| This article is about the Original Sin alias. You may be looking for the Pretty Little Liars characters A, Big A, or Uber A. |
| This article contains information regarding sexual assault, suicide, and self-harm. Reader discretion is advised. |
| “ | Punish... the guilty. | ” |
— A's first spoken words
| ||
A is the main antagonist in the first season of the television series, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. It is an alias used by an anonymous stalker to torment, blackmail, and harass their victims. A targets the Little Liars to make them pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago, as well as their own.
After kidnapping The Little Liars and their mothers for the trial, A revealed his identity as the secret son of Rose Waters and Marshall Clanton. He aligned himself with his estranged father to avenge the death of his sister Angela. They worked together to carry out their crimes as A.
Personality
In contrast to the proprietors of the A moniker in the past who chose to scheme in the shadows, this new A isn't afraid to stalk and terrify his targets in broad daylight or in crowded rooms where he can easily be spotted by a wandering eye. This demonstrates a bold if not reckless aspect to his personality as it relates to his obsessive determination to wreak havoc on the Little Liars' lives to what he sees as just retribution.
His main motivation is driven by an insatiable urge to avenge Angela Waters, a lonely teen girl who committed suicide under unclear reasons twenty-two years ago and believes himself to be the ultimate arbiter of the extreme justice he believes is right. For this reason, he not just views the Little Liars' mothers as the guilty party for Angela's death but also extends the mistakes and errors the Little Liars have committed to the same degree of culpability. Thus, he commences his reign of terror and death, obsessed with his deranged thoughts of vengeance.
Appearances and Disguises
Unlike his predecessors who chose an indistinct all-black hooded ensemble, this new A prefers a far more dramatic, sinister-looking appearance. His choice of clothing is a dirtied and worn pair of striped cotton coveralls of a dull light blue color, with brown work gloves. His most distinctive, unsettling feature is his patched-up, burlap mask with strands of dirty blonde hair attached, as well as stitches in the shape of the letter A through the slits of the eyes and the middle of the face. On Halloween night, A altered his appearance to that of a jack-o-lantern with a pumpkin mask. This mask previously belonged to Angela Waters in 1999. When attacking Kelly Beasley, he wore an elaborate Prince Siegfried costume from the school production of Swan Lake.
Series
Season 1
In "Chapter One: Spirit Week",Karen Beasley visits the Adams House with a letter addressed to Davie, the a in her name red. Davie opens the letter to find a flyer for the rave that occurred 22 years prior, to her utter shock. Imogen notices her mother’s discomfort, but Davie brushes it off and tells the girls to head upstairs. As they leave, Davie flips the flyer and reads the message. “GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN. YOU CAN’T IGNORE THE PAST FOREVER. THE COUNTDOWN IS ON.” Later that evening, Imogen and Karen leave her bedroom to find water running down the hallway. They find the source in a bathroom, where Davie is dead in a tub overflowing with bloody water, the letter “A” drawn in red ichor on the wall. Karen screams in horror as Imogen gasps.
A month later, on Monday, September 28th, at school, Noa gets a text from an unknown number reading, “Don’t do the crime if you don’t do the time.” Noa texts back demanding who it is and receives the reply; “Your conscience”. She looks around but dismisses the messages. Tabby also gets a text reading, “What’s your favorite scary movie?” Tabby texts back who it is, and the unknown messenger follows up with “Peeping Tom”. Tabby isn’t the only one accosted. In literature class, Imogen receives a text. “Look at the window.” She does and is shocked at the ghastly sight of a figure wearing a burlap mask and coveralls. The teacher calls her name, and Imogen asks what the question was to the class’s laughter. She looks at the window again to see the figure gone. Elsewhere, Mouse is gaming at the computer lab when she too receives a text. “Can Minnie Mouse come out to play? xoxo Mickey”. Unnerved, she checks the mostly empty hallways before blocking the caller. As she leaves ballet class, Faran hears her phone ring. The text reads, “You’re going to slay as the Black Swan.” She looks around to see everyone on their phone and asks who it is. “Your No. 1 fan” is their answer.
After school, Noa goes to community service to clean up trash. She senses she's being watch and turns to see a figure in the abandoned building behind her. The figure, wearing a burlap mask and coveralls, is watching her and is unnerving. Noa stares for a moment then throws her stick to the ground and proclaims that she's going to report his ass. She runs to report it to the Sheriff.
