The Chilling Finale of We Were Liars: Implications for Season 2 and Authors Explanation

As you sit down to digest the eight-episode first season of We Were Liars on Prime Video, you may find yourself experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. The show, adapted from E. Lockhart’s 2014 novel, takes you on a journey through the Sinclair family and their private island of Beechwood. However, the finale takes a surprising turn that even book readers may not have anticipated.

In the finale, we learn that Cadence convinced the Liars to help her set fire to Clairmont, the main house on the island. Unfortunately, Cadence was the only survivor of the blaze, and she has been hallucinating their existence ever since. As she processes this information, Cadence decides to abandon the Sinclair ways once and for all, dropping her grandmother’s prized pearl necklace in the Atlantic Ocean.

But that’s not all. Following Cadence’s final act of defiance, we see Carrie (Mamie Gummer) back at Red Gate, one of the other houses on the island. After popping a pill, she’s surprised to see Johnny (Joseph Zada) appear to her in ghost form. This unsettling scene is actually a tip forward into Season 2, according to Lockhart, who wrote the finale and the prequel book Family of Liars.

The showrunner Julie Plec explains that the first season involves a lot of elements borrowed from Family of Liars, which serves as a prequel to We Were Liars. The book is largely told from Carrie’s perspective, as she tells Johnny’s ghost about the worst things she did when she was younger. The finale is paced differently from the book, with the action built out, the drama heightened, and some additional reveals not found in the novel.

So what does this mean for Season 2? If we get a Season 2, we can expect to see more of the adult characters and their stories from Family of Liars. And who knows what other surprises may be in store?

Overall, We Were Liars Season 1 is a thrilling and thought-provoking adaptation of E. Lockhart’s novel. The finale may have left some viewers with more questions than answers, but it also sets up an exciting future for the show. If you’re a fan of the Sinclairs, be sure to grade the finale and the season in our polls below and let us know your thoughts on Prime Video’s adaptation in the comments.