Watching Tell Me Lies for three seasons has been an emotional rollercoaster that I don’t know why I put myself through. This show has stressed me like no other, given me terrible anxiety, and is probably the reason I’ve grown to hate the name Stephen, yet I still eat it up every time.
Every new episode feels like a week’s worth of therapy and trauma packed into an hour. But finally, the finale has dropped (and I’m free!)
Everyone online is screaming about how disappointing it was. But me? I watched it, and I have to admit it: it was actually perfect.
The finale didn’t give the neat, cinematic closure some people demanded, and that’s exactly why it worked. Every secret, every betrayal, and every messed-up act was brought out. Sure, the evil people didn’t get the “terrible” endings we may have wished for, but Tell Me Lies has never been about moral justice. The show’s main point is that everyone lies, and there’s no happy ever after for anyone.
So how exactly did season 3 finally end, and why did I love it so much?
Let’s dive in.
All the Things I Loved About the Tell Me Lies Finale
I Finally Started Rooting For Lucy
I never liked Lucy in seasons 1 and 2. I thought she was annoying and deserved everything Stephen put her through. This final season showed me exactly how much she was going through and how the toxic environment was ruining her life. Sure, she couldn’t ever cut Stephen off and stand up for herself, but Stephen spent the past two seasons breaking her down, getting into her head, and messing with her self-worth.
This finale convinced me that if anyone deserved to be rooted for, it was Lucy. Because the people around her truly sucked. From Bree, who she loved so much, stabbing her in the back over a stupid boy, to Pippa, that hypocritical girl, and the rest of the guys in that friend group who could see that she was struggling yet did nothing, they were all terrible people to her.
When she got expelled, and Pippa and Bree couldn’t even help her pack, yet Diana did. I was so angry, but seeing her leave with her mom was actually good. Baird University was a bad place for her, and she could finally start over.
Stephen Didn’t Get Into Yale, But He’s Still Thriving
Now, I’m a Stephen DeMarco hater for life. He’s genuinely so evil, but watching him lose his Yale admission had me grinning from ear to ear. I don’t know how Wrigley did it, since they only implied it was him, but I loved it. I also loved how his mask slipped on the call to the admissions officer, and he started yelling at her. That was just perfect as he showed her his true colours, and there was no going back from there.
But even though he took such a major loss, he’s driving a fancy car and living the high life in the future. It sucks for us who hate him, but unfortunately, that’s actually how life goes. The most evil person you know is probably thriving and succeeding really well, and you can’t do anything to change that. Plus, Stephen has sociopathic tendencies, which give him an edge in life, as he has no remorse, meaning he will do anything and everything to survive and come out on top.
Did I get my violent wishes for Stephen fulfilled? No. Did I also like the direction the show took? Yes.
Oliver and Marianne Getting Away With It
Did Oliver get what he deserved for preying on vulnerable girls with his position as a professor? No.
Did his wife, Marianne, get what she deserved by enabling him and threatening Bree and Amanda over it? Also, no.
Did that annoy me? Yes. But again, real life isn’t fair. Groomers in positions of power often thrive, and the women around them often enable them. If Bree were to come out and take it to the school board, she wouldn’t find support from other victims due to stigma and shame (see how the Chris case ended). Plus, Marianne is a very popular teacher, and she could easily sway the victims to her side.
It’s very unfair what they did and how they’ll get away with it, but Tell Me Lies has never been about punishing the evil ones; it’s about showing how bad everyone actually is.
Finally, The Friend Group Scattered!
Let’s be so for real. They were never friends. Not one person there was a good friend to anybody.
Bree and Pippa didn’t even know each other well, even though they were roommates; all they did was confide in Lucy and go to parties. Pippa was a self-serving hypocrite who didn’t care who she hurt. Bree was a weak-willed, scared girl who couldn’t handle anything under pressure. If either of them had gone through what Lucy did, they wouldn’t have survived it, yet they were still horrible friends to her. All Pippa ever did was judge, and even though the judging was right, anyone with eyes could see that Lucy was struggling. It was sad that only Diana noticed, yet her two insufferable ‘best friends’ couldn’t.
