Thoughts after rewatching season 2 finale, Loretta’s hair/costume
Just rewatched the season 2 finale - Ben’s mouth was already bleeding before he properly fell over on his back… Unless it’s a continuity error - we have had lots of shorter flashbacks in the intros of the episodes - but if the scene at the end of season 2 is part of the actual scene and not just a speculation scene imagined by our favourite trio (Mabel, Oliver and Charles), then Ben was already bleeding from the right-side of his mouth and not “just bit his tongue” really hard after he fell on his back…
Have you also noticed that Loretta lets her hair down literally and metaphorically in front of Oliver? Interesting choice from a hair/costume perspective. Maybe it’s a reflection she can really be herself around Oliver and whether or not that shows she is truly trustworthy to us as an audience - only time will tell…
What are your thoughts/theories in advance of the finale? Share your thoughts, OMITB Detectives!
Soooo my thoughts on Loretta are… based on last week’s episode (episode 8) and not this one - but she said: “I’m not gonna let another innocent man go to jail for what I did.”
I still don’t know enough about what happened here… but I wanna know!
OMITB Detectives, what are your thoughts on this…?
“From an article with John Hoffman: In Season 1, Episode 3, Oliver returned to his apartment to find that his beloved bulldog had ingested a toxic substance. Winnie survived, but the attempted dog murderer was never exposed.
According to Hoffman, that was by design: "We like our loose ends," the EP says with a wink. “We don't mind carrying loose ends from Season 1 to Season 2, from Season 2 to Season 3. But rest assured, there is a long game plan involving some of these clues.”
So OMITB Detectives, what do you think?
Since the recent episode, there is now the mention of poison and my thinking is it may be the same poisoner who was out to get Winnie, which makes me think now - has the murderer actually been after Oliver this whole time (given all of the disruptions to ruin his musical)?
And we also know there is a Moriarty figure this season…
It's been established at this point that Margot Barbie is the main Barbie in her world, whether she knows it or not. Obviously, she's the main character, but she's also the central Barbie. She's the one hosting the party, she's the one that's got a spotlight on her, and she's also the one who looks most like classic Barbie, hell, she's the only blonde Barbie other than Kate McKinnon Barbie (I may make a post about thoughts I have on that at somepoint) but I think that her leaving Barbieland will cause some kind of power conflict: and I think that the Kens will try and rise up to take power.
In this pic, we can see that when Barbie is leaving, it says Barbieland,
But here it says Kendom!
Also, it appears that Allen, Alexandra Shipp Barbie, and another Barbie that I can't tell the identity of are in the car, as opposed to Margot Barbie and Ryan Ken like I had thought, but I'll get back to that later.
(Also, as far as I'm aware, no one else has pointed out the Kendom thing! I may have just missed something though)
I think that the Kens will possibly succeed in taking over, leading to the previously seen Barbie flags:
To become the Ken banners seen here:
And I think this will somehow lead up to the big Ken beach fight, which I think will happen if Ryan Ken and Margot Barbie return to Barbieland, as we see him and Simu Ken fighting (doing some weird?? Glitter thing?? Idk) here:
And I think there may be some espionage here, with this scene showing Barbie and America Ferrara's character seemingly sneaking around with the other Barbies seen in the car (and Allen) headed towards the "Kendom" earlier (seemingly in Barbieland, if the colors are to be believed)
TLDR: I think that once Margot Barbie and Ryan Ken leave, there will be a Ken uprising.
Or maybe I'm losing my mind over the like 6 minutes of content we have idk
+ wanted Bunny’s job. What’s her connection to Bunny previous to this?
• Alice
+ no last name? no background information on character. mysterious. filmed a potentially incriminating video of Mabel being aggressive with an axe.
• Howard
+ snooping through Bunny’s apartment for a painting. Encourages others to continue the podcast possibly to make him seem as though he’s on their side. suspicious back eye
• Uma
+ snooping in Bunny’s apartment for a painting.
• Leanora Folger
+ missing expensive painting.
- can’t stab cheese
• Oscar Torres
+ might be a reach but he left at a very interesting time????
