Tell Me Lies: Season 3 Episode 2 – Recap and Review

Stephen sticks to his increasingly tired playbook to try to control Lucy, as many characters seemingly learn to pursue joy and love, over the same toxic vibe from 2008.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

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Episode 2 “We Can’t Help It If We Are a Problem” Recap and Details

  • Director(s): Ed Lilly
  • Writer(s): Fiora Birnbaum
  • Public Release Date (Hulu): January 13, 2026
  • Check out more of our “Tell Me Lies” coverage.

Can’t Move Past It: Oliver, Evan, Stephen, Lucy, Bree, Amanda

Stephen, knowing Evan had sex with Lucy at all, is something he struggles with to the point that it seems he can’t be with Lucy because of this information. But, at the same time, it’s Stephen, so you know he isn’t just going to sulk, which is worrisome to all around him.

But, for Evan, his focus is less on Stephen and more on the realization that Oliver is the old man who messed with Bree. Now, unlike Stephen, Evan has no issues stepping to a man, authority figure or otherwise, and while Oliver plays like he has no idea what Evan is talking about, he doesn’t back down. So Evan finds himself resigning over Oliver not admitting to doing anything, but he feels like he knows the truth.

Unfortunately, though, pettiness is strong with a good amount of the characters in this episode. While Stephen loses Lucy, due to trying to make her choose between blowing up their relationship or her’s with Bree, Bree is getting to know Amanda, a freshman that she thinks is sleeping with Oliver. She can’t prove it yet, but her lingering feelings for Oliver, married or not, have her in a vice grip. So, she seems invested, gets as close as she can, to see if Amanda is Oliver’s newest plaything.

A Familiar Face: Diana, Pippa, Alex, Bree, Wrigley

While Amanda is a focus on Bree’s mind, the realization that Alex, seemingly the school’s top drug dealer, is one of her foster brothers, shifts things for her. That and becoming closer to Wrigley, as he joins her photography class. For like when they were high off MDMA, Wrigley just brings something out of Bree. Maybe it is because of what he has gone through, and Wrigley owning how messed up he is, allows Bree to not be the innocent and cute lamb everyone treats her as.

I mean, think about it, a lot of the time when she talks about her past, there is pity, “Sorry you went through that,” and while we won’t pretend Pippa and Lucy have gone through nothing, their trauma is different. At this point, Wrigley has the closest thing with losing his brother, his own mental health issues, and the shared problem of people thinking they have to protect him, despite being a grown man who could overpower them, or outsmart them, if he really wanted to hurt himself.

Darker parts of the story aside, Pippa cheats on Wrigley with Diana, as Diana seems ready to explore what both feel and what could come of it. Mind you, neither is ignoring Wrigley complicating this, but it seems they are looking to pursue their own joy, even if in secret, after having been with someone whom they had to tiptoe around.

New Characters in Episode 2

Alex (Costa D’Angelo)

Alex (Costa D’Angelo) – Tell Me Lies Season 3 Episode 2
  • Character Summary: Alex is a grad student, studying psychology, who was Bree’s foster brother during one of the three homes she was at as a child. Unfortunately, they know each other via the most challenging home she was in, but Alex did his best to protect her.

Amanda (Iris Apatow)

Amanda (Iris Apatow) – Tell Me Lies Season 3 Episode 2
  • Character Summary: Amanda is a freshman, far from her friends, family, and boyfriend, who is struggling a bit with being on her own. Mainly in overeating, but also in dealing with insecurities regarding her relationship and whether it can survive being long-distance.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Bree and Wrigley’s Chemistry [84/100]

Bree is single, Wrigley is soon to be single, and I’m not saying these two should date or hook up, but I imagine them growing closer. I feel like, high or not, Bree has some odd kind of ease with Wrigley. Be it because, as noted in the recap, his trauma speaks to her trauma, or that he knows too well what it is like to have overbearing people in your life, so he avoids acting that way towards her.

Either way, they get a sense of freedom through each other that is rather cute. Plus, considering Bree, in the present day, said she was a bad person, her hooking up with Wrigley, making this friend group all the more incestuous, would be unfortunate, but make sense.

Diana and Pippa [82.5/100]

Do I like the fact that Pippa is cheating? No. However, I feel that because Wrigley was one of the first people Pippa came out to, he isn’t going to be mad. In fact, due to his relationship with Pippa and Diana, he might be one of the most supportive in the friend group. Heck, he may even make a threesome joke.

But, Wrigley’s part in this aside, I love the slow and steady exploration, even if there is a slight tinge of lust behind it all. For I feel like, after the relationship Diana had with Stephen, this is about her exploring what she wants, what she likes, and also molding her own image. In my mind, Diana has been what others wanted or needed her to be, and while she did carve out certain parts of her life for herself, that was mostly regarding what she could achieve.

Pippa and Diana – Tell Me Lies Season 3 Episode 2

This is a whole new frontier because it isn’t about social climbing or long-term planning for monetary comfort. Diana isn’t building a power couple dynamic but one based on curiosity, love, a bit of the unknown, and I’m glad to see her be open to that, and Pippa too.

Lucy and Stephen Breaking Up [80/100]

Lucy and Stephen are not and never were a couple you could invest in. Stephen has an inferiority complex, and because he is some kind of masochist, he surrounds himself with people for backgrounds unlike his own, not to inspire or aspire, but because he wants to take them down. Lucy, unfortunately, isn’t just someone he wants to take down a peg, but control, and there is nothing worse than a person like Stephen feeling like he is not in control.

It truly makes me fear how far he is willing to go, for clearly, in the future, Stephen didn’t get arrested or go to jail, so Lucy never pressed charges for anything he has done – she doesn’t even have a restraining order. But, him making 2009 the worst year of her life with none of that happening? It makes you wonder if we truly have an idea of what he is capable of, or if all that we’ve seen since season 1 is just him testing what he can get away with?

A Boy From Bree’s Past [82/100]

Of everyone, Bree’s past is one of the most interesting due to her relationship with her mom and being in and out of foster care. It’s what shaped her, and sometimes feels like what she is running from, even with her being in a much safer and supportive environment. So, Alex co-signing or refuting Bree’s take on things is going to bring an interesting angle to her character, especially as she continues to recover from the debauchery of season 2.

On The Fence

Amanda, Evan, and Oliver [73/100]

I feel like the Oliver saga ran its course. He and his wife are weird, exploiting students, and that’s terrible. Either up the ante and get administration involved, or move on. Amanda doesn’t move the needle because she is as dull as an unused napkin. Evan continues to struggle with being a moon in Bree’s orbit, and Oliver? Tom Ellis may have charm, but without a character he can do much with, what is that supposed to do for him?

Oliver isn’t evolving beyond being a creep; there are no layers added to him, he is just someone who lingers from what happened in season 2. Which, granted, has had a big effect on Bree, but I think Tell Me Lies can address what went on without Oliver being around. Never mind Evan trying to be a remora on Oliver, as he does with damn near any scene partner.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [80/100]

There is an unease when it comes to Stephen’s next move, yet an excitement just the same. But, thankfully, it seems the show isn’t trying to prop itself based off Stephen’s next revenge plot but genuinely grow the rest of its characters. What will come of Alex and Bree reuniting? Pippa and Diana, we know they end up together, years from now, but what was the journey like? What about Bree and Wrigley’s relationship?

Heck, somehow Evan and Bree reconcile, which has not been something the show has really invested in. Maybe soon we’ll see how Evan earned her back, unless it is a case of, he was there, she didn’t see better options, so here we are. Which, based on how the show is going so far, feels like the likely path.

What To Check Out Next

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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.