On Tuesday, late at night at Millwood High, Jesse the janitor calls out a figure walking with purpose into the school. He follows the figure into an offshoot building, where he finds a table with littered with objects - bottles, a teddy bear, duct tape, an empty urine bottle, ballet slippers, “NO!” scrawled over Karen’s flyers, and a live mouse. The creeper opens the door with a creak. Jesse demands to know what this is and decides to call the sheriff. Upon hearing that, the figure suddenly bolts towards him, grabs a knife and cleanly slices Jesse’s throat. The janitor collapses backward. His screams echo into the night as he is stabbed.
Imogen and Tabby arrive at school on Wednesday, to find Karen’s posters defaced and replaced with ones supporting Imogen, with the second “A” in her last name highlighted in red. The girls immediately blame Karen for it, and the principal calls them to his office now. In science lab, Sandy asks Karen for a pen, the latter who reaches into her bags and comes up with her fingers wet with blood. She screams and kicks her bag forward, the contents dropping out on the floor. A bloody, dead mouse glistens on the floor. Mouse is confronted by her computer science teacher, who says the principal wants to see her about Karen finding a dead mouse in her bag. Nurse Simmons says she found traces of cannabis in Noa’s system, who denies it. Instead of telling Sheriff Beasley, she contacts her mother. In ballet class, Karen screams in pain - her ballet shoes have been filled with razor blades. She accuses Faran, who professes her innocence. The five accused girls end up in detention together, where they deduce that Karen framed them all by committing those acts against herself. As such, the girls decide to get revenge.
In "Chapter Two: The Spirit Queen", after detention, as each of the girls sits in their rooms, they receive messages from an unknown number with videos attached. Mouse's video is of a rat dying of asphyxiation, Faran's shows A putting a razor blade in a ballerina shoe, and Noa's is of a teapot pouring urine into a sample cup. Imogen asks Tabby if she's watching the video, though the girl is unaware there's a video. They play it to see a gloved person stabbing holes in Karen's campaign posters. All five girls video chat to discuss the videos. Faran knows Karen doesn't want them to explain as it's all a mindfuck anyway. Minnie suggests calling the cops, though Faran points out that's Karen's dad. Tabby rudely dismisses the idea. Imogen thinks Karen's only doing this because she's insecure, toxic, and not a good person. Minnie emotionally describes the innocent animal's excruciating, slow death. Anyone who can do that is a horrible human being. Faran adds that she's also racist, homophobic, and privileged, and she's going to keep being those things for the rights of high school. They have to take her down. Tabby has an idea for the video, and they all agree to go along with it. Tabby mutes the group to ask Imogen how she feels. Imogen is in if Tabby is.
On Thursday, October 1st, the girls plan to release the embarrassing video of Karen before a double feature at The Orpheum. That night, A attends the double feature, spying on the crowd from behind a hole in the wall. After the incident, Imogen meets with Karen in the graveyard by her old house. The girls fail to reach a peaceful conclusion, so Imogen leaves after Karen calls her "goddamn bitch". Off in the distance, behind a set of gravestones, A watches the scene unfold.
Saturday is the night of the Spirit Week Dance, and the Little Liars happily prepare as the Beasley twins plot their own revenge against Imogen - Carrie style. A walks to the high school and pulls open the back door. As Imogen accepts her crown as Spirit Queen, the Little Liars try to catch her attention to point out Karen, who is peeking out from behind the rafters with a jug of red paint. Imogen turns to look up at the balcony. She sees a man approach Karen wearing a full-body suit - it's A. Karen starts to look behind her but it's too late, A has ahold of her. He wrestles with her for a moment before pushing her over the balcony. Karen falls to her death with a loud squishing noise on the stage below. The partygoers begin to scream and run in different directions. Imogen stands still, too dazed to move. A pool of blood inches closer to her shoes. The Little Liars all get texts at the same time. It ominously says that one bully is down, but there are five more to go. Keep quiet about him, or they will all be next. The message is signed with -A. Imogen looks up to see A looking over the balcony at her. Karen's dead body lays on the stage, blood seeping out of her face as her eyes stare blankly ahead.
A group of students gets high outside when the rest of the student body flees, screaming and crying. A boy deviates from the group and bumps right into A. He asks who the fuck the guy is supposed to be, but his empty stare scares the boy away. The masked assailant turns and walks into the darkness, a crimson red A carved on his mask.
In "Chapter Three: Aftermath", a stunned Imogen is urged by Tabby to run as the crowd disperses - Kelly runs to her sister as Greg is left in shambles. The girls stagger to the hallway, traumatized at seeing Karen’s death. Faran urges her to say what she witnessed - while they all saw Karen in the rafters, she saw a masked man who murdered her. The girls realize they’ve all seen the figure and connect A’s text to the figure.
