‘Pretty Little Liars Original Sin’ Episode 2 Recap: “The Spirit Queen”

As my colleague Kayla Cobb pointed out in her PLL: Original Sin review, part of the appeal of Pretty Little Liars has always been watching seemingly well-behaved girls behaving badly. And while the new liars mostly suffered the consequences of their mothers’ actions in the pilot, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Episode 2 (HBO Max) sees them getting their hands dirty with a revenge plot that culminates in a death eerily similar to Angela’s all those years ago… with some notable “A” complications.

Imogen wasn’t lying when she suggested that the girls kill Karen — reputationally, that is. Remember how Greg allegedly kissed Imogen at Karen’s party all those months ago? It turns out that Imogen has been holding onto a phone with a compromising video of her ex-best friend, with the potential to “destroy” her.

The girls balk at posting such a video online, because as Mouse points out, “The Internet is for eternity.” So they come up with a compromise: Tabby will edit and screen the video ahead of her Jordan Peele double feature at the movie theater, which most of the student body is set to attend (if we get Season 2, I expect Tabby’s Nope review immediately). 

After a round of lectures from the parents, it’s time for this episode’s round of threatening texts from “A.” This time, the girls get behind-the-scenes footage of their tormentor framing them for their detention crimes, from a gloved hand pouring urine into Noa’s sample cup to that rat from Karen’s backpack meeting a grisly end. The videos extinguish any lingering doubts that they had about their revenge scheme, which I guess is preferable to admitting that a masked creep is lurking around every corner. At the very least, Original Sin dropping three episodes at once makes the Liars’ slow discovery of “A” a tad less frustrating.

All too soon it’s double feature day, and Tabby has roped her lovesick best friend Chip (Carson Rowland) into screening the Karen video, in exchange for accompanying him to the Spirit Week dance. Anything but a love triangle with the creepy manager!

As it turns out, Tabby has put her film editing skills to good (if questionable) use. The video opens as a faux Spirit Queen ad for Karen, before abruptly cutting to the main event: A drunken Karen attempting to seduce her asshole classmate Tyler, offering to flash her boobs and making a show of mocking her boyfriend Greg’s “pencil dick.” 

Soon enough, a mortified Karen runs for the exit as the girls intended. The next day, she officially drops out of the Spirit Queen race and owns up to defacing her own campaign posters, before throwing her support behind Imogen. But of course, this is simply the prelude to the second revenge plot of the episode: Kelly and Karen’s bid to turn Imogen’s Spirit Queen win into a full-on Carrie homage.

But first, the Liars get a brief respite from the chaos — after all, they’ve got a dance to attend. Tabby and Imogen may have gotten the most screen time so far, but sparks fly for their three new friends at the Spirit Ball — Faran flirts with her “miraculously” straight ballet partner, while Noa makes the most of her night off parole by hooking up with her golden retriever of a boyfriend, Shawn (Alex Aiono) in an abandoned classroom. Even shy Mouse cozies up with Ash (Jordan Gonzalez), a sweet trans boy who guides her through her first puffs of weed. 

Mouse admits that her real name is Minnie, although the nickname is a way for her Disney-loving mothers to see her as a little girl forever. According to her official character description, Mouse spends most of her time online “having survived a childhood trauma.” Hopefully, the rest of the Liars will get more of the flashback-ridden backstory that’s been exclusively reserved for Imogen thus far.

Speaking of Imogen, she’s dangerously close to becoming Carrie 2.0 when the Spirit Queen crowning rolls around. It’s Mouse who first notices Karen waiting with a bucket of red paint in the wings, but soon, the girls’ attention turns to the masked figure that emerges behind her. Only they seem to notice the ensuing struggle, culminating in Karen falling horrifically to her Angela-esque death. As blood pools at their feet, the Liars get a brand-new text: “To thine own self be true. One bully down. Five more to go. Keep quiet about me or you’re next. -A.”

Whatever Y2K sins “A” wants the girls to pay for, the Karen stint has proven that they’re more than capable of getting some blood on their hands. Like mothers, like daughters.

Abby Monteil is a New York-based writer. Her work has also appeared in The Daily Beast, Insider, Them, Thrillist, Elite Daily, and others.