It's been a season of ups and downs for Cadence Sinclair Eastman as she tries to remember what happened during the summer of her mysterious accident. That summer, also known as summer 16, changed everything on her family's private island. Now, we've finally reached the end.
In the penultimate episode of We Were Liars season 1, Cadence recovers more of her memories from the night of her accident. She learns that she and the other Liars did something horrible to Clairmont. But how did this night end with her being unconscious and alone on the beach?
The We Were Liars season 1 finale explains everything, and we're here to give you a full recap and break it all down.
MAJOR spoilers ahead from We Were Liars episode 8!
Breaking down the night of Cadence’s accident
Here’s what went down on the night of Cadence’s accident during summer 16. After Harris was taken to the hospital with a head injury and the parents left with him, the Liars were left alone on Beechwood Island. They tidied up the Clairmont house, then gathered around the fire to relax. Before Penny left for the hospital, she told Cadence to toss Harris’s will if it didn’t favor them.
But as it turns out, it actually did in a way. The will revealed that Harris planned to provide Penny and Carrie with a quarterly stipend, on the condition that they remained unmarried. Bess would inherit his Boston property upon his passing, and he left the entire Beechwood Island to Cadence. Oddly enough, he didn't leave anything for Mirren and Johnny. Cadence discloses all the details of the will except for the clause about her inheriting Beechwood, then throws it into the fire. She then devises a bold but risky plan to set fire to Clairmont as a form of rebellion.
She and the other Liars were fed up with the adults' obsession with money and inheritance and thought that by burning down Clairmont, they could destroy the symbol of the family's greed and force real change. It was meant to be a bold statement, but it went terribly wrong. The plan involved Cadence igniting the ground floor of Clairmont, while Johnny and Mirren were tasked with setting the upper floors ablaze. Gat’s role was to ensure their escape after the house was set on fire.
But when the clock struck 12, the house went up in flames, and only Cadence made it out alive. Johnny and Mirren didn't make it because they couldn't get out of Clairmont in time before the gas line burst and blew up the entire house. They were too distracted by other things. Mirren was trying to save her painting, and Johnny took too much time destroying Harris's personal items. Gat would've made it if he hadn't run back into the house to try to save Cadence. He didn't know she had already come out.
Cadence is then left to watch as the Clairmont blows up, the explosion throwing her backward into the water.
Were the Liars ghosts all along?
Yes. Since Johnny, Mirren, and Gat died in the house fire in summer 16, Cadence was never actually talking to them in the present timeline. She was talking to their ghosts. That's why they didn't want her to learn of the details of her accident. They knew she would be hurt learning that they didn't make it out of the house with her. The episode even flashes back to earlier moments in the season, where it seemed like Cadence was interacting with the other Liars, but in reality, those conversations were with their spirits.
One notable moment is when Cadence and Mirren were sitting on the beach, and Mirren's younger sister asked her if she could tell a ghost story. Cadence then replied that Mirren should tell one. Mirren's younger sister responded by saying "hilarious" because she knew Mirren wasn't actually there.
Though bittersweet, Cadence is given one final chance to speak with the Liars as ghosts. She talks to Johnny about the idea of heaven, offers comfort to Mirren, and reflects with Gat on what their lives might have been like if he had survived. But what truly stood out in all three conversations was how the Liars helped ease Cadence’s guilt. They reassured her that she wasn’t solely to blame for the accident and that each of them had played a part.
Does Cadence accept Harris’s proposal?
Nope. Harris is still not a good person, even a year after he loses his dogs and two of his grandchildren in the house fire. After he gives Tipper's old pearl necklace to Cadence, she returns it because she knows what he meant by giving it.
Harris is about to retire and wants Cadence to step into the role of family leader. Someone who upholds the Sinclair image and legacy. He even tries to blackmail her by telling her that if she doesn't take over the role, then he'll tell her mom, aunts, and Ed about what actually happened the night of the house fire. We learn in this moment that Harris came up with a fabricated story of what happened that night to protect Cadence and make it look like she was the hero to their family. But now, he’s essentially threatening to expose the truth unless she agrees to carry on the Sinclair legacy on his terms.
What does Cadence decide to do in the end? Rebel! The following day, reporters from TIME magazine arrive at Beechwood to do a piece on Harris and the Sinclair family as a whole. Harris was going to use the interview to announce that Cadence would be taking over, but Cadence decides to leave the island behind. She hops on a boat and drives off into the sunset.
Could Johnny still be alive?
This is the biggest question viewers are left with at the end of the season, and it's not totally clear. The summer is over, and everyone's going back home. As Ed helps Carrie bring her bags to the car so that they can leave Beechwood, Carrie runs back into the house to grab something. She pulls out a bottle of pills and takes some. It looks like after Johnny died, she really slipped back into her addiction.
Someone is then heard coughing. Carrie turns around to find Johnny sitting on the counter, dressed in the same suit he wore the night of the house fire. When she tells him she thought he had gone, he replies that he doesn't think he can. The episode ends here. Dun dun duuun!
Could Johnny still be alive? Possibly, but there's also the chance that Carrie is imagining seeing him because she's still not over him being gone. She could be struggling to cope with the grief, and with her turning to pills again, it’s unclear what’s real and what’s a product of her pain and guilt. It looks like the writers ended the season this way just in case the show gets renewed. This leaves the door open for more storylines to explore. We need a We Were Liars season 2 as soon as possible!
Here are more things that happened in the season 1 finale:
- Penny reveals to Cadence that her dad wasn't the only one who cheated in their relationship, but she did as well.
- Bess finds a way to have Mirren's art displayed at a local art gallery.
- It's revealed that Penny, Bess, and Carrie had something to do with their sister Rosemary's death when they were kids.
- Gat's birthday gift for Cadence for her 16th birthday was a necklace. She decides to wear it when she leaves the island on the boat.
The complete first season of We Were Liars is available to stream on Prime Video now.
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