What Really Happened to Cadence in We Were Liars? Shocking Truth Revealed!

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*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for the final episode of We Were Liars.*

Over the course of eight captivating installments of “We Were Liars”, I found myself journeying alongside Cadence (played by Emily Alyn Lind), as she tirelessly endeavored to reconstruct the fragments of her memories from the previous summer.

She only understands that she wound up on a shoreline with no sign of her friends, the Liars, who were absent since her recuperation following a severe head trauma. For an entire year, she didn’t receive any messages from them, and she can’t recall the circumstances that led to this shift in their group dynamics.

Upon revisiting their secluded island, Beechwood, Cadence plans to unravel the truth by any means necessary, believing that recalling the events might cause intense, overwhelming moments of shock – but she’s prepared to endure it.

Readers of the popular novel penned by E Lockhart are undoubtedly familiar with the significant plot twist that’s in store towards the end.

For people just starting with the series on the screen, they might find themselves surprised or stunned by the surprising turns in the last episode.

Intrigued to know about Cadence’s story from the summer of 2016? Delve into the concluding chapter of We Were Liars to unravel all the secrets!

We Were Liars ending explained: What actually happened to Cadence?

Frustrated by my grandfather Harris’s (David Morse) divisive behavior towards us, the grandchildren, I recall that we, together with the Liars, were the ones who ignited Beechwood.

After Harris’s accident, the Liars brainstormed a plan while they were stranded on the island; this included creating makeshift petrol bombs to ignite and throw into the main house. Each of them would then light a match. However, Cadence initially recalled it as having a positive outcome, but later understood that what truly transpired on the fateful night was something else entirely.

They decided to transfer gasoline into wine bottles, assigning themselves different rooms, with the aim of meeting up with Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) outside on the pier at midnight, from where they’d set sail in a boat together.

Initially, Johnny (Joseph Zada) was assigned to work in the attic. Later, Mirren (Esther McGregor) planned to ignite her mother’s old bedroom, while Cadence remained responsible for managing the large living room area.

It appears they intended to demolish the main house, Beechwood, in order to compel the Sinclair family to reconstruct and mend their relationships. Additionally, it was a means of retaliation against Harris for not regarding Gat and Ed (Rahul Kohli) as Sinclairs, as narrated by Cadence.

After leaving the house as it went up in flames, Cadence paused when she heard the barks of the dogs.

She recalls her mother administering anti-anxiety pills and placing them in a room, so she dashes back inside to retrieve them. However hard she tries, she’s unable to reach them, and finding herself locked out of the house, she plunges into the water as her gown keeps catching fire.

Actually, that’s not an accurate account of the situation, as Cadence appears to have misunderstood or forgotten what truly transpired – unbeknownst to her.

The following day at the beach, she converses with Harris, expressing remorse over her role in the fire. However, Harris insists that Cadence’s actions were heroic; the fire was due to a malfunctioning wire and a faulty gas main, not her.

When Cadence invites the Liars (which include Gat) to join them for dinner, Harris declines her invitation and instead presents her with a special gift – her beloved grandmother’s black pearl necklace on her 18th birthday.

As she unfolds them, a vivid memory of the night of the fire flooding back, Cadence recalls clinging to the necklace while being saved by Harris and medical responders.

In due course, Cadence starts recalling the events of that night clearly and requests the Liars to disclose the reality – however, it turns out to be unpleasant.

What happens to Gat, Mirren and Johnny at the end of We Were Liars?

Each of them narrates the events culminating towards midnight, as Mirren enters her mother’s old bedroom and discovers that her mother had been studying art restoration, intending to mend the artwork of Mirren’s that she damaged by punching a hole in it.

Demonstrating a hint of progress in her behavior, Mirren briefly hesitates before pouring more gasoline. Once the fire ignites, however, she covers the painting with a blanket and hurls it out the window.

