Sasha Pieterse talks about some of the things fans have to look forward to in the upcoming summer episodes of the new season of Pretty Little Liars which airs on ABC Family this coming Tuesday, June 2. During this season, truths will be uncovered as viewers learn just how dark and strange the DiLaurentis family really is.
Alison will not know who Charles is at first. “She has no clue who this person is. I’m pretty sure I’m able to say that [laughs]. It’s completely a shock to her. And so, that also brings up, if Charles is somehow related to the DiLaurentis family, how come no one knew about him and that unravels a whole other different, but cool, storyline actually because as much as everyone knows what’s happened and the girls are trying to figure it out, they’re also following their own storyline and their own demons.
“We’ve always known that Alison has a strange family, but now it just goes so much deeper and so much darker. It’s really hard for her to trust anyone. She can’t even trust her own family completely. I’ve actually really enjoyed watching that unravel and playing that out,” says Pieterse.
Even more, “There’s things that I found out about Charles already that I cannot share with you, but I can tell you that it’s going in a super cool direction and not something that I would have expected. I think the fans are going to really enjoy it. We’re really enjoying playing our characters right now because everything is so different and everything that we’re going to be filming is so different. So, this is totally reinvented and it’s a lot of fun.”
Sasha continues, “I can tell you that Charles is somehow related to the DiLaurentis family, which is a huge spoiler [laughs]. So, use it wisely, but I think that’s exactly it. Charles is obsessed with the girls and obsessed with everything that he has created in his mind. So, to have the real Alison is his obsession and his dream.
“There’s things that you haven’t seen before as well. This is a new element for Pretty Little Liars and we finally found out who ‘A’ is. Everything is going to fall into place, make sense and we’ll find out how this has all come about as well as the history of Charles and the reason he is so obsessed.
“It’s cool because we’re so far from what the average teenage show is all about, and I think that’s why we have so many different age ranges that really appreciate the show. It really does dive into so many different things. It’s like a murder mystery and it’s all this psychological drama that happens and that’s just what Charles is. He’s this self-destructive hyper-sensitive crazy genius that is haunting these girls and his ultimate dollhouse does include Alison. So, you’re just going to see us trying to figure out what his plans are and how he’s going to accomplish that, or trying to stay one step ahead.”
Sasha insists this summer there will be answers to a lot of questions. When it comes to Red Coat and Varjak, “There’s definitely some surprises in there that I wouldn’t have even expected. Marlene is great and I think the fans will be satisfied and it’s going to be a cool way to connect everything. They’re so smart. They’re geniuses. It’s insane what they come up with and even when you think that there’s nowhere it can go, Marlene and our writers prove me wrong. So, it’s a really cool storyline and I think the fans are going to really enjoy it.”
One of the demons Alison has to face once out of jail of course is her friends and the fallout from what happened when she was convicted of murder. Her character has finally realized how much damage she has caused and she genuinely means it when she attempts to atone for all of her past wrong doings. “Alison’s going through a lot of turmoil and she’s realized how much she’s hurt people. Now that she’s out of jail, she really has to face people and everything that she’s dealt with. I mean her whole path is now brought to life and light.
“She’s had to face everyone and that was a really cool moment between both Paige and Alison. I think in that moment, I think that was a very genuine apology and I think she also saw how much Paige and Emily loved each other. It’s like she has a new respect for Paige. Paige was not the person that she left when she disappeared,” Sasha reveals.
Sasha talks about her character’s relationship with Mona, “It’s pretty strange. They’re nervous of each other, probably Mona more than Alison, but I think they’re starting a friendship in a very strange way. As much as they’re different, they’re very similar too. They’re now learning how to be around each other without protecting themselves because now everything is out there. Mona was kidnapped as well, and Alison helped save Mona too. So, it’s a weird dynamic, but I think their friendship will grow as time goes on.”
One of the biggest changes fans will notice in the upcoming season is the new found awareness of “A”. “It’s weird that the police know the truth now, but I think it’s even stranger that the parents do because now you hear the parents talk about ‘A’ and all the terrible things that ‘A’ has done. That’s a weird change because there’s not a lot the girls can hide from their parents now. There’s still a lot that they can, but now they know the dangers of Rosewood and ‘A’ with Charles.
“So, it’s curfews and having to know where they are all the time and not trusting them when they say they’re going to a sleepover because they feel like they’re not actually … that kind of stuff. Fair enough, they got kidnapped and that would be an absolute crazy fear for a parent, but the fact that they’re using the word ‘A’ now is really strange to see on the page and to hear her say it. I think the fans are going to be a little weirded out about that because now the parents are in on it in a way, and that was something that you would never have imagined before,” says Pieterse.
This season will also grow a lot darker. “It’s very dark, especially considering everything that happened to them in the dollhouse. You’ll start to find out what it was, and it’s really dark. That’s really the craziest aspect of 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. That’s a really dark subject. That’s a really weird aspect of the show, especially originally a teenager’s show.
“We start to find things about Charles and it just gets more and more disturbing. It’s interesting. This season is kind of horror-esqe. Not completely because we still have our little comedy aspect and the girls still go to school, but there’s a lot of twisted things that, I mean at their age, they should never be going through. This is not a normal situation.
“The girls go through very adult things and this is definitely the darkest season that we’ve encountered, and I think that is because we brought Charles into it. Now that you’ve realized that this is someone that could be a lot closer than anyone ever knew, I think it’s frightening,” says Sasha.
Even with it growing even darker, Alison still has a little time for a love interest. “I think it’s a healthy relationship and it’s the first time Alison has really had a connection like this. Obviously, she’s had a connection with Emily, but this is very different and honest. There’s not that history that there was with the girls which I think is important. It’s cool for her to start new and that’s the best way to do it. But, to be honest, it’s very new for her and I’m actually not sure exactly where it’s going to go yet either, but it’s a little bit of a surprise. I think the fans are going to love and hate that.
“Everyone’s had a relationship except for Alison. There’s been Emily and Alison, but it’s so on and off that it wasn’t consistent like Toby and Spencer, or Hanna and Caleb. This is a cool version of what a regular teenager would be going through. It’s been fun to play. It’s weird. You’ve heard of Alison’s previous boyfriends and flings, but you’ve never actually seen it. So, I think it’s a nice, refreshing and innocent, and in a way, a side note with Alison that we haven’t seen before.”
So their you have it PLL fans. Tune in this coming Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC Family to start learning the truth!
I write like I think—fast, curious, and a little feral. I chase the weird, the witty, and the why-is-this-happening-now. From AI meltdowns to fashion glow-ups, if it makes you raise an eyebrow or rethink your algorithm, I’m probably writing about it. Expect sharp takes, occasional sarcasm, and zero tolerance for boring content.
