall orders Archie to give Imogen a head start before he chases her down and tries to kill her.
Misplaced Retribution: He and his son raise hell in the Liars' lives... all because they're the daughters of Angela's former friends. To them, it doesn't matter that they had nothing to do with her death.
Non-Action Big Bad: Downplayed since Marshall doesn't seem to be good at physical combat, but knows his way around using a gun all the same. Just ask Greg, who he shoots in "Chapter Ten: Final Girls."
Papa Wolf: A very dark variant of this. To avenge his daughter's suicide, Marshall orders his son to harm the women most responsible for her suffering and their daughters as well.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He comes across as this throughout Season 1 until it's viciously subverted with The Reveal of his real personality.
Secret Test of Character: He and his son give one to the Liars in "Chapter Ten: Final Girls" by ordering them to "punish the guilty" through inflicting physical pain on their "bullies." While Imogen recovers the missing pages of Davie's diary from her corpse's mouth, the other Liars refuse to do as they're told—meaning they pass the test.
Sins of Our Fathers: He invokes it on Imogen since Davie committed suicide, instructing Archie to murder her while he holds the other Liars and their mothers at gunpoint.
Straw Misogynist: Tabby implicitly accuses him of being this because he and Archie mostly blame her, her friends, and their respective mothers for Angela's psychological breakdown as well as her suicide... while apparently ignoring Tom's equally important role in it. That's when he brings up Framing the Guilty Party.
Two Dun It: He's working together with Archie to terrorize Millwood.
Walking Spoiler: All these tropes and white spaces make it clear that this supposedly Reasonable Authority Figure isn't who people think he is.
Wham Line: He dishes out a few of these to unveil himself as Archie and Angela's father.
Mouse: What are you doing here?
Marshall: I'm impressed with you girls—truly. You uncovered the identity of the man who... violated my poor Angela.
Tabby: Wait. Your poor Angela?
Marshall: That's right. My daughter. And Archie here... is my son.
Imogen: So A is for Archie... not Angela. Got it.
Wham Shot: When Imogen asks A if he is Angela's brother, Marshall walks onto the stage of the school's auditorium and confirms her suspicions.
Imogen: Okay. We're all here. Now tell us the truth—are you Angela's brother?
Marshall: He is. His name is Archie.
Would Hurt a Child: He doesn't bat an eyelash about his own students dying because of his plan. Karen and Tyler's murders lead back to his machinations, he orders his son to kill Imogen (who's pregnant), he holds the rest of the Liars hostage, and he shoots Greg after he shows up with Kelly in Millwood High's auditorium.

Angela Waters

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pll_os_angela_infobox.jpg

Portrayed by: Gabriella Pizzolo

A lonely Millwood High student whose suicide on New Year's Eve in 1999 was the original sin.

All of the Other Reindeer: Was a social outcast thanks to having a mentally ill mother. It made her want to join Davie's Girl Posse—enduring their gaslighting and humiliation of her in the hopes that they would eventually accept her friendship.
Break the Cutie: After being treated worse than dirt by Davie and her friends along with being raped by Tom, it's no wonder she was so broken by the time of her fateful death.
Disappeared Dad: Her father didn't seem to be present at all. In actuality, Angela would have known him as Vice Principal Clanton—unaware of their connection to each other.
Driven to Suicide: Committed suicide at the Y2K party, asking if people could finally see her seconds before she died. It was due to Davie's then-boyfriend Tom raping Angela, with Millwood High's Alpha Bitch taking his side and influencing their peers into ignoring her.
Embarrassing Tattoo: Less embarrassing and more tragic. Corey deceitfully claimed the Sinners were getting tattoos of their initials to persuade Angela into getting one—all while knowing her mother would hate it.
I Just Want to Have Friends: She just wanted to fit in with Davie and her friends...
In with the In Crowd: ...but unfortunately, it didn't last long.
Overprotective Mom: Rose was this to Angela if her attempt to stop her from going to the Y2K party is anything to go by.
Plot-Triggering Death: Her suicide in 1999 leads to A's terrorization of Millwood over two decades later.
Posthumous Character: She's been dead for almost 23 years when A starts to torment the Liars and the Sinners.
Rape as Drama: Was raped by Tom not too long before she committed suicide at the Y2K party.
Shrinking Violet: Flashbacks to 1999 show that Angela was quite shy.
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She was a kind girl whose loneliness and naivety was taken advantage of, leading to her demise—the titular original sin.

