Pretty Little Liars: Summer School concluded its sophomore run with a gripping finale—tensions were at an all time high, regardless if you like the outcome—that unmasked Bloody Rose and Archie Waters… kind of. 

PLL: Summer School Season 2 Episode 8 had a handful of bombshell reveals—and as it turns out, we owe Christian, Johnny, and, especially, Jen, a huge apology for ever doubting their motivations. 

I say especially when it comes to Jen because up until the scene where Noa calls her to ask how to hotwire a car, I was convinced she was somehow involved with the Bloody Rose mess. There was even that scene where Jen suggested maybe Christian or Johnny can’t be trusted, which felt like she was trying to get the scent off of her and divert attention to someone else, but it turns out, she was simply trying to help Noa and the liars pinpoint the murderer. The writers wanted her to be a red herring, and we all fell for it. There’s obviously still qualities about her that are concerning, but maybe we all misjudged her just a wee bit?

It didn’t take long for Tabby and Imogen to turn against Christian and Johnny either—part of Bloody Rose’s plan—as Tabby found the mask of Davie in Christian’s drawer while Imogen saw a bunch of dead bodies and assumed Johnny was the culprit. She literally locked him in the freezer (where I was sure he’d perish), but I’m so glad they showed us how he got out of there… otherwise, it would have been another PLL mom’s basement mystery keeping me up at night. 

Bloody Rose ended up being—SPOILER ALERT—Mrs. Langsberry, Chip’s vengeful mother,  which doesn’t come as much of a surprise, honestly, considering she was unhinged for much of the season, casting blame at Imogen and Tabitha for soiling her son’s good name. When they confronted her earlier in the morning and assumed she could be crossed off the suspect’s list because she had fresh flowers—BR’s calling card—it was simply a way of getting them off her trail. 

It’s actually hilarious to think that Chip’s mother thought she was avenging her son’s death by brutally murdering, torturing and tormenting people all over town, but I guess it explains why Chip was so messed up in the first place. His home life couldn’t have been healthy if that’s how she’s rationalizing her grief. 

Bloody Rose didn’t act alone, however, as her accomplice was none other than Wes, who ended up being the whole mastermind behind everything. He bonded with Mrs. Langsberry following Chip’s death and saw this as his perfect opportunity to get revenge—because it’s so hard for a white guy nowadays—but also to make the ideal horror movie that actually involves murdering someone in real-time. His subject was none other than final girl Tabitha because, well, she’s always been the one to stand up to him and put him in his place. We always knew something was off about Wes, but Christians seemed to pick up on all the red flags this season immediately. 

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Season Finale Review – Final Exam (208)

Tabitha proved that she’s not only a lover of the horror genre, she’s also quite a fighter. When she was surrounded by Wes’ proxies in masks with no obvious exit out of Pastor Malachi’s church, she jumped through a window to escape, before singlehandedly taking on all the proxies and then Wes himself. Tabitha reimagined what it means to be a Final Girl in a truly empowering way; as did the rest of her friends who fought tooth and nail to get to her. 

When Tabitha came face-to-face with Wes, holding a pitchfork, nonetheless, he assured her that she didn’t have the guts to end it, but before he could even finish his sentence, she proved him wrong. 

Wes was an obvious villain choice, much like Mrs. Langsberry, but it was also a lame choice as they could’ve done so much more with his character. He was a main suspect in season one, and they figured we wouldn’t consider him again, so they planted him as the big bad, but it just felt like a cheap shot.

It was also pretty lame and unbelievable that Wes somehow survived being stabbed with the pitchfork (and then punched by Imogen during that very rude jump scare)—I was surprised when Dr. Sullivan said he was in prison alongside Mrs. Langsberry. I guess you really can never get rid of the devil. 

And, as we’ve seen, prisons don’t actually keep the monsters locked up for good. They always find a way of sneaking out… like Archie Waters did. 

