“ | You know, it's funny. I think if maybe there wasn't a Nolan, we could've been friends. | ” |
— Dylan to Ava and Caitlin
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Dylan Walker[1] is a main character in the television series Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists on Freeform. He is portrayed by Eli Brown.
Dylan is a cello prodigy who used his passion for music to escape his small-minded hometown to attend Beacon Heights University. He quickly became enthralled with Nolan Hotchkiss, a relationship that catapults him into a mystery that will change his life forever.
Biography
Dylan was born in a small town where being "different" was looked down upon. As an out gay kid in this environment, he was subjected to brutal bullying and shamed by his fellow peers. The bullies made him feel like something was wrong with him, and not a single person stood up for him or was on his side. He wanted nothing more than to leave his hometown and go away to college. He fell in love with music, particularly the cello, which became a large part of his life. He was accepted into Beacon Heights University on a music scholarship and moved onto campus shortly after.
Before leaving, he promised he would never get serious about anyone - until he met Andrew. Around the same time that he met Andrew, Dylan also met Nolan Hotchkiss, the prestigious well-liked bad boy of BHU. It was through Nolan that he met the latter's girlfriend, Caitlin Park-Lewis. During his first year of college, he and Andrew decided they wanted to move in together.
One night, before moving in with Andrew, Dylan was hanging out with Nolan when Nolan began coercing him into a romantic situation. During this time, Dylan didn't know whether Nolan and Caitlin were still together. The men made out and then had sex, which Dylan felt awful about due to his commitment and love toward Andrew. Nolan used the events of their affair to manipulate and blackmail Dylan into remaining his "perfect" friend and doing papers for him and Ava. Dylan agreed as he didn't want to lose Andrew, and threw himself into his music hoping to earn a chair on a popular choir to escape the hellscape of BHU. He also moved in with his boyfriend and the pair have remained in a steady relationship ever since.
Personality
Wildly intellectual and protective of those he cares for, Dylan thrives to be the best at his music. He refuses to accept anything less than perfect from himself. He carefully balances his schoolwork (plus the added work of Nolan and Ava's) with cello practice and time with his boyfriend. He has a whimsical way with words and uses them to his advantage in papers and exams, and can hold an intellectual conversation for long periods. He is also protective of his relationship and will do just about anything to save it - even if it means being manipulated.
After the death of Nolan, Dylan gained a piece of his independence back and has since been shown to be very kind-hearted, caring towards people he cares about, and a good soul. When faced with differing circumstances, such as Caitlin being in the hospital or his separation from Andrew, Dylan chooses to see the world through a hopeful lens. Ava pointed out that he is a, "glass-half-full kind of guy". He tries intently not to hurt anyone he cares about. He once admitted to Andrew that his desire to be perfect while playing the cello may stem from the bullying he suffered a child, being convinced something was wrong with him for being gay, which created an innate desire to prove his tormentors wrong.
Physical Appearance
Dylan is a good-looking young man aged 19, with pale skin, warm brown eyes and short curly brown hair. He has a slim yet toned build and is noted to have calloused hands typical of an intense musician like himself. Dylan dresses quite casually compared to his other students, preferring simple shirts paired with denim jackets or jeans. On several occasions, he has been seen wearing Band-Aids on his fingertips from playing the cello.
Series
Season 1
While standing at the crime scene, Dylan stares at Nolan's limp body in shock, with Caitlin at his side also in shock. Caitlin notices Ava sobbing on the ground, and tells her that they have to go. Ava abruptly stands and holds her arm out stopping the girl. At this point, Dylan joins the women and Ava iterates that Nolan's death is exactly how Caitlin planned it. Before Caitlin can defend herself to both Dylan and Ava, the intercom announces that all students must return to their dormitories at once. Dylan gently and calmly offers to walk Ava back to her dorm, while Caitlin offers to go somewhere and talk, but Ava refuses and leaves them.
Over the next three days, Dylan has recurring nightmares that haunt him whenever he falls asleep. His latest nightmare is reliving his affair with Nolan, with Nolan's words, "I want you to kiss me" replaying in his head over and over again. He wakes up with a start in the dorm he shares with Andrew. He confides in his boyfriend that the dreams are getting worse to the point where he would rather avoid sleep altogether. Andrew wants to help him, but Dylan assures him that just being there is helping, before accepting the coffee he made him. They talk about how classes have been canceled for the last three days, and Dylan makes a comment about Nolan haunting them in life and death. Andrew calls him out on his comment, as he is under the guise that Dylan did Nolan's work because they were friends. Dylan brushes it off as just his insomnia talking, and Andrew continues to talk about Nolan. Dylan cuts him off by saying that he just wants to talk about anything other than Nolan. Andrew coyly states that they don't have any preexisting obligations so there isn't any reason to get out of bed, to which Dylan seductively asks him why he is on top of the covers and not under them with him. Andrew yanks back the blanket causing them both to laugh before he climbs into the bed and on top of Dylan, and they continue to make out.
