TV Recap/Review: "Tell Me Lies" - Season 3, Episodes 1, 2, and 3

Episode 1: "You F###ed it, Friend."

It’s 2015 and Lucy (Grace Van Patten) is filled with emotion at Bree’s (Cat Missal) wedding. When Pippa (Sonia Mena) asks how she is feeling, Lucy asks if she heard from Stephen (Jackson White) today. Pippa never wants to hear from Stephen in her life and then asks if Lucy has been talking to Stephen again. She reminds Lucy that he ruined her life sophomore year. (Ohhhh the set up for the season. What did a bona fide psycho do?)

Asking Bree if she is ready for the wedding, the bride walks away upset. When Lucy follows her to ask what’s up, Bree tells her that she is a terrible person, she might be the worst person she knows.

Back to Baird in January 2009, Lucy wakes up in her room and finds Bree at her home and they are about to head back to Baird College. The two discuss how things will either feel normal at school or won’t. They worry about how Wrigley (Spencer House) is doing after the death of his brother. (I love the old school use of the BlackBerry by Lucy.)

Bree is not happy with Lucy getting back together with Stephen, but she cares for Lucy and won’t complain. Lucy tells her friend that she feels like things will be different this time with Stephen. (Oh my god no it won’t be. This is going to be a disaster. Someone needs to pass the popcorn, the show is about to begin.)

Evan (Branden Cook) arrives home to find Stephen getting ready to leave. They talk about Wrigley, and their own situation about how Evan slept with Lucy. Stephen is finding it difficult to get past the discomfort of the situation, but he is willing to try. Stephen did leave a pile of dirty dishes in Evan’s sink for him to clean up. (This image is symbolic of Stephen; he leaves a disaster everywhere he goes.)

Pippa is walking Wrigley to his room, and while he is appreciative of everything she has done, he tells her that she can go visit her friends and not need to worry about walking him to his new dorm room. 

In Lucy’s room, Pippa walks in and tells her and Bree about how difficult the holidays were for her and Wrigley after the death of his brother. Pippa tells the girls that Wrigley doesn’t want a lot of sad attention, and she asks her friends to treat him normally when they see him. Stephen arrives and he and Lucy kiss. Bree and Pippa are not happy about the situation and Lucy decides to head back to her room with Stephen. They have sex. 

Bree and Pippa pass Oliver (Tom Ellis) in the hallway and Bree is flabbergasted by the fact that he cheerfully walked by and wished her a happy new year. In Lucy’s room, she admits to Stephen that she missed him and tells him that they need to be nice to each other this time. 

At a party that night, Evan is trying to connect with Wrigley, but he clearly doesn’t want to talk about the death of his brother. Wrigley wants drugs to feel better and he hooks up a dealer to sell him MDMA. Bree and Pippa meet the dealer and hope to get a better price for the drugs. 

Drugs arrive at the party and everyone decides to partake in the illegal substance. Pippa notices Diana (Alicia Crowder) has arrived and seeks her out at the party. Pippa tells Diana that she spent Christmas with Wrigley and his family, and that they are back together. Diana is happy to know that he has someone and congratulates Pippa. 

As the group is about to ingest the drugs, Stephen quickly pretends to take the drug, and throws it away. (Stephen is a monster. Good to see he is showing his deviant nature so quickly in this season.)

Pippa tries to talk Wrigley out of taking the drugs, and they argue, but Wrigley just wants to have a good night. Pippa wants to go home and sleep and tells Wrigley to stay and just stick to drinking, not illegal drugs. (Yeah, because nothing could go wrong with getting your drink on Pippa.)

Leaving, Pippa asks Lucy to take care of Wrigley. Wrigley proudly proclaims that he has already taken his drug and a miasma of dancing and tripped out behavior sets in. (Kids, this is why you should never take drugs.) On the dance floor, while Lucy and Bree are enjoying the trip of their drugs, Stephen is getting frustrated by the constant interruptions by Bree. 

