Tell Me Lies is an original Hulu series based on Carola Lovering's best-seller, adapted by Meaghan Oppenheimer. It's the story of Lucy Albright (played by Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (played by Jackson White), a toxic couple whose relationship unfolds over eight years. The first season has 10 episodes, filled with lies, love, college drama, and a surprising time jump.
The first season of Tell Me Lies occurs during Lucy's freshman year at Baird College in New York, where Stephen is a junior. By the end of the season, Lucy is dealing with the consequences of sending an anonymous letter to the college administration, asking them to investigate her roommate Macy's car accident death.
Lucy covers for Stephen, who was in the car when Macy died, and Stephen keeps the truth to himself. As a result, their group starts to fall apart under the weight of all the lies they've been telling.
How does season 1 of Tell Me Lies end?
Stephen dumps Lucy for Diana at a Hawaiian party, who promises him a better career. Lucy is heartbroken after the split with Stephen and finds comfort in Evan, and they end up sleeping together.
However, the story takes a 180-degree turn as the show jumps forward to 2015 when Stephen is engaged to Lucy's best friend Lydia. The season ends with Bree and Evan's wedding and we see Wrigley getting drunk and making a mess. Lucy is told to go easy on him because it's his brother's birthday. Lucy then runs into Stephen, and they exchange awkward hellos. He mentions his fiancée Lydia is excited to see her again. The finale ends with Lucy and Lydia reuniting.
What is the plot of Tell Me Lies Season 1?
Tell Me Lies Season 1 explores complicated family lives and friendships. The story starts with a tragedy: Lucy's roommate Macy dies during Welcome Week of freshman year. Lucy and her friends Pippa, Bree, Stephen, Wrigley, Evan, and Drew come together to support each other.
As time passes, the group faces challenges due to lies, secrets, conflicts, and Stephen's manipulative behavior. At the end of the first season, the characters are about to start summer break, and the story jumps forward in time, reuniting them for a significant event.
Who is responsible for Macy’s death?
The truth about Macy's death is revealed in the first half of the last episode of Tell Me Lies titled “The Bedrooms of Our Friends”. Stephen and Macy had a secret summer fling, but they kept it hidden from everyone, especially Stephen's ex-girlfriend Diana.
Macy goes to a party alone and calls Stephen to join her. After getting high, Stephen drives Macy's car back to the dorm. They get into an argument, and Stephen takes his eyes off the road. Just then, Drew nearly crashes into them, and Stephen ends up crashing Macy's car into a tree.
The accident proves fatal for Macy and she dies on the spot but Stephen emerges unscathed. However, he soon reveals his true nature by placing Macy's body in the driver's seat to avoid suspicion. He also deletes his contact information from her phone to sever any links between them. Stephen then walks away, leaving Macy to be discovered by the authorities.
As the investigation unfolds, no one suspects Stephen was behind the wheel when Macy died. Instead, he lets Drew take the fall, rather than owning up to his responsibility. It's a move that confirms Macy's earlier opinion of Stephen when she said that he was capable of acting selfishly and making poor choices.
What consequences does Lucy’s letter to the Dean in Tell Me Lies have on her friends?
Based on what Stephen told her in Tell Me Lies Season 1, Lucy thinks Drew is to blame for Macy's death. She sends a secret letter to the Dean to keep Stephen safe. Lucy started out with her heart in the right place but she had been manipulated and misled for so long that she ended up losing her way. She's dependent on Stephen and will do whatever it takes to hold on to him.
Stephen tells Drew that his older brother Wrigley spilled the beans about the accident to his girlfriend. Stephen figures out Lucy is behind the letter, but stays quiet as Wrigley's girlfriend takes the blame. This leads to a fight between Wrigley and Drew, and the former ends up falling off a balcony. Wrigley hurts his knee and can't play football in his final year.
Wrigley thinks Pippa wrote the letter and doesn't believe it was Stephen. This leads to a breakup between Wrigley and Pippa. The football team gets mad at Pippa because they think she's responsible for Wrigley’s injury.
Lucy tells another freshman that she and Stephen were together the night Macy died, in an attempt to save Stephen. But Diana finds out and tells Stephen, who gets upset because the lie is easy to disprove. In the end, the Dean doesn't suspect Drew of doing anything wrong, so Lucy's letter just hurts Wrigley's future and ruins Pippa's reputation.
You can now watch Season 1 of Tell Me Lies on Hulu.