Either later that day or the next, Dylan is at the Cochran Student Union getting creamer out of the fridge for his coffee when he notices Caitlin. He offers her cream but she refuses, saying that she prefers sugar instead - three packs of the real stuff and one pink. He continues to prep his coffee and asks why she doesn't just say four sugars, to which she responds by saying that three can still pass as a "couple", but when she asks for four, the people behind the counter give her weird looks. He laughs and after she pressures him to say what he wants to, he admits that he didn't know she was quirky. She agrees by saying that she can be overly logical, and as they walk, he states that they don't know each other very well despite being forced to be Nolan's fake friends. She calls him a brilliant cellist and he brings up her list of extracurriculars, to which she calls him out for being able to read that from the yearbook. He says that's his point - that all they know about one another is what's in their biography's. Caitlin agrees that's how Nolan wanted it - to be all about him and have them not be real friends. He adds that it would have put them in a position of power to challenge Nolan. Their conversation is cut short by the television announcing that Nolan's death was officially ruled a homicide, and Caitlin turns to Dylan asking him if they were going to pretend their conversation in the woods didn't happen. He tells her that it was just a conversation and that he's going to call Ava, but her phone goes straight to voicemail. Caitlin and Dylan then agree that they have to make it look as if they were Nolan's best friend and the perfect girlfriend.
Dylan continues to try and figure out where Ava is as he makes his way back to his shared dorm. Once inside, Andrew questions who he's looking for, and Dylan tells him, Ava. He then asks if anyone else knew that Dylan was doing Nolan's work for him, explaining that the paper Dylan wrote - the one with his name on it, lays out a convincing argument as to why murder is justified to end a hostile grip on someone. He questions if his paper is about Nolan - if he had something on him that he didn't want Andrew to know. Dylan explains that in his hometown people made him feel as if there was something wrong with him for being an out gay kid, so the paper is about his tormentors, not Nolan. He admits that his desire to prove his homophobic tormentors wrong could be why he wants to be a perfect cellist.
Appearances (10/10)
Season 1 (10/10)
- Pilot
- Sex, Lies and Alibis
- ...If One of Them is Dead
- The Ghost Sonata
- The Patchwork Girl
- Lost and Found
- Dead Week
- Hook, Line and Booker
- Lie Together, Die Together
- Enter the Professor
Romantic Relationships
Andrew: Boyfriend. (see: Andy)
- Started: Before "Pilot", originally as a non-exclusive relationship due to Dylan not wanting to get serious with anyone.
Exclusivity and Moving in Together:
- Started: Prior to "Pilot"
- Reason: They realized that they love each other and didn't want to be with anyone else. They decided to share a dorm on campus.
Nolan Hotchkiss: Hookup.
Relationships
The Perfectionists
Dylan, per his forced friendship with Nolan, hung out as a group with Ava Jalali and Caitlin Park-Lewis. They only seemed to be together in public and therefore, didn't know one another personally. After Nolan's murder, Dylan is forced closer to the girls as they investigate the mysterious death of their leader - while clearing their names in the process.
Ava Jalali (see Dava) -
Trivia
- Dylan is based on the character Mackenzie Wright from the book series.
- His last name was originally marketed as "Wright", reflecting the surname of his genderbent book character, but was changed to "Walker" in between the season.[2].
- He is a talented cellist who was accepted into BHU on a music scholarship.
- Dylan suffers from Nerve Compression Syndrome, which is the medical term for a pinched nerve. By playing his cello continuously, his nerve became impacted which caused him pain, decreased range of motion, and numerous other symptoms. He was prescribed medicine in the form of pills as well as a pain patch. However, it was highly recommended that he stop playing the cello for a length of time to eliminate his risk of developing permanent nerve damage in both his arm and hand.
Book Comparisons
- While Dylan himself does not exist in the books, he is primarily based on the character Mackenzie Wright, a shy but talented cellist at odds with her future.
Quotes
Dylan: We're his fake friends, alright? We just hang out with him so it makes it look like he has the perfect posse. |
Dylan: Murder can be justified. |
Dylan (to Ava and Caitlin): You know, it's funny. I think if maybe there wasn't a Nolan we could've been friends. |
Dylan (to Andrew): Leave it to Nolan to haunt us in life and death. |
Gallery
Dylan Walker has a photo gallery. |
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Characters (The Perfectionists) | ||||||||||||||
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