Outside, Bree is having a cigarette when Wrigley walks up and tells her that he is not feeling good. She describes how she is feeling waves inside of her, and he explains that maybe his lack of happy chemicals in his body might be the reason why he is not experiencing a trip on the drug train. Wrigley decides he needs to escort Bree home. (This will be the longest, weirdest walk of Bree’s life.)

Bree and Wrigley sit in a bus shelter. Wrigley asks her about her Christmas, and Bree tells him about her affair with Oliver, and how it messed her up. Wrigley is shocked that he hadn’t heard this gossip before. Bree asks how Wrigley’s parents are doing, and he admits that it is weird. Wrigley explains that his parents look at him differently, and that he feels his parents blame him, even though they don’t say it. 

Bree tells him how her mother had her when she was fourteen, and that she knows nothing about her dad. Wrigley tells Bree that he wants people to stop suffocating him with what happened to his brother Drew. He doesn’t want to hear that things will get better. Bree tells him that things probably won’t get better, and Wrigley thanks her. (This is a sweet moment between a guy and a girl that shows two people can be friends without leading to sex.) 

Stephen is back in Lucy’s room, and he is trying to get her to tell him about sleeping with Evan. He’s trying hard to get her to spill some secrets, and she is so high on drugs, she doesn’t see how he is setting a trap for her. (I’ve said it before, and I will say it again, Stephen is a MONSTER.) Lucy tells Stephen about an argument with Leo (Thomas Doherty), but this is not what Stephen wanted to hear. He’s fishing for information about Evan, but Lucy doesn’t tell him anything. He’s angry and decides to go to sleep. (Stephen is also a petty little child.)

Bree wakes up the next morning, having passed out in the bus stop with Wrigley. She asks Wrigley if passing out in the bus stop is weird, and both agree not mention it to anyone. Lucy wakes up to find Stephen is gone. Bree walks in and tells Lucy about falling asleep at a bus stop.

Lucy gets a message from her advisor calling her to a meeting in the Dean’s office. Pippa visits Diana and is upset that she would guilt her for Wrigley taking drugs. Pippa then asks Diana if she feels guilty about being one of the people who convinced Drew to come back to campus. Pippa accuses Diana of being too judgmental. Pippa admits that Diana is on her mind all the time, and she doesn’t know what to do. Diana doesn’t know how to respond to her, and so Pippa leaves. 

Wrigley and Evan are playing video games, and Evan can’t focus on the screen. He tells Wrigley that he thinks drugs are bad, (yeah no kidding Sherlock), when Molly walks in. Evan and Wrigley talk about Bree, when Wrigley tells him that Bree had an affair with a married guy. This shocks Evan, but he is more worried about his future after school. 

Lucy heads to the dean for her meeting, when Bree decides to stalk Oliver outside of his office. When a young coed comes out of the office, Bree decides to follow her. She suspects he is grooming this new girl.

Evan walks into Oliver’s office and asks for help about what to do after graduation. Oliver is cautious about his questioning and tells Evan that he needs to do some more thinking on his own, before they can discuss his future.

Lucy is sitting at the dean’s office and she is being questioned about whether or not she made an accusation about Lydia’s brother Chris assaulting her. Lucy tells them that she had a private conversation with her friends and does not wish to pursue this.

Pippa and Wrigley are watching tv, and Wrigley is thinking beyond his current situation. (Bonus points for having them watch How I Met Your Mother, a brilliant bit of synergy and timeline-appropriate show to watch.) Wrigley apologizes for being a jerk and tells Pippa that she is the only one who is keeping him sane, and he doesn’t want to be the guy who everyone is worried about. 

Back in her room, Lucy is on her computer when Stephen arrives. He tells her he’s not feeling good and it’s not because of the drugs but because of her having sex with Evan. Lucy begs him to forgive her, but Stephen isn’t sure if he can. Then Stephen asks if she is worried about losing him or if she’s scared of him. Stephen tells her that they should see how things go in the next little while. (Yeah, that is a sure sign for someone to get far away from this man.)

