We Were Liars Episode 3 and 4 Recap: The Lies Spiral Further

In episodes 3 and 4 of ‘We Were Liars,’ titled ‘The Ties Were Black, the Lies Were White’ and ‘The Fourth of You Lie,’ the mystery behind Cadence’s amnesia continues to mount as the protagonist questions whether her friends are lying about everything. This directly tracks from the events of the second episode, which ended with Gat and Cadence reaching a breaking point in their relationship after the latter discovers the presence of another girl in his life. However, this monumental revelation was superseded by an even more shocking development – Tipper losing consciousness and remaining unresponsive to the screams and cries of her family around her. The somber ending serves as a direct takeoff point as we head into more drama and intrigue in the third and fourth episodes of the show. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Cadence Deals With the Grief of Her Grandma’s Passing

Episode 3 kicks into gear with Cadence thinking about her grandmother, recalling how she would tell them stories when they were young children. In Summer 17, Cadence walks through the New Clairmont house, taking in its modern architecture and new interiors. She eventually wanders into Harris’ office, who welcomes her inside and tells her to take a seat. After discussing the recent changes, Cadence learns that the decision to rebuild Clairmont as a modern building was Harris’ idea, something he always wished to do but had to abstain from because of Tipper’s preference for classical aesthetics. She accuses Harris of ruining Tipper’s memory, claiming that he is trying to rip away any last touches of her around the island – a statement that enrages Harris. Bess intervenes and sends Cadence on a trip to the rose garden, a place Tipper used to frequent all the time.

In the garden, Cadence sees a hallucination of Tipper, which quickly vanishes when she approaches it. Subsequently, she grows dizzy, lying down on the grass for some rest. We jump back to Summer 16, where Cadence and Penny observe Tipper’s body at the church, which has been prepared and lies inside an open casket. The protagonist heads out the door while her mother gets ready to place Tipper’s signature black pearl necklace, a family heirloom, around her neck. Once outside the church, Penny informs Cadence that her father, Sam, is going to stop by for the funeral, an arrangement that irks the young girl because she has a deep-set hatred for cheaters. To prepare Cadence for the emotional weight, Penny tells her daughter to be stoic and regal because by putting on a strong front, she can make her heart a smaller target.

Gat Continues to Get the Distant Treatment From Cadence

In Summer 17, Cadence visits the Cuddledown, where she runs into the “Liars” gang, having a fun time by themselves. After pressing them incessantly on the matter, the group agrees to tell Cadence more about what happened on the funeral day, helping her jog more of her memory. We jump back to Summer 16, where Gat expresses his unease to Ed about attending the funeral. The latter reminds him that no matter how difficult it might be for him, a funeral is an occasion where people should do their best to show up because it helps the bereaved and the living move on with their lives. After receiving the somber but heartfelt pep talk, Gat listens to the advice and shows up at the funeral at the last second before the family heads for the church. While his presence is appreciated, Cadence continues to ignore him for cheating on her.

At the church, Gat runs into Sam, who asks him about Cadence. However, given the recent distance between them, he is unable to answer truthfully. The funeral soon gets underway, with most people anxious about the whole event. Johnny is startled to discover that a rival from his school, Blake Beaumont, is amongst the guests. With so much nervousness in the air, Harris’ eulogy gets completely forgotten. Gat tries to converse with Cadence after the formal part of the funeral is wrapped up, but she still maintains an air of aloofness when it comes to him, frustrating him further. She sits down with Johnny and Mirren, who keep Gat out of their group. Later, Johnny receives a monumental shock when he realizes that Blake is the guy Mirren has been sexting all summer, leaving him thunderstruck as the two head off for some private time.

