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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- One of Us Is Lying stars Cooper van Grootel, Annalisa Cochrane and more said Season 2, premiering Thursday on Peacock with all episodes available, brings their characters closer together over a new murder. In Season 1, the high schoolers were suspected of being involved in fellow classmate Simon's (Mark McKenna) death. The season ended with Jake's (Barrett Carnahan) death, which the survivors have to deal with when Season 2 begins.
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"They all have one another to lean on," van Grootel told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "They have to develop camaraderie and friendship and trust one another a little more."
The characters called themselves the Murder Club after banding together to solve Simon's murder. Of all the characters, Addy (Cochrane) feels the most responsible for Jake's death.
Jake tried to frame his girlfriend, Addy, for Simon's murder when he discovered she had cheated on him.
"She feels she is the one who turned him into a monster," Cochrane said. "And she maybe feels that ultimately she's the reason why he died. So, I think that there's so much inner turmoil that she's going through."
Jake was responsible for Simon's death in Season 1. He had conspired with Simon to trigger Simon's peanut allergy as a prank to scare the others, but Jake hid Simon's EpiPen so he couldn't be revived.
When The Murder Club found out, the ensuing confrontation resulted in Jake's death. Creator Erica Saleh, who adapted Karen McManus's books, said the Murder Club is in deeper wtih Jake's death than they were with Simon's.
"In Season 2, they killed someone and they covered it up," Saleh said. "That definitely changes how they see the world, how they see each other and how they approach the mystery."
Still, it was Jake's plan that embroiled all of the characters in the mystery. Marianly Tejada, who plays Bronwyn, said the Murder Club members feel like pawns in deadly schemes.
"These are things that are happening to them," Tejada said. "There's a sense of helplessness."
Some of the Murder Club members are more proactive than others. Janae (Jess McLeod) makes a murder board with strings of yarn connecting possible suspects with clues.
"Janae's a visual person and Janae is extra," McLeod said. "Janae's going to make it a thing."
Along with investigating the death, the Murder Club is grieving one of their friend's death. Tejada said her character, Bronwyn, struggles with friends and family constantly asking her about Jake.
"I don't think there's a great way to move on from an event like that," Tejada said. "People need to cut her some slack and let her process things."
Cochrane said Addy was imagining a life with Jake before it all fell apart. However, she said, Addy doesn't get much time to dwell on that loss.
"The stakes of the season make it so that she doesn't have time to think about the future," Cochrane said. "It's about right now and tomorrow - survival."
Season 1 also revealed that Cooper (Chibuikem Uche) is gay. Cooper is out when Season 2 begins, but Uche said his character still is reeling from being outed by Simon on his gossip app.
"It's still very, very fresh," Uche said. "I don't think he's simply out and proud as of yet."
After filming Season 1, Cochrane remained a supporting cast member on Cobra Kai. On the Netflix series, Cochrane plays Yasmine, Demetri's (Gianni DeCenzo) high school girlfriend.
Cochrane said she had to return to New Zealand to film Season 2 of One of Us Is Lying while Cobra Kai was filming its fourth season in Atlanta. The writers of Cobra Kai explained her absence from some episodes by saying Yasmine left for a wedding in Australia.
"I love that they took the truth and just changed it a bit," Cochrane said.