Travelling back to 2015, Bree and Lucy are talking, and Lucy wants to know what’s going on, but Bree insists that she can’t tell Lucy. Pippa arrives and wonders if everything is okay, and Bree says she is, and she is ready to get married. Everyone takes their seats for the evening nuptials. 

Episode 2: "We Can’t Help It If We Are a Problem"

January 2009, Lucy is trying to make a call. She desperately wants to talk to Stephen, but it goes right to voice mail. Trying to put a brave face on her worry, Lucy is wondering where he is and if everything is okay. This is when Stephen walks in through the door. Lucy is very worried about their future, and Stephen tells her to relax.

It’s college, so naturally, the group goes out to a bar that night, and everyone is there for karaoke. Pippa wants to know if Lucy and Stephen are going to sing. Stephen isolates Lucy from her friends, and while they are on the other side of the bar, Pippa tells Bree that Wrigley is starting in her photography class on Monday. Bree says it will be fun, and when Pippa tells Wrigley that Bree can keep an eye on him, Wrigley is upset.

Bree leaves because she sees the student from Oliver’s office and follows her into the classroom. Pippa and Wrigley continue to politely argue, and Wrigley informs her that he doesn’t need a babysitter. If he had wanted to kill himself, he would find his moment. He’s certainly not going to do it in the middle of the day when he is supposed to be in class.

In the bathroom, Bree approaches the female student, Amanda (Iris Apatow), and strikes up a conversation. She invites Amanda to join them. While Lucy tries to get Stephen to sing karaoke, Evan arrives with Molly (Katherine Hughes), and Bree introduces Amanda to everyone.

As she tries to probe Amanda for information about her freshmen year, Bree learns that Amanda is dating someone and it’s complicated. Amanda has a long-distance relationship, and she feels like she hasn’t found her place at Baird. 

Lucy gets Stephen to join her on stage, and while he gets close, Stephen backs out and leaves Lucy on the stage alone. The center of attention forces Lucy to sing by herself, and it’s not going well. So, Bree joins her and the medley picks up. 

Afterwards, Stephen leaves with Lucy following closely behind. She tells him that she knows he’s upset, but he doesn’t need to sabotage everything. Trying to get him to come back to her place, Stephen leaves telling Lucy they should talk tomorrow.

Back in her room, Bree joins Lucy, and Lucy asks if Bree had fun with her new freshmen friend. Bree comes clean and explains that she saw Amanda coming out of Oliver’s office and worried he was up to his usual tricks. Bree also admits that she misses the relationship with Oliver and wants to have something more. She goes on to tell Lucy that she is tired of being shocked by people who she cares about. This upsets Lucy and makes her sick. Pippa walks in and sees that Lucy is in distress, and they get her to lay down. Lucy has a panic attack. Pippa orders drugs from Alex (Costa D’Angelo) their drug dealer, which he delivers. (I love how the drug dealer is playing the part of a medical consultant. This is so bonkers that it is funny and sweet.)  

The next day, Bree runs into Evan, which is made super awkward as Oliver comes walking by. Bree leaves, and Evan is starting to figure things out about who the older married guy was that Bree was dating. In Oliver’s office, Evan confronts him about whether he was sleeping with Bree. 

Oliver denies it and then tries to redirect the conversation about how Evan can regain her love. He continues to deny the relationship and attempts to put the blame on Evan and what he did that caused their relationship to fail. Essentially, Oliver tells him to stop being so nice and subtly threatens him about making sure this won’t become a bigger problem. 

Bree meets up with Alex at the coffee shop. They reminisce about their childhood, and Alex is quite happy to see how well Bree is doing. Alex and Bree were in the same foster home when they were younger. Alex is at Baird studying psychology. 

