Are you ready for the darkest season of Pretty Little Liars yet? That’s what’s coming this summer to ABC Family, and given how last season ended, that shouldn’t surprise anyone.
BuddyTV joined a conference call with Sasha Pieterse to find out what to expect in the new season this summer. Read on to find out what to expect when it comes to Charles, the time jump, Alison’s love life and more.
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The Summer of Answers
It may be the “summer of answers” on Pretty Little Liars, but with those answers comes a very dark season, the “darkest” yet, which Pieterse attributed to Charles’ presence. “We start to find out things about Charles, and it just gets more disturbing and more disturbing and more disturbing,” she teased, describing some scenes as “horror-esque,” especially when you consider what these girls go through — and they’re only in high school.
What happens to them in the dollhouse is “really dark and twisted” and the “most crazy aspect to it.” “Let’s be honest, this is an ABC Family show, but these girls got tortured and kidnapped by this person that they don’t know that knows everything about them,” she pointed out. “That’s a really dark subject.”
Who Is Charles?
“I can tell you that Charles is somehow related to the DiLaurentis family,” Pieterse shared. He’s obsessed with the girls, with what he’s created, and “everything is going to fall into place and make sense,” she promised, including “how Charles works and how this has all come about and the history of Charles and the reason he is so obsessed.” And yes, “his ultimate dollhouse does include Alison,” meaning that the girls are going to have to figure out his plans and try to stay one step ahead.
But what does Alison know about Charles? “She has no idea who this person is,” according to Pieterse. “It’s completely a shock to her.” That raises the question, “if Charles is somehow related to the DiLaurentis family, how come no one knew about him?” As strange as Alison’s family has been up to this point, “it just goes so much deeper and so much darker and it’s really hard for her to trust anyone,” she explained. “She can’t even trust her own family completely” — and that family is “so twisted.”
How Alison Has Changed
That was shown in Alison’s “genuine apology,” as Pieterse called it, to Paige. “Alison’s been through a lot of turmoil, and she’s realized how much she’s hurt people and now that she’s out of jail, she really has to face people,” she said.
Something else that will be different for Alison is the beginning of a friendship with Mona. “They’re nervous of each other, probably Mona more than Alison, but I think they’re kind of starting a friendship in a very strange way. As much as they’re different, they’re very similar,” the actress admitted. “I think they’re now learning how to be around each other without protecting themselves because now everything’s out there.”
After everything that has happened, Alison isn’t as “selfish” as she used to be, but something else that needs to change, according to the actress, is that “she needs to be honest now with everyone.” “She’s trying to make everything better, and she’s also trying to learn about her family life. Everything’s a lot more serious to her,” she shared. For Alison, now “it’s much more about protecting herself and her friends and her family and really finding out what Rosewood is hiding.”
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Alison and Emily’s Relationship
While she thinks that Alison does care about Emily a lot, though she doesn’t think she knows where her feelings really are, Pieterse adds, “The definite truth there is that they have such a strong friendship and as much as Alison has gone astray and done so many crazy things and lost their trust, lost her trust and gained her trust back again, there will always be that connection there. I don’t think that will ever disappear.”
She understands that there are fans that want to see the two together, but sees the way the show addresses that relationship as a way to recognize that “not everything stays connected, not everything always comes together.” It is a high school relationship. Some fans will like what’s coming for them while others will not, but whatever happens, “their feelings are genuine.”
Alison’s New Love Interest
Alison is getting a new love interest this season, and the key word for their relationship seems to be “healthy.” “I think it’s a healthy relationship, and it’s the first time Alison’s really had a connection like this,” Pieterse previewed, adding that while her character has her connection with Emily, this new one doesn’t have the history that is there with the girls. “It’s very new to her.”
What’s Up With Andrew?
“Andrew is a weird component in all of this,” the actress admitted, teasing that while he is “definitely up to something,” it might not be what you think. Yes, you should be suspicious of him, but “fans will enjoy the outcome” when it comes to what happens with him.
About That Time Jump…
Season 6 is going to feature a pretty big time jump and see where the girls are after college. “It’s something new and different and the fans haven’t seen it before,” Pieterse said. “I think it’s an interesting twist because we’ve had so many different, weird things happen to the girls at this time in their lives in high school. Now it’s totally different. They’re grown up and their lives have moved into different directions.”
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Pretty Little Liars returns Tuesday, June 2 at 8pm on ABC Family.
(Image courtesy of ABC Family)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
