Diksha Sundriyal
Hulu’s ‘Tell Me Lies’ begins with Lucy Albright getting caught up in a toxic relationship with Stephen DeMarco in her first year at Baird College. The first season sets the grounds for what will be a complicated relationship spanning several years, but the second season really gets into the nitty-gritty of it, giving us a glimpse of the hold Stephen has on Lucy, even when she is supposed to hate him. To make things easier, Stephen does a lot of stuff to make Lucy hate him (if she doesn’t, we surely do), but that’s not the only outrageous thing that happens in the third episode of this season. SPOILERS AHEAD
Eight Years Later, Stephen Still Gets Under Lucy’s Skin
While Lucy’s story in college is still unfolding in 2007 and beyond, we meet her in 2015, when she reunites with her college friends and Stephen at Bree and Evan’s engagement party. A couple of months later, she is caught up in the same situation when Bree and Evan decide to have a mixed bachelor-bachelorette party, but this time, Lucy brings her boyfriend, Max, whom she had decided to leave at home during the engagement party. In hindsight, her decision seems to be justified because not only is Lucy uncomfortable in Stephen’s presence, but she also finds it difficult to leave Max in his vicinity for too long.
When she tries to warn Max, he wonders why, even after so many years, Stephen still impacts her the way he does. Moreover, he suggests that perhaps Stephen has changed. By now, Lucy has been through several variations of this suggestion, often of her own accord, and hearing it from Max makes her wonder if it really has happened. Perhaps Stephen has changed for good. Poppy, however, states that Stephen doesn’t change. He is still the same sociopath he was in college; he is still trying to do what he did to Lucy back in college, and Poppy still hates him for all of that and more, especially because she is now dating Diana, Stephen’s ex.
Stephen Continues Messing With Lucy
Poppy’s blind faith in Stephen being a jerk is justified as we cut right back to 2008 when he insinuates himself in the class that Lucy signed up for in her second year here. She is shocked to discover that he is the professor’s assistant, which gives him a lot of power over her. He claims that he didn’t know she was in the class and was randomly assigned the position, but Lucy knows well enough by now that nothing happens randomly with Stephen.
For someone who did the breaking up in the relationship, Stephen is still too interested in Lucy. From trying to sabotage her attempts at getting friendly with a new guy to terrorizing her in the space of a classroom, Stephen leaves no stone unturned when it comes to making Lucy uncomfortable. On top of that, he gets even more aggressive when he finds out that Diana has Lucy’s card. The card thing happened in the previous episode when Diana and Lucy brought a drugged Poppy back to her room. Diana’s card didn’t work, so she asked for Lucy’s.
Diana knows that she cannot tell Stephen about what happened with Poppy, so she lies, saying that Lucy confronted her. By now, Lucy had already threatened Stephen and broken his new iPhone. He is already scared about Lucy telling people about what really happened with Macy, even if it’s a half-truth. To put her in her place, he goes to her room, almost seduces her, bringing her to the point of giving in, and then leaves her embarrassed while displaying the power he has in their dynamic.
Bree Explores New Romantic Avenues
While Lucy is busy dealing with her ex, Bree skips no time fretting over her own. She broke up with Evan in the last episode after he revealed he’d cheated on her (though he didn’t reveal it was Lucy he cheated with). Now, she is at Oliver Knight’s office, kissing him with the passion she didn’t quite feel with Evan, at least not lately. Having sealed their feelings with a kiss, Oliver asks Lucy to meet up with him later so they can talk about it, preferring not to continue any contact between them within the premises of the college.
Later that evening, Bree meets Oliver, and while he expresses his deep attraction for her, he also realizes what a blunder he is about to make by having an extramarital affair with a student. He walks out of their date, but by now, Bree has made up her mind. She finds himself outside his house, and this time, Oliver decides to give in. He takes her to an empty house, which he reveals he has been housesitting for his friend. Because there is no danger of anyone catching them there, Bree and Oliver are free to do as they please, and they have sex.
Poppy Stands Up for Herself
Another person who has had a very unpleasant experience due to their ex is Poppy. Ever since Wrigley fell off the balcony following a fight with Drew and lost out on playing football due to his injuries, his team has been very antagonistic towards Poppy. It wasn’t just about teasing her or making simple things bothersome for her; they had actively worked to label her an outcast. Poppy went with it initially, but there is a limit to everything. This time, she speaks back, not only to the football team but also to Wrigley, who has done nothing to knock some sense of modesty into his teammates.
When Diana suggests that Wrigley has wronged Poppy, he apologizes to her, and we see a glimmer of reconciliation in the future. For now, however, Poppy has other things on her mind. While she told herself that nothing happened with Chris the night she found herself drunk out of her wits, she has a weird feeling about it. If she acknowledges it, it will become real, which is why she refuses to talk about it with Lucy and throws Diana’s sympathy on her face. However, that incident is still messing with her mind and is starting to affect her friendships. Hopefully, she’ll see that in time.
Lucy Decides to Free Herself of Stephen
Despite Stephen wronging her in every way imaginable, Lucy kept his secret about Macy. Now, however, she decides that he has done nothing to earn her loyalty. Moreover, she feels she owes it to Diana to tell her the truth, so she shows up at her room and tells her everything that Stephen told her about the night Macy died. However, Lucy doesn’t know that Stephen has already been filling Diana’s ears with lies and portraying Lucy as the crazy ex, so much so that Diana refuses to believe the Macy story. While Lucy is disappointed by Diana’s reaction, she also feels liberated because she doesn’t have to gatekeeper Stephen’s secret anymore. She declares that it is not her problem anymore and leaves.
Lucy also signs out of the class that Stephen has now taken over as the professor’s assistant. No course is more important than her mental sanity, and even though it will leave a mark on her college record, she is adamant about doing whatever she can to stay away from Stephen. But that’s not enough, not as long as she lets Stephen influence her relationships with other boys. So, she decides to give Leo a chance to speak for his behavior, mostly because he came to her first, apologizing for his sudden outburst of anger and promising that he is still working on it. Before agreeing to give him another chance, Lucy makes him promise that he will not hurt her as Stephen did. But then, it doesn’t seem like Leo will be the one breaking any promises.
Read More: Tell Me Lies Timeline, Explained