While everyone was led to believe that Archie was killed in a prison riot, he quietly snuck out and waited in the shadows before claiming his next victim—someone he’s been keeping an eye on for quite some time. Dr. Sullivan, who was tormented by Archie, and who, in her last moments begged to find out if he was the one who killed her son Sebastian, was brutally murdered in the final moments, though it was kind of hard to feel bad considering we saw her real side—the one that sold her book on childhood trauma and called the liars “narcissists.” I guess some might say she had it coming this whole time for being a shady lady. 

But Tabitha’s desire to leave the Waters family in the past might be wishful thinking considering the actual bogeyman is still out there likely gearing up to strike again. 

Thankfully, at least for now, they all have a bit of a break, passing their Keystone exam (finally) and embracing their Final Girl Energy, knowing that they can survive anything that life throws their way.

And maybe come next season, Johnny will get over the fact that Imogen almost killed him and they’ll get another shot at love together. One could only hope as they made a cute couple and it was one of the more promising developments in her life. 

As for Kelly, she also survived Bloody Rose’s attempt at drowning her and made amends with the liars, while, hopefully, putting all the culty church stuff in the past. 

I was a bit surprised that neither Ash nor Greg appeared in the finale, which makes me wonder how much we can still trust them. Wouldn’t they be around in some capacity to check in on their girls after what they went through? 

What did you think of PLL: Summer School and the finale? Did you like how the ending was set up? Did you think the killers were too obvious? Do you think the masked liars from Tabitha’s movie tease might be season 3’s villains? Maybe it’s someone impersonating them to torment them?

Share your thoughts!

Secrets, secrets are no fun—but they’re definitely fueling Bloody Rose’s wrath on Millwood and the final girls. 

Tabby is the last girl standing, waiting for Bloody Rose to pounce, which does make me think that maybe Christian isn’t as innocent as we’ve been led to (desperately wanted) to believe. He did swoop in with a superhero complex, loves to make masks (and could easily make a 3D rendering to make Bloody Rose appear as Imogen’s mother), and could be a chip off the old block as Chip’s buddy wanting to get revenge for his friend’s murder, so we have to look at all the possibilities now.

That being said, it’s only one of many options presenting itself, and with Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Season 2 Episode 7 serving as the penultimate episode, we’re still no closer to figuring out who could be tormenting these girls once again.

However, it’s clear the pressure is getting to them as they’ve been making reckless choice after reckless choice. By the end of the hour, they all found themselves at the scene of the crime in some way—and none of it looked good on them. 

Imogen was at the cemetery with Dr. Sullivan, who finally came clean about her connection to Archie and Bloody Rose. Turns out, she’s also been victimized by this family, after serving as Rose’s therapist at Radley, failing to help Archie at her request, and then being targeted by the psychotic killer, who also killed her son, Sebastian, years ago. It makes sense why she’s been trying to help the Millwood girls in a way she couldn’t help her own child. But getting too close to it also means you’re in the line of fire, as Imogen realized Sullivan was kidnapped by Bloody Rose at the cemetery, as she left behind her signature calling card of red roses scattered across the car seat. 

https://twitter.com/LivsR4ndomStUff/status/1801255712967782530

Faran, who has spent all season trying to prove herself, finally allowed herself to let her guard down, with Greg, no less (I don’t mind this pairing, but I don’t want her to forget how douchey he was for literally two full seasons), but while it may have been a welcome distraction, it was also the reason she missed all of Kelly’s calls and later found her dead in the pool where she was waiting to meet. If Faran had picked up, maybe Bloody Rose wouldn’t have gotten to another Beasley, though since we know how much BR is capable of, it’s unlikely anything could’ve helped Kelly. If it wasn’t this moment, it would’ve been somewhere else. I do feel sorry that she got killed off the moment she had an actual “come to Jesus” moment and realized that maybe her friends were right about the cult… and her mother, who claimed the Millwood girls have not yet atoned for what they did to Karen. It seems like everyone is just forgetting that Archie is the actual murderer while they are all victims of a very toxic situation. 

https://twitter.com/JordanLGonzalez/status/1801162001399615725

https://twitter.com/baileeeeeez/status/1801250018575233086

Also this fan theory that I’m still standing by:

https://twitter.com/xoxocoreyn/status/1801163342205407422

Noa was being easily manipulated by Jen—because that’s what’s happening, right?—as she chose to take a baseball bat to Shawn’s car, Carrie Underwood style, but the ironic part was that she was the one cheating on him all summer. Does Shawn not have a right to be angry? Sure, he shouldn’t have punched a hole in the wall, but two wrongs don’t make a right. How did Noa know he was threatening Jen when he did it?  

