What happened to Cadence in We Were Liars? The twist ending explained

24 June 2025, 17:30

What happened to Cadence in We Were Liars? The shocking ending explained. Picture: Prime Video

By Sam Prance

How does We Were Liars end? Who dies in We Were Liars? Here's a plot summary of what happens in the We Were Liars season finale.

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If you want to know what happened to Cadence in We Were Liars and can't wait until the end, we're here to fill you in.

Based on the E. Lockhart novel of the same, We Were Liars follows Cadence Sinclair as she spends her 16th summer at her grandfather's private island, Beechwood, with her cousins, Johnny and Mirren, and their childhood friend Gat. The show then flashes forward two months and we see Cadence wash up injured and alone on the beach.

We then move into a timeline during Cadence's 17th summer at Beechwood where we learn that she has no memory of the previous summer. Not only that but she hasn't seen Johnny, Mirren or Gat at all since then. Now, Cadence is hellbent on trying to piece together what happened to her and get answers from her friends.

So what happened to Cadence? And why won't her family and friends tell her? Scroll down to find out the full story.

WARNING: We Were Liars spoilers below

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How does We Were Liars end?

When Cadence returns to Beechwood, she discovers that her granddad has replaced the entire property with modern buildings. Johnny, Mirren and Gat also tell her that her mother Penny has explicitly asked the three of them not tel tell her what happened to her. As a result, Cadence struggles to trust the three of them and feels isolated.

Penny later tells Cadence that she did explain what happened to her in the hospital but, every time she did, Cadence would have a seizure and crash out. As a result, Penny decided it was best for Cadence not to know what happened. However, as the show progresses, Cadence begins to remember details from the previous summer.

Throughout Cadence's 16th summer, Cadence, Mirren and Johnny's mothers fight over who will inherit what when their dad dies. In the final episodes, Cadence remembers that she, Johnny, Mirren and Gat decided to burn their grandfather's Beechwood property in a bid to put an end to their family's constant in-fighting.

Cadence, Johnny, Mirren all choose a different floor to burn, while Gat sets up the boat by the pier. After leaving, Cadence realises that her dogs are trapped in the house and tries to save them but is too late.

Cadence then in real time finds out that they killed the dogs and cries about it with Johnny, Mirren and Gat.

How does We Were Liars end? Picture: Prime Video

Who dies in We Were Liars?

However, the show doesn't end there. Cadence then asks her grandfather if Johnny, Mirren and Gat can all come over for dinner. Looking upset, he hands her Tipper's pearls and Cadence suddenly realises that Johnny and Mirren got trapped and died in the fire. Not only that but Gat, thinking Cadence was in the house, died trying to save her.

Are Johnny, Mirren and Gat ghosts?

As a result, all the appearances of Johnny, Mirren and Gat in the present timeline were as ghosts. Cadence breaks down in tears and Penny comforts her. Cadence confesses to Penny that she's now addicted to pills and Penny reassures her that she will get her all of the help she needs.

Cadence then bids goodbye to all of the ghosts. Talking to Gat, she realises that, after she wasn't able to save the dogs, she tried to save Tipper's pearls from the house and that's why Gat ran into the house and perished.

Gat tells Cadence that he doesn't blame her for his death. Cadence then jumps into the water one last time with Johnny, Mirren and Gat and they all disappear when she comes back up for air.

Cadence's grandfather tries to get her to speak to a reporter to clear the family's name but she declines.

The series ends with Cadence saying she was once a Sinclair but will always be a Liar.

Who dies We Were Liars? Picture: Prime Video

That's not all though. At the end of the series, we see that Johnny's mother Carrie also sees Johnny's ghost. Carrie says she thought he'd left but Johnny says he doesn't think he can and the credits roll.