Tell me Lies Finale Review (SPOILERS)
The quickest way to clear a bar is to turn the lights on. It’s one of the more jarring moments that happens on a night out. Being able to see the stickiness of the floor and the red tint in everyone’s eyes makes the reality of the situation very clear.
Meaghan Oppenheimer, screenwriter for “Tell Me Lies” managed to perfectly wrap up the three seasons of the television series without making it feel like a sad bender that should have ended hours ago.
“Hate-watching” was a favorite hobby I shared with my college roommate. Our senior year we poured a glass of wine and turned on Tell Me Lies excited to make fun of a cringey, poorly written Gen Z targeted TV show. To our surprise, we binged the entire first season within 48 hours and continued to watch the rest of the franchise as it came out over the next three years. We were both invested. I even purchased and read the book immediately after watching. The first time I was cranky about the series was on Feb. 16 after I learned the season 3 finale was coinciding as the series finale. I spent the next day complaining that there was no way one episode would properly wrap the series. It was all I could think about. I found myself knee-deep in negative Reddit commentary and fully ready to have a sour night after watching the official last episode. However, I was not prepared to fully eat my own words.
My chin sunk to my chest when the disclaimer for the episode appeared. I felt like that was immediate validation for every doubt I had about a morbid ending. This season’s ‘feel-good’ storyline was the unexpected love story that played out between Bree and Wrigley. I was dreading seeing how it fell apart. I could handle the constant disappointment of Evan, Lucy and Pippa’s decisions. But I have such a soft spot for Bree. After Evan took her mom out for drinks, there was little she could do in that relationship that would make me think differently of her. Thankfully, seeing her and Wrigley reconnect in the first seconds of the episode gave me immediate regret for my negative attitude throughout the day.
While it’s never difficult for media to make me cry, I will note that this episode made me tear up two separate times. In my opinion, Oliver and Marianne are in a tight race with Stephen for the sickest characters on this show. Watching Bree take up all the space in that room trying to fight for herself broke my heart. This moment was great foreshadowing for how there would be no accountability for the sickest acts some characters committed.
My second round of tears came as Lucy’s hopelessness laid across her dorm room bed. It was impossible for me to hate Lucy because she hated herself enough for everyone around her. It was always clear her bad decisions stemmed from a dark self-perception and an obsession with her version of justice being served. Characters as polarizing as Lucy take someone like Grace Van Patten portraying them. This episode alone is enough proof that her career is far from over.
After three seasons of stress-inducing decisions and situations, I didn’t mind the silliness behind the wedding reception scene. Evan slamming into his wedding cake with Britney Spears playing in the background was pretty satisfying to watch. This specific moment is what I felt perfectly represented the art of knowing when to call it a night. It’s 3 a.m., you can see how many drinks everyone has had in the way their eyes hang, the bartenders are packing up their bottles and then Stephen Demarco grabs the microphone. You can either be Pippa and Diana, who couldn’t leave the venue fast enough. Or you could be Lucy and find yourself stranded in last night’s clothes because you decided to leave the party with your sociopath of an ex-boyfriend. Oppenheimer decided to be Pippa and Diana. Get out while the intensity is still happening and wake up with no regrets.
Many viewers were unhappy that Stephen made it through the series without facing any true consequences. As frustrating as it is, I honestly appreciated that about the ending. That’s unfortunately pretty realistic. It can be really difficult to punish people who don’t feel remorse. There was something full circle in the way Stephen brought most of the lies and trauma into this friend group, and then he was the one to use them for the group’s demise. As much as it seems like Stephen won, everyone else did too. He finally left and took the knot of lies these relationships had formed with him. There was a sense of freedom in Pippa and Diana’s exit, Bree and Wrigley’s eye contact, and the hysterical laugh Lucy released after Stephen reintroduced her to their never-ending cycle. Lying is what held this college friend group together, so it only makes sense that the show ends after everything comes to surface.
Not only do I think Oppenheimer did herself, the audience and the reputation of Tell Me Lies a favor by wrapping up the franchise; but I also think Van Patten and Jackson White’s careers will be forever thankful. Many actors find themselves stuck in a specific role because the series didn’t know when to say goodbye. It has nothing with the person’s capabilities; the public just becomes unable to separate the role from the person. If you’re mourning the loss of Baird’s most dysfunctional friend group, go fall in love with the actors who portrayed them. I have a feeling that Tell Me lies won’t be the last we see of them.
heybaibai 