We Were Liars – Season 1 Episode 1 'Tell Me Sweet Little Lies' Recap & Review
Episode 1 of We Were Liars begins with Cady aka Cadence Sinclair washing up on the beach. She is heavily injured and doesn't remember anything. A quick montage shows arguments among her family members.
Cady narrates all that she can remember of Summer 16. Her family spends the summers on Beechwood Island. Cady is smart and so her mother, Penny, lets her get away with everything. Penny is divorced but no one is allowed to talk about her ex who cheated on her.
Cousin Johnny is a troublemaker but his mother, Carrie, feels a lenient approach is the best way to handle him. Carrie's partner, Ed, is a designer. Cousin Mirren is clumsy but sweet. And as luck would have it, her mother, Bess is snarky. Everyone jokes that Bess is a tradwife while her husband, Brody, is constantly busy with work.
While they take their routine family photo, they realise that Gat is missing.
A flashback to Summer 8 shows Ed bringing his nephew, Gat, who has just lost his father. Gat is quiet and shy but Cady welcomes him and he becomes an honorary Sinclair. Soon, Cady, Gat, Johnny and Mirren become the best of friends. Courtesy of their antics and the way they get away with it, they are known as The Liars.
Back to Summer 16, Gat arrives and The Liars happily reunite. The family has dinner by the cliffside. Penny and Bess argue over which of their estates should be renovated. Ed mentions having a kid but Carrie interrupts. A party boat anchors in their view and while Johnny is excited, Grandfather Harris hates it.
We soon see that Gat and Cady are attracted to each other. Penny and Bess constantly argue and throw barbs at each other's marriages. Carrie is the mediator and distracts them by pointing out how hot Dan, the harbour service guy, is. Harris enlists Ed to get rid of the party boat. Ed tells Carrie, who teases him and they engage in PDA, which annoys Bess.
Over the next few days, the Sinclairs have fun, swimming and playing tennis. Gat is super attentive and thoughtful, and Cady realises that she likes him. She asks him out to see the meteor shower and he is excited. Johnny notices how cosy they are and indirectly warns them. He reveals that he hooked up with his tennis partner which made things weird and ruined the team.
Gat is still excited about the date when Ed offhandedly comments that if one falls in love with a Sinclair, they have to keep up with their messy family. Right on cue, Johnny drags Gat away to get an invite to the party boat.
Cady waits alone, only for Gat to show up with Johnny and Mirren so they can all head to the party boat. Gat looks apologetic while Cady is hurt. He keeps looking at her and Johnny and Mirren tease them. To shut them down, Gat joins the two in drinking and dancing. Cady sulks and then leaves.
Back on the island, Penny and Bess' usual rivalry turns nasty. Their mom, Tipper, scolds them about decorum and Penny blames her for not letting them talk about their feelings normally. She ends up revealing that her ex has hired a PI to squeeze out every penny.
Everyone heads out to watch the meteor shower and Cady joins them. She suddenly spots Gat swimming back to the island to be with her. They are interrupted by Johnny and Mirren who drag them for a swim. Later, Johnny confesses that he was hurt that Cady ditched them instead of telling them the truth. They patch up and after Johnny and Mirren leave, Gat apologises as well. He confesses that he was nervous and that he likes Cady as well. They kiss.
Bess is waiting for Brody who never shows up. She ends up ranting to Dan. While heading in, Mirren spots her mother hooking up with Dan. Penny goes on a run and cries. Carrie throws out some wine. Harris is on the terrace and watches everyone.
2 months later, an injured Cady washes up on the beach. On her hands it is written – 'Never surrender to the devil you know best.'
The Episode Review
We Were Liars Episode 1 is an interesting start to the adaptation of an iconic psychological thriller of the 2010s. While we were mostly obsessed with dystopian books or John Green romances, E. Lockhart snuck onto us out of nowhere with her jaw-dropping thriller, We Were Liars. And while it may have taken a decade to get an adaptation, the wait seems to have been worth it.
While the nostalgia remains for us book readers, it is sure to be intriguing for new fans of the Amazon Prime show. The first chapter is essentially Cady narrating all that she can remember about her loving family. But as the other characters start getting their POVs, we see that the Sinclairs are far from perfect.
While the kids enjoy their summers, Bess and Penny's rivalry over who is the better sister spills onto Carrie to keep them in check. She has her own problems as she keeps avoiding heavy topics with Ed, even though she seems to love him. Harris sees Ed as his assistant and in return, Ed is forced to keep him happy as his footing in the family seems to be precarious. How will all of this affect Cady and The Liars?
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