PLL Revealed The Father Of Imogen's Baby, And Looking Back, It Makes Sense
The clues were right there.
Content warning: This story discusses sexual assault. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin had more than one massive mystery to solve in its first season finale, and thankfully, it delivered all the answers fans had been craving. Of course, the question of A’s true identity was the biggest enigma, but just as puzzling was the father of Imogen’s baby, who had been a secret all season long. Well, now fans finally know the truth, and looking back at the season, there were actually so many clues about the father of Imogen’s baby sprinkled throughout Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.
Spoiler alert: This post contains major spoilers from Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’s Season 1 finale. It wasn’t until about halfway through the season that Imogen opened up about her sexual assault after Karen’s party, telling Tabby that she couldn’t remember the man who impregnated her after she blacked out on the beach. Sadly, Tabby could relate a little too much, revealing that she too was assaulted by an unknown man after the football team’s party in the woods. Before long, Imogen and Tabby concluded that their assailants could very well be the same person... and they were right.
In the climactic finale, Tabby gets a sickening hunch that her best friend Chip was the one who assaulted both Imogen and herself, and that gut feeling only grew more convincing when she discovered a hidden box of sexually violent horror movies in his room. Although she and Imogen didn’t have concrete evidence, they confronted Chip as if they did, and succeeded in getting him to confess that he took advantage of both of them in his frustrations over Tabby not returning his romantic interest.
The reveal may be shocking for some, since Chip came off as a supportive friend for most of the season, but we all know by now that supposed “nice guys” can quickly turn out to be the absolute worst. And in the case of Chip, there were quite a few red flags throughout the season that are a whole lot redder now.
1. His obsession with Tabby and Imogen
At the start of the series, Chip was basically connected to Tabby by the hip, willing to do whatever she asked of him. His complete devotion to her is what made his sudden interest in Imogen halfway through the season so jarring. Seemingly out of nowhere, Chip was declaring his love for Imogen, saying that he had to accept Tabby would never have feelings for him. By the end of the season, it’s clear Chip wanted to keep Tabby and Imogen close after he assaulted them both.
2. His partnership with Imogen for the baby assignment
Chip’s investment in raising a fake baby doll for class with Imogen was very telling. When Imogen misplaced the baby and questioned whether she could be a good mother, it was Chip who comforted her by telling her she would be a great mom. Now it’s clear why Chip was so invested in pretending to raise a baby with Imogen, because it could’ve become his reality in a matter of months.
3. Telling the adoption worker he’s the father
Chip flat-out said he was the father of Imogen’s baby, which honestly should have been the biggest giveaway of all. Not only did he insist on accompanying her to the adoption center, but when the worker mistook him for the baby’s father, he stopped Imogen from correcting her and said he was the baby’s dad. He later told Imogen he only did that to lend her some support, but now viewers know he was actually just being honest.
4. His overprotectiveness of Tabby
TBH, Chip was probably right to be concerned about Tabby spending so much time with Wes, because Wes definitely gives off creepy vibes. But his overprotectiveness around Tabby and Wes bordered on a gross sense of ownership, as though he thought Tabby couldn’t be with anyone but him. Especially when Chip burst into screaming at Tabby to stay away from Wes, it should’ve been a sign that he was trying to control her to a scary extent.
5. His power play while filming Tabby’s movie
Speaking of Chip’s sense of ownership over Tabby, it was hinted at pretty bluntly when he helped Tabby film her retelling of Psycho. When Tabby was triggered by Greg’s nudity and needed a moment to collect herself, Chip took over and finished shooting the film without her. Tabby was rightfully upset at Chip for robbing her of her artistic vision, and in the finale, she learned that was only scratching the surface of Chip’s slights against her.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.
