If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming you’ve finished Tell Me Lies and, like me, are equally as enraged.
As I predicted, the season ends in a catastrophic manner. So much so, I found myself screaming at my television.
It’s how most men feel on Sundays as they watch their football team lose. Except, in Tell Me Lies, you don’t root for anyone in particular. In fact, most of them deserve to be imprisoned for life.
And the most infuriating thing? We have to wait two years for the next season. I’m at the point in my life where the clock is imminently ticking. In two years, I’ll be pushing 29. I don’t have the time to waste waiting for this show to resolve my anxiety.
After the finale, I kept getting the same text: “Does anyone watch Tell Me Lies?” I knew the outrage was equivalent to mine. So let’s talk about it.
Unpacking The Tell Me Lies Season 2 Finale
At this point in the season, there are a lot of questions left unanswered. A few being:
- Will Bree find out that Evan and Lucy are sleeping together?
- Will Bree’s relationship with Oliver come crashing down? (Hint: yes)
- How do Diana and Pippa end up together?
- What are Stephen and Lydia doing together?
- Is Lucy okay? (Hint: no)
My roommate didn’t watch Season 1, so I spent the entire show giving her a Spark Notes summary. One of the key points I’ve emphasized is that Stephen gets off on manipulating other people.
As we know, the show has been flowing back and forth between “present day” and their college years. Present day shows Evan and Bree getting married – with everyone in attendance.
But, back in their college years, Bree and Evan are not together. Bree is actually going for the old “sleep with your professor” cliche. Oliver, the hot professor who totally isn’t going to leave his wife for Bree, tells her he loves her. (Because. Of course.)
And delusional Bree believes him. We watch this trainwreck finally spiral out as Oliver’s wife walking in on Bree in their bedroom…however, as many have already guessed, the wife knew about the affair all along.
Actually, Oliver reveals that they have something of an open marriage. Bree promptly says this is “the meanest thing anyone’s ever done to her.” To which, Oliver kindly reminds her that she’s been through a lot worse.
Sadly, this is the least shocking part of the finale. If you recall, Evan even points out that Bree is the perfect kind of vulnerable to be preyed upon by professors in open marriages who actively groom you.
But what fully shocks me is when Lucy turns her final paper in to Oliver’s wife, who says she’s glad that Oliver didn’t meet Lucy first. This makes sense considering Lucy was invited to the party where the affair began – not Bree.
Things take a turn for the absolute worse somehow. Lucy, in some sort of demonic craze, sleeps with both Leo and Stephen back-to-back. Then, Stephen baits Lucy’s boyfriend – Leo – into beating the living daylights out of him.
We also watch Stephen break up with Diana. Diana had just told Stephen that she failed the law exam…so Stephen smells weakness and just has to leave her. And my jaw hits the ground.
Meanwhile, Wrigley and his brother – Drew – have a fun night out at the bars. Wrigley’s been mega-depressed lately because he can’t get the girl he wants or…a job.
To make matters worse, Wrigley gives his brother pills while they’re out on the town. That’s when my roommate and I turn to each other and shout, “this can’t be good.”
Unfortunately, we’re right to be worried. Wrigley wakes up with his brother lying next to him…dead.
And I’m not kidding when I say this: Wrigley is the only person in this godforsaken show who deserves some sort of happy ending. He hasn’t committed any heinous crimes, he’s just not the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
And you may be wondering: how does this get any worse? Well. When Stephen’s involved, anything’s possible.
The group rallies around Wrigley. Lucy then freaks out because she believes Drew’s death is her fault. If you recall, the group let Drew take the fall and get kicked out of school for her roommate’s death.
So, Stephen decides to tell Wrigley that he was the one who wrote the note to the Dean about his brother. Wrigley forgives Stephen, and at this point I have simply given up on humanity.
Somehow, this turns Lucy on?!? She’s all starry-eyed for Stephen, applauding him for taking the blame for her. And then, of course, they get back together.
However, like Rashomon we see the breakup from Diana’s POV…where she planned the entire thing herself to escape Stephen. She’d actually passed her law exam, and she’s going to Yale. This is the only time I’ve felt proud of someone in this obnoxious show.
But we only know peace for a short time. Finally, Evan decides to come clean to Stephen about sleeping with Lucy. As I mentioned earlier, Stephen’s real love is being a manipulator.
So obviously Stephen’s recording Evan saying all this. He says it’s fine, but we know it’s really not.
Eight years later – at the wedding – Stephen sends the voice recording to Bree right before she’s due down the aisle. May I add that he sends it in form of voice memo, which does not exist at this point in time, and is not the method he used to record it.
And that, my friends, is how it ends. Leaving us at a cliffhanger for years to come. Here’s the thing: I hope none of them find happiness. But here’s the other thing: I still have questions.
Burning Questions Still Needed To Be Answered By Tell Me Lies
I hate that I’m this pissed off and invested in a show like this. It’s the antithesis of what gives me pleasure in my life. It’s almost like I’m torturing myself – on purpose.
Perhaps I should discuss this with my therapist. But you can’t lie, there are a few unanswered questions that must be addressed in Season 3:
- What is Bree going to do?
- Can Lucy get a grip ever?
- How do Diana and Pippa start dating?
- Will Wrigley ever get to be happy or does this show just make us hate happiness?
- Will Stephen finally go to jail?
- Why is Stephen fake-dating Lydia to punish Lucy? Or is he “protecting” her?
- Will I ever get over this show?
