The Season Finale Of "Tell Me Lies" On Hulu Is A Perfectly Wrapped Bow Of All Your Worst Relationship Nightmares
I started watching this show at the suggestion of about 10 of my friends, all who know I appreciate a good "college aged kids full of real life drama" storyline. Nate actually described it to me as "Euphoria lite," which was the final nail in the coffin. I was giving it a try.
The show itself centers around a few different relationships, with main characters Lucy and Stephen being the major players, both together and apart. When I say this show was triggering, I'm telling you that if you had a "normal" experience in college where everyone fucked everyone with little to no regard for other people's feelings, you will relate in an uncomfortable way to this show. The featured group of "friends" comes together mostly after Lucy's roommate dies in a car crash during Freshman year Welcome Week, and one of the other kids in the group seems to be the one who accidentally ran her off the road. On top of that, many of the kids have "problems at home," Stephen's being the worst with a narcissistic, uber controlling mother. The whole thing leaves you feeling extremely uncomfortable every week and not sure how it could possibly get worse. Well, in the finale, it got WAY worse! Spoilers ahead, obviously.
As we assumed from the beginning of the series, which was a "4 years in the future" cocktail party for Bree and Evan's engagement, Drew is likely dead by suicide after accidentally running Macy off the road during Welcome Week their freshman year. Wrigley is fucked up on coke, looking for Pippa, Lucy is panicking about seeing Stephen, and finally we see him enter the party (with long hair! LOL.) In the finale, we get the pieces put together for us.
1. Stephen was driving the car that crashed and killed Macy. Honestly I could've guessed this based on how freaked out he was, and because he's such a fucking asshole. They show the scene of the two of them arguing about who will drive away from the famous party, ultimately ending in Stephen driving because "asking anyone else for a ride would mean it gets back to Diana." Scumbag shit. Drunk and arguing with Macy, it turns out HE seems to be the one to not notice Drew's car coming around a corner, swerves into a tree, kills Macy, and flees.
2. On the last night of school, Bree left early leaving only Stephen, Evan and Lucy behind. Stephen goes off with Diana (???) and AT the party, decides to forget Lucy exists and leaves the party holding Diana's hand. After Lucy and Stephen had been swearing to each other that they are in love, they are the only ones for themselves, etc etc. Lucy had also been kind of blackmailing him with his own secrets in order for him to stay with her. Real scumbag shit there too. And FUCK Diana honestly, I always hated that cunt. Although she seems cool, smart and rich so whatever.
3. Heartbroken over this drama, Lucy wakes up in bed with Evan. LOL duh. They've had this weird flirtation ever since Evan was drunk one night during one of Lucy and Stephen's breakups and tried to hit on Lucy. One of my favorite moments of the season, when they're all at Evan's rich house for his birthday and Lucy starts trying to flirt with him after rejecting him previously and now hearing he's going after Bree, and he says to her "are you not getting enough attention?" OUCHHHHH. But, still, no surprise they made such a mistake. Based on the flash forward back to the engagement party, Bree has no idea.
4. Drew is....not around? Wrigley is apparently all fucked up at the engagement party because "yesterday was Drew's birthday" but it's never explicitly stated where he is. I guess he could be in jail? But it's way more likely that he's dead. RIP Drew, who really is not as problematic as anyone else on the show.
5. Finally, the creme de la creme. Stephen and Lucy reunite in a hug, Stephen is "Mr Power Suit" and clearly doing well as a...Lawyer? Whatever it was that he planned on being. A professional asshole. He gets a call in the middle of their reconciliation, directing someone on the other line to "the pool area where everyone is." "I'm still getting used to saying fiance!" he says to Lucy, already a prick thing to say, and we naturally assume Diana is going to walk down the stairs. But then Stephen says, "she'll be so happy you are here, she's been wanting to see you." Um, what? Diana wouldn't be happy to see Lucy....but LUCY'S EX BEST FRIEND LYDIA WOULD BE! WOW. This was a HUGE twist. Lucy's FRIEND FROM HOME and childhood, Lydia, is now engaged to Stephen. We have no idea how this happened, and the fact Lucy seems chill and mature about it makes me NEED another season to find out what the fuck has been happening in this insane fake-but-real world.
All in all, great show. It's based on a book which I will now be reading, but I really do hope they bring it back for more seasons. It's a little cheesy of course, some of the acting leaves little to be desired, but there are some REALLY difficult scenes that bring the show up to par with a lot of the young adult drama shows we've all been obsessed with. Society loves to see people treating their friends and lovers like shit, that much is clear.