Karen Beasley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_karen.png

Portrayed by: Mallory Bechtel

Millwood High's reigning queen bee who had a falling out with Imogen.

Alpha Bitch: She's Millwood High's reigning queen of mean—a conniving, ambitious girl who always wants to win, putting her into conflict with the Liars. Her bullying of the Liars backfires on her hard when they assume she was the one who got them into trouble and show a debasing video of her at the Orpheum for revenge.
Asshole Victim: She was a homophobic, racist bully who was cruel to the Liars. That said, they try to say some nice words at her grave.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: A very weird case of it that's easy to miss. When Karen's ready to do her revenge prank on Imogen, she looks down with a huge smile. However, when she notices Imogen's annoyed expression turn to sheer horror, Karen realizes that something is very wrong. Her last moment in life before being killed was her believing a silent warning from her former friend, meaning at the end of it all, there was something in her that cared for Imogen.
Beauty Is Bad: She's gorgeous and is not a nice person.
Cruel Cheerleader: She was one, according to the tapes at the Orpheum.
Creepy Twins: She and Kelly are called "evil twins" by Noa. The twins were known for switching places with each other all the time, which makes Faran suspect that Kelly was the one who died and Kelly is actually Karen.
Dies Wide Open: Her eyes are wide open after she's pushed from the rafters by A.
Everybody Loves Blondes: The blonde queen of Millwood High. However, it's made clear that most of her peers would like to see her smug self get knocked down a peg, and her reputation goes down the drain thanks to the Liars—who were fed up with her bullying and assume that she was the one who got them into trouble.
Expy: Of Alison DiLaurentis as the blonde and cruel queen bee of her high school—specifically the books' version of her owing to the fact she's the meaner twin sister.
Freudian Excuse: It's Implied that she has Alpha Bitch and rude behavior because of her father. Her sister Kelly outright believes that this is the case, and at one point openly accuses Tom of abusing Karen into the asshole she became.
Hate Sink: She's a homophobic, racist mean girl who bullies the Liars, with Faran saying that she should have been canceled already.
Jerkass: She's mean, rude and a unpleasant person, and she mistakenly slut shames Imogen for kissing her boyfriend.
Like Father, Like Son: Both she and her father are bullies who love to torture the Liars, but Tom is more of The Sociopath.
Malicious Misnaming: Calls Mouse "Rodent".
Mistaken for Suicidal: Thought to be this after her death from falling off the ceiling beam at the Spirit Week dance which has her father blame the Liars and want them expelled and jailed, with the girls threatened by A to not say anything about them pushing her off. Kelly later clarifies that Karen was on the beams because she wanted to prank Imogen, saving the girls from a disciplinary committee hearing.
Oh, Crap!: Karen is at first smiling when Imogen spots her in the rafters, until she sees the look of pure terror on her face. Her smile vanishes as she realizes that she's not the reason Imogen looks so horrified.
Polar Opposite Twins: With her twin sister Kelly. According to their actress, Karen wears heels while Kelly wears flats, Karen is the star of the family and Kelly keeps the peace, Karen is ambitious and a winner in her eyes with Kelly the sweeter of the twins and overshadowed, thinking she'll never be as beautiful or talented as her twin sister.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Mockingly tells Mouse that everyone already knew she's queer when she's eyeing a Spectrum Club poster, and accuses Faran, a better ballet dancer than her, of only getting the part of the Black Swan because of her race.
Sibling Rivalry: Between Karen and Kelly, with Kelly feeling overshadowed by Karen, who would put Kelly in her place to not get outshined by her.
Theme Twin Naming: The Beasley twins' names both start with K—Karen and Kelly.
We Used to Be Friends: Was friends with Imogen before they had a falling out, with Karen telling Imogen that she doesn't belong in Millwood High. It's because Kelly saw Imogen kissing her boyfriend Greg.