Back in her room, Bree checks in on Lucy and then proceeds to tell her that she knows the drug dealer Alex. They grew up together in a group home for some time. Bree describes how Alex was nice to her, but she often struggles to remember what is real and what wasn’t. Alex protected her in the group home that was a bad one. 

Stephen calls and summons Lucy to his room. Bree states that Stephen’s tone sucks and wonders why she allows him to talk to her the way he does. When Lucy tries to explain that Stephen has some valid reasons for his behaviour, Bree wonders if it is worth it. 

At Stephen’s room Lucy tells her boyfriend that she has been thinking about some stuff, that it feels like they are falling back into old patterns, and that their relationship doesn’t feel different. Stephen is angry about the affair with Evan. He wonders if Lucy even cares about him. (Oh my god this guy is a demon in human form.)

Stephen wants her to prove that she cares about him. He is willing to forgive her if she tells Bree that she slept with Evan. Lucy wonders how that would help anyone, and Stephen says he wants to be able to move on. When Lucy says that’s not forgiveness, but it is punishment for Bree. While Stephen tries to put the blame on Lucy she opens old wounds with Stephen and when he threatens to tell Bree, she calls his bluff and walks away. 

Stephen confronts Evan at his house and proceeds to yell at his friend. Rather than taking the bait, Evan raises his voice and tells Stephen to calm down. This defuses the situation. Stephen tells Evan that he and Lucy broke up because he couldn’t stand the fact that Evan and Lucy slept together. Evan says he’s sorry, but it is probably for the best. (If only it was that easy Evan.) 

The next day, Lucy tells Pippa and Bree that she and Stephen have broken up again. Lucy vows to her friends that she is not going to let this breakup ruin her semester. (Hahahahahahahaha, of course it will. This will be the only thing that Lucy focuses on all semester.)

Diana invites Pippa over to her room and they talk. She tells Pippa that despite all the terrible things that happened last semester, the one thing she is most upset about is how things ended with her. Diana and Pippa kiss.

Amanda and Bree meet up, and she learns that Amanda hooked up with someone else (Oliver?) which has led to her and her boyfriend breaking up. Bree learns that Amanda has hooked up with someone much older and married, and Bree learns that everything that happened between her and Oliver is happening to Amanda.

In her photography class, Bree meets up with Wrigley, and they partner up on an assignment on portraits. Wrigley notices that Bree is not okay and asks her what’s wrong. Thanks to Wrigley, he brings her out of her Oliver funk and genuinely makes her laugh. (I like this relationship between Wrigley and Bree.)

Evan arrives home to find Stephen still asleep. When he wakes up, Evan asks how he is feeling, and Stephen is really upset. 

Episode 3: "Repent"

Lucy awakens to an alarm clock and a new day of living her life without Stephen. Bree is staring at her from the door questioning what she is doing, and Lucy follows her out to the hall. Not seeing her friend, she closes the door, and wonders what’s going on? Evan appears in bed with her, and that is when Lucy really wakes up from her nightmare. (Someone is feeling guilty, although I didn’t think Lucy could ever feel that emotion.)

Visiting with her advisor, Lucy wonders if she is still able to apply for the study abroad program. The deadline has passed but the advisor tells her that if she can get a writing sample by Friday it would be accepted. 

Diana wakes up beside Pippa, and while both are giddy about sharing their feelings with one another, the joy is interrupted by a text. Diana asks what Pippa is doing later today, but Pippa is going to hang out with Wrigley later. They part on good terms, and both know things are complicated and look to work things out. (It’s nice to see two people who may actually like each other spending time with one another.)

Evan’s talking about the strangeness of graduating and then asks Wrigley about whether he had heard from Stephen. Wrigley has little time to care for Stephen, telling Evan that he is sure that Stephen is fine because he doesn’t really feel things. (Shots fired on the character of Stephen by one of my favorite characters Wrigley. Spencer House is on fire in his performance, and I love the fact that someone is speaking the truth about Stephen. He doesn’t have feelings for anyone, except himself.) Naturally, Evan is wondering if Wrigley is cool with Stephen after last semester. Wrigley tells him yes he has found that it is better to be at peace with Stephen more than anything else. They make plans to hang out, but Wrigley is going to town. 

