PRETTY LITTLE LIARS: Trailer for season 3 & some insight on the “A” reveal

If you are all caught up on Pretty Little Liars, then keep reading. The ABC Family mystery soap returns to our televisions in a few weeks. Season 3 of Pretty Little Liars is set to debut Tuesday, June 5 at 8/7c! You can check out the trailer here:

The liars may have unmasked “A,” but, as the trailer reminds us, “There’s a lot you don’t know.” From the looks of things, the girls are still getting texts from A, and there is still uncertainty regarding Ali’s killer. Garret may be in jail, but that is not the end of that mystery. Equally important: Arya will be wearing chartreuse, and Hanna will be sporting pink jeans. We have a lot to look forward to, you guys.

Back in March, I took part in a Q&A conference call with the newly revealed “A,” Mona Vanderwall, played by Janel Parrish. Ms. Parrish was very charming and entertaining, and assured us, “I don’t have my hoodie on, so fans are safe.” Read on for more of her insight on her character and the series. 

Does this look like the face of "A"? Photo Credit: ABC FAMILY/Eric McCandless.

In the books Mona was also revealed to be “A,” however, the book version died falling into that ravine. Luckily for Parrish, her character survived the fall, and the actress revealed that she has in fact been made a series regular for season 3. She even offered us some details on what’s to come in season 3: “I do know that Season 3 the premiere will take place six months after Maya’s body was found, so it’s the second anniversary of Alison’s death. Mona will have been in the Radley Sanatorium for the last six months. She’ll get a mysterious visitor.  You’ll find out more about that and there will just be more answers and connecting the dots.” Intriguing. Parrish further hinted that “people will start having scenes with each other that you didn’t even know knew each other […] I think a lot of people in Rosewood are connected that the viewers don’t know about yet, so we’re going to start to see all of that come to light in Season 3.” Hmmm. Thoughts on who she might be talking about? There are some interesting possibilities.

In response to questions about the books, and knowing if she would be “A,” Parrish explained that she did read the books and knew that she was “A” in the book version. However, the producers were very coy about it, and it wasn’t guaranteed that the show would go the same route. She put it in the back of her mind. In fact, Parrish only found out officially the week before filming the finale. When first reading the script, she was nervous that she would be killed off, but luckily, it didn’t go that way. Parrish further stated:

“I am not surprised that we did follow the books in that way. I like the way they did it because it is such a big part of the books that Mona is ‘A’ that I think fans probably would have been upset if they would have changed that, but I think that the way they revealed it went a little different than the books. Obviously, I didn’t die like I did in the books. I survived and they’re taking it in another direction. I think it’s actually great because the book fans get what they have been hoping for and been wanting and expecting, but they get a little bit more of a twist to keep them excited.”

As someone who has read the books, I agree. I like the twist, and especially the hint as to the “A Team.” There is a lot of potential for future seasons this way, and it allows us all to be surprised.

I was able to get in on the question-asking myself. The morning after the finale, show-runner Marlene King tweeted that Mona did all the things that “A” did, except for two things. I wondered whether she had told Parrish this. Parrish replied that she was actually surprised to learn that, and she didn’t really know what King meant yet. I then asked her which actions she hoped that Mona did not do. I mean, given all the creepy things that “A” has done, was there anything Parrish hoped her character was not responsible for? Parish replied: “I don’t think I did the creepy massage because I was with Ken at the horse stable so that’s probably one of them. Maybe setting the fire on Jenna. I would like to think someone else other than her doing that, but I’m not sure.” Good point about the creepy massage! I forgot about Mona being accounted for during that. It’s nice to see an actress who pays such close attention to the plot.

There were also a couple fun questions about TV shows that I want to share with you:

Moderator: If Pretty Little Liars were to have a crossover with another show, which show would you like “A” to wreak havoc on?

 

J. Parrish: Revenge.  I love that show so much.

 

Moderator: Have you seen Twin Peaks?

 

J. Parrish: I love Twin Peaks and yes, absolutely I see the correlation. I definitely think that Pretty Little Liars is like a modern slightly less creepy version of Twin Peaks and it’s great. It’s a small town. The queen bee dies. Everyone’s a suspect. Everyone has a secret, so I actually love that.

Nice. Sorry for keeping this Q&A to myself for so long, but I figured you might get a kick out of it, now that season 3 is right around the corner. I can’t wait! Of course, I’m very curious to find out who Mona has been working with. How many people are a part of “Team A”? Is Melissa as scary as she seems? And will Arya continue to wear fringe? We will just have to wait and see.