Kelly Beasley

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pllos_kelly.png

Portrayed by: Mallory Bechtel

Karen's twin sister.

Angsty Surviving Twin: After Karen's death, with Kelly blaming herself for it because the prank was her idea. Imogen also consoles her.
Calling the Old Man Out: Towards the end of the first season, she finally musters the courage to call her father out.
Creepy Twins: She and Karen are called "evil twins" by Noa. The twins were known for switching places with each other all the time, which makes Faran suspect that Kelly was the one who died and Kelly is actually Karen.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She slowly becomes this in "Chapter Three: Aftermath," and it's so much so that she tells the disciplinary committee that Karen was in the rafters to prank Imogen, saving the Liars from expulsion.
Expy: She seems to be this for Courtney DiLaurentis of the Pretty Little Liars books as the kinder twin who seems to be struggling to take on the identity and life of the cruelest and most popular twin sister after her disappearance.
Polar Opposite Twins: With Karen. According to their actress, Karen wears heels while Kelly wears flats, Karen is the star of the family while Kelly keeps the peace, and Karen's ambitious as well as a winner in her eyes while Kelly's the sweeter and overshadowed twin—thinking she'll never be as beautiful or talented as her sister.
Self-Harm: Madame Giry reveals to Faran that she engages in this.
Sibling Rivalry: Between Karen and Kelly, with the latter feeling overshadowed by the former—who wouldn't hesitate to "put [Kelly] in her place" so she didn't outshine her.
Sixth Ranger: Becomes this in "Chapter Eight: Bad Blood" when she joins the Liars.
Theme Twin Naming: The Beasley twins' names both start with K—Karen and Kelly.
Took a Level in Kindness: After her sister's death, she slowly becomes a much better person to the point she's the Sixth Ranger of the Liars.

Greg

Portrayed by: Elias Kacavas

Karen's boyfriend before her murder.

Dirty Coward: He's afraid to admit that he kissed Imogen, which caused the end of her friendship with Karen.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Tyler.
Jerk Jock: He's an obnoxious guy who's on Millwood High's football team.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: That being said, while Greg may have done stuff such as kiss Imogen in spite of being Karen's boyfriend at the time, he genuinely cares about Kelly and is concerned when Tyler goes missing. He also listens to Kelly's desperate pleas for his help in "Chapter Ten: Final Girls," going with her to the school's auditorium and taking a bullet from Principal Clanton in the process.
Took a Level in Kindness: He and Kelly are shown to be on better terms with the Liars and their families by the time Christmas rolls around.

Chip Langsberry

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pll_os_chip_infobox.jpg

Portrayed by: Carson Rowland

Tabby's friend who's got an unrequited crush on her.

Amazon Chaser: One reason he likes Imogen is because she's "a badass." Then it's revealed that not only did he only become interested in her because Tabby didn't reciprocate his feelings, but he's their rapist as well.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seemed to be a Nice Guy until The Reveal that he raped Tabby and Imogen.
Did Not Get the Girl: After losing Tabby and Imogen for good, he ended up alone... and then dead courtesy of Archie.
Dogged Nice Guy: To Tabby, who doesn't like him that way, for three years. Chip was definitely far from nice since he raped Imogen after being turned down by Tabby at Karen's party, along with doing the same to Tabby at the bonfire party.
Evil All Along: He was the rapist Imogen and Tabby were looking for.
Gory Discretion Shot: Archie prepares to kill Chip with a butcher knife in the last scene of "Chapter Ten: Final Girls," but it cuts away to the title card before any gory details are seen.
Innocently Insensitive: He doesn't realize that filming the scene with Greg when Tabby left would make her angry because it's meant to be filmed from a female perspective. In hindsight, it probably hinted at what kind of person he really was.
Mistaken for Romance: With Tabby, who he's been crushing on for three years, by Noa.
Tabby: No, Chip is not my boyfriend. He's more like my Gay Best Friend who happens to be straight.
Pretty Boy: His good-guy good looks effectively hides his disturbing obsession with rape and revenge-themed movies and the fact that he raped Imogen and Tabby when they were both drunk.
Serial Rapist: Raped Imogen and Tabby, with neither of them believing him when he says they're his only victims. After he's released on bail in time for Christmas, the girls plan on pressing charges against their rapist—unaware Archie's going to murder him.
Uncertain Doom: Season 1 ends with Archie raising a knife to attack Chip, leaving his fate morbidly uncertain. The series' showrunners confirmed in an interview that he was murdered.

