Although Prime Video’sWe Were Liarsfailed to impress critics, viewers should still be warned that the thriller series is an emotional roller coaster. Set in the rarified world of the ultra rich and privileged,Prime Video’sWe Were Liarsis a twisty adaptation of author E Lockhart’s 2014 novel of the same name.
Focused on the seemingly perfect Sinclair family,We Were Liarssees 17-year-old Cadence return to Beechwood Island after a mysterious accident that left her with amnesia. In the Sinclair family’s annual private summer gathering, secrets are hidden from Cadence by friends, family, and old flames alike, until the terrible truth is finally revealed in the show’s finale.
Prime Video’s We Were Liars Is Divisive, But It’s An Addicting Thriller Show
Viewers Will Be Desperate To Learn The Prime Video Show’s Big Twist
Viewers wholovedPretty Little Liarswill know what to expect fromWe Were Liars, which mixes young adult romantic drama with more traditional thriller elements to create a heady cocktail. Cadence’s search for the truth is gripping despite what critics said about Prime Video’s adaptation, and the campy excesses of the miniseries are arguably even a good thing.
We Were Liarsis a soapy, tragic melodrama as well as a thriller, and this works.
The show is more melodramatic than the source novel, but this makes the mystery at its center feel even more high-stakes. Moreover, the shocking twist ending is one that wouldn’t work without an outlandish tone in the preceding episodes, thus retroactively justifying what seemed like excesses in earlier outings.
The Emotional Impact Of We Were Liars Separates It From Many Other Thrillers
We Were Liars Is More Moving Than Many Entries Into the Genre
Thrillers usually lean into shock over emotional hits, butWe Were Liars' gutting ending is part of what makes it great. Unlikestar Emily Alyn Lind’s earlierGossip Girlreboot, this series does not attempt to maintain a chilly veneer of uncaring attitude.We Were Liarsis a soapy, tragic melodrama as well as a thriller, and this works.
What makes the show stand out compared to the likes ofPretty Little LiarsorRiverdaleis its lack of ironic detachment. This inevitably means its young stars are occasionally left delivering dialogue that sounds painfully earnest, but the twist ending justifies this in a way that feels both audacious and shockingly well telegraphed in retrospect.
Prime Video’s Adaptation Of We Were Liars Is Even More Devastating Than The Book
The Original Novel’s Ending Doesn’t Hit Quite As Hard
It would be easy to recommendWe Were Liarsby simply stating the big twist and then explaining how well it works. However,Prime Video’s thriller adaptationdeserves better than that, since the show expands on the book’s story and characters while remaining relatively faithful.
Adding a lot more layers of characterization and numerous subplots, Prime Video’sWe Were Liarsalso makes the story’s ending slightly different, and the tale is sadder for it. Ultimately, Prime Video took the best parts of Lockhart’s novel, but fleshed out this version ofWe Were Liarsto make it even better.