It all seemed so out of character for Noa as she spiraled out of control in a relationship that’s had all too many red flags (like she bling-ringed Shawn’s house AFTER he helped her out…..). I actually don’t know where the writers planned to take Noa’s character this season, but it’s not something anyone is getting behind. Before she jumps into any relationship—healthy or otherwise—she needs to learn how to deal with her own emotions. 

All of this could’ve been so easily resolved had both of them just talked it out like adults—something Jen conveniently hinted shouldn’t happen because she thrives on chaos and destruction. 

Either way, despite his flaws, Shawn deserved better. He may not have been perfect, but he really went out of his way for Noa (even going against his mother because he loved his girlfriend), only to get stabbed in the back and kicked to the curb. 

So Noa is mad at Shawn because he found out that you was cheating on him with Jojo Siwa from Wish.. #PLLSummerSchool pic.twitter.com/S8a77HlBiC

— NICOMINE (@nicvenchy) June 13, 2024

the way noa fell off the mother charts this season needs to be studied… #PLLSummerSchool pic.twitter.com/OVK1HRSUTG

— seb (@realitysebas) June 13, 2024

i dislike jen more than bloody rose #PLLSummerSchool pic.twitter.com/RJsz62Cxms

— t (@17silentsongs) June 13, 2024

And then there’s poor Mouse, who made the very terrible choice of posing as Angela Waters on Spooky Spaghetti in hopes of getting all these rabid followers to slow their roll, except it backfired right back—and Lola became a prime target, with Bloody Rose’s fandom suggesting that the grandmother become the first sacrifice in Archie’s blood atonement. It’s, well, unhinged, and I’m not surprised these ladies are sleeping with one eye open. They aren’t safe anywhere, as evidenced by actual Rose’s arrival at Mouse’s place. I’m intrigued to see what it is she wants from Mouse and Lola.

Also, WES IS ALIVE? Scream it from the rooftops because I truly thought it was over for him. He waltzed into the Orpheum like “Heck yah, I’m still here, but I’m also leaving Millwood because that’s the sane thing to do.” Before he peaced out of there, he said he suggested both of them for co-managers as if there’s literally anyone else working at that theater. And also, who owns the theater? Is it Veronica Lodge? Because that would be epic. 

One final note, this scene had me in tears… Bloody Rose knows she’s a menace. 

https://twitter.com/eternalnisa/status/1801257506473206097

This was, hands down, one of the best episodes of PLL: Summer School, firing on all fronts. Bloody Rose claimed yet another victim—why didn’t Faran run to double check if Kelly was alive because you know, no body, no death rule of TV—all while the girls are all being played and no closer to figuring out who their tormentor could be.  I’d say we can cross Kelly’s mother off the list as she was locked up and drugged, which leaves us with all the love interests—Jen, Christian, Johnny (but I really want him to be good), and Ash (who is slightly sus now because he knows everything and could be using it to his advantage. How else did Mouse’s identity come out in that video unless BR has bugged them all), along with the scorned mother, Mrs. Lansberry. 

Who do you think it is? Share all of your theories with us! 

Welcome to our nightmare couldn’t have been a more accurate statement for the liars of Millwood, especially after the most recent development on Pretty Little Liars: Summer School Season 2 Episode 6.

In the final moments of the episode, Imogen is challenged by Bloody Rose, but unlike with the other girls, she doesn’t give her much of a heads up, ambushing her in her mother’s bedroom. 

