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If you read We Were Liars, then you knew what to expect at the end of the TV adaptation. But if not, then I hope you're well because the book was so devastating, I sobbed in bed at, like, 3 o'clock in the morning. All episodes of the show dropped on Prime Video June 18, so make sure you watch all of them before reading this recap! Because the ending has a giant twist I did not see coming.
Here's exactly what happened at the end of We Were Liars, streaming on Prime Video now.
What happens at the end of We Were Liars?
Cadence (Emily Alyn Lind) spends all of We Were Liars trying to remember how the events of Summer 16 led to her washed up on the beach, alone. Piece by piece she starts to remember various moments — like Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) admitting he loves her and Mirren (Esther McGregor) fighting with her mom — but it isn't until the Liars decide to play Scrabble that she starts to remember what happened the night of the accident.
When their grandfather Harris (David Morse) falls and hits his head, the teens are left on the island by themselves. They've spent the whole summer seeing how no one in the Sinclair family cares about anything but their money and legacy, so Cadence, Johnny (Joseph Zada), Mirren, and Gat decide to burn that legacy down. Literally.
What was the accident in We Were Liars?
The four Liars plan to split up and set fire to different parts of the main house before escaping on the boat. After all, they knew the adults would care more about keeping their reputations clear than punishing them. But things don't go according to plan. Every teen gets distracted by something different — Mirren takes time to rescue one of her paintings, while Johnny takes his anger out on the home and its decor. At the last moment, Cadence goes back for her grandmother's beloved black pearls before realizing the dogs are still trapped inside the house (which is as horrifying as it sounds).
How did Cadence hit her head in We Were Liars?
Gat's waiting on the dock for the three Sinclairs to come meet him, but when the clock strikes midnight and Cady is nowhere to be found, Gat runs inside to find her. All the Liars, except for Cadence, get stuck inside. And when the gas main breaks, the house explodes, killing the dogs, Johnny, Gat, and Mirren, and giving Cadence the brain injury that blocks her memories at she's launched into the water.
What is the twist in We Were Liars?
Jessie Redmond/Prime
So, yes, all three Liars throughout Summer 17 are ghosts. At the end of the series, Mirren, Gat, and Johnny come to say goodbye to Cadence as they move off of Beechwood, which has served as a kind of purgatory. Cadence is also moving onto a new phase of her young adulthood as she refuses to contribute to a news article praising her family's strength of character. She finally accepts her role in the Sinclair legacy she's come to despise, but decides to move on.
Will there be a We Were Liars season 2?
We don't have a season 2 announcement quite yet, but I'd love to see more episodes. Right when you think the finale is wrapping up, there's one more cliffhanger. In the final moments of We Were Liars, Johnny's mom Carrie (Mamie Gummer) turns around to find him sitting on the counter. When she says, "I thought you'd left," he replies with, "I don't think I can." Um, what!! Turns out, she's been seeing his ghost all summer too (which makes me wonder if Mirren's mom has seen her?) This is definitely an open-ended cliffhanger that sets us up for a season 2! And I'm hoping we get to see more of Cadence, Johnny, Mirren, and Gat. Please Prime Video!
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