Although a lot of viewers were left upset by the series finale of Tell Me Lies, this is exactly what allowed the show to go from a very good psychological thriller to a masterpiece of the genre. There have been a lot of great psychological thrillers released in recent years, but the Hulu series Tell Me Lies stands out among them.
As surprising as it sounds, Tell Me Lies doesn’t include any murders, only has one major death, and doesn’t feature any kidnapping, torture, or other shocking, traumatic twists that are common to almost every other entry into the genre. In a list of shows similar to 56 Days, it is the lone psychological thriller that features almost none of the genre’s usual hallmarks.
However, this doesn’t mean that the Hulu series is an easy watch by any means. Based on the novel of the same name by author Carola Lovering, Tell Me Lies is a twisted, dark story of a toxic friend group whose college years go on to define their lives, but not in a positive way.
Tell Me Lies Had A Perfect Series Finale
Primarily, the show’s plot focused on Grace Van Patten’s Lucy and Jackson White’s Stephen, a young couple whose relationship is shaped by Stephen’s desire for control over Lucy. Although Stephen is the show’s worst character by a stretch, Lucy also betrays her friends repeatedly in an attempt to win power and influence, mirroring Stephen’s worst tendencies.
By the time the Tell Me Lies season 3 finale came around, it was hard to see how the show would ever manage to un-knot its complex web of lies. Almost all the friend group’s members had fundamentally betrayed each other over the years, and at first, it seemed they had largely gotten away with this.
No one was happy, but no one knew who betrayed whom and when. As the series used a dual timeline to cut between their time in college and their lives six years later, Tell Me Lies season 3 painted a picture of its main characters as deeply unhealthy, unhappy people who were still lying to themselves and each other.
When the show finally revealed who leaked Lucy’s confessional tape and the truth about a major romantic relationship, in the present day, the friends attended a wedding together. Ironically, considering how much of the show’s deceit originated with him, it was Stephen who finally outed everyone after the ceremony in a jaw-dropping speech.
What made the moment so effective was the decision for Stephen to be the conduit of these bombshell revelations. Coming from any other character, the reveals could have seemed like harsh truths that, while unpleasant, needed to be heard. However, for Stephen, ruining the wedding and blowing up everyone’s lives was just one last, desperate power play.
The Hit Hulu Psychological Thriller Nailed A Difficult Ending
Stephen finally realized he had lost his grip on the group and, after three seasons of Tell Me Lies bringing the pair together despite his vile behavior, his grip on Lucy. Rather than accepting defeat, Stephen made it everyone else’s problem by revealing long-hidden secrets that reopened old wounds and destroyed the lives of his supposed friends.
When Lucy then left the wedding with Stephen, it was less because the pair were truly meant for each other and more because, once again, she had fallen under the spell of this toxic love interest. Thus, her sardonic relief when he soon abandoned her at a gas station after they drove off into the sunset was a perfect ending to her story.
It wasn’t too over-the-top or clean, but everyone’s plot ended exactly how it had to, even Stephen’s character arc. Rather than growing out of his awful behavior or changing his ways, Stephen proved he would never change and was happy to drag his friends down with him if that was what it took to maintain control.
Lucy finally, mercifully realized that so many of her problems came from trying to impress Stephen and live like him, and she finally understood that path ended with her alone and abandoned. Every lead character had justifications for their actions, but when their secrets were exposed, they had nowhere to hide and no choice but to own up to what they’d done.
Tell Me Lies Became A Masterpiece In Season 3
Throughout seasons 1 and 2, Tell Me Lies was anchored by some great performances and a clever, twisty dual timeline. However, all of that would have been worthless without this note-perfect payoff. The show always had the potential to be a truly great psychological thriller, but only became one when it stuck the landing.
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At a time when psychological thriller shows are faring so well with viewers, it is uniquely impressive that Tell Me Lies didn’t need gore, a body count, or outlandish crimes to keep viewers hooked. Instead, it was the show’s titular deluge of lies that made the story of Tell Me Lies as addictive as it was toxic.
- Release Date
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2022 – 2026-00-00
- Network
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Hulu
- Showrunner
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Meaghan Oppenheimer
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Grace Van Patten
Lucy Albright
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Jackson White
Stephen DeMarco