On a video call, Imogen wonders if they should tell Karen’s dad but the girls disagree, as “A” ordered to keep their mouths shut. Imogen realizes that perhaps Karen didn’t frame them but “A” did for the girls to go after her. Faran is firm in her belief that Karen was a bully who had it coming, and the police finding the bucket up in the rafters will be proof enough. Imogen counters that its fine for them but she knows Karen was pushed by “A”, which is all the more reason to keep quiet and do what “A” asks. The girls bid each other goodnight.
Imogen finds solace with Tabby in her bedroom, and confesses when her mother died, she wrote the letter “A” in her blood. She also points out the letter her mother received with the red “A” on it and now with Karen’s death, Imogen is determined to find out how the 1999 party is connected to everything.
The following Monday, Millwood High School hosts a memorial service for Karen. The girls sit awkwardly as they hear the speech, failing to notice “A” lurking underneath the bleachers. “A” reaches out to grab Imogen’s feet, but she luckily moves in time to run to the bathroom.
On Tuesday, Imogen investigates the events of Y2K, eventually finding the location of the rave from that night where Angela Waters died. Imogen steps off the bus towards an old harbor warehouse, the site of the tragedy twenty-two years ago. She approaches the front door, finding the message “Abandon all hope ye who enters here” in capital red letters. She enters, finding an aged memorial shrine to Angela. The doors close behind her, sending her into a frightful start. Curious, she picks up an old copy of “The Scarlet Letter,” finding that Angela Waters took it out multiple times. Imogen takes out her phone to take a picture, but a screech outside sends her running to cover. She takes shelter inside a forgotten van, just as “A” enters the warehouse. A mouse begins to crawl up her leg, causing her to almost scream. “A” slowly steps toward the van, and the moment he’s about to pear in, a man’s dog barks from outside. “A” storms off, leaving Imogen with the opportunity to escape.
Later, Imogen explains to the girls what happened twenty-two years ago, explaining no one discovered Angela’s body until days later. Tabby is shocked no one called the police, but Imogen continues telling her of her encounters at the warehouse, specifically “A”. Her phone rings, scaring the girls. Imogen sees a text from Kelly, inviting her to Karen’s funeral.
The next day, Wednesday, Noa holds court with Faran and Mouse in the bathroom, with the other two girls confused why Tabby and Imogen aren’t there. Faran questions Noa why she didn’t invite the two. Noa begins to explain that at the disciplinary hearing, they should pin the blame on Imogen and Tabby. Mouse is outraged as she doesn’t want to turn on their friends, however Faran is inclined to. Mouse believes “A” is testing them and their loyalty, but Faran reminds her it was all Imogen’s idea and Noa confesses she has a lot more to lose and is more afraid of the Sheriff than “A”.
By Friday, the girls are exonerated of all potential criminal charges with Kelly tells the truth - Karen was in the rafters on purpose, she wasn't bullied to her suicide. The girls are also given a few weeks detention, but their expulsion is lifted. The girls visit Karen's grave and share their last sentiments with their frenemy. Sensing a presence, the girls look behind them and are shocked at the site of “A” sitting in a red van. Mouse stutters and asks if they’re all seeing him. The girls hold each other in fright as the masked creeper looks on.
In "Chapter Four: The (Fe)Male Gaze", a few days later, Marjorie walks through the lobby of Millwood General. She finds a gift bag on her desk with an old, battered bear inside. The bear's shirt reads “Mother of the YeAr" in blue and red glitter. Attached to its arm is a bottle of pills. She flashes back to sitting on a bench outside Millwood High, asking Angela to forgive her for the cigarette ordeal. She even gives Angela a gift to thank her for taking the blame. Inside the bag, is the same teddy bear but with a “Best Friend 4 Ever” t-shirt. In the present, Marjorie shoves the bear back into the bag as Angela's question of them being friend's rings in her ears.
The Little Liars gather in the courtyard after detention. Faran is grateful the ordeal is over. Noa remarks that two weeks in detention is nothing compared to juvie but still, they were all lucky. Mouse asks what they should do now. They all have plans to return to their lives. Faran to Swan Lake and Noa to the track team. Tabby proposes that it's been two weeks without psychotic texts, so maybe A moved on. Mouse asks if they should tell their parents what happened to Karen and them. Imogen doesn't think it's a good idea to tell anyone until they know more about what happened to Angela Waters. No one from her class wants to talk about her, and it's like she's a ghost or urban legend. She still thinks Angela is attached to A, since Angela was connected to their moms, and there has to be a reason A is targeting them. Faran wishes her luck but leaves. Tabby has to go back inside but tells them to go ahead without her.
