‘Tell Me Lies’ Season 3: Timeline of Lucy and Stephen’s Twisted Romance! Plus, How Their Real-Life Relationship Compares
To celebrate Season 3’s premiere, revisit Lucy and Stephen’s most toxic moments
It’s hard to find a more toxic—and calculated—on-screen romance than Lucy Albright (Grace VanPatten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White). The on-again, off-again couple is at the center of Hulu’s wildly addictive Tell Me Lies. The TV series, based on Carola Lovering’s novel of the same name, follows a group of college students through a twisted storm of breakups, betrayals and, well, lies.
With Season 3’s premiere this week, now’s the perfect time to revisit every twist and turn in Lucy and Stephen’s messy history. Plus, fans of the show can’t stop talking about VanPatten and White’s real-life relationship—which is, thankfully, the opposite of their onscreen love. Keep scrolling to catch up on all the drama from the first two seasons, find out more about their IRL relationship, when new episodes are airing on Hulu and more!
Disclaimer: The following contains massive spoilers for Season 1 and Season 2!
Meet-cutes and first dates (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)
In Episode 1, Lucy, a freshman at Baird College, and Stephen, a junior, meet at a frat party at the start of the new semester. Their attraction is immediate and after learning her name, Stephen cleverly tells her “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is his favorite song. The resulting sparks are palpable.
In Episode 2, Lucy and Stephen go on their first date and he continues to lay on the charm. He even draws her a rose during dinner—a pivotal piece of evidence that reveals one of his many lies in future episodes. In a recent interview with RadioTimes, White explained how Stephen’s family trauma plays a large part in his behavior.
In the show, Stephen’s erratic narcissistic mom—played by White’s real-life mother Katey Segal (Married With Children, Sons of Anarchy)—suffers from untreated bipolar disorder. When asked if Stephen’s family life impacts his character’s actions, White said: “It always does. He’s a very complicated, historical person. He has a lot that he comes from. He’s obsessive, compulsive and secretive. That’s always going to come into play with the people around him.”
A dramatic turning point and real feelings (Season 1, Episode 6, Episode 9, Episode 10)
One of the most intense episodes in Season 1 is the greenhouse moment in Episode 6 when Stephen begins to tell Lucy about what really happened to Macy—but, of course, his version of the truth is altered. This emotional confession brings the two characters closer together and Stephen says “I love you” in Episode 9.
But this declaration of love is turned on its head in Episode 10, the Season 1 finale, after a conversation Stephen has with his ex, Diana, at a party, where she pleads with him to break things off with Lucy. She even offers him a job at her father’s law firm and convinces him his life with Lucy is simply not good enough for him. The drama reaches a fever pitch during the final scene: Stephen and Diana walk hand-in-hand down the steps with The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” playing in the background, as a shocked Lucy watches in horror. They’re back together, she’s left with no explanation and the toxicity is about to get so much worse.
Lucy and Stephen moments in Season 2: Putting the toxic in intoxicating
When reflecting on Stephen’s role, White told Radio Times he tries to feel empathy for his character—although it’s hard. “I try and have empathy for him, it’s rather difficult. But my job is just to try and be as human as possible. I think that’s why this show is so fun for us. It’s absurd, dramatic circumstances and we just try and go in there and bring as much humanity as possible and love them, per se, even though his actions are not condonable. I’m not super down. But that’s the fun, we get to put on the costumes and try and empathize.”
In Season 2, Episode 1, Stephen and Diana are still together, but that doesn’t mean Stephen is done mentally torturing Lucy—not by a long shot. After being pushed to the brink, Lucy shows up at Stephen’s dorm and threatens to reveal his involvement in Macy’s death. She then throws his iPhone, which smashes into a million pieces. But in Season 2, Episode 3, Lucy and Stephen have perhaps their steamiest face-to-face conversation in a dorm room. Stephen says “I don’t think you hate me at all” to which Lucy replies, “I promise you that I do.” He attempts to seduce Lucy and as soon as he senses success, he walks away and leaves her shocked.
In Season 2, Episode 4, Lucy moves on with Leo, who tells her he’s not interested in drama or games—a harsh realization for Lucy. She tends to enjoy the drama and rush of her manipulative games with Stephen more than she even realizes. In Episode 5, against Stephen’s wishes, Lucy speaks to his sister, Sadie, at a party. His retaliation? A scathing voicemail threatening her. But Lucy raises the bar here: She sends the voicemail right to Sadie, revealing the chilling true nature of Stephen’s personality to his little sister.
Then, emotions explode in Episode 8. Lucy struggles to bury her guilt surrounding Drew and the letter she wrote to the school in Season 1—and now blames herself partly for Drew’s death. In a twisted display of devotion, Stephen jumps in to take the blame and tells Drew’s brother Wrigley he’s the one who wrote the letter. Lucy is stunned—and clearly moved—by his decision to take the fall.
Season 2 finale: Weddings and insane betrayals
In their post-grad lives (the show jumps from their time in college to this 2015 timeline throughout the series), their mutual college friends Bree and Evan are getting married. Lucy and Evan hooked up once back in college—and when Evan eventually tells Stephen about this, he acts supportive while secretly recording the confession.
During the wedding weekend, Lucy and Stephen keep circling each other, even though they’re both with other romantic partners at this point. (Stephen is dating Lucy’s ex-best friend Lydia and Lucy is with Max.) A new level of diabolical is reached when Lucy lures Stephen to the hotel pool, only for him to find Lucy and Max together in the hot tub—and he sits and watches with disgusted fascination. Then, it finally happens: Lucy and Stephen end up sleeping together before the wedding. But just before Bree walks down the aisle, she receives the recording of Evan’s shocking confession while her “best friend,” Lucy, smiles unknowingly next to her.
Van Patten on her IRL relationship with White
Van Patten and White met on a Zoom call around 2021 and later went public with their relationship. It’s often a major point of conversation for fans because their on-screen relationship is beyond tumultuous. What’s it like in real life? Thankfully, Van Patten confirms they’re “very grounded” and not at all like their characters.
In a recent interview with People, Van Patten spoke adoringly of White. “Our relationship feels very grounded and easy, and we really understand each other,” she says. “And he’s such a dedicated, ambitious human that I learn from every day—and he’s extremely supportive.”
And while we definitely appreciate their binge-worthy drama on-screen, we’re thrilled to hear their IRL relationship is the opposite.
‘Tell Me Lies’ Season 3: Plot and episode schedule
The Season 3 official logline reads, “The disastrous repercussions from the previous year also force Lucy and Stephen’s friends to face their own destructive behaviors. As scandalous secrets fester around campus, vicious consequences threaten Lucy and everyone in her circle.”
The first 3 episodes of Tell Me Lies Season 3 are available to watch now on Hulu. See below for the official episode release schedule:
Episodes 1 through 3: January 13
Episode 4: January 20
Episode 5: January 27
Episode 6: February 3
Episode 7: February 10
Episode 8: February 17
Dive into the addicting drama and watch Tell Me Lies on Hulu now.
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