We Were Liars
By Sioph W. Leal
Family and reputation are everything for the Sinclair’s, known for their good looks, their massive old-money wealth, their time in the patriarch's New England private island and being a tight knit family that present perfection to the world. As with everything in life, all is not what it seems. Based on the best-selling novel by E. Lockhart, We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair Eastman (Emily Alyn Lind) after a mysterious accident that changes the Sinclair family for everyone. As she tries to uncover what happens, it turns out everyone in her family has something to hide.
Affectionately known as ‘the liars’ by the rest of the family, Cadence and her cousins Johnny (Joseph Zada), Mirren (Esther McGregor) and childhood friend Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) have spent every summer since childhood together in the family’s private island, Beechwood, and they’re inseparable. Gat is bought in during their childhood by his uncle, Ed (Rahul Kohli) who is in a long-term relationship with one of the Sinclair daughters, Carrie (Mamie Gummer). At first, we see Gat and Ed fitting in seamlessly in the family, but things change when the two men go against the leader of the family, Harris (David Morse). Gat and Cadence fall in love in the summer previous and Ed wishes to marry Carrie. The problem? Harris doesn’t want outsiders marrying into the family and by that, he means anyone brown.
The first half of the season has a dreamlike quality to it, narrated by Cadence as if she were telling a fantasy story about a princess who lived in a land of never-ending summer. Spoken over beautiful, warm shots of the Island and ethereal music, it’s easy to get drawn in and see life as Cadence does. Up until episode 4, the focus was on the main love story of Cadence and Gat. The leads are exceptional and portray a realistic yearning that brings you deep into their feelings and makes it easy to root for them but as with the rest of the story, the dreamlike quality of them and the island starts to crumble fast. Their relationship, at times, can be repetitive and grinding but that’s the point that it does well. Cadence becomes solely focused on Gat and all the drama that happens when they cross the line from friends to something romantic and he turns very hot-and-cold with her. It is the only thing that drives her until the accident happens. Although it can be tiring, it’s the point of the character and done effectively. It allows for a build up and her rationale for the final act and the reveal of how she ended up in the water.
As a character, Cadence is a great narrator whose love of stories paints a picture with words, but she is the embodiment of a poor little rich girl. With other characters having more complex issues about expectation, identity and finding their place in a world that doesn’t want them, she comes off shallow and performative but that’s the point. Emily Alyn Lind gives Cadence depth and raw emotion, mostly at the end of the series when all is revealed. She takes you on a journey, allows every flaw to show itself and makes for a real character despite the shallowness. She captures Cadence guilt, loss, complicated family relations and mystery so you want to join her on the journey for answers, but you feel every twist and turn with her.
Perfection is effort in this world but with impossible to reach expectations that results in sisters turning on each other with deep blows just to get ahead and for merely the chance of being the favourite. The focus of the show is undoubtedly on the younger cast, the liars, but the family dynamics of the three Sinclair sisters makes for great viewing by an exceptional cast. The sisters in particular have their own personalities from each other and use each others’ secrets or perceived shortcomings in an effort to bolster themselves up in the eyes of their father. Carrie, Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald) and Bess (Candice King) don’t shy away from using each others’ children in an effort to be the favourite daughter and therefore, the inheritor of their fathers fortune. Their older children, the liars, interact in a stark contrast and often give the impression that they can’t outrun their DNA, that they will throw each other under the bus one day to get ahead unless action is taken. All cast do a marvellous job and ground their characters in reality and in familiarity despite the average audience watcher being vastly different to the characters on screen. Joseph Zada is the standout of the show and conveys deep emotion that is so different to the jaded, entitled, party boy that he originally presents. The last line he speaks in the series stays with you just by the nuanced emotion delivered. Just when the show starts to get a little tedious with the Cadence/Gat drama, Zada takes more of a focused role and brings more weight and mystery.
Character driven series are rare with content over story being prioritised but not with We Were Liars. It is propelled forward by the characters, their relationships with each other and how the world sees them with the mystery playing second but in a way that expands every character. It’s a hit for Amazon that’s beautifully shot with heavy performances that carry every twist and revelation with ease.
We Were Liars premieres June 18, 2025 on Amazon Prime Video, screeners were provided for review.