Imogen goes to her old house. She remembers entering the home with Davie for the first time, eagerly learning that it's all theirs. They happily run upstairs together. Now, Imogen hears a rustling in the basement. She grabs a flashlight from the wall and calls out for anyone who could be there. She begins descending the basement stairs, unaware that A is hiding behind the steps. She looks around the basement and finds a bin of old dolls. She starts to sift through them when she hears commotion outside. She leaves and A emerges from behind the wall.
Later on October 28th, Noa orders pizza from Pinball Pizza and then gets a text from an unknown number, reading:
She never learned her lesson. Mommy was going to throw you under the bus again, just like she did to Angela Waters.
Afterwards, Noa is in her apartment when the pizza delivery guy pages up to her apartment. His car is running so he asks her to come down, instead. She complies and heads down to the side door, where she finds a shattered window and a smashed pizza box on the ground. She heads back up to her apartment. As she reaches the door, she sees A standing in front of her apartment door. She begins to scream and run down the hall, begging for someone to help her. She bangs on apartment doors, but no one listens to her. She reaches the elevator, but it doesn't open in time. She runs back to the balcony entrance, but isn't fast enough to escape A. He grabs her and lifts her up, falling backwards. She tries to escape but he grabs her ankle. She kicks him in the face and runs down the fire escape. She leaps over a railing and sprints to the end of the roof. She looks over her shoulder at A. She sprints to him and slides, turning a second before he can grab her ankle, causing him to fall to the ground. She sprints across the roof and leaps from one rooftop to the other. She turns to face A and screams “fuck you.” She baits him to come and get her, calling him a little bitch. She steps back and her ankle monitor begins to go off. She takes a step forward and it stops. She asks what he wants, and he responds - punish the guilty. She asks who is guilty - her mother. She flashes back to being arrested for Marjorie and finding the pills at A's request. She calls Millwood General Hospital and asks for security, telling them that one of the nurses, Marjorie Olivar, has been stealing drugs from the hospital pharmacy. They should check her purse. She collapses to the group sobbing. A is gone when she looks up.
During lunch, Imogen tells the little liars that she found her mom's journals. It's what they don't say that's interesting. The one from her mom's senior year slowly trickles down and stops. But before that, there are several pages missing. She doesn't understand why a girl would rip out pages from her own diary. The whole point is that it's private. Tabby wonders if there was something so bad, she ripped it out of existence for everyone. Faran thinks maybe the pages are destroyed, but Imogen thinks they could be hidden in her house. Noa walks over, her hair and clothes in disarray. She got her ankle monitor off that morning, but A is back. He came after her in-person in her building. According to the text he sent, it's because of something her mom did to Angela Waters. The Little Liars look at each other in shock.
In "Chapter Five: The Night He Came Home", Imogen is elated that her suspicions about the connection between their mothers and Angela were true, and asks Noa what her mother Marjorie did to her. Noa doesn’t know, but confesses the confrontation with “A”. Faran thinks its getting too dangerous and Mouse wants to tell someone. Imogen disapproves as she’s getting close to the truth while Tabby surmises it isn’t a good idea to disobeying “A”. The two girls believe the missing pages to be about Angela, and make a plan to meet up.
On Halloween, outside of the Adams house, as the crowd pop fireworks out front, “A” watches before heading to the storm cellar doors, opening the lock with a key. He opens the suitcase chest lying on the floor, revealing the contents to be Davie’s childhood memorabilia, pictures of her friends and Angela. He rummages around to find a squished pumpkin head mask, and stands dressed as in his halloween costume.
Imogen stores a new bucket load of cash in her drawer, exhaling in front of a mirror. She steps into a hallway and notices an imposing figure dressed as a scarecrow in front of the bathroom. She angrily tells the asshole to read the sign at the door. The figure approaches until he’s in front of her, before turning left. Imogen is left momentarily startled. Sitting on the stairs, Henry asks if she and Kelly are BFFs. Faran isn’t sure, though Henry points out she’s projecting her feeling for Karen to Kelly. Faran announces she’s letting it go and should be having fun. The two lean forward, and after a moment of hesitation, kiss. Little do they know “A” is watching.