• Charles Haden-Savage
+ hate to do this, however Bunny said his floor number and name as she died & his name is on the back of the fake painting. interesting backstory being weaved.
-the painting was placed in his apartment no one would frame themselves…right?
• Oliver Putnam
+ listen, I don’t like it either but we can’t ignore strong theories from last season. quick to turn on a friend (questioned mabel in front of the detectives)
• Mabel Mora
+ I don’t believe it’s her however, she was the last to see Bunny alive. Bunny was found dead in her apartment.
• Amy Schumar
+ Wants to be Jan?? Dumpster Diving??
•Mabel’s Aunt
+ The killer obviously has access to Mabel’s apartment
•Will
+ strong theories from last season. Saw Bunny the day she died.
———————————————————————————————————————
Any other suspects, suspicions or reasons for removal on your radar??? Let me know.
“Rose Cooper” was Charles’s mom. So far there’s no biographical information about Rose other than her paintings; the characters who know of her don’t even seem to agree on whether she died or disappeared. Leonora only met her once, when she bought the painting. She was “desperate to get away from a man,” and we knew even before this season that Charles’s father was a cruel man who took pleasure in belittling his wife. As Leonora put it: she had to disappear to get recognized.
“Leonora Folger” is Rose Cooper. Leonora made her entrance right after Uma Heller had made her little speech about how Bunny was completely alone in the world, no family, just Uma! In walks Shirley MacLaine saying she’s Bunny’s mother, whom no one at the memorial has ever met. She has a lot to say about Rose Cooper’s life and knows details about the repair of the painting. She refers to it as “my painting” a lot. Also, she’s played by living legend Shirley MacLaine, so you know there’s some way that this character will be much more than met the eye in her first appearance.
I had a third theory that they were all the same person until I realized that this would rely on Charles not recognizing his own long-lost mother
Someone is spying on/taking pictures of Varchie as they kiss and make up. (unless I saw that wrong?)
Svenson was the copycat Black Hood. The one sending out letters, calling Betty, targeting “sinners.” He merely found dirt on the people who had been hurt and used sin as an excuse. Maybe he killed the Sugarman. Maybe.
Archie looked him in the eyes and was pretty sure it wasn’t him. He was obviously under a ton of stress, but for argument sake, let’s say he’s certain he knows the Black Hood’s eyes. Not Svenson.
Re: Riverdale - I don’t believe the “culprit” really is Black Hood. The handwriting in the letters didn’t add up and there was no green eyes reveal. Plus, it’s a mid-season finale... No, there is more than meets the eye...
Pretty Little Liars may have ended earlier this summer, but that doesn’t mean that fans’ adventures in Rosewood need to come to a complete stop anytime soon. After all, there’s a PLLspinoff television series in the works, featuring Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish, and author Sara Shepard is reportedly hard at work on penning new stories about our favorite Liars — including three e-books completely focused on Alison DiLaurentis.
And that’s not the only PLL-related tale that Sara has been working on. She has also created a short story titled It’s Not Easy Being “A” — which is exactly what it sounds like: a look inside the mind of the OG villain in the black hoodie, Mona Vanderwaal. The story will be available inside the paperback release of her novel The Amateurs, which is on sale as of today (Tuesday, October 3), along with the second book in The Amateurs series, Follow Me. And if you can’t wait to read all about what Mona has to say, you’re in luck, because Teen Vogue has an exclusive excerpt right here.
In the short story, Mona takes the reader on a journey down her path to becoming “A,” going back as far as the day that Ali disappeared. She explains that once Ali was gone and out of Rosewood, she tried to befriend the other Liars, but was only able to secure Hanna’s companionship. Still, she couldn’t let go of the way Ali had bullied her all throughout middle school, and she slowly decided to get revenge. “I started to think about Ali’s whole posse,” Mona explains in the story, adding: “They didn’t have a clue what it felt like to be teased the way they’d teased me — and they probably never would. I wanted to give them a little education.”
