Diksha Sundriyal
The second season of Hulu’s ‘Tell Me Lies’ keeps up with the complicated nature of the relationships of its protagonists, taking the lying, secrets, and toxicity to a whole new level. While the first season mainly focuses on Lucy and Stephen’s romance, the second season expands the storylines of the characters who had mostly been in the background the first time around. One of them to get a significant change in arc this season is Bree, whose evolution from her Season 1 counterpart is immediately visible. One of the reasons behind this is the beginning of her romance with Oliver, which comes with its own set of complications. SPOILERS AHEAD
Bree Seeks the Pleasure of a Forbidden Romance With Oliver
One of the things that ‘Tell Me Lies’ does really well is to immediately get the sparks flying between two characters, so you know that there is going to be a major turn in their story in the coming episodes. This is done especially well with Bree and Oliver, whose first meeting serves as a weird meet-cute, which immediately establishes the fact that something is going to happen between them soon enough. What makes things even more interesting is that Oliver is a professor at Baird College, and he is married to the teacher whose class Bree has signed up for.
It could be Oliver’s good looks and his British accent (courtesy of Lucifer’s Tom Ellis), his nonchalance and maturity, or the simple timing of his arrival in Bree’s life, who is going through a rough patch with Evan, that attracts Bree to him. Their first few meetings are entirely by chance, as they bump into each other quite unexpectedly, once during the part at Oliver’s house arranged by his wife and another time outside a bar on Bree’s birthday. However, within these encounters, Bree finds the attention that she hasn’t received from her friends and the sense of understanding that she hasn’t received from her boyfriend. For his part, Oliver, too, encourages things by flirting with Bree when he knows how much trouble he could get in for it.
The only thing that keeps Bree from jumping headfirst into a romance with Oliver is the simple fact that she is in a relationship with Evan. While things have been a bit tricky and confusing, especially with Evan lavishing her with gifts that she deems too expensive, she is still in a committed relationship and doesn’t see cheating as a morally acceptable thing. However, when Evan tells her he cheated, something cracks inside her. What’s more is that when she tells him she cheated on him, too, he immediately takes offense to it while completely ignoring the fact that he cheated on her first and wanted her to forgive him for it. His hypocrisy gives Bree a perspective on their relationship, and she finds it best to part ways with him and dive into a relationship where her interest actually lies.
Bree and Oliver’s Relationship is Already Doomed
Following her breakup with Evan, it doesn’t take a lot of time for Bree to go knocking at Oliver’s door. On top of that, Oliver reciprocates her feelings, and they make out in his office. Later, they decide to meet to talk things through, halfway through which, Oliver realizes that what he is doing is wrong. He walks away, but then he finds Bree outside his house, and it doesn’t take much for him to waver. He takes Bree to a friend’s house that he has been housesitting, and that’s where he and Bree have sex.
As steamy and passionate as the romance is between Bree and Oliver, it is no shock that it is not going to last. From the future timeline of 2015, we know that Bree is getting married to Evan, which means they are bound to get together, which means that she and Oliver are bound to break up. If that was not an indication enough, the fact that Oliver is married and Bree’s professor shows that they have quite a few hurdles to cross before being able to acknowledge their relationship in public.
Another factor that will work towards breaking up their relationship is the fact that it is an affair and cheating on Oliver’s part. So far, Bree has been the only character who was considered pure goodness. This affair casts a shadow on her, showing that even with all her goodness, there is a dark side to her. Still, her conscience and her sense of morality are eventually going to knock some sense into her. If not, then there is a good chance that she will be disappointed by Oliver, who is bound to choose his marriage and reputation over romancing a college kid. This means that the clock is already ticking on their affair.
Read More: Tell Me Lies: Is Stephen DeMarco a Narcissist or a Sociopath?