Henry Nelson

Portrayed by: Ben Cook

Faran's ballerino partner.

Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has dirty blonde hair and is genuinely kind.
Mistaken for Gay: Since he's in ballet, and has a slender frame that makes him look more feminine than the athletes, most people assume he's gay. Even Faran did at one point, if her comment about her thinking that he might be straight is any indication.
Nice Guy: He's one of the most nicest guys in the show, and even tries to help Faran with her scoliosis.
Pretty Boy: He is blond, has blue eyes, delicate facial alignments, a slim but very agile build (thanks to the years dedicated to ballet) and Faran and the girls when they talk about him often comment on how cute he is. Even Kelly seems to shows a little attraction towards him.
Satellite Love Interest: He always has screen time with Faran and is her love interest.

Millwood

"A"

"A" (Archie Waters)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f79169fe_3d88_4c3d_9c4b_4c790f603ad8.jpeg

Portrayed by: Travis Patton

"Punish... the guilty."

The primary antagonist of Original Sin, A is an anonymous stalker hellbent on making the Little Liars pay for their mothers' sins over 20 years ago.

Adaptational Villainy: This A is much more violent and vicious than the A's of the original series. He chases, attacks, and kills several people like the slasher villain he is.
Ambiguous Gender: Thanks to wearing a burlap mask and coveralls, this A's gender is initially unknown, but the Liars assume A to be male. In addition, their height, their body shape, and even their voice when you hear them talking to Noa reinforce the feeling they're a man. Marshall reveals A to be Angela's twin brother Archie—and his son as well.
Bad People Abuse Animals: He use a vacuum to asphyxiate a rat while filming the grisly event, put its corpse into Karen's backpack, frame Mouse for it... and send the video of the rat's death to her.
Big Brother Instinct: A seeks revenge against Davie, her friends, Tom, and their daughters for his twin sister Angela's death in 1999.
The Brute: A is not stupid, but much like Leatherface, doesn't really seem to have much personal agency and is more like a loyal attack dog. Marshall implies that A, his son Archie, has some mental handicaps and clearly is the one holding the power in their dynamic.
Bully Hunter: A twisted version of this. He kill Karen and telling the Liars they're next despite them understandably bullying her in retaliation... and A framing her for bullying them at that. A goes on to kill Tyler for being a misogynistic homophobe, Sheriff Beasley for raping Angela, and Chip for raping Imogen as well as Tabby.
Composite Character: His costume is a shout-out to Michael Myers, his huge size and menacing fast walk make him seem like Jason Voorhees, and he has some confirmed physical and implied mental handicaps like Leatherface.
Connected All Along: Angela was his twin sister, Marshall is their father (as well as his employer), and Rose is their mother.
The Dragon: To Principal Clanton, who's also his father.
The Dreaded: The Liars have every right to dread A's presence and what he's up to.
Evil Is Bigger: A is already a huge person, making them look even more intimidating in the presence of the girls who are all of average height.
Freudian Excuse: The events leading up to his twin sister's death motivate his crimes.
Foreshadowing: There are many clues which hint at who he is, why he's targeting the Liars, and what his upbringing was like.
- In "Chapter One: Spirit Week," a janitor named Jason follows A, and it's not long before he finds his main lair in an abandoned boiler room next to Millwood High. He's the son of the school's principal, so his father most likely helped him with setting up the lair and hiding its existence.
- In "Chapter Three: Aftermath," Imogen finds an aging memorial shrine to Angela in the warehouse where she died, only for A to show up. Archie probably made the shrine in memory of his late twin sister.
- In "Chapter Four: The Fe(Male) Gaze," Noa receives a text from A saying Marjorie "was going to throw [her] under the bus again, just like she did to Angela Waters." Archie is Angela's twin brother, and he's not happy about how she was mistreated—with one incident involving Marjorie framing her for smoking on school grounds.
- In "Chapter Five: The Night He Came Home," A opens a chest in the Adams' former residence—their secondary lair—to reveal (among other things) a picture of a boy and a girl playing outside next to a pinned photo of Angela. Archie's the boy, and Angela's the girl.
- In "Chapter Six: Scars," Imogen and Tabby notice that when Angela's mother Rose was a Radley Sanitarium patient, she was visited not just by her daughter's five former friends (who all signed in as "A. Waters"), but by a sixth person as well. Aside from Angela Waters, "A. Waters" can also refer to Archie Waters. He's probably the sixth visitor since Rose is his mother as well.