From there, Mona describes the very moment she decided to become “A” — and it’s a chilling scene involving Ali’s old room, lost memories, and a secret diary. The story itself is the perfect dose of nostalgia for fans who are missing the series, especially the early seasons leading up to Mona’s huge reveal. Ahead, check out the excerpt of the short story, and be sure to read the entire thing once you get your hands on a copy of Sara Shepard’s The Amateurs.
Excerpt from It’s Not Easy Being “A”, by Sara Shepard:
I wish I could say I’m humble. The sort of girl who fades into the shadows after pulling off something amazing and says, Oh, you know. We all worked hard. But forget that, people. You don’t get far in life by sharing the spotlight. I’ve been kicked around too much already—life owes me. Nope, I want all the credit. I want to go down in freaking history. And you know what? I think it might just happen.
It’s Friday night, and I’m at the Rosewood Country Club, where the welcome-back masquerade party I’m throwing for my longtime bestie, Hanna Marin, is about to start. It’s a typical Mona Vanderwaal party. You know, where a huge party tent is transformed into a casino swanky enough that supermodels and high rollers would beg to play here. There are faux-marble walls and velvet banquettes. I called in professional card dealers from Atlantic City. A fleet of hot waiters roams about with canapés. I even rigged a Cleopatra-style platform for Hanna to ride in on for her big entrance. Basically, Vanity Fair and Us Weekly should be photographing this thing instead of the lame-ass Main Line society blog … and I’m the mastermind behind all of it.
I hear a crackle on my headset. “Okay, Hanna’s in position.” It’s a sophomore loser whose name I can’t remember; I chose her from a list of minions who begged to help out with the party. Little do these girls know they’ll be helping out with a few other details tonight, too. Namely, spying.
“Great,” I say into the microphone. “DJ, let’s get some entrance music for my girl.”
The opening notes of classic hip-hop swell from the DJ booth. The tasseled platform, held aloft by a team of muscled models, parades into the tent. Hanna, her banged-up face concealed with a satin mask, sits atop the thing, waving like a queen. Welcome back, Hanna! reads a banner over the entrance. Before I hung it up, I had everyone at school add personalized messages, cheesy things like We were so worried about you! and So happy you’re okay! Girls Hanna never even spoke to signed that thing like they were her soul sisters—but, hey, when a girl is mowed down by a car in a dark parking lot, everyone’s going to rally around her. Naturally, I added my own message, a long note about how I was so thankful that all that had happened to my bestie in the hit-and-run was a mild case of amnesia. It felt a little disingenuous writing it—because, well, yours truly was the one who was driving the car that fateful night. I had to do it, though. She’d figured out I was A. She knew too much.
Not that Hanna remembers that.
“Woot!” Hanna cries under the mask. Everyone from Rosewood Day cheers. I plaster a fake smile on my face until my cheeks hurt. Enjoy it for now, bitch, I think as the guys bobble Hanna’s platform even higher. Because it’s all going to be over soon. And this time, I’m going to leave you with a lot more than just bruises. Let the party begin!
I’m really not one for sob stories. I don’t want you to pity me. Yes, I, Mona Vanderwaal, used to be a girl I don’t like thinking about anymore, a girl with qualities I’m so far removed from I’m not going to bore you by talking about them. And I just happened to live on the same street as Alison DiLaurentis, one of the cruelest girls I’ve ever met, a girl who took great pleasure in making my life miserable. But whatevs, right?
Others might wallow in this sad past. They might make anti- bullying proclamations on their Facebook pages or start a charity, and they’d definitely slouch through high school as a weird, nichey nerd. But I never wanted to be that girl. When Ali and her little crew—Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, Emily Fields, and Aria Montgomery—teased, taunted, laughed, and humiliated me, I might have run away with my tail between my legs, but I was pissed.
I didn’t have anything to do with Ali’s disappearance the very last day of seventh grade. Still, the day the news broke, I shut myself inside my bedroom and stared at myself in the mirror. There was a wide, freaked-out smile on my face. I laughed silently for what felt like hours. The universe had finally listened to me. It was a miracle.
