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The conclusion of We Were Liars is as chilling as it is heartbreaking. If you're still huddled on your couch with your mouth agape after watching the Prime Video series, you're not alone. The last twist rips the rug from beneath all you thought you understood—and it hurts.
Based on E. Lockhart's top-selling novel, the series tracks 17-year-old Cadence Sinclair as she returns to her family's secluded island and starts to remember what happened during a traumatic summer she cannot recall.
At the end of We Were Liars, we discover the heartbreaking truth: Cadence's dear friends—Johnny, Mirren, and Gat—did not make it through the Summer 16 ordeal. Cadence, who has selective amnesia caused by a traumatic brain injury, has spent the whole summer talking to what prove to be the ghosts or fantasized forms of the Liars.
The fire, intended to symbolically revolt against the Sinclair family's poisonous heritage, was a real tragedy. The conclusion compels both Cadence and the audience to confront how grief, guilt, and memory can distort the mind.
Let's break it all down.
The mystery solved: What really happened?
The central mystery of We Were Liars—what occurred during Summer 16—is finally explained in the final episodes. Cadence and the Liars (Johnny, Mirren, and Gat) resolved to burn down the main family home, Clairmont. Why? To end the Sinclair family's history of money, manipulation, and emotional harm.
They thought that if they burned down the house, they could make the adults do something about it.
But everything went horribly wrong.
The blaze went from what they could have handled to much more than they could handle in a matter of seconds. Gasoline had been spilled on the ground around the house, and they didn't take into account how quickly it would burst into flame.
Cadence was the only one downstairs. She escaped after the gas line blew up and pushed her into the water. Johnny, Mirren, and Gat, who were upstairs, did not escape; all three died from the blaze. Cadence lived, but with a brain injury from a trauma, and a memory erased of what occurred.
The psychological twist: Are the Liars ghosts or figments?
Throughout Summer 17, Cadence feels like she's hanging out with the Liars once more. They laugh, swim, discuss books, and talk about their lives. But the more the show goes on, the more it seems something isn't quite right. They don't hang out with the rest of the family; they just vanish. They steer clear of discussing the fire.
The reality? The Liars aren't there.
Whether they are literal spirits or hallucinations caused by Cadence's shattered mind is left to our interpretation. But what's certain is that they're symptoms of her trauma and guilt. Cadence's subconscious uses them to make her confront what occurred.
We Were Liars obscures the distinction between the supernatural and psychological. And that's on purpose.
By the time Cadence realizes the truth, the viewer has already been given clues, but the emotional weight still hits hard.
The final confrontation: Cadence faces the truth
When her memories come back, Cadence is heartbroken. She remembers it all: the scheme to burn the building down, the mishaps, the loss of her friends. Among the saddest realizations is that her lag—hunting for the black pearl necklace—caused Gat to go back into the fire to look for her.
She never reached the dock where they were supposed to meet. Gat, believing she was inside, perished in his attempt to save her.
Cadence is compelled to come to terms with her part in the tragedy. The remorse is overwhelming, but this is also the beginning of healing. The ghosts—or perceived Liars—enable her to come to terms with what has occurred.
The aftermath: Farewells and moving on
The last episodes of We Were Liars are about emotional closure. Johnny, Mirren, and Gat—still visible to Cadence—bid her farewell. They tell her that they're exhausted. They have assisted her in confronting the truth, and now it is time for her to leave them behind. These scenes are painful but peaceful.
Cadence vows to be kinder to the rest of her family. She understands that loss hasn't only touched her. In a touching scene, Johnny's mother, Carrie, is also glimpsed gazing toward the ghosts, implying she, too, might be tormented by the past.
The symbolism of the black pearl necklace
The black pearl necklace is a very important symbol throughout We Were Liars. Initially, it's merely a gift—something that Gat had given to Cadence. But it grows into so much more. It stands for family greed, damaged relationships, and ultimately Cadence's guilt.
She went back to get the necklace just before the fire, her time-consuming escape killing her.
At the end of We Were Liars, Cadence throws the necklace into the ocean. It’s not just a goodbye to Gat—it’s a rejection of everything the Sinclair name represents. It marks her decision to break free from the lies, secrets, and guilt that have defined her life.
The final scene of We Were Liars: Breaking free from the past
In the final scene of We Were Liars, Cadence runs along the dock, jumps into a boat, and rides off into the sunset. It's a still, strong moment. She is leaving Beechwood Island behind—physically and emotionally.
She no longer needs to hold on to illusions or memories. She's confronted the truth, grieved her friends, and made a decision to go on.
The series doesn't wrap things up. But it doesn't have to. What's important is that Cadence no longer remains trapped in the repetition of denial and hurt. She's stepping onto the path of healing.
The message of the ending: Truth, loss, and self-forgiveness
The moral of the ending of We Were Liars is unmistakable: lies hurt, but truth hurts more. Cadence couldn't abide by the truth of what went on, so her mind provided her with a version she could live with. But to heal truly, she needed to confront what she did—and who she lost.
Guilt, grief, and memory are messy. The show gets that done with honesty and emotion. The Liars' ghosts assist Cadence in remembering, but also let us know that moving on is not forgetting. It is accepting and still deciding to live.
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Ultimately, We Were Liars tells a sad but strong tale of the price of truth—and the courage it requires to live with it.
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