Tell Me Lies: Season 3 Episode 7 – Recap and Review

Evan furthers his journey to the dark side as Bree and Wrigley try to figure out what’s next for them. Also, Lucy tries to appeal to Stephen’s ego.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 7 “As I Climb Onto Your Back, I Will Promise Not to Sting” Recap and Details

  • Director(s): Larysa Kondracki
  • Writer(s): Liz Elverenli, Diana Glogau, Meaghan Oppenheimer
  • Public Release Date (Hulu): February 10, 2026
  • Check out more of our “Tell Me Lies” coverage.

Makeup To Breakup: Wrigley, Bree, Diana, Pippa

Said by the person who was cheating on Wrigley for how long now?

Wrigley decides, after his night with Bree, to break up with Pippa. She takes it harder than expected, considering how she has been with Diana. But it might be because Wrigley seemed like the same choice, and that person rejecting you, even if as softly as possible, hits hard.

What doesn’t help is Diana talking about going to the other side of the country for school, Stanford to be specific. Pippa internalizes that, especially with the push being, it is to get as far away from Stephen as possible. His influence being so strong, she would leave Pippa behind, causes them to fight, and Diana decides this is way too intense for her. She compares this to her relationship with Stephen, decides to break things off, and this causes Pippa to spiral.

In fact, she spirals so badly that as Wrigley is in the process of slowly but surely moving over to being with Bree, and she is prepping to dump Evan, Pippa convinces Wrigley to sleep with her, and he obliges. Does he seem to enjoy it? No. But, no matter how you slice it, he didn’t de-escalate into cuddling.

If I Can’t Have Her: Evan, Mary, Bree, Oliver, Wrigley, Pippa

Evan can sense Bree becoming distant and refuses to let that happen. So, rather than step up, he confides and seeks counsel from Oliver. He bestows some of his manipulation tactics, and this leads to Evan using Mary to isolate Bree.

How? Well, Mary used to have a drinking problem, but has found a way to manage it. Evan decides to offer her a drink before going to Bree’s exhibit, and gets her drunk enough to be embarrassing, but not to the point she can’t stand. This leads to all the progress Bree and Mary made during her impromptu visit unraveling.

But what seals the deal for Evan is Pippa revealing she had sex with Wrigley. While Bree and him weren’t together, it clearly felt like a betrayal. She was going to end things with Evan, break his heart, and yet look at what Wrigley did! Something which sounds like something out of Stephen’s playbook.

Have A Heart: Tegan, Lucy, Stephen, Evan

Stephen having that tape is a dangling sword over Lucy’s head, and she is sick of it. So, to be free, she tries to appeal to Stephen’s ego, sets up a backup plan with Evan, so that in case Stephen tries to expose them, they are on the same page, but Stephen is suspicious about Lucy’s every move. In fact, he catches on within a day since Lucy is barely able to stick to her own plan.

Yet, despite her shenanigans, Stephen produces the tape and gives it to Lucy. It seems, despite loving the power imbalance that is in his favor, he can’t continue like this. Now, does he swear he didn’t make copies, put it on his computer – no. But, he asks Lucy to trust him, and considering all the secrets between them, it is worth questioning if he is a man of his word this time.

Which will certainly be tested since Lucy badmouths Stephen to Tegan multiple times. Mainly because she forgot she did the first time.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Evan’s Pursuit Of Being Despicable [84/100]

While it could be said Evan was riding Stephen’s coattails, maybe he was learning the ways of a villain? But, rather than be outright, undeniably evil, Evan wants to be more crafty, exploit in a way which clearly didn’t come to bite him in the behind, and truly show that he is a good pupil.

After all, taking advantage of Mary’s alcoholism? That is low. Not Stephen low, for he would probably have Mary get drunk, put her in a vehicle, and pray to the dark lord she gets into an accident. But, to ask Oliver, who he knows took advantage of Bree and other girls, how he does what he does, and basically gets away with it? That takes Wrigley’s possessive comment to a whole new level.

However, as much as Evan has shown himself to be a bastard, you have to admit – now he is worth talking about. He isn’t a token character, bland, and could be easily swapped with another actor, and it barely be noticeable anymore. He is someone you can love to hate, especially since the time jump implies that he got away with all of this.

Wrigley Taking Advantage Stephen Has Nothing On Him [82/100]

At Evan and Bree’s wedding, it became clear that Stephen longed for a way to humble Wrigley. He is, after all, slowly but surely becoming his biggest critic. Add in Wrigley having nothing to lose, nothing to be used against him, you know that Stephen hated that.

Which is going to make it interesting, whenever we return to the future, how Stephen uses Wrigley’s lingering feelings for Bree. Especially since the Lucy x Evan one-night stand didn’t change anything upon reveal.  

On The Fence

Sweeping This Chris Storyline Under The Rug [75/100]

With Stephen presumably giving up the tape, for real, does this mean putting the Chris storyline to bed? Like many, I’d want justice for Pippa. However, with Lucy hijacking this storyline, it’s difficult to imagine how they could redirect this storyline to Chris’ actual victim. Never mind, make it a storyline that allows Pippa to have her moment in the sun in a way that could benefit the character.

Pippa and Wrigley’s Love Issues [74/100]

I know Pippa cheated on Wrigley, so her not getting a smooth transition to being with Diana is justifiable. However, why did Wrigley have to sleep with Pippa? Couldn’t they have cuddled? Couldn’t he have used this emotional intelligence he seemingly gained since last season? This feels similar to when Bree got with Oliver in terms of reversing the progress of a character with no clear reason in sight, beyond their suffering.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [78/100]

As a penultimate episode of the season, I got to admit I don’t feel notably hyped for the finale. For what was teased to be the worst year of Lucy’s life, things feel tame. Pippa and Diana potentially ending things as they are, until years later, doesn’t create excitement. Really, the only great thing about this episode is Evan earning his place on the show, even if as a secondary villain.

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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.