Cadence Acknowledges the Pain and Makes a Breakthrough

The funeral’s events take another dramatic twist as Carrie realizes that her sister Penny has stolen the precious black pearl necklace intended for their mother’s dead body. Soon, Bess also gets drawn into the conflict as the three sisters begin bickering over who is owed what from their Tipper’s collection. Outside the house, Gat runs into Harris, who tasks him with taking the dogs out of their cage and letting them stretch their muscles for a while. Elsewhere, Blake and Mirren get cozy with their flirting, with the former stating that he has no ulterior motive behind coming to see her. However, Mirren is excited by his sweet talk and asks Cadence to stall him for a while as she wants to get ready before having sex with him. Unfortunately for Mirren, her plan does not work out because Blake disappears not long after.

It turns out that Johnny and Blake met each other later that day in another house, where the two ended up kissing and making out. Later, Cadence found them there and broke up the exchange. This is the story relayed by Johnny in Summer 17. Back in the Summer 16 timeline, Gat and Cadence speak honestly with one another at the beach while the dogs play around them. While they somewhat reconcile their differences, they have to cut their exchange short because the dogs start running towards the house. They follow it back to Clairmont, where the animals shatter many of Tipper’s memorabilia, making things awkward with Harris. Just a few minutes ago, the Sinclair patriarch was reprimanding his daughters for squabbling over Tipper’s inheritance like children, only exacerbating his frustration with his dysfunctional family.

As the funeral reaches its conclusion, Cadence gets the chance to meet with Sam and talk more freely and honestly about the sadness in her heart about her parents’ divorce. He tells her she is well within her rights to feel upset and disappointed by him, but he plans to make it up to her someday, which makes her happy. In Summer 17, the protagonist pulls Gat aside and tells him that Johnny’s story about kissing Blake was a lie. Blake actually confronted Johnny inside the house about something unknown, threatening to leak it publicly. When Johnny refused to back off, Blake punched him, prompting Cadence to step in and break the fight. She knows this is what happened because her memories have already returned, and she is testing to see who has been lying to her. She pleads with Gat to help her find out the truth, but he is unconvinced by her desperation.

The Fourth of July Sets a New Challenge For the Sinclairs

The fourth episode starts with Cadence questioning why Johnny would be lying to her about the matter with Blake from the earlier episode. As she ponders this question, she goes back again to Summer 16, where she and Gat have a conversation on the hammock about trying to be a better person. While they are on slightly better footing than before, things still remain awkward on a romantic front. Elsewhere on the island, Bess, Carrie, and Penny are determined to make the best pie possible with Fourth of July celebrations right around the corner and the scope to disappoint their dad narrowing. As the big celebrations kick off, Cadence tries to clear the air with Gat about his seeming desperation to cling to her wherever she goes, almost as a way of apologizing for his wronging her. However, he claims that it has nothing to do with her at all.

Ed breaks the news to Johnny, saying that he is planning on proposing to his mother later that day. The latter gives his wholehearted support to the plan, welcoming him into the family. However, when asked if he is alright, Johnny seems standoffish and uncertain, prompting Ed to worry about his soon-to-be stepson. Mirren’s day takes a surprise turn when she sees Ebon, the delivery worker who pissed her off earlier, back on the island. Despite his obnoxious attitude, Mirren keeps running into him at strange places, piquing her interest. As things get rather heavy in the kitchen between the Sinclair sisters, a breather arrives when Cadence and Gat stop by to pick up some food. During the ensuing conversation, the protagonist learns that Gat’s girlfriend, Raquel, is in town. She urges Gat to invite her to the Fourth of July celebrations, which he seems reluctant to do.

Cadence Makes a Jealousy Play to Win Gat’s Attention

As Cadence breaks the news about Raquel to Mirren and Johnny, she expresses a desire to hang out with some frat boys, a less than subtle way to make Gat jealous while also ignoring her own jealousy at the fact that he will be with Raquel. While walking with him, Mirren tries breaking the news to her dad about Bess cheating on him. However, Brodie discourages her from opening up, believing that it is something meant for her mother’s ears. With the Fourth of July finally here, the entire island is spruced up for the grand celebrations. Meanwhile, the Sinclair sisters manage to make their own stellar pies. Unfortunately, when Bess’ pie burns up in the boiler, she accuses Penny of tampering. In a fit of rage, she destroys Penny’s pie, leaving the sisters with no pies to share at the event and Penny in tears, which leads to Carrie reprimanding Bess for being heartless.

