Corey Bryant is a recurring character on Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on Max. She is portrayed by Zakiya Young and Kristian Mosley.
She is Faran's mother. Once her marriage to Zeke dissolved, Corey sought greener pastures in Pittsburgh, PA, working as a paralegal, though she tells everyone she's a lawyer. Corey was part of a gang led by Davie Adams.
Biography[]
Corey was born and raised in Millwood, Pennsylvania. She was a popular and beautiful teenager who hung out with the coolest girls in school, including Davie Adams, Elodie Honrada, Marjorie Olivar, and Sidney Haworthe. They "adopted" the town outcast Angela Waters into their friend group, turning her from a loser to a popular girl.
Personality[]
In 1999 as high school senior, like her best friends, she was a "bully" who tormented the outcasts and marginalized people, without knowing the serious damage she was doing. Although at a certain point, she wondered if what she was doing was wrong.
After Angela's suicide, she was traumatized and realizing the wrong she did.
Nowadays, she has changed, leaving her mean girl attitudes behind in the past. But her perfectionist attitude never left, wanting the best for her daughter Faran and forcing her to be perfect.
Physical Appearance[]
Corey is an tall adult woman with chest-length black hair. She has brown eyes and full heart-shaped lips.
Series[]
1999[]
Corey and Angela sit inside The Wicked Pen Tattoo shop. Corey asks for Angela's opinion on fonts for a tattoo. All of the girls will get their first initials on their shoulders. The tattoo artist asks who is going first, with Corey volunteering Angela, assuring the girl that she'll be right behind her. After a while, Angela's first initial is tattooed on her left shoulder. The artist reminds her to take care of it with Vaseline. She looks up to see an empty couch where Corey should be. She nervously stands, calling out for her friend.[1]
On Y2K night, a tear-stricken Angela calls out for Sidney Haworthe and Davie Adams outside a warehouse currently blasting with music for the Y2K celebration. Angela Waters stumbles inside, begging for help to no one’s bother. She finds Sidney and drops to her knees in the middle of the crowd. Through her sobs, she begs Sidney to look at her. Corey also turns her back to Angela. Davie, however, angrily mutters to Sidney that they’ve talked about this already, forcing a conflicted Sidney to join her other friends. Devastated, Angela looks around in pain and notices a ladder nearby. She decided to climb. The rave continues in full swing, and as the countdown begins partygoers suddenly take notice of a silhouette up above. The DJ cuts the music, allowing Angela to scream out to the girls below if they finally see her. Davie yells at her to stop, but Angela raised her arms and steps forward. The crowds disperse with screams of terror, though only five girls stay still. They force themselves to look upon the bloody, gruesome scene before them; Angela’s broken, dead body.[2]
Corey and her friends head to Pinball Pizza after the dance. Sidney bemoans how Angela was in trouble and they ignored her. Davie assures her it wasn’t her fault - Angela was a messed-up girl. Elodie is shocked that everyone left quickly, though Corey snaps what else they were supposed to do. Marjorie asks if they should call an ambulance, but Davie reiterates it is not their fault and someone will find Angela. Sidney probes what happens they do.[3]
Present Day[]
Corey is now a paralegal in Pittsburg, with a daughter sixteen-year-old daughter of her own, Faran Bryant. Faran calls her mother, ecstatic over the news that she's playing the Black Swan in her school production of Swan Lake. Corey is elated for her daughter. Unnerved by the stare of a janitor, Faran reminds her she never goes to her high school events. Though traumatized by the New Year's tragedy, Corey decides to make an exception to Faran's delight.[2]
Faran's school is rocked by the tragic "suicide" of Karen Beasley. Faran and her newfound friends are blamed for the incident as they posted an unappealing video of Karen that allegedly lead the girl to her death. Faran returns home one afternoon soon after the event to find luggage by the door, realizing that her father, Zeke called her mother here. Corey subdues Faran's snappy behavior and demands she tell her everything so she can fix it.
The mothers gather at the Adams house, where Corey sarcastically starts the table talk with no one will win the mother of the year award. Marjorie jokes the situation is dire if the great Corey Bryant comes back to town. Elodie remarks that being in Davie’s house feels wrong, and it is too big of a coincidence their daughters are all involved. Corey is unsurprised as the town and school are small, but agrees they need to support their children through the disciplinary meeting. Sidney adds that the boy, Tyler, should be held accountable and she has his phone. She and Corey discuss logistics on how to approach the principal and sheriff.
Sidney and Corey bring Tyler’s phone to the Sheriff’s office, explaining Tyler’s fault. The Sheriff counteracts that Sidney’s daughter still used it against his daughter, but Corey calls his interrogation of the girl's harassment, calling him by his first name, Tom. Corey questions the lack of other law enforcement in the room, threatening to sue if it was a lie. The lawyer escalates things, but Sidney tries to keep the peace. The Sheriff, however, is adamant their daughters killed his so there is nothing to talk about.
