“Tell Me Lies” is a dramatic television series created by Meaghan Oppenheimer, based on the novel of the same name by Carola Lovering, published in 2018. The television series was released on Hulu in 2022 and just wrapped up this year with its third and final season. “Tell Me Lies” is a great TV series for young adults, particularly women, between the ages of 18 and 30.
The plot alternates between two main timelines: 2008 at Baird College and 2015 during a wedding. The story begins in 2008 when the main character, Lucy, is a freshman. Lucy and her toxic relationship with another main character, Stephen, become the source of drama during her years at college. “Tell Me Lies” explores the chaotic journey of navigating adulthood, newfound independence, responsibility, accountability and relationships. As implied by the name of the series, the characters lie … a lot.
Nevertheless, the events that take place throughout the show are profoundly realistic and contrary to what many critics of the series might think, the portrayal of college years and all they entail isn’t completely exaggerated. Many triggering topics are presented through relationships and characters such as depression, alcohol and substance abuse, sexual assault, verbal and emotional abuse and grooming.
Most of the main characters face seemingly rare and horrible hardships. Why I believe some think the series is unrealistic and over dramatized is because of this. To us, it may seem unrealistic for everyone in one friend group to be dealing with such awful things, but truthfully, topics like those mentioned burden the lives of people every single day. It might be common knowledge that we forget at times, but “you never know what someone else is going through.”
The series follows the lives of college students as they make mistakes and grow from them, something every human can resonate with. Like the characters themselves, while watching the show, I judged their decisions and actions. I cringed and judged when Lucy repeatedly got together with her manipulative, narcissistic ex-boyfriend, when she lied about being sexually assaulted, when Pippa cheated on Wrigley, when Bree released the tape of Lucy or when she got involved romantically with a professor. The list goes on and on.
While watching something unravel on a screen, it’s easy to think you would be making different decisions, but one simple act of self-reflection really puts this show into perspective. Reflecting on your own years in college thus far, your own hardships, the horrible decisions you’ve made and regret and the things you wish you could forget — makes you realize this show is more true to the college experience than it’s taken to be.
Pippa cheating on Wrigley was hard to watch because of their friendship but Pippa was also finally embracing her sexuality and coming to terms with the fact that she wasn’t straight. No, of course she didn’t go about this perfectly, but so many LGBTQ+ people can understand the internal conflict she was facing as well. There is no handbook to life and no one knows how to do the right thing at all times. Pippa’s storyline is just one example of that.
Lucy is also a very polarizing character because while some women can’t possibly see where she’s coming from, others defend her decisions because they know what it means to be mentally abused to the point of having their sense of judgment completely diminished. While Lucy is simply a complex female character, there are women who have been in abusive relationships who have survived similar or worse treatment in reality. Real coping mechanisms and mental health conditions, like trauma bonding and PTSD, aren’t always considered when watching the show, but they are components of these types of relationships. While not everyone can understand Lucy and while some people may say her character is chasing drama, it’s true that she represents a life that many women live.
On the podcast “Therapuss with Jake Shane,” Hailey Bieber said, “everyone knows a Stephen in their lives,” and that was really something that struck me. We see this storyline through a very dark lens and whether people want to admit it or not, it’s a very raw representation of life, one that many of the viewers relate to in some capacity. Even though the characters relentlessly lie.
Sometimes they lie to protect each other, like when Lucy lied about being sexually assaulted as a way of seeking justice for Pippa. Sometimes they lie in order to survive, like when Diana lied about her LSAT score to escape her relationship with Stephen. Very often, they lie to fit in and to hurt one another which isn’t socially acceptable, but it’s human nature. The truth in this series is definitely ugly, harsh and difficult to accept, but still all too real.
