Everytime Stephen DeMarco from Tell Me Lies showed up on my screen, my heart skipped a beat, and not in a good way. It wasn’t charisma, or ambition, but his quiet expression that made him truly unsettling. Behind his unnervingly blank gaze lay a force of emotionless manipulation. Let’s be real, we all know a Stephen DeMarco, whether we like to admit it or not. You’re uneasy when he’s there, but terrified when he’s not present. It’s like when Diana said, “It’s scary when you can’t find him”.
Not Your Regular College Drama
Tell Me Lies isn’t just any other college drama. It exposes themes and patterns that we often find ourselves in. From the get-go, the show pulls you in with its unexpected twists, authentic portrayals, and emotional ambiguity. We see characters questioning their morals, making terrible decisions, and shocker- lying. Think about your worst situationship, and try to recall all the games they played with you. Can’t remember? Let me remind you. We start off with the classic push- and-pull, throw in a few white lies here and there, move on to guilt tripping, and finally full-blown emotional manipulation. You think you’ve seen it all ? Wait till you watch this show. Meaghan Oppenheimer does a great job of accurately portraying emotions, vulnerability, and tactful manipulation in a way that feels familiar but also distant. While the characters of the show never seem to know where they truly stand with one another, neither do the viewers. Each episode has clever clues and slow hints that don’t seem relevant, but make sense once we reach the finale. It keeps you on edge in a refreshing way.
Why It Feels Familiar
You’ve either been in a toxic/messy relationship or seen your friend navigate one. The emotional turmoil that comes with such a situation is heartbreaking and tricky. Unfortunately, more often than not you see yourself slipping back into old patterns. This is exactly what “Tell Me Lies” recognizes. It’s not a coming of age love story with an unrealistic meet-cute and even crazier happy ending. It’s reflective of real people, and real emotions. It doesn’t feel overly curated. It recognises how love can truly be blind, how you lose yourself to a person so much so that you’re devoid of any sense of self. It captures emotions and crash outs. It mirrors college relationships and friendships by showing the good and bad. The dynamics feel all too familiar.
The Early 20s Trap
We’ve all been told that college is going to be the best time of our lives. The show starts off on a similar note, showing frat parties, blossoming friendships, and exciting potential relationships. While all of this is true, we tend to dismiss other aspects, such as identity formation and learning boundaries. We see a seemingly happy Lucy Albright go down a path of chaos and self-destruction as she fails to pause and recognise who she truly is. College is great, but no one wants to talk about the social comparison, hunger for validation, and lack of boundaries. “Tell Me Lies” gets this right. It showcases how getting wrapped up in other people can derail your identity and thought process. It showcases how validation and peers mess with your head, kind of like a slow burn. You don’t really know you’re in hot water until it’s boiling, kind of like the parable of the boiling frog.
Final Verdict: Why have you still not started
It’s addictive like your weekly college bender. You know it’s bad for you, you know you have an exam, but you do it anyway. The show keeps you guessing, it keeps you wanting more hope, clarity, or at least praying that Lucy gets better decision-making skills. It’s shown me manipulation techniques that I didn’t even know existed.