The We Were Liars Theory That Finally Explains Bess’s Final-Scene Guilt

We Were Liars just wrapped its first season, and fans are already connecting dots the show only waved at. Between that final scene with Bess and Carrie, Candice King talking about how she built Bess, and author E. Lockhart teasing where Season 2 is headed, there is a lot to unpack. And yeah, some of it is pretty dark.

The finale theory that digs up the Sinclairs' past

In the Season 1 closer, Bess tells Carrie that maybe losing their kids was some kind of payback for things they did. Not exactly subtle. That line has Reddit spinning up a theory that the unspoken sin is the death of the Sinclairs' youngest sister, Rosemary.

The idea goes like this: the three Sinclair sisters may have been responsible for Rosemary's death years ago, and their father, Harris, buried the truth to protect the family brand. He allegedly kept them in line by warping the story and weaponizing their guilt. Sound familiar? It mirrors how Harris later misled Cadence about what happened to Mirren, Gat, and Johnny. If that tracks, it would explain why Bess, Carrie, and Penny still orbit Harris like he's the sun: guilt and fear are powerful chains.

So when Cadence starts pushing back against that glossy Sinclair image, it hits a nerve. The sisters see a kind of freedom they never took for themselves, and Bess's final pang of guilt reads less like a single loss and more like a lifetime of silence catching up with her. Messy, but it fits the show.

Candice King on cracking Bess: sisters, chemistry, and a little reality TV

Candice King told The Hollywood Reporter she built Bess by building the sisterhood first. Her prep centered on real connection with Mamie Gummer and Caitlin FitzGerald, who play Carrie and Penny, because Bess makes the most sense inside that trio. Speaking to Collider, King said Bess is defined by that dynamic. She does not have sisters in real life, so she borrowed from Gummer and FitzGerald's real sibling stories and even riffed on the way the Kardashians jab at each other with words. Odd reference point, sure, but for a family drama where cutting comments do most of the violence, it totally tracks.

E. Lockhart teases Season 2: the prequel folds in, but expect curveballs

Author E. Lockhart is keeping the big reveals locked up, but she told Variety that Season 2 will weave in her prequel novel, Family of Liars, while still throwing surprises at people who already read it.

"The new season will fold in the story of Family of Liars, and at the same time, I know the showrunners have a bunch of tricks up their sleeve so that people who have read Family of Liars will still be surprised."

She also said fans should expect the show to stay connected to the original storyline, with familiar faces returning in a new, present-day plot that intersects with the Family of Liars material. Confirmed to be back: Caitlin FitzGerald, Candice King, Mamie Gummer, David Morse, Joseph Zada, and Emily Alyn Lind.

• Returning cast: Caitlin FitzGerald, Candice King, Mamie Gummer, David Morse, Joseph Zada, Emily Alyn Lind

If the finale theory is even half right, Season 2 could dig deeper into the Sinclairs' generational damage while flipping between timelines. More secrets, more twists, or something weirder? I am betting all three.

We Were Liars is streaming now on Prime Video.