Latest version of the mod, brand new game (saved right after I got out of the census office), and I can replicate it over and over again (it's not just a one-time thing).

What exactly do I check for to figure out what exactly it is about PE that's doing this?

Have you tried moving PE to a different place in the load order? Sometimes moving it to the beginning helps.

That's the only thing I haven't tried, primarily because I don't use a load order sorter.

I don't see how on Earth that would make a difference, though.

I've found that with MWSE mods changing where they load can get things working again - you could also try moving another or adding a new plugin after/before PE. I think it has something to do with reference renumbering and MWSE scripts not always referencing the correct memory location.