- In "Chapter Eight: Bad Blood," the Liars deduce that the handwriting for the sixth "A. Waters" signature in an old visitor's log for the Radley Sanitarium matches that of a suicide note supposedly written by Joseph which reads "Angela Waters did not die in vain." The note explains Archie's motive for working with Marshall to target the Liars and their mothers.
- In "Chapter Ten: Final Girls," the Liars find many clues in the Waters' former residence—two sets of height markings on a door frame which are marked "AW," a room with a metal cage that has crayons in it, and a Polaroid picture of two kids in Halloween costumes. Aside from the height markings and the picture revealing Archie's existence, Marshall later explains that Rose wanted their son to stay at home since "he had a face... only a mother could love." This likely indicates she kept Archie in the cage for much of his life and gave him crayons to use while he was in it.
Gender Flip: In terms of general perception. In the original series, A was always assumed to be female. This one is assumed by default to be male. He is.
Given Name Reveal: In "Chapter Ten: Final Girls," A's real name is revealed to be Archie Waters.
Grave Robbing: He and Marshall steal Davie's corpse from her grave in "Chapter Nine: Dead and Buried" so they can set up the Secret Test of Character for Imogen seen in the next episode.
The Heavy: The series' primary focus is A's torment of the Liars. Which is done at the behest of his father, Marshall.
Hostage Situation: In "Chapter Ten: Final Girls," Archie kidnaps the Liars' mothers and their "bullies" before holding them hostage at Millwood High with Marshall's help.
Kick the Dog: Like his counterparts in the original series, this A seems to delightfully bask in making sure the Liars suffer as much as possible.
Knight of Cerebus: The mood in a scene darkens when he show up.
Letter Motif: The Letter A, obviously. Also applies when looking at his name along with his twin sister. Archie and Angela.
Malevolent Masked Men: Unlike previous A's who wore black hoodies, this A wears a patchy burlap mask with stitches that form the letter "A."
Mercy Lead: On Marshall's orders, he gives Imogen a head start before chasing her down and trying to kill her.
Misplaced Retribution: The Liars had nothing to do with Angela's death—not that it stops him and his father from raising hell in their lives.
Never Suicide: In "Chapter Nine: Dead and Buried," it's all but confirmed that A murdered Joseph in the previous episode and staged it as a suicide by hanging (complete with the supposed note) to throw the Liars off.
No-Nonsense Nemesis: Compared to the original show's A that enjoyed tormenting the Liars for kicks, this one is significantly less playful. A's texts are straight-up cruel instead of cruelly playful, and is significantly more of a direct danger.
One-Letter Name: A is only known by their one-letter alias until the Given Name Reveal.
Pay Evil unto Evil: This guy is a twisted murderous Bully Hunter and targets numerous unsavory people.
Secret Test of Character: He and his father give one to the Liars in "Chapter Ten: Final Girls" by ordering them to "punish the guilty" through inflicting physical pain on their "bullies." While Imogen recovers the missing pages of her mother's diary from her corpse's mouth, the other Liars refuse to do as they're told—meaning they pass the test.
Silent Antagonist: Aside from a single line of dialogue, A doesn't say anything when tormenting the Liars.
Smarter Than You Look: He may come off as The Brute and a Dumb Muscle, but while A may largely be following the whims and orders of his father Marshall, A is not an idiot by any means. He's able to escape from police custody at the hospital, kill Tom Beasley on his way out, and track down Chip to his house on his own.
Stalker without a Crush: He follow the Liars around, send them as well as their mothers unwanted messages, keep tabs on them, and threaten their targets—all to make their lives miserable.
Suddenly Speaking: "Chapter Four: The Fe(Male) Gaze" features A talking to Noa—telling her to "punish the guilty," who in that case is "[her] mother." He's cluing her in to how Marjorie's been stealing drugs from Millwood General Hospital's pharmacy.
Two Dun It: He and Marshall are working together to terrorize Millwood.
Walking Spoiler: His true identity and their connections to certain characters make it hard to talk about him in-depth.
Would Hurt a Child: Has no problems killing teens, especially Karen and Tyler. He later tries to kill a pregnant Imogen for her mother's sins on his father's orders—all before murdering Chip in Season 1's last scene.