The guests for the party start to arrive, with one entire boat carrying frat boys from Johnny’s school expressly delivered upon Mirren’s orders. Cadence uses it as an opportunity to mingle with the other boys, hoping to spark intense jealousy in Gat, believing that the girl he arrived with must be Raquel. When Johnny finds out that Mirren brought some boys from his school over, he loses his mind and walks away in anger. In Summer 17, Cadence tells Gat that Johnny is hiding something and plans to find out more about it with his help. However, he refuses, forcing her to work on her own. She heads into his room and finds his smartphone in the drawer. After getting into the device, she finds out that he has been talking with someone named Jackson while he also blocked Blake. The whole thing smells shady to Cadence, even though she is not sure why.

The Family Drama Grows Complicated on Several Fronts

In Summer 16, the party rages on as Cadence tries to entice a boy to dance with her. Surprisingly, Jackson steps up to dance with her, whom she recognizes as Johnny’s old partner. He tells her that he wants to speak to Johnny because he has stopped answering any texts. In her inebriated state, Cadence is unable to make sense of the discussion beyond the surface-level talk. In the meantime, Gat watches disapprovingly from the sidelines. Carrie sits down with Harris at a table outside to speak with him about the Sinclair sisters needing him. He tells her that all of them are in financial ruin, including Bess, who purports to be perfect. However, even her trust fund is all but depleted. Carrie states that she, too, is in the same boat because, over the last year, she had to spend a lot of money to make something Johnny did disappear. Now, she has nothing left.

After seeing Cadence mingling with some questionable characters, Mirren tries to steer away the predators from her cousin and sends her back into the house. Ebon sits down with Mirren to talk. Despite their differences, the two get more comfortable with each other, both eventually realizing they have an attraction. As such, they soon end up kissing. On the beach, Johnny runs into Ed, who has prepared a lavish outdoor spot where he can propose to Carrie. Johnny tells Ed that he is a good guy and someone who deserves good things. Carrie arrives moments later, prompting Johnny to step away as the two adults start talking about Ed’s grand plan. Unfortunately, things don’t work out quite as planned because Carrie rejects Ed’s proposal, stating that despite everything, she needs to be in her father’s good graces for her monetary needs.

Cadence Finds the Truth About Johnny

Later, she breaks the news to Bess and Penny, who are astounded by her decision. During the exchange, Carrie also blows the lid on the actual state of Bess’ trust fund. Although it seems like a takedown of Bess, we learn that she had no knowledge about the fact either. In truth, her husband, Brodie, has been siphoning money out of the trust fund for his firm’s needs without telling his wife about it, enraging her. She tells him to leave the island and to never show his face again. As Mirren and Ebon prepare for a steamy and passionate night, Gat and Cadence sit outside to watch the firecrackers. She apologizes for her earlier behavior, while Gat tells her that he had actually broken up with Raquel earlier that day. This is a firm sign that he prioritizes Cadence over everything else in his life, making her happy.

The two notice Johnny in the distance, hurling alcohol bottles into the sea. Worried about him, they rush to his aid, urging him to step back towards the island’s rocky crags. However, he screams at them to stay away, even throwing a bottle inches away from hitting Cadence. In Summer 17, the protagonist breaks into Johnny’s phone again and finds out through a video recording among his texts that he beat up someone at his school very badly, leaving them in a grave state. Carrie later accesses the phone and finds out about it as well, while a distraught Johnny tries to stop her. He confronts Cadence outside the house, stating that she has no idea what happened during the night of the incident. Subsequently, Cadence goes into a seizure while her mother, Harris, and the rest gather around her in concern.