Pretty Little Liars: Summer School welcomes Dr. Anne Sullivan (How is she connected to the original series?)

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School, which serves as the second season of this new iteration of the franchise (season 1 was called PLL: Original Sin), is now officially streaming on Max! The first two episodes premiered today, May 9, 2024, and one new installment will be released weekly going forward. Season 2 episode 1 introduces a new character to Summer School, but a familiar one for those who watched the original series starring Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, and more. So who exactly is Dr. Anne Sullivan?

She is a therapist, played by actress Annabeth Gish. The doctor appeared quite often in original show's second season, and made a couple of guest appearances in seasons 3 and 6. We first meet her in the season 2 premiere episode. Aria, Hanna, Emily, and Spencer's parents want them to go to therapy after they think they all have obsessive thoughts about Ian Thomas being Alison's murderer. At first they're reluctant to speak with her, being scared of "A." It takes a few times before they confide in the doctor when Emily's wellbeing is at stake. What's great about her is that she's patient and really listens to them, and I got the same vibe from her in Pretty Little Liars: Summer School. And actually, Dr. Sullivan is the first one to find out that Mona is "A" since she was a patient of hers at the same time.

Though the showrunners and producers said that Original Sin and Summer School aren't a direct spin-off of Pretty Little Liars, they do exist in the same universe and have some minor connections. So far at least. While the new liars are living in Millwood, Rosewood is not too far and is mentioned a few times. Plus, the biggest easter egg was the Aria and Ezra name drop at the end of Original Sin. But unfortunately as we learn in the premiere episode, Imogen decided not to go with Aria and Ezra as her baby's adoptive parents. She at first blames it on not having a good feeling about Ezra, but Dr. Sullivan points out that it's actually because the couple she did end up choosing lives closer. Which means she can stop by and see her, though it's a closed adoption.

This was one example of showing how good Dr. Sullivan is, and how much Imogen, Noa, Tabby, Faran, and Mouse already trust her. And I have a feeling she's going to be a big part of the season. In the Pretty Little Liars: Summer School premiere, she's introduced pretty quickly. We learn that the little liars have been seeing her for the last six months since the events at the end of Original Sin. She's a good and trustworthy character from what we've seen on PLL. But if there's anything we know about this show and franchise, it's that you can't trust anyone.

Why is Dr. Anne Sullivan in Millwood? How was she connected to yet another set of girls being terrorized by an "A?" She does have experience with this after all. The girls clearly trust her and confide their troubles. She even asks them if they want to continue therapy, and they do. So far she does give off a comforting feeling. Hopefully, the doctor doesn't have any ulterior motives. It's so refreshing to actually see the characters dealing with the trauma they went through last season. So many times shows just gloss over these hugely challenging events, and the characters move on like nothing happened. I'm really liking this addition of Dr. Sullivan, and hopefully she doesn't break the girls' trust. Or ours!

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School premieres new episodes Thursdays on Max!