Tom Beasley

Portrayed by: Eric Johnson

The patriarch of the Beasleys and sheriff of Millwood.

Abusive Parents: Of the emotional variety. He expects Karen to be the best and doesn't accept anything below that, with it no wonder she became an Alpha Bitch. His anger at the dinner table cowers his daughters and meek wife into submission. After Karen's death he tells Kelly she should have been the one to have died, leading her to engage in Self-Harm, and when she finds out he raped Angela Waters he plans on committing murder suicide on his family.
Armored Closet Gay: Solicits oral sex from a male minor whose community service he's supervising and also appears to have sexual encounters with other men when not on duty, despite being a prominent member of his church who raised a homophobic daughter at that. According to his wife, his rape of Angela Waters was mainly to prove something to himself (most likely to convince himself that he is straight).
Asshole Victim: A predator, bully, and horribly emotionally abusive father who planned on killing his wife and daughter and then himself to keep his secret, and he gets stabbed by Martha and after surviving that is killed by A.
Big Jerk on Campus: He was basically this back from high school, and raped Angela Waters.
Break the Haughty: Karen's death makes him much more cruel and furious than he was at first. The subsequent revelation that he had raped Angela Waters starts to spread across town and pushes him over the edge, relegating his wife and Kelly to the house with him and meditating to kill them and then commit suicide.
The Bully: He's the town bully, with his actor describing him as the guy from high school who picked a position of power and takes it out on those around him.
Bullying a Dragon: He acts like he's on the dragon end of this when he's really on the bully side. Faran threatens to out him for soliciting sex from male minors in Community Service if he doesn't stop abusing Kelly. He retaliates by having his father arrested, but she lives up to her threat by outing him to his family, which directly leads to Martha finally biting back at him.
Control Freak: He begins to have this behavior towards Kelly by constantly questioning her about everything she does or wants to do when she leaves the house, culminating in essentially imprisoning both her and Martha in the house until the end of the winter holidays after they spread the details of what he did to Angela in the past.
Dirty Cop: He threatens Noa into keeping quiet about her seeing him with the male minor and tries to convince her to pin the blame for the video of Karen on Imogen and Tabby. After the Liars are no longer blamed for Karen's death, he's intent on riding Noa's ass until the bitter end of her probation, doing an unscheduled drop-in despite never having done one before to ransack her room and bathroom to find any drugs. When Faran threatens to whistleblow his relations with male minors if he doesn't stop verbally abusing Kelly he has his deputy arrest Faran's father.
Dirty Old Man: A middle-aged man with two teenage daughters who gets caught by Noa receiving oral sex from a boy whose community service he's supposed to be supervising.
Disproportionate Retribution: Let's just say that his You Should Have Died Instead response to Kelly's Calling the Old Man Out towards him was unjustifiably cruel and mean.
Drunk with Power: His behavior as the sheriff and his actor's revelations make it clear how much he enjoys exercising his authority over others.
Hate Sink: He's definitely the worst of the series, not only he's a Dirty Cop and an Abusive Dad. He cheated on Davie in the past and cheats on his wife in the present.
It's All About Me: It is quite obvious that although he is capable of some mild form of love, however twisted, towards his family (or at least Karen's), Tom is very self-centered and does not accept that his family puts him in embarrassed or not meet his standards, which leads him to mistreat even Karen herself as well.
Like Father, Like Son: Both he and his daughter Karen are bullies who love to torture the Liars, but Tom is more of The Sociopath.
Papa Wolf: Wants the Liars to be expelled and jailed when he thinks that they caused Karen to commit suicide, stating that he'll do everything in his power to open a criminal investigation on them.
Parental Favoritism: Favors Karen over Kelly for being better than her, telling Kelly that she should have been the one who died and that Karen was the only one in the family who understood him.
Pater Familicide: He comes dangerously close to doing this to Kelly and his wife Martha, threatening Kelly specifically with his sidearm loaded with three bullets. This is Martha's Mama Bear breaking point, and she ensures that he won't do this.
Pet the Dog: Although they are easily overlooked due to his behaviors, he occasionally displays rare moments of kindness; as much as he can't stand his wife, he still stays close to her during her mourning for Karen. He even allowed Noa to go to prom and accepted Imogen's request to exhume Davie's body to perform an autopsy to determine if she really committed suicide.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Not only commits statutory rape by soliciting minors, but raped Angela Waters in high school.
Really Gets Around: Despite his marriage, he indulges into casual encounters with other men and getting blowjobs from underage boys who are doing their Community Service.