My parents were glued to the TV that whole weekend, horrified that the most magnetic, beautiful girl in all of Rosewood had disappeared from our street. They joined the search parties. They went to charity events in Ali’s honor. But can you guess what I was doing? Crossing my fingers and toes. Throwing coins into fountains. Coming up with every superstitious way to wish for that bitch to be gone for good.
Once eighth grade began, a light switch came on, and all of a sudden, my social life improved. With Ali still missing, I realized I could scoop up one of her adrift friends and start a new clique. That’s right: My first instinct was to befriend those bitches, not to ruin them. What can I say? I idolized them. I wanted to be them. Fun fact: My first choice was Spencer Hastings. We were in the same honors classes together—not that she ever noticed me—and our houses were across from each other. I spent every day staring at the large, stately gates that surrounded the Hastings property. Spencer, in all her preppy, purebred Rosewood-ness, felt right.
But Spencer ignored me same as ever. Guess we don’t always get what we want.
Hanna, the group’s weakest and most insecure, ended up a great second choice, though. Together, she and I got hot. Straightened our hair. Discovered self-tanning. Basically, we became swans. Kids I’d known since kindergarten thought I was a new girl, I looked so different, and with Hanna at my side, I had instant entrée into popularity. You’d think I’d be satisfied with that.
Oh, people. All that glitters … well, sometimes it turns green the moment you put it on your finger.
The thing is, even after Hanna and I started sharing sushi bento boxes for lunch and shopping out of each other’s closets, there were still these moments when I’d look over at her and think, I can’t believe you. Let’s face it: Hanna might not have been the one dishing out the insults, but she’d stood there like a tree stump and let Ali tease me again and again and again. She never stuck up for me. She never looked conflicted about what Ali was doing. And you know what? After we became close, Hanna never apologized about it. I kept waiting for this big mushy moment between us…but it never came.
So after years of friendship, I started to get bitter. I started to think about Ali’s whole posse, actually, and what they were up to now that Ali was gone. They didn’t really seem damaged by any of it. They didn’t have a clue what it felt like to be teased the way they’d teased me—and they probably never would.
I wanted to give them a little education.
Cue the DiLaurentis family finally moving out of their house. Cue them dumping all sorts of shit on their curb for the garbagemen. Cue nosy me noticing their garbage, which included framed boy-band posters from Ali’s room, which her family had kept like a shrine for four long years. It might sound sort of perverse, but I really wanted those posters. I wanted something from the girl who made my life hell hanging in my bedroom. As a reminder, maybe. As a weird sort of vision board.
What I found beneath those boy-band posters, of course, was far more valuable: a diary full of dirt on Ali’s best friends. It turned me into a whole new person: A.
This new series from writer Paul Allor and artist Nelson Daniel is a murder mystery to keep us guessing. But why guess when we can follow the clues? I’m pretty sure this is an all-too-legit murder mystery story where we can get enough information to solve it ourselves. This might be the new story I’ll chart on some corkboard next to my Twin Peaks theories and Riverdale season 2 predictions while I wait for them to come back.
If, like me, you’ve enjoyed the Parker Brothers’ classic game of whodunit, Clue, or the film starring Tim Curry and Madeleine Kahn of the same name, then you’ve wanted to see how this series was going to turn out. As opening issues go it’s a whirlwind of intrigue and….MURDER. It sets a tone of heavy handed mystery drama against a more easy-going design style. Together Allor and Daniel create a very magnetic hold.
Like Clue the board game, Clue the comic series is rife with bloody murder starting with a classic dinner scene introducing our colorful cast of suspects—er uh, guests. They are guests because nobody has died. Did I say “died?” I meant “killed.”
Because of course somebody, one of the guests we are introduced to, kills the host. The host, Mr. A. Boddy, gets plugged right in the chest.
Two detectives are called in to investigate the brutal slaying on this dreary night, and just when they think they have the suspect, a few new twists come up to really make this a head scratcher of a conundrum.
If we put our heads together I bet we can solve it.
Matthew Burbridge is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and he’s been really considering using this space at the end of his reviews to write a short novel and see if someone will notice/tell him to stop. No time like the present, eh?
1: Lawrence had been working the docks for a few years.
