| This article is about the TV character. You may be looking for Darren Wilden (Book Character). |
| “ | Either you shut Hanna up, or I will! | ” |
— Detective Wilden to Ashley
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Darren Wilden was a major supporting antagonistic character in the television series Pretty Little Liars on Freeform. He was portrayed by Bryce Johnson.
He was a detective who arrested Hanna for shoplifting, and also later began investigating Ali's murder. He was involved with Ashley Marin. Wilden would often harass Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily in the process of the investigation. He was the first Queen of Hearts and was following orders from somebody else, according to Melissa Hastings. He was also "Beach Hottie" and had sex with Alison, leading the latter to have a pregnancy scare. Wilden was killed by two gunshot wounds soon after the lodge fire by Charlotte DiLaurentis.
Biography
Darren was a former student of Rosewood High who joined the Rosewood Police Department. later making detective after graduation. During his off-time, he was a partier who went on a boat trip to Cape May with a group that included Charlotte DiLaurentis (posing as CeCe Drake), Melissa Hastings, and a 13 year old Alison DiLaurentis. He spent time with Alison and they had an affair as she lied about her real age. This led to a secret pregnancy scare that Alison kept from Wilden, only confiding in CeCe. After the scare, Alison stopped talking to Wilden and only referred to him as a "Beach Hottie" in her diary and to a friend. A year later, Wilden was assigned to Alison's murder.
Personality
Physical Appearance
Series
Season 1
Detective Darren Wilden visits Hanna's house and arrests her for shoplifting. He talks to Ashley when they go to the station, secretly agreeing to an alternative way of dealing with Hanna's crimes. He rushes out with the other officers when Alison's body is found. That night, Darren loudly enters the Marin house...with Ashley. The two kiss wildly. He then climbs the stairs with her, being led to her bedroom. Hanna, who is watching a movie on the couch, stares at them, shocked. She is shushed by her mother.
Wilden then approaches the Liars after Alison's funeral telling them that he'll have to go over all of their statements because he is now dealing with a murder investigation. He tells them that he will find out what happened that summer.
The Jenna Thing
He appears on television discussing Alison's death is first seen on television talking about Alison's death in a press conference. He announces that, while the coroner did find evidence of blunt force head trauma, her cause of death has been ruled suffocation. Hanna apologizes to her mother for the ordeal with Wilden, but Ashley insists it's over with as they both wanted something - and both got it.
Darren visits Rosewood High to question the girls about Alison's disappearance, reviewing their stories with great skepticism that he makes sure to show. The girl's answer unanimously, but he is sure that they are lying all the same, claiming that their story sounds rehearsed. He points out that it's nearly verbatim to what they said a year earlier.
Wilden later arrives at the Marin home with takeout for dinner while Hanna and Sean are studying. Ashley tells Hanna it's time for Sean to leave. Hanna is disturbed to find him still at the house in the morning - and requesting eggs to boot.
That morning, Wilden watches Hanna as she goes shopping in Rosewood Mall with Mona. Hanna walks over to him to tell him to back off; she will pay off her debt for the sunglasses if he will leave her mother alone. He admits to not following her because of the shoplifting. He doesn't care if she was drinking the night Alison went missing, he only cares that she and her "pretty little friends" know killed her. Hanna is confused by the accusation. He quips that while her mom is hot, she's not "hot enough to make that go away."
Darren is seen in the kitchen of the Marin's home. He tells Hanna good morning but she ignores him. Ashley sends him upstairs to put on some clothes while she makes breakfast. He stops to listen to Ashley and Hanna's conversation.
He later appears in Rosewood High School to talk to Hanna. She tries to protest that she has class, but he has already taken care of that. In the office, Darren brings up Hanna's ugly duckling past and the fact that Hanna started to dress more like Alison. Hanna argues that Alison helped her make those changes, but Darren is trying to portray her as the jealous fat girl who bumped off Alison to get ahead. Darren says he needs information about the past, so Hanna brings up his party boy drinking past as a comeback. She then accuses Darren of getting his information from her living room while he was half-naked and walks out.
Later when Hanna is getting ready to go out, Darren asks her if she would like a drop and jokes that he won't use the handcuffs. When Ashley asks him if he's heard whether or not the store is going to press charges he tells her he hasn't heard anything yet. He spots Hanna's friendship bracelet from Alison in her purse and picks it up. He questions Ashley about it. He lets it slip that he interrogated Hanna again that day. Ashley snatches the bracelet and zips up Hanna's purse. She tells him that he'll be having dinner and breakfast somewhere else from now on.
Please, Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone
He makes an appearance at Alison's memorial dedication.
Eventually, even Emily is accused of murdering Alison. Wilden goes so far as to take Emily's purse without a search warrant, endangering the girls lives by separating them from their classmates amidst a hurricane, and interrogating the minors without an adult present. Veronica Hastings blasts Darren for being unprofessional and breaking the law. His actions indirectly cause Emily to be outed in front of her friends. Because of his conduct, Agent Cooper replaces Darren on the case.
Season 2
Veronica tells Spencer that Wilden was suspended after the hurricane, but has been reinstated as head investigator. He catches the girls with the murder weapon (a shovel) and arrests them on suspicion of murder. He seems to be friendly with Garrett because they are on the force together.
Darren gives Ashley a ride home from The Grille after she has one too many martinis there. He seems flirty with her and returns the next day to offer "his assistance." Ashley flatly refuses, and he ominously warns her to watch herself. When Hanna questions his presence, Ashley writes him off as a "horny cop."
When the Liars spot Darren talking to Jenna at the Halloween party, they think that he is dressing up as a cop, but Hanna lets them know that the uniform is real. When they ask her how she knows, she lies that she saw him directing traffic.