Also, they cheated on each other with themselves. Forget that the Bree and Wrigley storyline was cute; It was still cheating. Bree is a terrible person for sleeping with her fiancé’s best friend on her engagement night, and Wrigley is a terrible person for doing that to Evan. He’s also especially terrible because this season, he was much more aware of what was going on, and he could see that Lucy wasn’t doing well, yet he didn’t do anything. Sure, they may not have been great friends, but if he could get that close to Bree, he could have tried to help Lucy.
Evan is a terrible person, too, so I have no qualms with how he ended up in his wedding cake. But all of them were all bad to each other, and I love how clearly that was shown. The only person to root for in this show is Diana. No matter how much they lie and act otherwise, this friend group is toxic, and the only good thing Stephen ever did was ruin it all.
Lucy Choosing Stephen One Last Time
Now, I know that scene was seen as embarrassing to some people, but this is the best outcome for Lucy. If you actually think about it, she had never turned her back on her friends before. And I’m glad she did. Hearing Bree say that this might be Lucy’s first chance at picking a choice that wasn’t embarrassing made me roll my eyes because who just got her wedding ruined because of her secrets?
Yes, I didn’t want her to get into the car with him (Stephen) because we all know it would never end well, but sometimes that’s what people like Lucy need.
If she didn’t go with him, the door would have still been open, and she would have always wondered about the what-ifs. Plus, she knew he was going to screw her over. Lucy knows his game and is aware that he only wants to get back at her. So when he left her behind at the gas station, and she started laughing, that was the best conclusion we could get from the show.
The door is finally closed. She has turned her back on her friends forever, and Stephen has turned his back on her forever, too. This is her closure and her last chance at freedom. Stephen got the last laugh, but Lucy is finally free.
Macy Never Got Justice
Very, very hot take, but I actually forgot about Macy’s death. That plot arc just showed how evil Stephen was on the inside and how manipulative he could be. Macy’s death was a huge shocker, but in the grand scheme of things, she died in season 1. This is season 3; if she were going to get justice, it would have happened since.
Yes, her death was sad and all because of Stephen. And yes, Stephen will probably never be held accountable for it. Again, this is not a show about moral justice; all their terrible acts just serve to show how bad these people are.
The Cake Throwing Scene
Everyone is complaining about how light-hearted the scene was, but honestly? I loved it. Again, like I’ve established, these people are bad. But they’re also quite pathetic because how are you still keeping these secrets and people you hate around for 6 years?
It’s like a reality check from the show: We know these three seasons have stressed you out so much, but at the end of the day, isn’t it actually quite funny how pathetic and embarrassing they all are?
One thing I can admit I like about Stephen is his ability to call everyone out on their bullshit and make them see themselves for the hypocrites they are, and he delivered in that scene.
I mean, Bree throwing her wedding cake at Stephen, who’s laughing at all the destruction he’s caused, Evan, falling into the giant wedding cake that he probably picked out because he wanted to show off to everybody, and Wrigley not even bothering to deny that he slept with Bree, all while Britney Spears sings ” Toxic ” in the background? Chef’s kiss!
That was the first time I laughed while watching this show. It’s always all doom and gloom.
Honourable Mentions: What I Didn’t Love
Okay, so not everything worked. Alex was a wasted character, but that’s also realistic. You don’t need to be close to everybody. He and Bree probably drifted apart after college, and that’s why he wasn’t invited to the wedding. Plus, Bree said Evan’s mom was in charge of the guest list, so he probably didn’t make it, or his drug enterprise got him in jail. Either way, he would have been a perfect addition to the wedding chaos, and seeing more of him with Lucy would have been wonderful.
I hated Diana and Pippa’s relationship. Pippa got off too easily in my opinion, and everyone made excuses for her. How did she manage to get the Princess of Yale back and convince her to put up with her drama? How did Wrigley move on so easily from her sexual coercion? How could she even talk to Lucy after all the horrible things she said? And that scene where everything is blowing up, and then Diana says, “ Pippa, let’s go,” and she acts like she’s above it all? Please.
Also, calling it here: Bree and Wrigley won’t last. It’s been six years of radio silence from Bree. I loved them, but I have to admit it, that pair won’t last.
Final Thoughts
The finale of Tell Me Lies didn’t wrap things up neatly with a bow. It was messy, realistic, and answered most of the questions everyone thinks it didn’t. Not every ending is meant to be satisfying; some are meant to just end.
Was it annoying to watch at some points because I wanted some characters to suffer? Yes. Was the finale perfect? Also yes.
Don’t come for me, please!
