We Were Liars Recap: Cadence Reveals Johnny’s Hidden Secret
Cadence (Emily Alyn Lind) finally uncovers a key secret about the events of Summer 16 — yet she remains in the dark regarding her accident.
We Were Liars episode 4, titled “The Fourth of You Lie,” begins with present-day Cadence in Summer 17, jotting down notes about everything she’s discovered so far. The pressing question is: “Why is Johnny (Joseph Zada) lying?”
The bulk of the episode unfolds in a Summer 16 flashback, featuring The Liars—Cadence and Johnny, alongside Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) and Mirren (Esther McGregor)—as they host a massive party on Beechwood Island.
Carrie (Mamie Gummer) discloses that she saw Gat’s girlfriend on Martha’s Vineyard, prompting Cadence to urge him to send her an invitation. Struggling with her emotions about Gat’s relationship, Cadence resorts to drinking. (If you’re familiar with it, it feels reminiscent of Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty.) In the end, Gat’s girlfriend doesn’t show up; instead, he breaks up with her for Cadence.
Meanwhile, Ed (Rahul Kohli) confides in Johnny about his plan to propose to Carrie, which stirs up emotions for Johnny, leading to a downward spiral. The situation escalates when Johnny’s tennis friends arrive, and he displays what Cadence describes as “that scary look.”
On the mothers’ front, they continue to squabble over Tipper’s (Wendy Crewson) possessions. Carrie tries to mend things with their father, Harris (David Morse), but he unveils family secrets, such as Penny (Caitlin FitzGerald) “spending half her budget,” Bess (Candice King) lacking funds in her trust, and Carrie having blown her money on “drugs and fancy rehabs.”
After a heated argument, Carrie turns down Ed’s proposal. Meanwhile, Bess discovers that her account has been drained, revealing that her husband, Brody (Dylan Bruce), has been siphoning off her trust fund.
Back in present day, Cadence seeks answers through Johnny’s phone, even as Gat pleads with her to stop.
“Have you ever considered that you might not remember for a reason?” he questions. “That your mind is trying to shield you?”
Cadence, however, disregards his warning and hacks into Johnny’s phone. What she discovers is a video of Johnny assaulting someone, nearly resulting in death. Carrie finds Cadence watching the video and is understandably alarmed.
“She unlocked my phone, and now my mother has access to my entire private life, Cadence,” Johnny shouts at his cousin. “My texts to my dealer, my Grindr profile—she’s crying so hard she can’t even yell at me. Who does that?”
Johnny calls Cadence “f***ing crazy” for her actions.
“I wouldn’t need to do all of this if someone would just tell me the f***ing truth,” Cadence responds, questioning Johnny about what he did before losing consciousness and seizing.
All episodes of We Were Liars season 1 are available for streaming now on Prime Video.
