Tell Me Lies Recap: Being a Woman Is a Prison

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I’ve been really struck by how Tell Me Lies manages to make you sympathize with the characters who are cheating. I’m now rooting for Pippa and Diana as a couple, and I’ve completely stopped supporting Bree and Evan. Wrigley is the only person on the show who doesn’t seem to deserve to be in trouble, and the latest episode revealed he’s been secretly contacting Bree on her wedding day – they’re having an affair. It’s still unclear how serious it is, but something’s definitely going on.

This leads to a crucial question: who would be foolish enough to leave their phone—unlocked and with a revealing call history—near Stephen DeMarco, who’s already demonstrated unstable behavior? We still aren’t sure why Stephen is trying to ruin the wedding, but Wrigley’s obvious feelings for the bride have given him the opportunity. Honestly, I’m starting to question why I even care about Stephen’s interference, considering Bree and Wrigley seem to have a complicated connection. All I know is Stephen is trouble, so whatever he’s planning can’t be good.

In 2009, Bree was still reeling from a harsh conversation with Professor Creep, who had criticized her as being overly dependent and insecure, likely due to a difficult childhood. Back in her dorm, her friend Wrigley tried to reassure her that no one thought badly of her, especially Evan, who was clearly still interested. Wrigley also mentioned that Evan’s brother, Drew, had been attracted to her, suggesting that what Bree really needed was to know who found her desirable. Wrigley conveniently left out his own feelings, but it was obvious he was also very into her—especially when he eagerly volunteered to be photographed for her portfolio, which she dutifully did. Is there anything more romantic when you’re twenty? It’s like a scene straight out of Titanic.

Bree is unaware of the full situation and still sees Wrigley as her friend’s boyfriend. She decides Evan is a better option than Oliver and gets back together with him, unintentionally creating a recipe for future heartbreak. Elsewhere, Pippa and Diana finally act on their feelings for each other in a sweet and respectful scene, leaving both of them feeling happy and content. While their actions aren’t exactly honest, these two are currently the most compelling part of the show. Everything else is mostly depressing, making me long for any small, happy moments from the past.

The resident advisor escorting Lucy to a difficult meeting about sexual assault had a remarkably high, voluminous hairstyle – a perfect recreation of the early 2000s look. While shows set in this era often get the clothes right – things like lace camisoles and low-rise jeans were always popular – they’ve been hesitant to accurately portray the hairstyles. Truly capturing 2009 requires those small, carefully constructed hair puffs, held in place with lots of bobby pins. I’d love to see this hairstyle on Lucy constantly, but even a single puff feels like a welcome detail.

I’m admittedly spending a lot more time detailing minor things, like hairstyles, than on the Alex storyline. That’s because the Alex plot – where Lucy seems to be drawn to painful situations and their intimacy has become deeply unhappy – genuinely upsets me. I’m focusing on lighter moments to balance out what’s become a relentlessly bleak narrative about abuse. Aside from the reveal about Bree and Wrigley, the biggest event this week is Stephen cruelly exploiting a trauma victim to manipulate Lucy, all framed as a twisted expression of “love.” My attention to detail with things like hair is just a way to cope with how disturbing the main story is.

Last semester, the school dismissed Caitie’s sexual assault claim against Chris due to a lack of evidence and other reports. Now, someone—likely Stephen—has told Caitie that Lucy is also a victim. The administration’s response is troubling: they ambushed Lucy, pulling her into an unexpected meeting with the dean, Caitie, and a particularly unsettling professor named Marianne, hoping she’ll falsely accuse Chris. However, Lucy delivers a powerful retort to Marianne, accusing Marianne’s husband of being a predator and suggesting she should be more concerned about the harm he’s caused to students. It’s a well-deserved rebuke.

To make matters worse, someone – likely Stephen – created a Facebook group falsely accusing Chris of rape and naming Caitie and Lucy as victims. Bree and others believe Chris raped Lucy, but this isn’t true. Stephen has a video of Lucy claiming she fabricated the story, which she did, but she’s being forced to say it for reasons different from the truth. Desperate, Lucy finally makes a good decision and calls Diana for help.

Diana already knew Lucy had lied about being assaulted – Pippa hadn’t felt safe coming forward, and Stephen was a monster – but she’s shocked to learn about the video. Her first question is why Lucy would ever do something like that, and Lucy explains Stephen has something even more damaging over her. Diana points out how ridiculous it sounds to worry about something worse than falsely claiming sexual assault, but Lucy admits that’s true. Diana firmly declares she’s done covering things up, especially for something this huge. Her advice to Lucy is simple: “Just stop making decisions.”

Diana is right, but Lucy isn’t completely off base when she says all options with Stephen are terrible. I’ve seen a lot of fictional villains – vampires, serial killers, even dictators – and none are as frightening as Stephen. He doesn’t use magic to control Lucy, but his influence is very real. Diana understands this firsthand, as she’s currently afraid of him too.

I found out last week that Diana’s pregnant, and thankfully she’s making plans to have an abortion as soon as she can. Honestly, her only mistake was talking about it so casually – it came across as dismissive to Molly, who’s already struggling with her self-worth. Diana mentioned something about “being a woman is a prison” – she’s been reading up on feminist ideas, I guess – but it totally flew over Molly’s head. Molly, predictably, ran straight to Evan with the news about the abortion, and Evan, as usual, immediately told Stephen. Seriously, both of them are the worst! Telling Stephen is never a good idea, but Evan just doesn’t seem to learn – so far, only Lucy and Diana have paid the price for his loose lips.

Stephen became visibly angry, loudly complaining that he should have been included in the discussion. Wrigley, who had been following feminist blogs, challenged him, asking what input he’d even have. Stephen yelled about “rights” and claimed the baby was also his, which Wrigley found absurd. Evan unexpectedly sided with Stephen, arguing for men’s rights, but Wrigley dismissed the entire conversation as ridiculous. Stephen then angrily went to confront Diana, spitefully telling Pippa about the pregnancy on his way.

When Stephen finally arrives, out of breath and upset, Diana doesn’t bother explaining her right to choose. She knows Stephen doesn’t respect her decisions or boundaries. Instead, she bluntly tells him she’s thrilled to end the pregnancy, calling it the best part of her year. This leaves Stephen retreating to plan some other form of retaliation, and I dread to think what he’s planning.

For the Group Chat

Okay, so Sadie finally got her tuition sorted and called Stephen to tell him, but his reaction was…rough. Honestly, it felt like he was a divorced dad who’d forgotten to visit his kids again. But Sadie wasn’t having any of his drama, which is awesome! She totally stood her ground.

• I just know Bree chose “Fade Into You” for her first dance because she saw it on Gilmore Girls.

• Just like I know for a fact that Evan loves Joe Rogan in 2026.

While Lucy did other questionable things last year, she admits to leading Max on – and she tells Alex about it as part of their intimate moments.

• Max appears unharmed, by the way.

• There has to be at least one additional victim of Chris’s on this campus. There must be.

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2026-01-21 00:55