In a turn of events, Johnny and Mirren each ignite their individual spaces, yet underestimate the intensity of the flames. As night deepens past midnight at the dock, Gat begins to harbor concerns when no one appears, leading him to venture inside, barely avoiding an encounter with Cadence who exits hastily following an attempt to free the dogs.

It hadn’t occurred to anyone about the gas line inside the house, and as she dashed out of the building, Cadence discovered that no one was present at the dock. She turned back with a shock, realizing that Gat, Mirren, and Johnny were all trapped within the flaming residence.

After the blast from the gas line, she was propelled violently and ended up submerged in the water due to the force of the explosion.

In today’s world, headlines from back then sadly reveal the truth: Gat, Mirren, and Johnny perished in the house fire. It later becomes clear that Cadence has been encountering the spirits of the Liars ever since she returned to Beechwood.

Looking back at earlier moments, it becomes clear that every time Cadence experienced a migraine or fainted, it was during instances where she confronted the truth about the events as reflected in the news headlines.

After Cadence recalls everything that transpired, the subsequent days are marked by private meetings that seem like heartfelt farewells with the Liars individually.

In a turn of events, I, the movie reviewer, find Cadence handing over the precious black pearls back to Harris, expressing her reluctance to inherit the family legacy. However, it’s not long before Harris confronts her, aware that she was the one who set the fire that fateful night. Essentially, he warns her of the potential consequences should she choose to keep this secret hidden from the rest of their kin.

Afterward, Harris declares his departure from the public sphere, yet he intends to complete one last issue cover for Time magazine first. A journalist is scheduled to visit the island to conduct an interview with Harris, while simultaneously addressing speculations about a supposed family curse by putting them to rest through Cadence’s actions.

The very next day, I encountered Gat’s spectral form, and it was during our dialogue that I gleaned another piece of information regarding the fateful night of the fire – a revelation about my own actions: I had hesitated to meet Gat on the dock to keep the black pearls for myself before the fire.

Despite the necklace representing generations-long family disputes and being something Cadence personally disliked, she acknowledged her self-serving desire to possess it for herself.

She believes it’s her fault that Gat died because, had she not taken the time to go upstairs to get the necklace, she could have reached the dock on time. In this scenario, Gat might not have felt compelled to rush into the house in search of her.

In this situation, Cadence is uncertain about revealing the whole story due to potential harm to loved ones, yet feels uneasy about deceiving a reporter again. However, finding the right words to disclose the truth while minimizing any unnecessary distress remains challenging.

In this situation, Gat communicates to Cadence that ultimately, the choice is hers. Later on, Mirren and Johnny make their way over, and for one final splash, all the Liars dive into the water together. As Cadence surfaces, she finds herself by herself.

Upon the arrival of the TIME magazine reporter, the family convenes for a photo session. What takes everyone by surprise is Ed’s unexpected return, this time reunited with Carrie (Mamie Gummer).

In a turn of events, Cadence shows up, adorning the necklace bestowed upon her by Gat, and has inscribed his name on the underside of her hand. Upon introduction by Harris, Cadence informs the journalist that she regrettably won’t be able to assist with the interview at this time.

Afterward, Cadence removes her footwear, dashes across the pier, leaps onto a vessel, and sails away towards the sunset, tossing her black pearl necklace into the ocean.

If there’s no further news about Cadence, it seems reasonable to infer that she may have chosen to move away from the Sinclair family, carving out her own unique journey instead.

Instead, the final scene of the series depicts an interaction between Carrie and Johnny, implying that it’s not only Cadence who has been experiencing encounters with spirits.

As Carrie steps back inside her vacation house just prior to departure, she swiftly grabs a pill from a hidden cache, only to be stopped by Johnny, who expresses his doubts about leaving, confiding this to his mom.

You can now watch “We Were Liars” streaming on Amazon Prime Video! Start your 30-day free trial, and then continue at the monthly rate of £8.99.

As a passionate cinephile, I’d strongly recommend adding “We Were Liars” to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. This fantastic tool offers daily TV recommendations, features, and much more, making it an essential download for any film enthusiast like myself!

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2025-06-18 15:35