In Tell Me Lies season 2 episode 3, Stephen (Jackson White) makes a move and Lucy (Grace Van Patten) finally snaps, leading to the secrets of season 1 finally being revealed to Diana (Alicia Crowder). Plus, Wrigley (Spencer House) and Pippa’s (Sonia Mena) relationship begins to heal, just in a new way.
Read on for our breakdown of what happened in the Tell Me Lies season 2 episode 3, “I Can See Right Through Myself.”
Celebrating the bachelor and bachelorette
In the future timeline at the joint bachelor and bachelorette party for Bree (Catherine Missal) and Evan (Branden Cook), we finally meet Lucy’s boyfriend, Max, while Lydia (Natalee Linez) is noticeably missing, using a work excuse. Stephen is overly friendly with Max. When Lucy brings it to her boyfriend’s attention, Max doesn’t understand why Stephen still bothers her so much. It’s clear he doesn’t actually know their full history and isn’t going to come to her defense.
Pippa steps outside to call Diana, commenting how she wishes she was there with her. Diana explains she has no interest in being around those people again.
During a conversation between Lucy and Stephen, we find out she didn’t become a writer and is now doing sales at a travel agency. Pippa stops the discussion from going further, sending Stephen back inside. Pippa then insists he hasn’t changed, his behavior all an act.
Men like Stephen
In the college years, Stephen attempts to convince Lucy he wasn’t aware she was in the class, explaining he was randomly assigned. Meanwhile, Oliver (Tom Ellis) gives Bree his number so that they can figure out a place to talk about what’s happening between them outside of his office. He reminds her that it has to stay a secret between them.
We get a little more insight into Diana’s character during a phone call with her mom, where her mom expresses how upset and frustrated she is at how her husband treated her at a dinner. But Diana takes her father’s side, saying he shows his respect by how he takes care of her; similar to how Stephen treats Diana. When her mother says maybe she doesn’t need her husband, Diana answers that she does. Another comment that stands out is when her mother mentions that men like her husband don’t allow women to leave them, they’re the ones who do the leaving.
Diana then goes to visit Pippa to check up on her after the party. While she seems genuine, Pippa gets defensive once again. Diana swears she didn’t tell Stephen anything but Pippa brings up what she did to Lucy last year, saying she’s brutal with other girls and not the type to check up on them.
In the cafeteria, Chris (Jacob Rodriguez) goes over to Pippa, Lucy and Bree as if nothing’s wrong, even touching Pippa’s shoulders at one point. Lucy is visibly uncomfortable but when Bree asks about the awkwardness, they deny any tension.
Leo (Thomas Doherty) finds Lucy outside and tries to explain his behavior from the day before, sharing he has a problem with his anger, but he’s working on it. Lucy stops him, saying she can’t do this right now and walks away.
A new stage of relationships
As Pippa passes Wrigley’s table, the football team begins harassing her again, but this time she fights back and addresses her ex-boyfriend for not standing up for her. Wrigley finally looks back on how he’s been acting and apologizes to Pippa the next time he sees her. This seemingly opening up an avenue for them to become friends.
Bree meets up with Oliver at a restaurant where he lays it all out: she has to be okay with their arrangement, as he is not going to leave his wife. Her initial reaction isn’t what he was hoping for, so he leaves. But later on she meets up with him by his car and he takes her back to his friend’s house, who is currently away. Rather than continue talking, they end up sleeping together.
While putting a class paper in Diana’s backpack, which Stephen wrote for her after she forgot to hit save on her work, he finds Lucy’s ID from the night of the party. However, to protect Pippa, she makes up a story about Lucy coming at her. Naturally, Stephen is determined to control the situation and tells Diana Lucy purposely switched into the class he’s helping with in an attempt to mess with him. Stephen takes the ID back to Lucy, questioning her, but things quickly take a turn when Lucy claims to not care about him. He can’t accept that so he begins recounting her behavior and how it seems like the opposite, leaning in to kiss her as he unbuttons her jeans. But before anything can happen, he whispers how embarrassing this is for her and pulls away.
Beyond angry, Lucy goes to Diana’s dorm and tells her the truth about Stephen being in the car with Macy the night she died and how he left her there. Diana doesn’t believe her, calling her insane. At that moment, Lucy decides none of this is her problem anymore. She drops the class with Stephen, ignoring the academic consequences, and, thanks to Pippa, decides to give Leo another chance, really listening to what he has to say this time.
Leo explains how when he gets really angry, he can’t talk himself down and stops thinking completely, which leads to someone getting hurt. While it doesn’t make total sense to Lucy, she agrees she wants to keeping hanging out with Leo. She also offers her own confession: that some really bad things happened with Stephen last year.
Diana ends up going to Stephen, clearly still thinking about what Lucy said. She asks him to confirm that she knows him better than anyone, which he does before they sleep together.
New episodes of Tell Me Lies drop every Wednesday on Hulu.