Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School.
When it was first announced thatPretty Little Liarswould be getting a reboot, a lot of fans and critics alike gasped at the idea. After all, the series isn’t even that old. Is a reboot/spin-off even necessary? But whenPretty Little Liars: Original Sinmade its debut, it quickly became clear thatit was not here to be a carbon copy of its predecessor. Going into its second season, titledSummer School, the show continues to prove that it can stand on its own two feet and entertain all on its own. But even still, some nods to the original show are nothing to complain about, and thoughsome mentions have been misses, overall, we all squeal with delight when we’re reminded of Liars residing in Rosewood. Episode 5 ofSummer Schooljust gave us another great Easter Egg, but it also may be a hint at something much more troubling to come.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
An intense mystery drama that introduces a new generation of characters facing the haunting legacy of their predecessors in Millwood. A group of teenage girls find themselves targeted by “A,” an enigmatic antagonist who knows their darkest secrets and forces them to confront the hidden sins of their parents. As they struggle to uncover the truth and protect each other, the series delves into the complexities of their friendships, the impact of past actions, and the pervasive influence of secrets.
What Happens in Episode 5 of ‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’?
In Episode 5 ofSummer School, the girls begin to suspect that their therapist, Dr. Sullivan (Annabeth Gish), may not be as innocent as they thought. They discover that Rose Waters was a patient of hers at the Radley Sanitarium —which is an Easter Egg in itself. This naturally upsets the girls and their guards immediately go up against Dr. Sullivan, though this is especially difficult for Imogen (Bailee Madison) who has grown to have a more in-depth bond with the doctor than her friends. In hopes of finding answers, specifically as to how their parents found her in the first place, Imogen and Tabby (Chandler Kinney) break into Dr. Sullivan’s office, looking for some sort of incriminating clue. They do find something incriminating, but before they do,they unknowingly reveal a thrilling Easter Egg to us viewers.
As Imogen sifts through the filing cabinet, she finds countless case files of Dr. Sullivan’s past and present patients. As she flips through them we see some familiar names: Spencer Hastings (Troian Bellisario), Aria Montgomery (Lucy Hale), Hanna Marin (Ashley Benson), and Emily Fields (Shay Mitchell). These are the names of the original Liars, from the originalPretty Little Liars, of whichOriginal SinandSummer Schoolare a sequel/reboot to. As any longtime fan of the original series would know, Dr. Sullivan is a crossover character between the series, having had a stint as the original Liar’s therapist in Season 2 of the show. She even treated A for a period of time, and discovered who A was before the Liar’s did. So it does make sense that she has their case files in her office. But the files, coupled with the fact that she’s been recording the sessions of the new Liars,hints that something much more sinister is brewing.
‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’ Takes Too Many Pages From ‘Riverdale’s Handbook
This show shouldn’t go down the same path as The CW series.
This Isn’t Dr. Sullivan’s First Rodeo on ‘Pretty Little Liars’
To truly understand why this Easter Egg is such a huge deal, we must go back to the OG series. The Mothership, if you will. BecauseOriginal Sinis not the first time Dr. Sullivan has helped some pretty little liars work through their A-related traumas. As mentioned, she had treated the previous generation of Liars, and eventreated and discovered the identity of A. So she’s certainly well versed in the troubles this new generation of Liar’s is bringing to her, but it also begs the question, what keeps drawing her to this specific case style? And more importantly, why has she not told the girls that this isn’t the first time she’s seen this exact scenario? You would think her first-hand experience with a similar case would be beneficial to the girls, and would be something she would at least flag to the authorities or someone! Sure, her silence on the matter can be blamed on doctor-patient confidentiality, but surely Rosewood’s A is public knowledge by now, so why not try and lead them in that direction?
Even if her knowledge may not be entirely useful to them specifically, due to the different motives behind both A’s, it could still help them out to know that they aren’t the only ones who have gone through something like this. However,the Millwood A feels a lot more dangerousthan the Rosewood one. Rosewood’s A wasn’t innocent by any means, but they weren’t an outright murderer. Millwood’s A is literally forcing the girls into tests that could very well kill them, or at least weaken them to allow A themselves to kill them. Wouldn’t Dr. Sullivan try and save them? Even if she doesn’t tell them directly, surely she could do something to help. This isn’t her first rodeo, andshe knows firsthand what it’s like to experience the wrath of A.
Dr. Sullivan Is Too Involved With “A” on ‘Pretty Little Liars: Summer School’
Many viewers have theorized that Dr. Sullivan is A, or at least working with A. But whether or not those theories come true, her involvement with both eras of Liars is suspicious either way. And it’s made even more so when the girls confront her about the tape recordings of their sessions. Dr. Sullivan explains to them thatshe’s writing a book about them. Or rather, “adolescent survivors of traumatic events.” Which, given her history with both sets of Liars, feels a little too on the nose to be completely innocent. Even more so considering she’s withholding her knowledge on the situation and is instead utilizing it to write a book.
It also doesn’t help that she has a direct connection to Rose Waters, and she still continues to see the Liars for sessions, even after they confide in her about their attacks. Though it does bring to mind when she was treating the original Liars and their A at the same time. But the difference there was that the girls danced around talking about A for a long time, so Dr. Sullivan didn’t know until it was too late. In this series, she knows from the start thatthe girls were attacked by Rose Waters’ son, and yet she still continues to go on with the sessions. It’s so unethical andputs her high on the list of potential suspects.
Still,this is aPretty Little Liarsshow. And if there’s anything we learned from the original series it’s that everyone is harboring a secret of some kind. So it’s not entirely unbelievable that Dr. Sullivan would be double-crossing the Liars, but it does feel like a bit of a plot hole nonetheless. But, now that the girls know about Dr. Sullivan’s involvement with Rose Waters, maybe they’ll discover her involvement with the original A, and subsequently the original Liars. We did see their case files, and we know these girls like to snoop, so will the girls learn that they’re not the first to be targeted by A? This Easter Egg opens up a plethora of theories, and leaves the potential for the shows to come together more canonically. After all, we already know they take place in the same universe,Original Sinisn’t a complete reboot. So it’s just a matter of time before the girls discover they’re not the only pretty little liars around, and thattheir answers may just lie one town over.
Pretty Little Liars: Summer Schoolis available to stream on Max in the U.S.
