5 'Pretty Little Liars' Facts You Should Know Before Watching 'The Perfectionists'
Get ready to pack your bags Pretty Little Liars fans because we're officially moving from Rosewood to the ever mysterious town of Beacon Heights. Set to premiere on Wednesday March 20, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists will follow original PLL stars Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish as they reprise their respective roles of Alison DiLaurentis and Mona Vanderwaal in a new setting. Set to be joined by a new cast, the two OG PLL stars will venture off to Beacon Heights, a town that like Rosewood, is full of secrets, mystery, and murder.
What awaits DiLaurentis and Vanderwaal remains to be seen but with seven seasons of material from Liars, there is a lot that happened to them over the years. Like Pretty Little Liars, The Perfectionists is also based on a book series by author Sara Shepard and though Liars officially went off the air back in 2017, the two shows do exist in the same universe and there are some things one should remember before tuning in to the premiere. Between Alison's relationship with Emily and what Hanna might be up to now, here are five Pretty Little Liars facts to remember before the premiere of The Perfectionists.
01Mona Has Alex and Mary Drake As Her Prisoners
In one of the weirdest endings in all of Pretty Little Liars history (and there were many), Mona is seen at the very end of the series finale looking on as she holds Alex and Mary Drake as her prisoners. Like I said, weird, right? So how the heck did that happen you might ask? Well after Alex was revealed as Spencer's twin and A.D., she was arrested by a cop who brings her into custody and reveals that Mary was also caught, only a few blocks over. In a flash forward, Mona is then seen running a doll store in France when the cop who arrested Alex comes in and gives her a kiss. This leads the audience to realize that the two were in cahoots and that the officer helped to orchestrate the whole ideal.
So now with Mona leaving Rosewood (and apparently France) what has happened to Mary and Alex Drake? Did Mona release them? Is her cop beau watching over them while she's gone? Are they dead? Hopefully we will get some answers during The Perfectionists.
02Emily And Alison Have Two Twin Daughters Together
After Alison was impregnated with Emily's donated eggs by A (this show was pretty wild, remember?), she decided to carry the babies to full term after going back and forth on whether or not to keep them. Together Emily and Alison named their daughters Grace and Lily and raised them, so the reason Alison has chosen to leave her family behind and travel to Beacon Heights has yet to be revealed. But PLL and The Perfectionists show-runner Marlene King revealed that the reason for Ali's departure will become known.
Speaking to TV Guide, King revealed that "Emily and the babies are safe in Rosewood," and also shared, "It's very hard for her to leave Emily and the babies, but we will understand as the first 10 episodes play out what's happened in that relationship, why it's happening and why Alison is so far away from Emily." So it looks like Emily will be taking care of their daughters for the time being.
03Hanna Now Also Has A Child
In the season finale of Pretty Little Liars, Hanna revealed to the core group of girls that she was expecting a child with her longtime love Caleb. Both the girls and fans alike were ecstatic at the news and thrilled with the announcement.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, King revealed that there would be a time jump between the Pretty Little Liars finale and The Perfectionists premiere, which means Hanna and Caleb's child has certainly been born by now.
Whether or not Hanna and Caleb's child ever makes it onto the upcoming show, like Alison's kids are scheduled to, is yet to be seen. But with Ashley Benson set to direct an episode of The Perfectionists it could be possible. There's been no word on whether or not Benson will reprise her role as Hanna Marin but the PLL star has been open about returning. Benson told us exclusively in 2018 that she would do "anything" for King so fingers crossed.
04Alison Has A Teaching Degree
How someone gets a teaching degree after barely attending high school due to pretending to be dead is beyond many but if anyone can do it, Alison can. After her sister Charlotte was revealed to be the series second A, Alison decided to stay close to home and take care of Charlotte as she received treatment for her mental illness. At that time Alison also went through the schooling needed for her to teach at Rosewood High and throughout the later half of Season 6 and the entirety of Season 7 we see her teaching English to the kids sitting where she once sat.
Per Marlene King's interview with TV Guide, "Alison comes to Beacon Heights because an opportunity arises that she can't pass up," which has many thinking it is a teaching opportunity given The Perfectionists follows a group of college aged individuals.
05The Opening Theme Will Sound Familiar
Got a secret, can you keep it? Well it's not exactly a secret since it's already been revealed, but The Perfectionists will feature the same song in their opening theme that was used for Pretty Little Liars. Titled "Secrets" and originally by Denmark + Winter, the new iteration of the iconic theme song is even eerier than before, which I didn't know was possible.
How else the two worlds between Pretty Little Liars and The Perfectionists will connect remains to be seen but here's to hoping that all four little liars will make an appearance at some point throughout the show.
