Spending every summer break on a private family island is a fairy tale come to life for the ultra-wealthy Sinclair family. Or it was until 16-year-old Cadence “Cady” Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind) nearly died. We Were Liars episode 1 opens on the mystery in progress, with Cady as a narrator who can’t remember what led to this near-death experience. “Something terrible happened last summer, and I have no memory of what or who hurt me,” Cady says.
Based on the best-selling twist-filled novel by E. Lockhart, the eight-episode psychological thriller begins with a bang: the picture-perfect Martha’s Vineyard setting hides the many secrets of the three generations vacationing on Beechwood Island. At the helm is Harris Sinclair (David Morse) and his wife Tipper (Wendy Crewson), who are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters, Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald), Carrie (Mamie Gummer) and Bess (Candice King). But even in the first episode, the cracks are visible.
The adult sisters try to outdo each other over whose life is the least chaotic, with Penny’s fresh divorce being the talk of the group. The Sinclair grandchildren seem impervious to this, but by the end of We Were Liars episode 1, “Tell Me Sweet Little Lies,” it’s clear that the teenagers on this island are aware of the Sinclair flaws.
In the present, Cady’s family won’t tell her how she ended up unconscious on the beach dressed only in her underwear. Did someone attack the oldest grandchild?
Meet “The Liars”
Affectionately known as “The Liars” by their family (on account of childhood pranks), Cady and her cousins, Johnny (Joseph Zada) and Mirren (Esther McGregor) and best friend Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) have a deep bond. To understand what happened to Cady means revisiting what she can remember about Summer 16, but also going back to Summer 8, when Gat first came to Beechwood (the number denotes the age of the Liars at the time).
Gat is the nephew of Ed (Rahul Koli), who is in a long-term relationship with Johnny’s mother, Carrie, and is an honorary member of the Sinclair family — even if he doesn’t always feel like it. Neither Gat nor Ed is present during the big family photo, and Mirren’s dad, Brody (Dylan Bruce), isn’t there either. However, Bess ensures everyone knows Brody is busy at work and her marriage is fine. The lady doth protest too much.
New feelings
Cady and Gat have always been close, but something else bubbles beneath the surface. After visiting his extended family in India, Gat tells Cady it has changed his perspective on the world. Cady is enraptured with everything Gat says, and it isn’t just because his physique has changed since the last time she saw him.
Only when Cady sees Gat writing her a letter and placing a flower inside does she realize she now has romantic feelings for Gat. Later, she asks Gat if he wants to watch the meteor shower without Johnny and Mirren? He says yes. However, when Johnny clocks this closeness, he delivers a thinly veiled warning about the dangers of crossing the line from friendship to more.
Johnny talks about hooking up with his tennis partner and how it ruined their team, doubling as a coming-out moment of sorts (Johnny says he is still figuring things out). The key takeaway is that Johnny is worried that if Cady and Gat become a couple, it will have consequences for The Liars.
Party boats and meteor showers
Elsewhere, Harris asserts his dominance over Ed by asking him to sort out the parked party boat in the bay, blocking his view. While Ed tries to figure out how to please his girlfriend’s father, he tells Gat that falling for a Sinclair woman has its drawbacks. Johnny is also obsessed with the party boat but wants to get on board to enjoy everything it offers.
After planning a late-night meteor shower picnic, Cady gets an unwelcome surprise when Johnny announces he has found them a way onto the “booze cruise.” Cady reluctantly joins her cousins and Gat, but leaves early. Carrie invites her niece Cady to spend the meteor shower with her and the younger kids known as “The Littles” (there are six grandchildren in total: Bess also has twin girls, and Carrie has another son).
While Tipper tells more fairy tales, Johnny’s brother Will (Brady Droulis) spots what he thinks is a shark in the water. It is actually Gat, who swam back to Beechwood because he wanted to be with Cady instead of partying. Cady tells Gat he made her feel stupid. He apologizes, which Cady accepts.
Kisses and more
At the dock, Bess waits for her husband’s arrival, but Salty Dan (Tim Rozon) — the harbor service person — tells her no one is coming. Bess is furious that her husband is ruining the flawless image she has cultivated. She asks Dan for a cigarette before it turns into something hot and heavy. Unfortunately for Bess, her daughter Mirren sees her mother mid-romp with Salty Dan.
In happier news, after Johnny and Mirren leave Gat and Cady alone, Gat and Cady kiss. It’s a life-changing smooch, and it was the last thing Cady remembers from Summer 16 for a long time.
“We were happy. We wanted for nothing,” Cady recalls. Soon this would change: two months later, Cady is shown on the beach clutching a black pearl necklace. It’s a mystery that will only be solved if Cady can regain her memories or if one of The Liars tells her what happened. Either way, Cady’s summer paradise became a nightmare.
All episodes of We Were Liars are streaming exclusively on Prime Video.
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