Tell Me Lies: Season 3 Episode 1 – Recap and Review

It’s supposed to be Lucy’s worst year ever because of Stephen, but that doesn’t mean no one else has drama going on in their life.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 1 “You F*cked It, Friend” Recap and Details

  • Director(s): Tyne Rafaeli
  • Writer(s): Meaghan Oppenheimer
  • Public Release Date (Hulu): January 13, 2026
  • Check out more of our “Tell Me Lies” coverage.

Sometimes You Don’t Need To Be Pampered, Just An Honest Conversation: Bree, Wrigley, Pippa, Diana

In 2009, it’s January, winter break just ended, and Pippa spent the entire holiday with Wrigley’s family, even getting back together with him. Mind you, partly due to guilt for even bringing Drew to campus, but she claims to have feelings for Wrigley, too. However, she seems completely exhausted emotionally trying to be there for him, and yet, her mind continues to wander to Diana.

In fact, even at a party, she finds herself gravitating to Diana, the first day back on campus. She even leaves the party, and the next day, one of the first things she does is tell off Diana for making comments about her decisions, her and Wrigley’s relationship, and basically confesses she has feelings for Diana. Which, because Diana isn’t in a sapphic mindset yet, only leads to her being speechless.

Diana unable to respond to Pippa confessing to her.

As for what Diana’s comments were? Well, Pippa and her friend group were going to take MDMA, which Diana thought was a bad idea, but also tracked considering who Pippa hangs out with. That wasn’t taken kindly, nor was her questioning why anyone would give Wrigley that, considering where he is mentally. But, honestly, the MDMA doesn’t hurt as much as Diana expected.

Actually, it gets Wrigley to have an open and honest conversation, the type he has been shielded from, and it happens with Bree. Both, under the influence of MDMA, have an open conversation about family, their relationships, and while it isn’t necessarily healing, it is the first time in a long time that Wrigley got to speak to someone who was direct and didn’t placate him. Add in that Bree isn’t like Stephen, and there is nothing malicious behind her drug-induced candor, and Wrigley has perhaps his first real laugh in a long time.

Same Ol’ Mistakes: Stephen, Lucy, Bree

Lucy and Stephen are back together, and it seems nothing has changed. Stephen is still controlling, manipulative, and insecure, and Lucy does her best to ease his worries, get people to accept their relationship, and seemingly forget their history. It is harder for viewers, though, as Stephen avoids taking MDMA like everyone else, for he wants to hear Lucy confess to him about Evan and whatever else she might be hiding. Which, when he doesn’t get that, he goes off and leaves Lucy damn near begging for forgiveness.

As for Bree? Her issue is still not fully being over Oliver and lowkey stalking him, and then a student he was speaking to. Whether she may do more than this is hard to say at this point, but it is only her sophomore year.

Which leaves one last thing: The Dean and Lucy’s academic advisor follow up on the Chris accusation, which Lucy tries to keep from escalating. However, whether this is just killing a storyline or a reminder that it has to blow up sooner or later, like the Bree and Oliver thing, only future episodes shall reveal.

Can’t Give Him The Satisfaction: Bree, Lucy, Stephen

Bree learning that Lucy and Evan hooked up is hard to hear. However, hearing Stephen’s voice and knowing what he is capable of makes it so, despite how this shifts Bree’s relationship with Lucy, she refuses to give Stephen the satisfaction. He played the long game, and Bree made it all for naught as she marries Evan without showing any sign of doubt.

Other Noteworthy Information

  • Evan goes to Oliver to try to figure out what’s next for him since he is graduating soon, and seemingly doesn’t want to work with his father.

Question(s) Left Unanswered & Predictions

  • I bet you Lucy gets pregnant.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Wrigley and Bree’s Conversation [84/100]

Wrigley and Bree are laughing as they talk, while high on MDMA.

Bree’s conversation with Wrigley, for me, hit the reset button for the character. Her affair with Oliver, and most of what happened in season 2, it felt like they wanted this character to get some drama, lose some of her innocence, and thus they had to go further than needed. Now, you can appreciate the journey since it presents itself as a lapse of judgement, with effects that linger, but at heart, Bree is a curious girl, with interesting friends, who she doesn’t poke or prod too much because she has restraint.

Which is why her Wrigley conversation was so nice. It not only recalibrated her but also acted as a reminder that, despite the majority of Wrigley’s episodes, as noted in our season 2 review, it is more so the writing than performance that’s an issue. Wrigley’s actor can do more with the character, but he just isn’t given the opportunity. But in speaking to Bree about her mom having her at 14, and having a serious conversation that he didn’t shy from or was all about him, it felt like we got growth. It felt like there was trust that Wrigley could be more than a comedic character, and I appreciate them allowing him to show levels.

Pippa’s Confession To Diana [82/100]

I feel like what they want for Bree has already been done with Pippa, and they can’t replicate it. Pippa has drama, can be messy, but doesn’t lose her likability in the process. She has main character energy and can just as much be part of the party as she can be there for the tearful aftermath.

But, alongside all that, she can also be a good romantic partner. It’s a weird thing, when you think about it. At its core, Tell Me Lies is about love and the lies characters tell themselves and others to keep hold of someone else, but rarely does the lie seem worth it. Yet, with Pippa, someone who isn’t the star, isn’t on the posters to advertise the show, she is the only one we see pushing beyond the lies, outgrowing the need to, and while she has been making progress, this episode was a milestone.

Her confessing to Diana, a bit tired but utterly sober, was beautiful to watch. It was less of a confession or stream of thoughts as it was just a matter of fact that left Diana stunned. Maybe because she, too, has been so deep in her own lies that she forgot what the truth sounded like, including the sound of someone genuinely caring for you.

It truly may bring us one of the few, if only, romantic relationships to invest in.

Low Points

Has Evan Always Been This Dull? [63/100]

Evan looking at the dishes Stephen left for him to clean

What does Evan bring to this show as an individual? Besides being an unambiguously Black character with some kind of wealth, thus getting to be a unicorn, what does he bring? His storylines are forgettable, unless they involve Bree. His friendships seem purely out of convenience, with no real depth to them, and even his relationships that exist outside Bree, like what he had with Molly, I can’t be the only one who forgot that, right?

And now he is in conversation with Oliver about his future? I see what they are trying to do, wanting to do, but I think that, like the writers, we’re stuck with Evan, more so for worse than better.

On The Fence

Both Enjoying And Becoming Bored With Stephen’s Drama [74/100]

Like many, I love to hate Stephen. He plays the long game in ways that are delicious, but he is also mentally and emotionally abusive to Lucy, and no amount of him being beaten to the point of swelling and blood will ever compensate for that. Yet, as much as I love the drama he brings, I must admit I want something different, something more from him.

I need to see his brilliance in different ways, like his career or academics. He can’t just be the villain of the story, we need to be reminded that most villains see themselves as their hero of their own. That scale needs to be rebalanced and not just through cheaply showing him as a good big brother, or having him fall on the sword for Lucy, just to win brownie points. There needs to be a real showing that he can do more and be more than a s*** stirrer.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [75/100]

I don’t know if I’m in a good mood or if this really was a great season opener. Yes, some old issues like Evan being boring and Stephen losing his luster persist. But, at this point, that’s part of the bones of Tell Me Lies, and you either have to accept that or stop watching. As for everything else? We love the heartfelt conversations, Pippa pushing honesty, and for any flawed name, there is a stronger emotion towards a highlight.

What To Check Out Next

Visit our main TV shows page! There you’ll find other shows we’ve covered, or look below for more of our coverage for this series:

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been writing reviews since 2010, with a focus on dramas and comedies.