First of all, congratulations are in order — you successfully endured the three month hiatus between “Pretty Little Liars” season one and tomorrow night’s season two premiere! So to reward your patience, I rung up one of the prettiest little liars the small screen has ever seen: Shay Mitchell!
When we last saw Emily, she learned that mommy dearest was planning on moving them from Rosewood to Texas. But fans had to put in a pin in that shock because Ian’s “dead” body also disappeared from the church, making the “Little Liars” look like big fibbers to their parents, their neighbors and the police.
Which is right where the premiere picks up: The Rosewood Police Station. And a quick trip to the slammer isn’t the only place all four are required to go this year. As any loyal PopWrap reader learned months ago, they will be enrolled in non-negotiable group therapy. But how to they handle the couch? That’s just one of the secrets Shay opens up about in this exclusive interview!
PopWrap: During the off-season, what was the number one thing you heard from fans?
Shay Mitchell: Everyone is wondering how we can top season one – the finale was so insane and so many other parts about the first year were just like, [gasps]. People didn’t know if we could outdo ourselves and I can tell you, not even as a sales pitch, but honestly, the show gets so crazy this year. It’s so amazing. I don’t know how the writers come up with it, but there will be some very intense events that are going to take place in season two. A lot of them.
PW: Obviously one of those will revolve around whether or not Emily moves, as her mother mentioned in the season one finale.
Shay: Right. But more than that it’s about how that possibility affects her relationships with Samara. This season picks up on their relationship and we really see how hard it is for Emily to get close to anyone after what happened with Maya. She doesn’t want to go through that again, but at the same time she doesn’t want to start anything she can’t finish. So basically moving is putting a halt on their relationship. Which sucks because she’s finally comfortable with who she is, and wants to be with her friends, so to get uprooted is totally the opposite of what she wanted.
PW: But I mean, Emily can’t really leave Rosewood and still be part of the show, can she?
Shay: Well, I will tell you that Emily will definitely be moving – that’s a huge piece of information that I can confirm. A couple of things that happen in the first two episodes will set it up for her to see where she goes. I will totally say that Emily is packing up.
PW: Yea, but we already know that Hanna’s basement can fit a squatter while Aria & Spencer have big houses…
Shay: That would be really cool but at the same time, A’s whole plan is to divide and conquer the girls. So that will still be in play. I think for A, the girls need to be separated so they have to fight the battle on their own. That’s when they’re the weakest. She or he would prefer to split them up, so they might help send Emily to Texas, or wherever she goes.
PW: All right. We’ll see…
Shay: [laughs] Don’t forget, there’s always Skype!
PW: What can you tell me about this new character Greg Cromer [“Community”] plays — he’s in the school, so is Emily having her own Ezra Fitz moment?
Shay: [laughs] This is someone who will definitely have an impact on Emily’s future. Greg plays Mr. Radin. He just pops up out of nowhere and stirs the pot in Emily’s life a little bit. To her benefit, but also her detriment. It’s tricky. But he plays a very important part with where she’s headed. He’s one to be on the lookout for.
PW: The premiere has a really sweet scene between Toby & Emily. I was really happy to see that loose thread picked up.
Shay: Me too! I love scenes with Keegan [Allen, who plays Toby]. But even more than that, I love seeing Toby & Emily together. He really helped her out when no one else did. Toby was one of the main people who made it ok for her to come out and I love their scene in tonight’s episode. And, so you know, there will be plenty more where that came from this season!
PW: It’s nice to see that Emily and Spencer know how to share Toby now.
Shay: [laughs] Right, exactly. Emily is genuinely happy for Spencer. Even though it’s so weird that she suddenly feels 180 degrees differently about Toby. I mean, she was always the one who wouldn’t stop harping on Toby. So it’s nice that she’s able to switch and have all the girls be ok with it. I was worried when this story came up – I thought, “oh no, how is Emily going to react?” But I’m so happy she was cool with it, and now they can all have scenes together.
PW: Speaking of their unity, “PLL” is never stronger then when all four girls are together, so I’m loving the therapy scenes. What excites you about that new addition?
Shay: I love that it’s such a push and pull for all of the girls because they just don’t know how much to reveal. They’re never on the same page, really, about how much to tell Dr. Sullivan – one thinks we shouldn’t say anything because she can’t be trusted, while another wants to finally end the secrets. It’s all the girls coming together to make a decision whether or not they’re going to come clean. At this point, they’re weary of everybody – as they should be! She might be a therapist, but at this point, who knows!
PW: Right because there is a moment in the premiere that shows just how far A’s reach is.
Shay: As terrible as it seems, no place in Rosewood is truly safe. A has eyes on the girls at all times. It’s a tricky situation and they’re being very cautious this year. And they’re not getting too much help in Rosewood either after crying wolf about the whole Ian thing. I don’t even think the people in the community necessarily believe the girls are being honest about anything.
PW: There are also a couple of new relationships this year that hint at the PLL’s being ganged up on.
Shay: I know! I know! And they’re all like spiderwebs, how they intertwine together. It almost feels like they’re all conspiring against the girls. And let me tell you, we were definitely shocked by one of those couples — you should have seen us screaming in the first read through!
“Pretty Little Liars” season two premieres tomorrow night at 8pm on ABC Family
Photo: ABC Family