Bree, Pippa, and Lucy are in their rooms drinking and Bree is talking about Amanda and how she is sleeping with Oliver. She’s wondering if Oliver targeted her too because she was needy and pathetic. Drinking shots and planning revenge on Oliver, the girls are almost ready to leave, when Pippa texts Wrigley. Wrigley arrives with a bag full of Starbursts, and Pippa is now feeling guilty over hooking up with Diana. 

Stephen is at a bar drinking away his misery, when the bartender Max (Edmund Donovan) asks if he needs anything. (Oh, this will be good, two guys who had a relationship with Lucy in season one, now talking. I’m sure that only good things will come from this conversation.) Stephen has been trying to call his sister Sadie (Alayna Hester), and when she finally returns his call, it’s not his sister but his mother (Katey Sagal). His mom told him to stop bothering his sister. Sadie is disgusted by the threatening voicemail that he left for Lucy, and this hurts Stephen. He really wants to apologize and make it right with Sadie, but his mom stops him. Stephen wants to know if he can come home for a few days, and his mom says no. 

At the party, Wrigley and the girls start drinking more, and while he is being the best to Pippa, it only makes her feel more guilty about her night with Diana. Bree tells the group that Alex, their drug dealer, and her former foster brother, is on his way. While the girls are happy for Bree, Evan decides to leave. While Lucy is trying to make excuses for her breakup with Stephen, she walks away. Evan finds her and Lucy is angry that he told him about their night together. Lucy tells Evan that Stephen is never going to let this go, and Evan doesn’t care. He’s Bree’s ex, (hahahah, you don’t know your future yet Evan) but he reminds Lucy that Bree is still her best friend. Who’s in the worse situation he asks before leaving. (That was a cold shot at Lucy’s predicament.) 

Alex is learning all the history about the friends and Bree tells him that Pippa and Wrigley will probably get married one day. (NO, they will not.) Lucy joins them and that’s when Alex drops a whopper of profound wisdom on Bree and Lucy. He tells them that within ten years probably everyone in the bar won’t even talk to each other. He elaborates that college is one of the most unserious parts of anyone’s life. (Oh man, if only these people didn’t keep in touch, their futures would be in such a better place.)

Bree leaves for the bathroom, and this leaves Lucy and Alex to talk alone. (Careful Bree, Lucy is single, and they are definitely flirting.) Bree finds Evan and they talk. He wonders how she is doing, and Bree explains that things are busy and she has a lot on her mind. Evan tells Bree that he would never talk to Molly again if she asked him. 

Lucy and Alex are still alone talking through their awkward silence, when Bree finally returns. Alex gets a call and leaves. Bree asks Lucy if she is into Alex, and she fully supports Lucy and Alex. Bree is telling her that she needs a rebound, and Alex will keep it casual.

Pippa and Diana talk in the bar, and Pippa feels guilty, but she mostly feels guilty about not feeling guilty enough. Wrigley gets Pippa and Diana into beer pong, and soon the beer starts to flow freely.

Back at the lonely bar, Stephen continues to talk to Max, and says to the barman that he knows his girlfriend Lucy. (The tension in the air when Stephen says this is as thick as a cheesecake. Cheesecake would be a great snack.) Stephen tries to bait Max by insulting Lucy, and when he asks for another drink, Max tells him no and that he is good with water. Stephen leaves and steals the tips from the bar.

Alex leaves the party and says goodbye to Bree and Lucy. Bree encourages Lucy to go after Alex, and the newly single and ready to mingle Lucy follows him out and says she is coming with him. Alex doesn’t say no. They go back to his apartment and start to make out. His phone goes off interrupting their romance, and needless to say Alex answering the text annoys Lucy. This results in a discussion about what Lucy is looking for, and Alex is unwilling to play her game of needing reassurance. She dresses and leaves. 

