Lucy (probably): “Steven, are you happy now that I’m on my knees?”
We sure aren’t. But do you know what I am happy about? Bree (Catherine Missal) and Wrigley’s (Spencer House) endgame. But we’ll get to that later in this article.
On Feb. 17, Hulu’s Tell Me Lies released its series finale after three seasons. Many fans were baffled by creator Meaghan Oppenheimer’s choice to end the series, especially after the Season 3 premiere pulled the highest ratings of the show’s entire run.
However, I welcomed the news. Oppenheimer and her team stayed disciplined, adapting the novel with a clear beginning and end in their mind. While many shows sacrifice quality for longevity, Tell Me Lies chose to preserve its narrative impact rather than overstaying its welcome.
In her official statement on Instagram, Oppenheimer noted: “Your [the audience’s] incredible response to this season inspired us to explore whether there was another organic way to continue the story, but ultimately we felt it had reached its natural conclusion… my main goal has always been to protect the quality of the show.” Ultimately, I feel the cast and crew achieved exactly that. To understand the impact, we must first recap how the TV-MA drama concludes.
The episode opens in the 2015 timeline, with Bree hooking up with Wrigley, rather than her fiancé Evan (Branden Cook). Quickly, we shift back to 2009, where Bree is grappling with her birth mother’s alcoholism, Evan’s infidelity with her best friend, Lucy (Grace Van Patten), and her predatory relationship with her professor, Oliver (Tom Ellis). In an act of defiance—or perhaps desperation—she ultimately sends the recording of Lucy’s false confession regarding a sexual assault (a tape Steven blackmailed Lucy into filming) to the school dean.
Bree’s actions, however, were not surprising. The Tell Me Lies friend group isn’t exactly angels; they have all had their experiences with infidelity, secrets, and accusations. She 100% should not have mailed the tape, fully knowing Lucy would have gotten at least suspended. But then again, Bree just had two encounters with adults not facing punishment (her mom and her professor), so maybe she was naive enough to believe Lucy wouldn’t face consequences either.
Meanwhile, Pippa (Sonia Mena) discloses to Lucy that she has been cheating on Wrigley with Diana (Alicia Crowder) (Steven’s ex-girlfriend), prompting Lucy to admit her own infidelity with Evan. While Lucy remains remarkably calm, Pippa reacts with fury, claiming Lucy violated the ‘girl code’ and severing their friendship.
While Lucy is undeniably at fault, she is also navigating a prolonged cycle of emotional abuse and is not in a stable mental state. This does not excuse her behavior, but it suggests that Pippa could have extended more grace, given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, Lucy’s situation deteriorates further when she notices a classmate watching her leaked confession during a lecture. She immediately confronts Steven (Jackson White), accusing him of the leak—a logical assumption given his history. He smugly denies any involvement, instead gaslighting a hyperventilating Lucy by suggesting she released it herself with statements like, “Maybe you realized it’s what you deserve.” Concurrently, Pippa confesses her sexuality to Wrigley, admitting she has been unfaithful.
Clearly, Pippa and Wrigley’s relationship was over from the moment this season started. Pippa only stayed to help Wrigley recover from his brother’s death, but it was still sad to see these two depart from one another. They love each other, but only as friends.
While these personal breakthroughs occur, the academic fallout for Lucy is swift: she’s expelled and must let Steven “think he won” to escape his orbit (Pure Diana-esque advice). On the other hand, Bree and Evan manage to reconcile their relationship.
Finally, the narrative returns to the 2015 wedding, where the tension reaches a breaking point. Stephen and his girlfriend, Lydia, split after he slept with Lucy earlier in the morning.
A vengeful Steven then confronts Bree, revealing he has deduced her role in leaking the 2009 confession tape. When Bree defiantly tells him, “You didn’t win,” Steven proves he is willing to burn everything down. He seizes a microphone and proceeds to air everyone’s dirty laundry in a devastating public toast.
“So cheers to love, cheers to friendship,” he sneers, before summarizing the group’s betrayals: Lucy and Evan’s college tryst, his own morning encounter with Lucy, and the ongoing affair between Bree and Wrigley. As the wedding guests sit in stunned silence, Britney Spears’ “Toxic” begins to play, underscoring the ensuing mania. Bree screams that Steven is a “f*cking sociopath,” Evan lunges at Wrigley for sleeping with his wife, and a desperate Bree pleads with Lucy not to leave with Steven.
I have to commend the writers for this finale; it is truly one of the most hilarious television sequences I have witnessed in a teenage drama.
Nevertheless, Lucy enters Steven’s Range Rover—one wonders how he could afford such a vehicle, though we might assume it was acquired through his typical deceptive means—and the duo pulls over at a gas station. Lucy runs inside for coffee; when she exits the convenience store, Steven is gone. She strolls to the road, looks for the expensive car, and smiles in glee, realizing she is finally free.
Lucy utilized Diana’s advice, getting into the car with the full expectation that Steven would eventually leave her stranded. By allowing him to believe he had secured one final “win” by abandoning her, she successfully manipulated his ego to facilitate her own escape.
Roll end credits—that close-up of Lucy’s face serves as the series’ final image. Personally, I found the finale deeply satisfying; while some loose ends remain, the conclusion felt earned. Many fans took to social media to demand more aggressive justice for Steven, with comments ranging from wanting him to “rot in hell” (@j_imie, X) to wishing he were “dead or in jail” (@herosbeard, X). However, Oppenheimer chose realism over a Hollywood ending, and that is what I commend most.
According to Solace Women’s Aid, one in two women will experience emotional abuse, and nearly half (48%) of survivors reporting they were regularly told they were “mentally unstable.” These statistics suggest that had Lucy reported Steven’s behavior during college, she likely would have faced a system that either doubted her or failed to hold him accountable. By allowing Lucy to find her own quiet escape, the show reflects a realistic victory for some survivors. However, because every survivor’s situation is different, the closing episode may not resonate with everyone.
In conclusion, Tell Me Lies constructed a satisfactory finale, in my opinion. Grace Van Patten spoke to Variety regarding Lucy’s final choice, stating, “I really do have hope that it was the last wrong choice. I think she needed that final confirmation of what this guy [Stephen] is.” I completely agree; for Lucy to heal, she needed to break free from the toxicity of her friend group. Hopefully, the audience sees this representation as a warning sign to flee from coercive situations.