At the party, “A” scans through the room while Imogen receives a call from someone who knew Angela, but can’t hear them due to the noise of the party. Later, Faran comes up behind a tipsy Kelly, asking if she’s having fun. She excitedly affirms. However, Faran quickly confronts her that she saw her with Greg. Kelly tries to explain but Faran goes on that she gaslit her and the school and feels stupid for having felt bad for her. Kelly tells her “Girl, you’re wrong.” Faran points out how she used to call her “girl”, Karen. Kelly lamely says Greg is a friend and it was a moment as they both miss her. Faran admits she thinks she’s Karen, who sent Kelly to do the dirty work up in the rafters. Kelly nervously laughs, calling her spiraling. Faran continues on her tirade, accusing her of pretending to be Kelly. Unbeknownst to them, “A” is listening. Kelly yells if it’s so hard to believe she can be the great dancer, be popular and have the hot boyfriend, if Kelly Beasley can be talented and popular too. Faran confides in her that her life may be in danger, and “Kelly” didn’t fall but was pushed, and that person could now be after her. Kelly warns her to never talk to her again.
Mouse heads to the snack table, attracting Tyler’s attention. He asks if she’s alone, and if she wants to see a certain part of him. Mouse is grosses out and sees Tyler leave to get a drink. Noa and Faran gleefully hugs her hello, but Tyler comes back and sees the opportunity to party. Faran tells him Mouse said no. Tyler calls her to calm down as she had her chance. Noa warns him Shawn will beat him up. Greg comes up to Faran to attest to give Tyler a chance though Faran dismisses him. Tyler encourages Mouse to take a sip, though Tabby comes in at pushes him way. Imogen holds her back, though retorts at Tyler for calling her a bitch. Tabby rants she’s sick of being intimidated of dudes like Tyler who claimed to fuck girls they haven’t. He demands to know her deal, snarking a comment about her period. She screams she’s sick of his misogyny and calls him the worst of the worst. He dismisses her as a “feminazi” and affirms no girl has ever said no to him. Tabby rebounds at Greg, accusing him of breaking their deal about his part in her film. The jocks ridicule her, until Tabby yells out Greg committed an assault. The room becomes quiet as a result. Tyler confirms she wishes he’d touch her. Tabby recounts what could have happened to Karen and Imogen never walked in. Tyler asks if she’s trying to win the angriest Black woman award, earning Faran’s wrath. Tyler insults her a final time, saying they can make they’re own movie and she’ll be begging for it. An insult too big to ignore, Tabby punches Tyler in the face. Her friends can barely hold her bag, though Faran makes a move to smugly tell off Tyler. He runs up the stairs the bathroom, "A” watching.
Tyler finds the bathroom, examining his bloody nose in the mirror. Whispering the words “fucking cunts” under this breath, he grabs rolls of toilet paper to clean his wounds. Deciding to take the moment to relive himself, he suddenly notices “A” staring at him urinating. He tells him to wait his turn “homo”, but A is in no mood for insults. Hearing Tyler call him retarded proves to be the last straw; “A” lunges at him. He pushes him to the corner of the small wall and bangs his head twice on it. Momentarily disoriented, “A” grabs Tyler by the throat with both hands and drags him next to the bathtub. Tyler struggles to fight back, but “A” manages to wrap the shower curtain around Tyler’s head and finally holds him by the throat, a foot off the ground. His screams are muffled as Tyler dies by asphyxiation. His limp body falls to the bathtub.
Noa also notices there was no “A” at the party at all, and Faran sarcastically saying he probably went trick-or-treating. As the girls go inside to break up the party, as “A” comes up from the cellar stairs with Tyler’s wrapped body, depositing it on the back of his van.
In "Chapter Six: Scars", Corey walks to her cubicle where she finds a red box addressed to her. She opens it to find a tattoo gun that is seeping red liquid. She picks up the card as she trembles. The message inside clearly states:
SOME SCARS YOU SEE SOME YOU DON'T BUT THEY ALL HURT.
The message references Corey abandoning Angela at a tattoo parlor after lying that all the girls would get their first initials on their shoulders.
Meanwhile, Imogen and Tabby tell the girls that Mr. England - aka Crazy Jo - confirmed what they suspected about their moms being connected to Angela Waters, which might be why A is targeting them. Therefore, if they can find out what happened between Angela and their moms they might figure out who A is. They drive to Rosewood to learn more about Rose Waters, who was institutionalized at the Radley Sanitarium.
