‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ Episode 10 Recap: “Final Girls”

Raise your A masks and your knives, because we’ve officially survived the first season of Original Sin! While I applaud the creators for telling a relatively self-contained slasher story, the season’s Halloween-esque ending suggests that the Millwood Liars’ work is far from over — and I, for one, hope we get to keep riding out these horrors alongside them.

Appropriately titled “Final Girls,” Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Episode 10 indulges in one more Carrie-esque Angela flashback before all is said and done. Rose begs Angela to skip the New Year’s Eve rave, before launching into an unhinged tirade about how her daughter brought Tom’s attack upon herself. An enraged Angela flees the house one last time, tear-streaked mascara already marring her face.

Back in the present, Millwood is hurtling towards a Christmas break that’s sure to skew more Black Christmas than It’s A Wonderful Life. But perhaps no one is dealing with more holiday blues than Kelly, who’s been placed under house arrest for the rest of the year by her increasingly erratic father. She manages to sneak out and meet up with Faran, who comes clean about everything A-related and admits that Sheriff Beasley could very well be the masked killer.

Of course, A isn’t the only one they need to worry about. After Tabby gets unsurprising yet chilling confirmation that Chip was at that fateful summer bonfire, she finally confides her suspicions to Imogen. She has another idea — after she was raped, she woke up with her underwear missing. If Chip really is a serial rapist, he could’ve held onto them as a trophy. So the girls swing by his house under the guise of picking up film equipment, finding not underwear, but a collection of “creepy, rape-y” horror movies stashed in his closet.

For once, the timing in this show works for our leads, instead of against them — the DNA test from Imogen’s baby is a direct match with Chip’s blood sample. They finally force him to confess in a deeply satisfying scene back at the Orpheum, summing up the entire season in one retort: “This year has made us very, very good liars.” As if on cue, A stalks out of the shadows, a literal embodiment of their retribution. And our resident masked killer does have some sympathy left inside him, because when Imogen tells him that Chip hurt him the same way that Tom hurt Angela, A is more than ready to hurtle down Millwood’s shadowy streets after him.

I will say this for Original Sin — unlike many a teen drama, it puts effort into actually showing these kids at school. The next day, the Liars are discussing the previous night’s events when they get a long-awaited text from A: “Your final round is about to begin. You broke our rule.” Presumably, he’s referring to Faran spilling the beans to Kelly. At the very least, answers about A’s contradictory motives aren’t far off.

When a well-timed lead discovery in the high school sends them on break early, the girls decide to go back to where it all started: The Waters house. As they search, A snatches their moms one by one, until they uncover a photograph hidden under the fridge. It shows two kids around the same age trick-or-treating, because surprise! Angela wasn’t an only child. But our Liars don’t have much time to process this news before another text from A summons them back to the school with a sinister photo of their moms.

When they arrive, Millwood High is awash in all-red lighting, and they find an elaborately dressed table featuring a “hall pass” for each of them. Say what you will about A, but he’s terrorizing with style! It’s a clear bid to split the girls up, but as A texts them: “ALL bullies must be punished tonight. Starting with YOURS.” Fittingly, each of them stares down one of their own demons — Imogen finds her mother’s body draped in cloth, Tabby encounters a tied-up Chip, Faren comes across a gagged Madam Cherie, Mouse finds Steve, and Noa comes across her mother’s dealer. Each gets a different note, but with the same directive: Brutally punish their bully.

Luckily, none of the Liars can bring themselves to do it, and their mercy is exactly what A was testing. They advance to the “final trial,” finding their moms tied up in the auditorium with a surprise guest — Principal Clanton (Robert Stanton), who introduces A as Angela’s brother Archie. It turns out that the principal is secretly Angela’s father, and he’s roped his son into enacting revenge on the girls that drove his daughter to suicide. As far as reveals go, it’s a bit lackluster; slasher reveals hit harder when audiences have actually grown invested in the character, and Clanton has hardly been more than an ancillary figure in these girls’ journeys. And Archie could’ve easily been Wes, who was old enough to be around for the Y2K drama. Alas!

Inevitably, the conversation turns toward Davie. Sidney admits that after Angela confided in the Y2K girls about her rape, Davie took Tom’s side and convinced the entire school to shut Angela out completely. The New Year’s Eve invitation, it seems, was one last cruel trick. Tabby points out that Clanton’s entire plan is a double standard. Why not punish the man who actually assaulted Angela?

Clancey promises that Sheriff Beasley will also be dealt with, which is true — but not in the way he planned. Back at the Beasley house, Kelly gets a text from Faran begging for backup, much to her father’s anger. He threatens her with his own gun, but gets no further before Mrs. Beasley herself — who’s been catatonic for most of the season — drives a knife into his gut, refusing to lose another daughter. A thankful Kelly flees the scene, bringing Greg for help.

Back in the auditorium, Imogen insists that her mother was able to change, but none of that matters to Clanton. He’s got a seriously Old Testament-style outlook on life, and maintains that the sins of the mother ultimately fall upon the child. So off Imogen runs, Archie hot on her trail. As if on cue, Kelly and Greg arrive, only for Clanton to shoot the poor jock. Luckily, Tabby held onto a teacher name plate she snagged from her “hall pass” assignment, which she uses to whack Clanton over the head. Good riddance!

Of course, all of this happens right as Imogen goes into labor, hobbling into her old house with nothing but her wits to protect her. Finally, Archie finds her silhouetted in the bathroom Psycho-style, ready to fight hand-to-hand and finally stab him unconscious just before her friends arrive.

Drifting into sleep, Imogen endures one last jumpscare as she dreams that her baby is nothing more than a wailing A mask. But Original Sin isn’t going full Rosemary’s Baby, and she wakes up to meet her healthy baby girl with Tabby and Sidney by her side. Sheriff Beasley and Archie are in the hospital too, while Clanton and Chip are already in police custody.

But most importantly, Imogen manages to make peace with her mom’s death. As she tells her friends, “I know who my mom was in high school, and I also know who she became.” After a wholesome Liars Christmas party full of announcements (Marjorie is going to rehab! Mouse’s parents are going to couples’ therapy! Corey is staying in Millwood!), Tabby and Imogen close out the day with Imogen’s still unnamed daughter. As it turns out, she went for adoption, and the baby’s adoptive parents are none other than… Aria and Ezra, who should never be around minors again in my opinion! But at least they’re letting Imogen stay in her baby’s life, as much as I’m already dreading that inevitable Ezra cameo. Him and Wes will be dealt with!

And maybe soon. The girls are convinced that the entire A ordeal is over with, but of course, Original Sin leaves us on a slasher-style cliffhanger. Back at the hospital, a nurse finds Sheriff Beasley brutally stabbed once again, and Archie’s bed empty. He has another visit to make — Chip, who’s out on bail for the holidays, opens the door, and bam! A is at it once again.

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