We Were Liars: Is the new Prime Video adaptation worth watching?

Prime Video has mastered the art of literary adaptations. Examples include The Summer I Turned Pretty, Maxton Hall, You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty, Daisy Jones & The Six, My Fault, and the list goes on.

Its latest release is the teen series We Were Liars, adapted from the eponymous book by E. Lockhart. The story follows a family of millionaires, the Sinclairs, who gather every summer on their private island. However, during one of those summers, a tragedy occurs, and like a puzzle, viewers gradually uncover what happened as the pieces come together.

Trailer

Watch the trailer for the We Were Liars series:

How many secrets lie behind the flawless Sinclairs?

We Were Liars consists of 8 episodes and features Julie Plec as the showrunner. Plec was a producer and writer for The Vampire Diaries (2009–2017), which may explain the casting of Candice King, known for her role as Caroline Forbes in the vampire romance series, who now plays Bess Sinclair, one of the daughters of magnate Harris Sinclair (David Morse).

The entire family follows a strict and "perfect" standard. They are white, blonde, and blue-eyed. In fact, maintaining this standard and adhering to their rules is their most sacred principle. The series explores racial issues with the inclusion of Ed Patil (Rahul Kohli) and his son Gat Patil (Shubham Maheshwari), who are Indian. Ed dates one of Harris's daughters, and consequently, his son becomes part of the family's social circle and forms a close bond with the grandchildren, who call themselves the Liars.

The Liars consist of the three cousins: Cadence (Emily Aly Lind), Mirren (Esther Rose McGregor), and Johnny (Joseph Zada). Gat completes this quartet, which has been gathering on Beechwood Island since they were kids. Now that they are teenagers, around the age of 16, things start to change. A romance blooms between Cadence and Gat, Mirren also begins a love affair on the island, and Johnny has secrets of his own. They are now drinking, using drugs, and experiencing sexual escapades, which are absolutely unimaginable within the Sinclairs' standards.

The summer that was anything but perfect

One thing happens during this summer, called the Summer of 16, that changes everything. The family that holds morality and good behavior in such high regard turns out to be like a rotten apple. It looks beautiful on the outside but is decayed when sliced open. The book, and now the series, does exactly that. It reveals the Sinclairs’ inner workings, just like an apple cut in half.

The screenwriting and direction are attributed to a sizable team, which explains the nuances of each episode. The pilot is a mix of "look how amazing, rich, and happy they are, and how incredible it is to be on this island" before cutting to the ending, where Cadence is semi-@@@@ on the beach, with a head injury and no memory of what happened that last night of the Summer of 16.

From the second episode onward, the series becomes a dramatic thriller with elements of romance and fun. A year passes, and Cadence returns to Beechwood, but she has no recollection of what happened, and her family and friends will not tell her, hoping to shield her from the trauma. This keeps viewers piecing together a web of theories about what might have occurred or what they may have done to her. Truly, the ending was nothing like any of my theories.

A gripping storyline with a devastating plot twist

Remember when I said the series is like a puzzle? That is exactly it. The episodes, the scenes, and the dialogue are the puzzle pieces. The savviest viewers might catch on to the hints, but I swear it is pretty challenging. On the surface, it feels like Cadence is just a troubled girl who is fresh out of rehab, and her family is helping her avoid a relapse.

However, the series boasts one of the best plot twists, on par with The Sixth Sense. It is so well-done that it made me want to read the book, even though I already know the ending. The details that only literature can provide must be incredible. Speaking of the book, the series is fairly faithful to the source material. The main differences lie in the time gap. In the book, the Sinclairs avoid Beechwood for two years. In the series, it is just one year. To enrich the plot, the show’s writers also explored the relationships between the teenagers’ mothers, showcasing their own secrets and mysteries, in addition to their ambition, as everything ultimately devolves into disputes over wealth and inheritance.

The entire story is told from Cadence’s perspective, given that she is the one who something happened to on that last night at Beechwood the previous summer. Since she does not remember, there is constant drama and confusion surrounding her character, who overall delivers a mediocre performance compared to what is expected of someone in her situation. At times, the cousins, aunts, and grandfather are more captivating than she is because Cadence seems consistently flat, whether in happy or sad moments.

For example, cousin Mirren is an artist who paints, all while hiding the secret of having seen her mother cheating on her father with a local boatman. She also embarks on a romantic adventure with a local boy who inspires her to explore her independent artistic side. Meanwhile, cousin Johnny conceals his sexual orientation out of fear of family rejection. These subplots could have been amazing but were underdeveloped and always returned to the confusion surrounding Cadence.

With the plot’s entire focus on Cadence, whose apathy overshadows everything, and a script that does not delve deeply into the other characters, these might be the only aspects where the We Were Liars series somewhat disappoints. Nonetheless, these are minor details that do not take away from the experience. On the contrary, you will find yourself completely engaged, eager to uncover everything hidden behind that veil of a perfect family.

In the end, We Were Liars delivers exactly what it promises. It is a teen thriller with a jaw-dropping plot twist that will blow your mind and leave you contemplating long after the final credits roll. It does a great job as entertainment, bringing that summer vacation vibe with tragedy, family secrets, and twists that leave a pit in your stomach. While it might not be Prime Video’s deepest series, it is gripping enough to binge-watch over a weekend and then sit in silence, piecing everything together.

If you enjoy stories about dysfunctional families, flawless appearances, and affluent teenagers torn apart by secrets no one wants to reveal, We Were Liars is exactly what you are looking for and absolutely worth a watch.