Back at the Bryant House, the Bryant divorcees argue about their next course of actions, until Faran protests the idea of pulling out of Millwood High. Corey tries to convince her there’s more opportunities for her in Pittsburg, but Faran is adamant about not leaving her father. Her father scolds her, but Faran does not want her mother to control her more than as she already does. Mother and daughter face off but decide to wait for Friday’s verdict.
Friday rolls around and the girls and their respective guardians gather in a classroom, Corey advising them to keep quiet and let her do the talking. Principal Clanton arrives, announcing the disciplinary hearing was postponed. He says Kelly Beasley came to him to admit Karen was in the rafters with the intent to harm Imogen and provided evidence. Imogen asks if it was the bucket put the principal refuses to say. He declares the death to be accidental. Sidney asks what it means for their daughters. Principal Clanton says expulsion is no longer an option, but other options are still on in the table.
The relieved mothers dine in joy, happy to accept community service or detention as the verdict and look at their daughters’ table, calling them good girls while remarking they’re sitting at their old booth. Sidney reveals to the women that Imogen said Davie received a flyer of the party in the mail, and that the girls know about Angela. They are shocked, but Sidney assures them she told what everyone assumes to be the truth. The women are once again alleviated but wonder who sent Davie the flyer. Corey believes the incident to be a one-time thing.
That evening, Corey is preparing to leave, saying goodbye to her ex-husband and embracing a farewell embrace from her grateful daughter. Corey advises her daughter to move past this, and reveals she threatened her dance teacher. Faran is now back in class and as the Black Swan. She hugs her mother in joy.[3]
Now back in Pittsburg, 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. She remembers leaving Angela at the tattoo shop and tricking her into the permanent scar. She shoves the box under her desk and moves nervously around in her chair.
Corey returns to Millwood for Faran's play. The Bryant's sit for dinner at Pinball Pizza. Zeke apologizes for not being there, though he's glad her mom was there to represent. Corey is proud of Faran and knew that she was going to be a star when she took her first baby steps. She showed her and everyone, including the Beasley trash, who brought up her scoliosis. Faran tells Zeke that it's just Kelly being Kelly - or Karen, he can take his pick. It did get Corey thinking that now that she's older, they can talk about getting rid of the scar. She found a great doctor in town, though Zeke cuts her off as he doesn't want Faran to have surgery again. She assures him it's just a consultation, but if no one is interested then she'll drop it. Faran thinks it might be a good idea and it wouldn't hurt to hear what the doctor has to say. If he can get rid of it, that would be one less thing for her to worry about, and one last asterisk next to her name. She wouldn't be "Faran Bryant, asterisk, fantastic dancer considering her scoliosis". Zeke will agree if this is what she wants. Corey already made her an appointment for tomorrow morning, remarking that a mother knows best.
On Wednesday, Faran sits in the doctor's office with her mom. She leaves the office to talk to Corey in the waiting room. The doctor said a lot of things but she's not having the surgeries. She emphasizes that it's plural and very invasive. She listened to him go on and on about how grueling this process would be for her and how the pain would be acute, but mostly tolerable. All she could think was if this is what she really wants. If this will finally make her happy. Corey remarks that of course it will. She'll be that much more beautiful and stronger than ever. Faran admits that when she says things like that it makes her feel like she's not beautiful or weak. Corey rebuttals that Faran is beautiful and strong but her scar changes things. Faran cuts her off as she can live with the scar, but wonders why Corey can't. She's all about appearances and thinks she's building Faran up but all she's doing is the opposite. Everything Corey's done has been for her, because they will tear her up. The only person who's torn Faran up is Corey. She asks if her surgery was even necessary. Corey, through clenched teeth, says that it was. The doctor said it was something she had to have, that it couldn't wait. That was then, but this is now, and it's Faran's body and Corey has to be okay with that or not. She doesn't care any more.
Faran learns that Corey lied about her needing the surgery as it wasn't needed at all, but rather, elective because Corey wanted her daughter to be perfect. Corey arrives at Millwood High School and goes to the board and her smile falls as she sees Faran's photo. Her back is to the camera showing her scar, and her bio scathingly reads: "The Mother Wound Against the wishes of my doctors, my father, and myself, my mother chose a surgery for me I didn't need…in an unrelented quest for perfection. Tonight, I dance for all the girls who have been scarred. Inside and out." Corey trembles as she reads it. She runs away and gets into her car with shaking hands. She sobs in her car and struggles with her keys. She gets into a car accident that evening.[1]
Appearances[]
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Season 1 (10/10) |
Season 2 (2/8) |
Trivia[]
- Corey works at Strode, Prescott & Ripley Associations. The name being nods to female final girls in horror franchises.
- Strode being a nod to Laurie Strode, portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis in the Halloween films.
- Prescott being a nod to Sidney Prescott, portrayed by Neve Campbell in the Scream franchise
- Ripley being a nod to Ellen Ripley, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver in the Aliens franchise.