Back in Millwood, Kelly stretches on the stage when she gets a text from an unknown person asking if she's Kelly or Karen. She looks up to see a looming figure dressed in Swan Lake clothing. She assumes the figure is Henry, and notices he's holding a butcher knife. She jumps off the stage and flees from him down the aisle. He swings the knife at her and she falls to the ground to avoid it. She throws a chair at him but he deflects it with ease. She runs to the auditorium door which is locked, all while screaming for help. She bangs on the door screaming for help. She dodges A's stab which goes through the wooden door. She flees back to the stage, knocking over chairs in the process. She jumps onto the stage and crawls away from him. She runs to the door at the bottom of a flight of stairs, only to find that it is also locked. She screams for help then turns to face her attacker, who looms at the top of the staircase. She screams out that she's Kelly, repeating the fact as she slides to the ground sobbing. She covers her eyes and when she looks back up, A is gone. She covers her mouth as she sobs.
Imogen and Tabby meet a former orderly, Eddie Lamb, and learn that five girls visited Rose under the alias "A. Waters". Rose had a psychotic break after her daughter was raped and then killed herself. Imogen and Tabby are taken aback by the revelation of Angela's rape. According to Rose, it was right before she jumped to her death. Once the meeting is over, Tabby learns there are six signatures, and they assume that one belongs to "A".
Faran is in school when she gets a text from an unknown number that reads:
The scars go deeper than you think. Yours and Angela's. Corey did wrong by you both. Check your locker.
Faran opens her locker to find her medical file inside. She reads the page to learn that her doctor advises against surgery. The likelihood of the patient outgrowing their condition is significant enough to delay an invasive corrective procedure. The doctor recommends Faran continue wearing her brace and would like to reevaluate her condition in six months. She flips to the next page to see a doctor's note saying that the patient approved to proceed with spinal fusion on parent's request. She puts the file back in her locker and slams the door shut.
In "Chapter Seven: Carnival of Souls", the Millwood carnival is fast-approaching, with everyone making preparations. Elodie Honrada opens her mail in the pawn store. A letter has her name written on it, Elodie HonrAda. When she opens it, she finds a flyer for the Millwood fall carnival and at the back of the flyer, it writes “MEET ME IN THE HALL OF MIRRORS”. She remembers kissing Angela in the hall of mirrors in 1999. They are caught by Davie and Elodie lies that Angela just attacked her in an unreciprocated kiss. Davie taunts Angela and the girls leave. In the present day, Elodie burns the flier.
Mouse and her boyfriend Ash attend the Millwood Carnival, and explore the Hall of Mirrors. As they gleefully run through the space, Mouse spots A in a reflection. The creeper stalks towards her and she screams, trying to escape the mirrors. She gets turned around and confused by the seemingly endless halls, with Ash trying desperately to help her. He doesn't see the creeper, who rounds a corner as he runs towards them with a knife. Mouse finds an emergency exit and backs through it. The couple escapes unscathed, but deeply rattled. She tells her friends about the event during lunch the next day, and their discussion is interrupted by another text from A. This one simply has a picture of Tyler Marchand's corpse in a freezer.
In "Chapter Eight: Bad Blood", The Little Liars gather in the bathroom of Millwood High. They check the stalls to make sure it's empty. Tabby freaks out over A killing Tyler, with Mouse wanting to go to the police, but Tabby and Imogen refuse. Faran suggests sending the picture of Tyler to the Sheriff anonymously, with Tabby mocking her ignorance over not deducing that A would know where the picture came from. Mouse laments that A has killed two two people, possibly more, though Faran notes that both were bad people. Imogen still thinks that if they can figure out what happened to Angela they can figure out who A is and stop him.
Meanwhile, Sidney steps out of her house when she finds a copy of The Scarlet Letter on her front steps. She opens it to find the library ticket has repeating signatures of A. Waters having checked it out. A note inside reads: SILENCE KILLS. During Thanksgiving, Tabby is sitting in her room when she gets a text from A telling her that "Silence Kills". This confuses her for a moment until she hears Mr. Marchand downstairs, arguing with Sidney. She heads down and he demands that she tell him what she knows about Tyler's disappearance, as she hit him on Halloween. Tabby remembers A's text and lies that she doesn't know what happened to him.
Imogen decides to check out the Waters House to see if she can find Rose Waters. The home is run-down, uncared for, and seemingly abandoned. No one answers, so she opens the unlocked door, cautiously stepping inside to begin her investigation. She calls out but no one answers. She walks through the house, finding newspapers scattered across the floor and the house in disarray. She sees a young girl's bed with ropes tied to the posts. In another room is a metal cage full of straw, a giant metal lock hanging from it. She goes upstairs and becomes scared by A's mask hanging on the wall. She examines it before running down the steps. She runs down to see Joseph England entering. He chases her with a knife and she narrowly escapes, but not before seeing the corpse of who she presumes is Angela on a bed upstairs.
