Quem Matou Nolan The Perfectionist?
This post contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists was clear about its premise from the beginning, promising an unlikely murder in a relatively safe college town that sends the campus into a frenzy. Viewers had to wait until the very end of the spinoff series' first episode to learn how this killing happened, but even then, the murder only inspired more questions. Rich blackmailer Nolan Hotchkiss is dead after an encounter with a mysterious figure, so who murdered Nolan on The Perfectionists? Time to break down the possible suspects.
Soon after Alison (Sasha Pieterse) arrived at Beacon Heights University to be a teaching assistant, she quickly caught on to the shifty dynamics among a group of her students. Gifted cellist Dylan (Eli Brown) was writing papers for Nolan (Chris Mason), the son of wealthy tech moguls who were involved in BHU's foundation, and aspiring fashion designer Ava (Sofia Carson), but neither Dylan nor Ava would admit the truth about this to Alison. It turns out that a brand new TA immediately digging into students' relationships with each other is never received well.
Nolan’s death in the book vs. the show:
This post contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists. The Perfectionists is seemingly nearing the truth about Nolan Hotchkiss' death, but the answer isn't as clear as Alison, Mona, and the kids may believe. After Jeremy confessed to Caitlin about doing something to Nolan, she and the other Perfectionists were convinced that he's behind this murder mystery. Did Jeremy kill Nolan on The Perfectionists? The Brit didn't exactly admit to the dirty deed, which may prove important in next week's season finale.
Caitlin then secretly followed Jeremy to the lake, where he drilled through his laptop and tossed it into the water. He caught her spying on him, and in May 15's "Lie Together, Die Together," he confessed that he "did it" to protect Caitlin and her family from Nolan (Chris Mason), who was holding information about Caitlin's mother's affair. Jeremy also asked Caitlin to go away with him, but she panicked, leaving him behind before making a decision. But what exactly is "it?"
Don't miss a thing
Viewers also learn that Nolan’s sister, Taylor, who was thought to have committed suicide, actually faked her own death. The former university staff member is not a character in the book series, so it’s possible that she could’ve had a hand in her brother’s murder since Julie is not in the adaptation.
Scroll down for spoilers about The Perfectionists’ central homicide and how the show compares to the book.
We love a twisted drama, and the Pretty Little Liars spinoff, The Perfectionists, is following in the footsteps of its predecessor by serving up a truly delicious spectacle.
Who killed Nolan in The Perfectionists?
In the trailer for The Perfectionists, it looks like Nolan (played by Chris Mason) has at least somewhat ingratiated himself with his classmates, Ava, Caitlin, and Dylan, and co-exists with them on at least a frenemy-like basis. However, in the book series, Nolan is a bully who never hangs out with any of the main characters, except for Parker, with whom he actually had secret a relationship. (And that character isn't even in the TV show.)
In both the book and the show, characters that have been wronged by Nolan joke about killing the golden boy shortly before he winds up dead. In the novel, it’s Ava, Caitlin, Mackenzie, Julie, and Parker who sarcastically plot his murder, but only Ava and Caitlin appear in the TV series. Dylan, a fellow Beacon Heights University student, joins them in their scheming.
Nolan also made his stance on payback clear in a class discussion on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, raising Alison's concerns about how much the school's superiors knew about her past. Meanwhile, Nolan's blackmailing efforts toward Ava, Dylan, and his fake girlfriend Caitlin (Sydney Park) encouraged the three to jokingly vent about wanting to kill him. Little did they know, Nolan was meeting with his seemingly dead sister Taylor (Hayley Erin) about exposing their mother's use of the school security system to spy on this specific group of students.
Dylan, Ava, Or Caitlin
It’s revealed in the books that Julie Redding — a once popular girl who tragically loses her best friend, Parker — is responsible for Nolan’s death. The circumstances leading up to the lacrosse player’s murder are complicated, to say the least.
Show-Nolan can't be all good, though, as he winds up impaled on a fence by the end of the first episode. Clearly, there are multiple people with possible motives for ending Nolan's life, but who was brazen enough to actually go through with it?
Nolan's Mom Or Dad
Plus, will the fact that he never quite admitted to killing him lead to a big misunderstanding? Taylor only mentioned Jeremy killing Nolan aloud after she shot him and he was unconscious, and no one ever specifically said to Jeremy, "You killed Nolan." Does he think the group has traced him to a completely different crime he committed? In the Pretty Little Liars universe, few answers are ever final, so remember to keep your eyes open for a potential finale twist.
His secret plans culminated in a meeting with a hidden figure on a rooftop, during which he revealed Taylor was alive and they needed this person's help. We don't know how the other responded, but seeing as Nolan's body was next seen impaled on a campus fence underneath the building (just how Caitlin imagined it), he or she probably didn't take the plea for help too well.
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In the Freeform show, however, it looks like both Parker and Julie's characters have been replaced with Pretty Little Liars alumna Alison DiLaurentis (played by Sasha Pieterse) and Mona Vanderwaal (played by Janel Parrish). It's possible they could choose to transfer the split-personality storyline to Caitlin (played by Sydney Park) and Ava (played by Sofia Carson), or possibly even Alison and Mona, but it's also possible they'll go in a completely different route.
As the boyfriends of Dylan and Caitlin, Andrew (Evan Bittencourt) and Jeremy (Graeme Thomas King) both had serious beef with Nolan. Jeremy offered to get him off Caitlin's case, while Andrew didn't understand why Dylan repeatedly did Nolan's schoolwork. But like the trio, they both appeared soon after authorities discovered Nolan's body. Never say never, but their ties to his death could swing either way.
In an interview with Us Weekly, showrunner I. Marlene King shut down theories that Nolan is still alive. "Oh yeah, he’s dead," she confirmed. "There’s no coming back from that. Chris [who plays Nolan] won’t participate in every episode but I think he was in, like, seven out of ten. It’s not the last you’ve seen of Nolan even though he’s no longer currently living on this Earth."
Alison Or Mona
Overcome with guilt that she didn’t let Parker sleep over on the night of her murder, Julie develops a split personality, taking on the persona of her dead friend. "Parker," who’s actually Julie, ends up killing Nolan, though she can’t remember any of it after the fact.
The show has already set off plenty of fan theories, so here's to receiving some answers about Nolan's murder soon. Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists continues on Wednesday, March 27, at 8 p.m. ET on Freeform.
As Dylan called 911 and Ava began staging the scene to look like Taylor acted out of self defense, Caitlin realized Jeremy was still breathing. This puts nearly everyone in jeopardy for the season finale on May 22. How will they explain Jeremy's injury? Will Jeremy come clean about his connection to Nolan?