Charisma Carpenter

Now that she’s officially a full-fledged series regular (the deal was finalized this week!), Charisma Carpenter, like the rest of us, is just trying to figure out what’s really going on with her still-mysterious Lying Game character. Is Annie Rebecca as evil as she seems? Maybe she’s just misunderstood? And is it possible that she’s not actually favoring one devious daughter over the other?

The producers haven’t yet revealed everything to Carpenter, but she’s certain of one thing: Rebecca is getting her Emily Thorne on in a major way.

“I suspect [her agenda is] revenge,” the actress shared with TVLine at Tuesday’s Thirst Gala in Los Angeles. “Rebecca’s upset from the early years. She flowered and bloomed and came into her own. She found confidence. Now, she’s back to wreak havoc on those that had made her life so hard.”

So, perhaps Rebecca, not unlike her kindred spirit over on Revenge, is at least somewhat in the right? Carpenter says she thinks so. “If there isn’t an element of victimhood, it would be hard to relate to her,” she explained. “Nobody likes coldblooded. There has to be a good reason [for her behavior]. But we don’t know exactly what was done to her” — other than that it’s “related to the fact that Rebecca was forced to give up the twins,” Carpenter teased.

Speaking of the kiddos, it seems as though Carpenter’s mother scorned has unjustifiably taken one daughter under her wing — the evilish Sutton — while naïve Emma remains their unknowing victim.

Carpenter conceded that while it may feel like “she’s ganging up on Emma,” things are probably not what they seem. “She could be playing Sutton.” Added the actress with a laugh, “I just don’t feel that she’s the best mom ever.” (With reporting by Vlada Gelman)