The girls meet at Pinball Pizza and Imogen tells them she's okay as she can be. She thinks that the corpse is probably Angela's. Noa thinks he has to be A. Imogen reveals that the mask was there. Noa says they go and confront the bastard. They find out why he's been doing this to them and their moms. They end it tonight. Faran brings up Imogen being chased by a crazy man with a knife. Noa remarks that it's 5 against 1. Her mom is delivering pizzas and they have a set of butcher knives at home. They head to the Waters House but can't find Joseph or the dead body. They go to the train car to find Joseph hanging from the ceiling. Mouse remarks that he left a note and reluctantly picks it up. It reads, “Angela Waters did not die in vain.” Tabby points out a yearbook on the table and it's Davie's senior yearbook. Faran asks if they can call the police now. Imogen agrees to but only as an anonymous tip, but shouldn't be anywhere near there when they do. The Little Liars quickly leave the train car.
Back at the Haworthe House, Tabby remarks that it's so fucked up and shows Imogen the suicide note compared to the sixth signature. They're a match. Joe, who was in love with Angela, visited Rose Waters and didn't want them to know. Imogen shows her the yearbook where all the mom's faces have been scratched out. He hated them for what they did to Angela and wanted to punish them. Crazy Joe was A. She asks if it could really be that simple. Tabby deduces that based on every horror movie she's ever seen, it never is.
Season 2
In Chapter Eleven: SpookySpaghetti.com, "A" is on the loose from the Millwood Sheriff Station and has taken the lives of at least three people. The manhunt for him begins as the masked creeper ties up his loose ends by slaughtering Madame Giry, Steve Bowers, and a drug dealer. One week later on January 1st, 2023, he visits Angela's grave where the police are waiting for him on a tip from the Liars. He is taken into police custody and put on trial. His six-month long trial ends with him getting the death penalty.
In Chapter Eighteen: Final Exam, news breaks of a prison riot at the Ravenswood Penitentiary where Archie is being held. They reported that among the dead was Archie Waters. The Liars were relieved, but stunned later when during The Reckoning "A" seemingly appeared as an accomplice of Bloody Rose. Tabby knew it couldn't be him and he removed the mask to reveal himself as Wes - a co-conspirator of Bloody Rose. Two weeks after The Reckoning, "A" appeared in Dr. Sullivan's office with his blade. She begged him to tell her if he killed her son or not, but he didn't give honor her dying request before repeatedly plunging a knife into her.
Suspects
Eliminated
| Suspect | Alibi and Notes |
|---|---|
| Wes | Was in his car with Tabby Haworthe when she was first saw “A”. |
| Tom Beasley | Was on the receiving end of a certain pleasurable service when discovered by Noa Olivar, on her way to report being watched by “A”. |
| Shawn Noble | Was attending the Spirit Week Dance when A killed Karen Beasley |
| Greg Mantzoukas | |
| Joseph England | While he hated The Sinners, Joseph died before he committed any known A plots. |
Victims
Millwood Massacre
- Jason - Slit his throat and stabbed him multiple times on September 29th, 2022, because he found A's lair.
- Karen Beasley - Pushed off the rafters at the Spirit Week Dance on October 3rd, 2022, because she was a bully.
- Tyler Marchand - Suffocated with a shower curtain during Imogen's Halloween party on October 31st, 2022.
- Unnamed Deputy - Stabbed on December 25, 2022, because he was guarding Archie's hospital room.
- Tom Beasley - Stabbed in the stomach and chest on December 25, 2022, for sexually assaulting Angela Waters in 1999.
- Chip Langsberry - Stabbed to death on Christmas Eve, because he sexually assaulted Tabby Haworthe and Imogen Adams.
- Madame Giry - Stabbed to death on Christmas Day, because she was Faran's "bully."
- Marjorie's Drug Dealer - Stabbed multiple times in the chest on Christmas Day, because he was Noa's "bully."
- Steve Bowers - Throat slashed on Christmas Day because he was Mouse's "bully."
In Chapter Eleven: SpookySpaghetti.com, a news reporter said there are ten known victims of "A". It's unknown who was counted as a tenth victim. In season 1 Imogen speculated that A could have kill also her mother and Joseph England, but Marshall Clanton admitted that Davie's death was a suicide, and A's involvement in Joseph England's death was never confirmed after the fact.
