Portraying toxic relationships in television and film is a challenging task. In a form that is inherently romantic, many films risk romanticizing too many aspects of a narrative. It Ends with Us recently drew criticism for missing the mark, focusing on floral outfits and advertising it as a romance when the real storyline followed the subject of abuse. To take on such a fragile, nuanced topic requires careful attention. Recently taking on this challenge is the new series Tell Me Lies. Tell Me Lies was first written as a novel by Carola Lovering and adapted into a series on Hulu in 2022, co-produced by Emma Roberts and Meaghan Oppenheimer.
The series depicts the 8-year turbulent relationship of Lucy Albright, played by Grace Van Patten, and Stephen Demarco, played by Jackson White, whose toxicity becomes contagious to those around them. The first season’s steady stream of viewers became obsessed with the drama, intriguing yet morally gray characters, and realistic depictions of toxic relationships. Now in its second season, Tell Me Lies continues to develop the characters’ complicated storylines and destigmatize toxicity.
What Happened in Season 1?
This section of this Tell Me Lies review includes spoilers.
The narrative flips back and forth between time spanning 8 years, from Lucy Albright’s first year and years in the future when her friend is getting married. There is an obvious tension that we slowly build the backstory for. In the first timeline, Lucy attends her first year at Baird College. Coming from a monotonous town, she has never really experienced true excitement, having broken up with a 3-year boyfriend without shedding a tear. Before she knows it, excitement and intrigue, and maybe even a sense of danger appear in the form of junior Stephen Demarco.
Mysterious and overwhelmingly charming, Lucy falls in love for the first time, but certainly with the wrong person. Stephen takes advantage of her love and carries out a gradual manipulation scheme. Following the death of Lucy’s roommate and Stephen’s significant yet hidden role in it, secrets keep deepening. Lucy, nevertheless, is blinded by love and makes reckless decisions to protect Stephen’s lies — including betraying her friends. The couple becomes dependent in a way that is selfish and hurtful. This toxicity creates a domino effect on those around them. And somehow, in the end, the master manipulator and emotional abuser of not only Lucy but his ex and friends, Stephen Demarco comes out unscathed.
Despite his heinous actions, his character is not so easily painted as the villain. The series introduces his turbulent home life into the narrative, showing the contextual factors that shaped his character. It does not make an excuse for him but rather completes the portrait of this problematic figure. Oppenheimer explained this character development to CherryPicks:
“Stephen was always the biggest challenge. It is a big risk to have a lead character who behaves so terribly to others. We had to try and find some humanity within him without excusing his behavior and we had to make him compelling enough that you believe Lucy would fall for him without glamorizing him. I was very aware from the beginning that I did not want to glamorize abuse. I wanted the audience to care about Stephen and Lucy without aspiring to be anything like them.”
I was very aware from the beginning that I did not want to glamorize abuse.”
Meaghan Oppenheimer
Viewers see why Lucy falls in love with Stephen, while also recognizing how his charm and excessive affection are deceiving. Nothing beats the rage of the last scene of Season 1, when Stephen uses his last weapon to manipulate Lucy. In the end, after all Lucy lost, Stephen gets back with his ex to advance his career. In the future, he walks out with his fiancé — who is shockingly Lucy’s best friend from home. The infuriating Stephen Demarco triggered a collective rage among fans of the show.
Audience Reactions:
Season 2, So Far
After that cliffhanger, fans craved more of the shocking plot and characters and so far, Season 2 has not disappointed. We jump back into this alternating timeline, that has built context since the last season.
Lucy and Stephen
Going into her second year of college, Lucy tells her friends that she is completely over Stephen and looking for a fresh start. It becomes increasingly evident that, despite every reason to be over their relationship, she is not. She has fallen into a loop of toxicity and is struggling to get out — a realistic depiction of the scars that are left by toxic relationships. When Stephen sees Lucy attempting to get over him, he fights his way to gain power over her, seducing her and then telling her she is embarrassing, and “accidentally” becoming a TA for her class. The biggest thing she has looming over him is his secret — that he was behind the wheel of a major car crash that killed Lucy’s freshman year roommate. This power over Stephen makes him desperate to control her and the situation.
Episode 3 was just released and gives a satisfying moment indicating Lucy’s potential redemption arc as she stands up for herself against Stephen. She drops the class he TAs for and gets the secret off her chest by telling Stephen’s current love interest. You can see Lucy shift when she realizes it is not her problem anymore. She meets a new love interest, Leo, played by Thomas Doherty, and the trauma of her last relationship starts to seep into her new one. Lucy’s journey this season reminds viewers that toxic relationships do not leave you immediately. It takes work and self-growth to unlearn toxic habits.
Bree And Oliver
We saw Lucy fall into the thralls of a toxic relationship in Season 1, so now we can recognize it as her friend Bree, played by Catherine Missal, falls into the same pattern. After learning that her boyfriend cheated on her, Bree breaks up with him and is left feeling lost. Bree demands better treatment for herself, but unknowingly falls into another complex situation with a much older man, Oliver, played by Tom Ellis. Their meeting seems accidental, at first. As they begin to bond and tension grows, Bree ignores a myriad of red flags: he is a professor, married to another professor at the university, and entertaining the attention of a young student. A power dynamic inherently forms. He over-showers her with affection and attention under the pretense that she has power over him, telling her that he is risking her life and reputation for her. From an outside perspective, anyone can see that he over-emphasizes her power to mask his actual abuse of power over Bree. Essentially, Ellis’ role as a professor is not far off from his other popular role as the devil in Lucifer. Wherever this storyline goes this season, it is bound to go downhill for Bree.
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Tell Me Lies’ Toxic Takeaway
The show is set in college. Each character is in their early 20s, yet their young age does not take away their credibility. Toxic relationships occur at any age and in many forms (romantic or platonic), especially during these formative years. From an outside perspective, the audience can distinguish between what is love and what is abuse or manipulation. Identifying these red flags in characters can help people identify them in their own lives. Oppenheimer describes the series as a cautionary tale:
“I hope young girls and women learn to trust their gut and walk away sooner when they recognize red flags. I also want people to be less judgmental when they see others in these types of relationships. Instead of labeling them as ‘pathetic’ or ‘desperate,’ try to imagine what this person might be going through behind closed doors. I also think that’s a lesson not just for girls and women; it’s something everyone can benefit from. I don’t think anyone is immune to being abused or witnessing abuse.”
I don’t think anyone is immune to being abused or witnessing abuse.”
Meaghan Oppenheimer
Especially at a young age, people are learning and experiencing messy situations. It may seem difficult to navigate, but there is always a way out. You can unlearn harmful habits, and there is no shame in undergoing these situations. The toxic relationships in the show are not romantic — you feel uncomfortable and angry while watching them because that is the reality. By bringing toxic relationships into the sphere of discussion through the show, we can hopefully mitigate how often they appear in our real lives.
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