Warning: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, episode 8, “Chapter Eighteen: Final Exam”

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School finally reveals the identity of Bloody Rose, pointing to a major flaw within the spinoff series. Over the years, the hit teen drama Pretty Little Liars has spurred four spinoffs with varying degrees of success. The best one is Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff, which connects to Pretty Little Liars through Easter eggs while also following new characters. The most recent season, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, follows the major mystery of the identity of the villain Bloody Rose, a person torturing the new Liars after the Millwood Massacre at the end of Original Sin.

While the show has introduced many suspects and red herrings, the end of Pretty Little Liars: Summer School reveals the identity of the villain Bloody Rose – Mrs. Langsberry. She has spent the season torturing Mouse, Noa, Imogen, Tabby, and Faran because she blames them for the death of her son Chip, even though Archie Waters actually murders him. While the Summer School finale was tense and entertaining to watch, the Bloody Rose reveal pointed to a flaw in Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff series that the writers should remedy if the show receives a third season.

Max’s Pretty Little Liars Spinoff Reveals The Killers Too Fast

The Pretty Little Liars Spinoff Has Revealed Three Major Villains In Two Seasons

The Max spinoff of Pretty Little Liars has tried to subvert expectations by deviating from the original show, and in most regards, this has been successful. Unfortunately, one of the biggest changes creates a flaw in the new show. With the reveal of Mrs. Langsberry and her helper Wes, Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff has revealed the identity of three different big villains within a 2-year-span – four if you count Principal Clanton. Of these, two were the killers, and two were their lackeys. These reveals are extremely rushed in comparison to the original series.

It took Pretty Little Liars two seasons for the reveal of Mona as A, three and a half seasons for Charlotte DiLaurentis as A/Red Coat, and one and a half seasons for Alex Drake as A.D. At the pace they are going now, Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff will exceed the number of villain reveals if they introduce a new villain and reveal their identity in season 3 of Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff.

The likely cause of these rushed reveals is, unfortunately, related to the other Pretty Little Liars spinoffs. Ravenswood, Pretty Dirty Secrets, and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists only lasted a single season each. Perfectionists was left on a major cliffhanger without the identity of the killer known – only being called “the professor.” The writers of Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff were probably trying to prevent a repeat of past frustrations in case the show got canceled. However, it now has become a hindrance to the show.

The Pretty Little Liars Spinoff Loses What Makes The Killer Reveals Great

Killer Reveals Only Work When They Are Earned

Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff also loses another part of what makes the killer reveals great in the original series – the sense of betrayal and moral ambiguity that makes them feel earned. Original Sin’s ending pulls an “A.D.” and reveals the villain as a character that audiences don’t know or care about. There’s a baseline sympathy for the fact that Archie was mistreated, but there is no weight to the reveal.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Langsberry being the villain Bloody Rose had zero impact because she was a prime suspect all along. Cece/Charlotte might have been a suspect in the original Pretty Little Liars, but there were other fishy characters who could’ve easily been A. Moreover, she was morally ambiguous enough that she sometimes seemed like a friend or ally to the Liars. This made her eventual reveal entertaining – minus the horrible transgender storyline. Mrs. Langsberry was never a friend to the new Liars, treating them awfully with every interaction. Ultimately, the Summer School reveal felt empty and zero stakes.

Max’s Pretty Little Liars Season 3 Has A Chance To Fix These Problems

Max Can Make An Already Defeated Enemy The Main Villain

Summer School episode 8, “The Final Exam,” sets up multiple mysteries for season 3 of Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff to explore. The finale hints that Archie Waters survived the prison riot, though that can’t be confirmed with 100% certainty because the murderer is still wearing a mask. Hopefully, if the person in the finale is really Archie, he will be the central villain in the third season. This will prevent the show from becoming almost anthological with the villains, bringing in a new one every season.

After all, two murderers after the new Liars is a coincidence, but three is contrived. The only reason so many villains worked for the original Liars is that they had a strong connection to the original Liars. Additionally, they didn’t kill as frequently as the villains in Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff, giving their actions a different weight.

If the show wants to improve the already existing villain too, Season 3 of Max’s Pretty Little Liars spinoff can also make him morally ambiguous. He killed the new Liars’ bullies, so maybe he can also save them a time or two in season 3 to make his motivations more confusing. With this approach, the spinoff can improve the pattern set by the first and second seasons, Original Sin and Summer School.