Echoes season 1 – how did Claudia end up in a wheelchair?

By Adam Lock - August 19, 2022 (Last updated: November 10, 2023)
echoes-season-1-how-did-claudia-end-up-in-a-wheelchair-netflix-series
By Adam Lock - August 19, 2022 (Last updated: November 10, 2023)

This article, “how did Claudia end up in a wheelchair,” contains spoilers regarding the Netflix limited series Echoes season 1.

Access the archive of recaps, reviews, and news for Echoes. 

Gina and Leni may be the main focus of Echoes, but there is a third McCleary sister, called Claudia. Claudia looks completely different from the twins, has a clear animosity towards Gina and is wheelchair bound. The writers never hint at any foul play leading to Claudia being in a wheelchair, but viewers just know something isn’t quite right. So how did Claudia end up in a wheelchair and what significance does this event have on the overall plot?

Echoes season 1 – how did Claudia end up in a wheelchair?

When Gina arrives in town and meets with her family members, Claudia clearly hates her sister. Bad Gina is back and Claudia evidently has some unresolved issues with her rival sibling. There aren’t many clues to what triggered this feud, but it is eventually revealed what caused Claudia to become wheelchair bound and to hate her sister. Both are intrinsically linked and of course, involve Leni and her manipulative ways once again.

In a flashback, the three sisters appear to be playing on an industrial site. It’s an odd setup, why would the girls be in such a place? But they find themselves high up, close to a dangerous edge. The twins argue over a doll and Claudia tries to stop their squabbling. The tussle continues and Claudia is pushed. She falls from a great height and breaks her legs. The twins had apparently switched clothes, so Claudia blames Gina. Although it was Leni that pushed her all along.

After this event, Claudia detests Gina and the stigma begins. Bad Gina is seen as the troubled twin and feels forced to leave for LA. Claudia grew closer to Leni and those two stayed together in Mount Echo. Claudia clearly had confidence issues after the fall and Leni tried to set her up with potential boyfriends. In the end, Claudia starts a relationship with a man called Beau and thanks Leni for all her help. In actuality, it was Gina that orchestrated the partnership, pretending to be Leni at the time. She wanted Claudia to become more independent and happier with her own life, before she left town for good.

After the twins’ secret is revealed, Gina informs Claudia of what actually happened that treacherous day. Gina was blamed for the push, but it was Leni. Claudia is furious about all the lies and doesn’t really care who pushed her. In her eyes they are both responsible and they both betrayed her. Claudia is just another victim in this deceitful setup, who loses the ability to walk because of her twin sisters. The lies that follow do more damage though and Claudia loses her entire family thanks to this snowballing of circumstances.

You can watch this series with a subscription to Netflix.

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