We Were Liars Season 1, Episode 1 Review: ‘Tell Me Sweet Little Lies’

Summers are something special, but summers are different for everyone.

For the Sinclairs, their summer on their private island is everything. There, they are untouchable.

But we’re only on the first episode of We Were Liars, where we’re watching the Sinclairs come to life. It’s an introduction to emotions and personalities.

There is something to be said for a show that Julie Plec and Carina MacKenzie develop. You know that you’re going to be entertained, but you also know that you will be affected on a deeper level. And you know that your emotions are going to be hit with an array of feelings. You will feel victimized in a way that you didn’t think possible, but it will be positive.

The words that they put on paper bring characters to life in a way that enhances the source material and doesn’t take away from it. Instead, they find a way to make words beautiful, empowering, and to make sure that the words that they weave will stick with you.

We Were Liars is an example of that.

Before you ask, we read the book, and we did love the source material. We Were Liars is a complex story of lies, truths, secrets, and mystery. The first episode of the series definitely sets that up with its story, but also executed flawlessly by the Liars. Emily Alyn Lind as Cadence Sinclair Eastman, Shubham Maheshwari as Gat Patil, Esther McGregor as Mirren Sinclair Sheffield, and Joseph Zada as Johnny Sinclair Dennis are magnetic.

The four glue your eyes to the screen, because their acting isn’t just delivering words. It’s also in their expressions, the scenery, and the island. Who they are is portrayed in their movements and not just their words. They are more than the words they say.

The story isn’t even just about them. There are also the grown Sinclairs – their parents. Mamie Gummer as Carrie Sinclair, Caitlin FitzGerald as Penny Sinclair, Candice King as Bess Sinclair, David Morse as Harris Sinclair, and Rahul Kohli as Ed Patil are all unique.

And that’s not a bad thing.

The Sinclairs are American royalty. The family has their troubles. Penny is going through a divorce, Carrie won’t get married and isn’t living up to her parents’ ideals, and Bess, well, she might as well be invisible to her husband, but all she wants to do is be needed. Their father, Harris Sinclair, seems more disturbed that his view is blocked by a party boat than by the events that are happening with his children and grandchildren.

Cadence is the favorite – the granddaughter who can do no wrong. Mirren is the granddaughter who is afraid to mess up because her Mom will come for everything that she does. Bess Sinclair is trying to keep her family together even as they fall apart. Johnny is tired of being on the island and wants to be adventurous.

Gat isn’t a Sinclair, but they can’t imagine summers without him. The four young ones are the Liars. They’ve spent their summers together, and summer doesn’t start until they are all together.

This summer, though, it’s different. This summer, everyone is at this moment of growth. Cadence is noticing Gat and how she feels for the first time. He’s definitely noticed her and is enamored. Everyone is noticing the two looking at each other with lust and a want for each other.

The first episode is a lot of Gat and Cadence trying to find their way to each other. It was endearing to watch – reminded me of falling in love for the first time. Every moment that they battled through the push and pull was a moment that we found ourselves screaming at the television, begging for the two of them to open their eyes and their mouths.

Cadence, played by Emily Alyn Lind, is the narrator of the story. We’re watching her remember the past, but also talk about her current state. The state of knowing that something happened to her, and she’s not sure what it is. She just knows that this summer was supposed to be perfect.

They wanted for nothing.

No one was an addict.

Things were easier.

Whatever made Cadence end up on that beach, left to die, is something that she doesn’t remember. And it’s two months from this moment. We don’t know what happened, but the stage has been set — something that MacKenzie, Plec, and this entire cast do so well.

OTHER THOUGHTS

Bess is a freak, but I woulda have let Salty Dave or Dan or whatever his name is – do the same thing – so… no judgement here
Sisters are complicated
I don’t trust Mirren, and I am not sure why
I really like Gat, but that scares me cause normally when I like someone, they are the bad guy
The Sinclairs are giving Kennedy energy
I think I may like Carrie the best out of the Sinclair sisters
We’re gonna learn quickly that nothing is as it seems. I feel it
Being rich ain’t easy.
I love Cadence’s innocence and unfamiliarity with feels. She’s wading through figuring them out, and we’ve all been there.
Gat writing Cadence letters is something I love. It’s like he’s falling head over heels trying to get her to see that

We Were Liars is streaming now on Prime Video.