Wilden confiscates Caleb's computer and shows Garrett a photo of Hanna, Spencer and Emily breaking into the morgue office. He later brings Hanna and Ashley in to question them about it. He becomes extremely frustrated when the incriminating files mysteriously disappear from Caleb's laptop.
Ashley secretly meeting Darren.
Later, he becomes worried about his "deal" with Ashley being discovered. He meets Ashley in his car to tell her that she has to take Hanna's phone to figure out who gave Hanna the police report. Ashley rejects the possibility but considers it when she is reminded of the issue at hand. Hanna spots the two while walking with Mona and questions her mom about it when they return home.
Season 3
Darren Wilden with Alison and "CeCe"
Wilden is seen talking to the girls. Hanna reveals that they know he was in Cape May the summer Alison went missing. Later in the episode, Hanna and her mom watch as Wilden forces CeCe to get into his car. That evening, he meets Ashley at a restaurant out of town and asks her to keep Hanna's mouth shut. He then follows Ashley's car as she leaves. Wilden threatens her, but Ashley doesn't let herself get intimidated. She goes back to her car and, panicked, she hits Wilden with her car and leaves. Later, she and Hanna go back to find him, but he is gone.
Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
Wilden reappears after being missing, indicating that Ashley did indeed see him in the days prior. When Hanna confronts him about following her, Wilden indicates he will leave her and Ashley alone if she gives him back his car.
Shana and Jenna help Officer Wilden up after he is hit.
The girls come upon his police cruiser which Hanna and Aria had pushed into the lake. His laptop is playing the video of Ashley hitting Wilden with her car, only this time, it plays more footage where Jenna and Shana helped him get up and walk away. The girls notice something is strange with the trunk, open it up and gasp.
Season 4
Dead Wilden
In the trunk is a dead pig - a clear threat to or about Wilden. The next day, the girls drive by and the winds blows - revealing the now dead corpse of Darren Wilden under the sheet. He was shot multiple times and his body was moved from the original crime scene.
Mona shows the girls video footage, trying to convince Aria that she didn't try to kill her, nor was she was one of the two Queen of Hearts. In the video, Wilden removes his mask and reveals himself as one of the masked Queens. The other person in the video isn't seen, though Aria assumes it's Melissa.
Mona overhears the police talking about Torch Lake being cordoned off as a crime scene. They found two sets of footprints, one belonging to Wilden and one belonging to a woman in high heels. Ashley Marin is looking guilty since she is hiding a pair of muddy heels under their kitchen sink. Another piece of information is that Ali was hosting older kids at her parents beach rental in Cape May the summer before she disappeared. The Liars eliminate Wilden as having stayed there since he had a boat and wouldn't have needed a place to crash.
Melissa reveals Wilden is the one who started the fire at The Thornhill Lodge and that he was apparently taking orders from someone. The individual, who the Liars believe is "A", told Wilden kill Aria and Spencer, but when Garrett arrived, Wilden had to kill him first to cover his tracks.
Hanna tries to concoct a story with Mona's help about why she would have killed Wilden in self-defense. During her elaborate stories, Wilden appears in various forms. One in which, Wilden finds his muddy car and sees Hanna. He says Hanna's mom won't be able to get her out of this, and that she's in serious trouble. Hanna whips out the gun, but Wilden doesn't look afraid. He gets angry and kicks the car, saying this is Hanna's fault. Hanna shoots him and he falls to the ground. She shoots him again. Hanna looks up and sees her mother staring at her.
Before Hanna can tell her lie to the police, Caleb stops her, and Mona "confesses" she is the one who murdered Detective Wilden to the police.
Eddie Lamb also mentions to Spencer that Wilden was paid off to lie about the nature of Marion Cavanaugh's death.
A guy named Travis tells Hanna his father and him were at the lake the night Wilden was shot. He said he saw her mother there, but heard the gunshots after she drove away. He said he saw a female running in the woods after the shots. He's scared to tell the cops, but eventually does.
Ashley is declared innocent of Wilden's murder, thanks to Travis's witness statement. The girls watch the news, and it shows the newest murder suspect, who is CeCe Drake.
Season 6
"A" decides to stop playing her game and unmasks herself to the Liars so she can tell her story. She reveals herself as Charlotte DiLaurentis (formerly Cece Drake). She confirms that she really was the person who killed Wilden because he found out Alison was alive, but he was never going to let her come back and tell her story. She also sent The Black Widow to his funeral to make sure he was dead.
Appearances (23/160)
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Season 1 (5/22) |
Season 2 (5/25) |
Season 3 (9/24) |
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Season 4 (2/24) |
Season 6 (2/20)
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Notes and Trivia
- Wilden was written as 25 years old in the "Pilot" script, and he seemingly remains in his mid-late twenties as the series progresses.
- According to Marlene King, on the Halloween train, Wilden was acting on his own when he killed Garrett. Garrett found out he was a dirty cop and Wilden was afraid he'd expose him.[3]
- Actor Bryce Johnson appears as Wilden in Season 7A in a few fantasy sequences.
Quotes
Wilden [about Alison's murder case]: Your mom may be hot, Hanna, but she’s not hot enough to make that go away. |
Wilden: The evidence doesn't lie. |
Wilden [to Spencer]: You used to be a much better liar. |
Wilden [to Ashley]: We need to talk about Hanna. Can you keep Hanna quiet or not? |
Wilden [to Ashley]: I'm not the only one with secrets. You talk I talk. You could lose a lot more than your boyfriend. |
Wilden [to Ashley]: Either you shut Hanna up, or I will! |
Gallery
.jpg "The Jenna Thing (11).jpg (11 KB)")