There are some spoilers to follow, you have been warned.
Tell Me Lies is the best kind of feel-bad show. It’s the kind of show we know is toxic and messy, yet we keep watching because we can’t get enough. Just like Lucy (Grace Van Patten) can’t seem to escape the toxic pull of Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), we’re driven to watch these characters tell each other lies. And for a bit they get away with it, but season 3 is all about the consequences.
This season, Lucy and Stephen are back together again, however, Stephen cannot accept that Lucy slept with Evan (Branden Cook). Much like how it was when he discovered Diana (Alicia Crowder) had slept with Wrigley (Spencer House) – way before she was with Stephen by the way – Stephen cannot stand knowing that a friend slept with his girl. This quickly establishes how Stephen perceives women, as trophies/objects that belong to him, with no consideration of their agency. Just like he punished Diana, he seeks to punish Lucy too. Tell Me Lies is one of the few shows that doesn’t romanticise its characters – the flaws and ugliness are exposed for everyone to see, which is to its credit because at this point, no one is rooting for Stephen and Lucy to remain together. We see Stephen for who he is – kudos to White for fleshing out such a terrible character and keeping him detestable.
But just like in real life, the Stephens of the world never really see true justice. Yes, he suffers loss, but there is no karmic punishment. When we see him in 2015, he is very much the same, and once again he’s found a way to manipulate his way into the good graces of other people. He’s not polite, nor discreet, and seeks maximum humiliation for his partners – think Lucy in her coconut bra or his abandonment of her during karaoke.
Lucy has always been a divisive character. I know many don’t like her because she stays in her toxic relationship for far too long and makes tons of poor decisions because of it, but I could never hate her because of Patten’s tremendous acting. The cast are all superb, but this season’s MVP truly belongs to Patten. Her acting when Lucy starts to disassociate from reality is so on point. You can see how unsettled and mentally affected she is by Stephen, and how this leads to her spiral. That scene in the Dean’s office, where she’s just smiling and crying at the same time, is hauntingly good. Despite all the horrible decisions she’s made, my heart broke for her, and I wished she was surrounded by more people who truly cared for her.
While characters like Bree (Catherine Missal), Evan and Pippa (Sonia Mena) never really had blood on their hands prior to season 3, this is the season that unveils some of the ugliness that we didn’t really see before. But it makes sense considering what they’ve gone through.
Pippa is struggling with her sexuality and the repercussions of the sexual assault, while Bree has been messed up by Oliver (Tom Ellis) in a huge way. Even though he’s clearly the one in the wrong, he gaslights her with his so-called understanding and empathy, when he has none. He uses his power and authority to undermine her at every turn, and it’s frightening to realise just how difficult it would be to take down someone like him.
The development of Wrigley’s character is one of the standouts this season. House has always made Wrigley such a likeable guy with an inherent sense of goodness to him despite his crash-outs, so it was really great to see him as more of a heroic character. He doesn’t even pretend to tolerate Stephen anymore, and it’s so satisfying to see someone stick it to Stephen, especially when Stephen lacks the ammo to destroy him the way he does for the girls. Wrigley’s relationship with Bree is honestly so beautiful and hopeful, and I’m happy that we got a truly genuine relationship amidst all the toxic ones. Diana’s arc is also wonderfully executed – her strategy to free herself from Stephen, her relationship with Pippa. She’s the blueprint of how things will end up for Lucy once she frees herself of the demon Stephen DeMarco.
When show runner Meaghan Oppenheimer announced that season 3 would be the end despite the show’s popularity, I had mixed feelings since I wasn’t sure they could resolve all the story beats by the end. They managed to make it work, but it did feel a bit rushed and not as cohesive as the other seasons. I do think a show like Tell Me Lies benefits more from a binge-watch concept than a release episode weekly model, where the momentum is sustained instead of continuously disrupted.
There’s not a lot of concrete details about what happened in the 6 years between college years and the wedding, but I don’t think those events are contextually necessary for the show. When the last scene of the college years wraps up, all the plotlines to the wedding have been sufficiently drawn. After watching the series finale, I respected Oppenheimer’s decision to end the show while it was still good, and not drag things out just for the sake of ratings and popularity. She had a clear structure and always knew where the show would end, and it is the right choice. The Stephen and Lucy toxic dynamic has run its course. Yes technically we could have ended season 3 with them together, with season 4 exploring their future dynamic, but it would be a runaround of the same own spiel.
Lucy’s choice at the end with Stephen has incited some division. She chooses to leave with him, and then he leaves her behind – isn’t it more empowering for it to be the other way around? Perhaps, but it’s what Lucy needed to finally have her freedom from him. He needed to know that he won, and she gave that to him – now he would finally leave her alone. She’s free from him, and free to live her life on her own terms without punishing herself anymore.
I imagine she goes back to writing again, makes new friends, and eventually gets into a relationship that allows her to be her best self. No more lies for her.
REVIEW SCORE: 4/5