The next morning, Stephen arrives at Wrigley’s and he wonders where Stephen was all night. Their conversation devolves into Stephen trying to claim his life is terrible, and Wrigley is not having any of it. He tells his best buddy Stephen that his problems are nothing compared to his, and taunts Stephen with the fact that it must be killing him that he can’t be mean to Wrigley right now. 

Lucy and Bree talk about her night with Alex, and she tells Bree that it was weird and she shouldn’t have gone home with him. Stephen calls Bree and she wants to know what to do about it. Lucy tells her not to pick up and leaves to find Stephen. At his dorm, Stephen explains that he plans to tell Bree about Lucy sleeping with Evan. 

Begging Stephen to stop, and claiming she still loves him, Stephen tells her to stop because she is embarrassing herself. He also explains that he is doing this because he wants to hurt her and he doesn’t know how else to do it. (Yeah, there are no redeeming qualities to Stephen, and he should be avoided like the plague. That’s really what he is, a plague of misery and malcontent.)

Lucy tells Stephen that she will tell everyone about his relationship with Macy and how he was in the car the night she died. She begs Stephen to leave Bree out of their fight, but Stephen says there is nothing else that he could hold over her. That’s when Lucy tells Stephen that she lied about Lydia’s brother sexually assaulting her. (Why would you feed this monster Lucy?) 

Stephen tells Lucy that she needs to tell everyone that she lied about the claim. He wants her to say she lied on tape or else he will call Bree. Lucy tells him that if he shows everyone the video they will hate her. Stephen says that deep down, he believes Lucy knows she deserves to be hated. (This guy is reprehensible. He must get his comeuppance.)  Lucy acquiesces and agrees to make the confession video. Afterwards, Stephen tells Lucy he’s not sure what he will do with the video but it is comforting to know that he has it. (I have said it before and I will say it again, he is a psychopath.)

Bree meets up with Amanda at the coffee shop, and Amanda starts to talk about her older boyfriend, and Bree can’t handle it. She tells Amanda that what she is doing is wrong, and she should stop. Bree emails a picture of her with Amanda to Oliver to warn her former boyfriend that she knows what is happening. 

Stephen arrives home and talks to Evan. He tells Evan that his sister Sadie might be losing her scholarship and might have to move home with her mom. Evan tells his friend that his dad could help, and that he will call him tonight. Stephen says this is not that easy of a task, and Evan tells his friend that it is easy and he’s got him. Not knowing what to say, Evan turns and looks at his friend with a menacing stare, (It’s nice to see Evan showing some power over Stephen.) that they are good now, (meaning I don’t want to hear anything more about sleeping with Lucy) and then he asks for his keys to the place from Stephen.

Diana arrives at home and stares at a positive pregnancy test. (What? Dear god please tell me this is not Stephen’s baby.) 

Lucy shows up at Alex’s apartment and he invites her in. She doesn’t care if he thinks she is pathetic, and they carry one where they left off the other night. 

Review: 

Holy cow, this show is absolute BONKERS. The level of depravity and deceit that exists in everyone is something to marvel at. These people are not good people, but watching from the sidelines is a blast.

These first three episodes are filled with tension, sex, and multiple cases of ‘What are you doing’ moments. I dislike Stephen, but I love Wrigley, and the budding relationship between Diana and Pippa is great to watch.

The titanic struggle between Lucy and Stephen over who will hurt the other more is something that I am glued to the show for, and that is part of the appeal to Tell Me Lies. These characters are extreme, and in a world filled with some serious problems on a global scale, it’s fun to watch these people make the worst decisions possible.

On scale of tequila shots, the first three episodes of season 3 get a 4 Tequlia Shot Award. One after another gets crazier, and soon you lose all reason to make sound and sensible decisions. That’s how I describe this opening to the newest season, and it is similar to having four or more tequila shots at the bar. You might think it was a good idea, but bad things are going to happen.