Why the Pretty Little Liars reboot is more feminist than the original series

Developed by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and co-written with Lindsay Calhoon Bring, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin takes up the concept of the original series (itself adapted from the novels The liars signed Sara Shepard): five teenage girls are haunted by a mysterious person who calls himself “A”. They will have to stick together and investigate to discover the motivations and the true face of “A”. The series begins with the return of Imogen (Bailee Madison) to her high school, a pregnant teenager grieving the death of her mother. Isolated and targeted, she makes new friends with several companions, Tabitha, Faran, Minnie and Noa, who will give her power.

Building these friendly ties (in the original series the band was already formed) between these young women of various backgrounds and sexual orientations is one of the strengths of the series. The writers had the good idea to spend more time playing out sorority benefits rather than focusing on female rivalries. We witness scenes that warm the heart, such as hugs between friends, a road trip sisterhood between Imogen and Tabby with a lot Thelma and Luisaor the release of talks about their traumas in this circle Safe. Through its racialized characters, more numerous than in PLL, the series addresses specific topics, such as the relationship of black women with their hair, or the different faces that racism takes on in 2022, through the daily microaggressions suffered by Faran. world of classical dance; or the masculine white school curriculum of Tabby’s film teacher, isolated from any discussion.

School bullying and patriarchal violence

We believe that the Me too and Black Lives Matter social movements have taken place. When pretty Little Liars (aired between 2010 and 2017) focused on its twists and turns, Original sin proposes a more in-depth reflection on harassment and the code of silence. The story of the mothers of heroines (by flashback of his high school years (remember the suicide of Angela Waters, a bullied student) is cleverly connected to that of Imogen and her gang. The burden of secrecy and traumas of mothers fall on daughters. We measure the timeless and pernicious dimension of harassment: yesterday’s victims can become harassers and vice versa. The exploration of mother-daughter bonds, in all their complexity, allows for a form of transmission and reconciliation between these generations of women who sometimes find it difficult to understand each other.

PL: Original Sin tackles violence against women more head-on than the original series. We especially follow the paths of reconstruction of Imogen and Tabby, survivors of rape. Little trust in the police (we understand them), the two friends turn to the brotherhood to find their attacker. The fact that Imogen is pregnant also raises relevant questions at a time when the United States is attacking women’s right to dispose of their bodies.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, a slasher series about sisters

This reboot also corrects one of the strongest criticisms made of the original: the romantic relationship between Arya and her literature teacher, Ezra, aged 15 and 22 respectively in the PLL pilot. In Original sin, Tabby (Chandler Kinney) faces the advances of Wes, her senior boss at the movie theater where she works. This time, there will be no romance of a little diversion. After several uncomfortable situations where she feels pressured, Tabby puts Wes and his toxic behavior in her place.

Aspiring filmmaker Tabby is filming a feminist remake of Psychosis for a school project, in which he reverses the genders of the protagonists. Norman Bates becomes a murderer and the shower scene is shot with a male victim. The series then dissects the male gauze horror movies, where female characters are stripped naked and killed in every possible way. On the contrary, inside Pretty Little Liars: Original Sinwhich belongs to the genus of sharp, the five heroines are tracked down but not reduced to passive victims. They take their destiny into their own hands and when they collide with the patriarchal system, which takes the form of a corrupt sheriff, an intimate abuser or a shameless one, they face adversity together and fight back. “A” better watch out: the series has been renewed for season 2.

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