Joseph England

Portrayed by: Michael Maize (Adult), Miles McKenzie (Teen)

Better known as "Crazy Joe," he's one of Angela's former classmates.

Evil All Along: Joseph was staying in the Waters' former residence, was somehow connected to A, and tried to murder Imogen when he found her there.
Never Suicide: "Chapter Nine: Dead and Buried" all but confirms A murdered him in the previous episode and staged it as a suicide by hanging (complete with a "suicide note") to throw the Liars off.

Characters / Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

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The Little Liars

Imogen Adams

Portrayed by: Bailee Madison (Teenager), Everly Vilasuso (Child)

Tabitha "Tabby" Haworthe

Portrayed by: Chandler Kinney

Faran Bryant

Portrayed by: Zaria

Minnie "Mouse" Honrada

Portrayed by: Malia Pyles

Noa Olivar

Portrayed by: Maia Reficco

The Mothers

Davie Adams

Portrayed by: Carly Pope (Adult), Ava DeMary (Teenager)

Sidney Haworthe

Portrayed by: Sharon Leal (Adult), Kirsten Maxwell (Teenager)

Corey Bryant

Portrayed by: Zakiya Young (Adult), Kristian Mosley (Teenager)

Elodie Honrada

Portrayed by: Lea Salonga (Adult), Emily Bautista (Teenager)

Marjorie Olivar

Portrayed by: Elena Goode (Adult), Sarah-Anne Martinez (Teenager)

Millwood High School

Marshall Clanton

Portrayed by: Robert Stanton (Adult), Nico Kiefer (Teenager)

Angela Waters

Portrayed by: Gabriella Pizzolo

Karen Beasley

Portrayed by: Mallory Bechtel

Kelly Beasley

Portrayed by: Mallory Bechtel

Greg

Portrayed by: Elias Kacavas

Chip Langsberry

Portrayed by: Carson Rowland

Henry Nelson

Portrayed by: Ben Cook

Millwood

"A" (Archie Waters)

Portrayed by: Travis Patton

Tom Beasley

Portrayed by: Eric Johnson

Joseph England

Portrayed by: Michael Maize (Adult), Miles McKenzie (Teen)

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