It’s at this moment that I had this odd feeling that maybe, just maybe, Bloody Rose is Imogen’s mother—and lo and behold, that’s exactly who Imogen said was under the bloody gauze when she pulled it off. 

Now, we have to take it with a grain of salt, considering Imogen’s mother died… we never saw a body body, but we saw her in the bloodied bathtub, which seemed like enough proof. 

There’s also the fact that trauma has a way of playing tricks on you, and while it seems like Imogen is fine most of the time, she is in a vulnerable and fragile place when it comes to her mental health. She’s had a significant amount of breakdowns that could have caused her to imagine her mother’s face in place of whoever is actually attacking them. The trauma could’ve intensified by being back in her childhood home where she saw her mother take her own life. 

And let’s not forget that there’s a handful of people in town who are skilled at making very detailed and intricate masks. Imogen wasn’t able to say much about who she saw under the gauze aside from “my mom,” but it’s possible that her next words would have been “or a mask to look like my mom.” Because the odds of it actually being her mom are slim. 

It also doesn’t really make sense if it were to be Imogen’s mother as she didn’t give off homicidal tendencies. I know a lot of people aren’t who they claim to be in Millwood, but Imogen’s mother was genuinely excited to support her daughter becoming a mother before she was brutally murdered—and made to look like a suicide—by Archie. Therefore, I don’t think she’d ever turn around and terrorize her daughter and her friends—what would be the reason?

The town of Millwood is ensuring that the liars don’t forget about their trauma too quickly either with the arrival of Redemption House, which everyone dubs Hell House. And considering the rooms are all themed to stick it to the liars and make them feel guilty about all that they’ve endured—losing loved ones, being taken advantage of at parties, etc—it’s a fitting name. 

Thankfully, this season, the liars aren’t just taking it, they are fighting back in any way that they can. They aren’t just boldly taking on Bloody Rose’s deathly challenges, they are taking a stand and ensuring that their message is received by the culty church that rented out Imogen’s house for their theatrics. 

 Their plan to terrorize Redemption House with monster and demon masks was innocent yet effective, considering the cult members’ fear of hell, but it also slightly backfired not only because of Bloody Rose’s attack on Imogen, but because Bloody Rose already got to Redemption House before them and stabbed Pastor Malachi dead between the eyes. 

Was it gruesome and brutal? Yes. Was it deserved? Well, no one ever deserves murder, to be clear, but the man did bring it upon himself. I was hoping someone would notice his absence/bring up his death during the episode, but I’m guessing it will be timed to the movie that the boys recorded, which will somehow place the blame back on the liars. It’s not the first time they’ve been set up. 

The whole Redemption House storyline is bizarre on so many levels—something the liars themselves have acknowledged, which is nice—and I can’t speak to why Henry is blindly taking part in it, but I’m convinced that Kelly is brainwashed. Whatever her mom did to her in that “prayer room” changed her completely, so she’s just going along with it blindly despite knowing that it isn’t right. 

Another development I’m excited to see is Greg and Faran’s hook-up. They have such an intense chemistry that it’s only a matter of time, not to mention Greg’s character was being wasted on that Redemption House storyline. If anything, Faran is his redemption. Plus, the fact that he’s Kevin from Riverdale’s cousin makes him so much better in my book. I love the subtle callbacks to sister shows. 

Then there’s the Jen of it all. While I was on board with her and Noa’s relationship initially, I’m not into it now that I know she tried to right one of her wrongs but bling-ringing Shawn’s house and then giving him the money. Like, in what world is that a reasonable solution? Noa was upset, but not as upset as she should’ve been, simply telling Jen to stop breaking into people’s homes. Her feelings for Jen are clearly clouding her judgment, but I wish this moment would’ve painted a clearer picture for her overall because it was a shitty move on Jen’s part. 

What did you think of the episode? Do you believe Bloody Rose is really Imogen’s mom? Or do you think someone is playing tricks on her? Can the liars’ circle of significant others really be trusted? And where is Wes? Did Bloody Rose get to him? Did Christian?

Share your thoughts on this weeks episode of PLL: Summer School now!