Other Kills
- Sebastian Sullivan - Stabbed to death in 2018 as revenge for Sebastian's mother not helping Archie or Rose.[3]
- Anne Sullivan - Stabbed to death on July 4, 2023, because she didn’t help him or his mother.
Survivors
- Noa Olivar (Attacked/chased; escaped)
- Kelly Beasley (Attacked; spared)
- Mouse Honrada (Attacked/chased; escaped)
- Ash Romero (Indirectly attacked; escaped)
- Corey Bryant (Kidnapped; escaped)
- Sidney Haworthe (Kidnapped; escaped)
- Elodie Honrada (Kidnapped; escaped)
- Marjorie Olivar (Kidnapped; escaped)
- Imogen Adams (Mercilessly attacked; survived by stabbing him)
A's Lair
- Main article: A's Lair
This lair is the base of operations for A. The lair was once hidden in an abandoned boiler room within Millwood High School, standing adjacent to the main building. He stores souvenirs from the Little Liars, completes his twisted plans, and films his antics from within. A also uses the Adams basement as a secondary lair, though he abandons it when Imogen returns. He moves his lair to his childhood home, where it remained until his capture.
A's Expenses
- Materials needed to make the "Vote Imogen AdAms" posters. (Chapter One: Spirit Week)
- A rat, tank, and vacuum to remove the air from the tank. (Chapter Two: The Spirit Queen)
- Ownership of an old red minivan. (Chapter Three: Aftermath)
- Jack o' Lantern Scarecrow costume without the mask. (Chapter Five: The Night He Came Home)
- A tattoo gun, box, and custom card. (Chapter Six: Scars)
- Freezer large enough for a human body. (Chapter Seven: Carnival of Souls)
- Ticket to the Millwood carnival. (Chapter Seven: Carnival of Souls)
- Equipment needed to exhume Davie's corpse. (Chapter Nine: Dead and Buried)
- Chloroform (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Ownership of a white van. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Dozens of colored candles, tablecloths, duct tape, ropes, card holders, and custom-printed cards. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- A butcher knife for Tabby's test. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Seven syringes of blue liquid, presumed to be drugs. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Four rusted mouse traps. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Second tattoo gun with red ink or blood. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Remake of Davie's tombstone and tongs. (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
- Gun (Chapter Ten: Final Girls)
Trivia
- A’s costume is inspired by masked villains of classic slasher films made during the golden age of horror films, between the late 1970s to the 1990s. Particularly, the costume pays homage to Michael Myers, the main antagonist of the 1978 classic slasher film, Halloween.
- Faran is the only Little Liar who isn't chased or involved in an isolated violent confrontation with A during Season 1.
- Noa was attacked at her apartment building, Mouse in the Hall of Mirrors while accompanied by Ash, Tabby and Imogen at The Orpheum, and most notably, Imogen after The Trial.
- Kelly was attacked before she officially joined the group in "Chapter Six: Scars", because -A believed she was her sister whom he killed.
- It would appear the inspiration of this new “A-Game” stems from the influence of an 1850 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne called The Scarlet Letter, which was referenced Imogen’s first literature class and a book Angela Waters frequently checked out and read.
- The plot starts with the character of Hester Prynne, a young woman pregnant with a child whose paternity is unknown and is sentenced to wear a scarlet “A” for the rest of her life as a sign of her sin. Her quiet dignity allows her to overcome the social stigma and shaming surrounding her, but nonetheless her daughter Pearl grows to be fascinated with the scarlet letter and Heather’s long-lost husband becomes consumed with revenge against her sinning.
- The amount of knowledge this perpetrator possesses regarding the similar years-long affair that occurred in Rosewood, orchestrated by an alias also called “A”, is unknown, as is the extant that the “A-Game” detailed in the parent series influenced this new assailant’s methods of psychological torment and murderous spree.
- Noa Olivar is the first person A talked to face-to-face, marking the first time the usually mute A talks while in disguise.
- A's primary weapon of choice is a knife or blade, preferring the brutal method of stabbing or slitting ones throat.
Quotes
- Main article: A's Messages
Gallery
 A (Original Sin) has a photo gallery. |
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Angela's date of birth is listed on her gravestone in "Chapter Eleven: SpookySpaghetti.com". She and Archie are fraternal twins and share the same birthday.
- ↑ A is at least an inch taller than Tyler Marchand during their altercation in "Chapter Five: The Night He Came Home"; Tyler is 6'2" tall.
- ↑ Dr. Sullivan suspected 'A' as being the killer, though the police officially declared his death a "random act of violence". However, Sebastian's body was posed on tree limbs that made an A, marking him as a victim before the -A tag was known.