12 Tell Me Lies questions that still need answering after that explosive final ever episode

Ahead of the airing of the show finale yesterday (Tuesday February 17), show creator Meaghan Oppenheimer revealed that it would be the end of the show as a whole as there would be no season four.

So, as fans were settling down to watch the last hour-long episode they were expecting many strands of an extremely tangled web which the characters had created to be unravelled. They also knew to expect something truly shocking as lead actress Grace Van Patten, who plays Lucy Albright, had already said she was “scared for the audience”.

Fans were hoping to see how how the toxic on/off relationship between Lucy and Stephen (Jackson White) would come to an end, as well as the consequences of the various interlinked and dysfunctional connections between their friends Bree (Cat Missal), Pippa (Sonia Mena), Diana (Alicia Crowder), Wrigley (Spencer House) and Evan (Branden Cook). In particular, viewers were expecting a culmination at the wedding of Bree and Evan. . . And the show writers definitely delievered. The final wedding scenes were explosive.

But, it wasn’t exactly like the ending of the Carola Lovering novel which it is based on, and there were 11 major questions that the season three Tell Me Lies finale did not answer.

Did Stephen get away with killing Macy?

We’ll deal with the really big one first. Since season one, viewers have known that Stephen was actually driving the car Macy died in, during college welcome week in 2007 - and after he realised she was dead he moved her into the driver’s seat and ran away. He admitted to Lucy that he was with her, but claimed he was always in the passenger seat. Nobody else even knows he was in the car - well apart from Diana, as Lucy told her. There was a hint in season two that Stephen may be about to be caught out as he had to visit the hospital and the doctor pointed out a rib injury he didn’t know he has, and suggested it may have been caused by a steering wheel - all witnessed by Diana. But in season three the fact Stephen is responsible for Macy’s death seems to have been forgotten about. The fact he is in attendance at Bree and Evan’s wedding in 2015 very much suggests that he has got away with his crime. This man should be in jail!

Did Oliver get away with grooming Bree and Amanda?

On to another big one. A major storyline in season two was Bree’s affair with her professor Oliver, and then her horror at realising his fellow teacher wife Marianne knows all about it. In season three, she realises that Oliver has moved on to an even younger student, freshman Amanda. She tries to put a stop to this and it seems that Marianne may finally be realising how wrong what her husband is doing is. But in the finale Marianne and Bree manipulate Bree’s mum into getting her into a meeting in which it’s clear they’ve convinced her that her daughter has an obsession with Oliver that is completely unreciprocated. They’ve even convinced Amanda to sit there and accuse Bree of stalking her. There was seemingly no consequences for either of them. Oliver should never be allowed to teach again, and he should also be in jail. Marianne should also be punished.

Did Chris get away with assaulting Pippa and Caitie?

And the third biggie. A big storyline throughout season three, which came to a head in the finale, was Lucy lying about being sexually assaulted by Chris, a fellow student and the brother of her former friend Lydia. Lucy’s lie was revealed and she paid a huge price - she was shunned by all of her peers and expelled from Baird College. Now, let’s not forget that Lucy lied in the first place because Chris actually did assault Pippa, who was too afraid to come forward. It is, of course, wrong to lie about being assaulted - even if your intentions, though very misguided to say the least, are good. But, Chris actually did assault Pippa - and also another student called Caitie, who was also made out to be a liar. Chris is another character who should be in jail, but there he seemingly doesn’t get punished for what he’s done.

What will happen to Stephen and Lucy?

After Stephen revealed everyone’s insane secrets - apart from his own of course - at Bree and Evan’s wedding reception, he still manages to convince Lucy to leave with him. He then stops at a petrol station and leaves her there while she goes to buy them coffee. This is not a surprise, but it is frustrating as it doesn’t give a clear answer to what happens between them. Though perhaps that is their ending. Lucy laughs when she realises what he’s done and there’s sunlight behind her, so perhaps that is symbolic of her finally being free from him. On the official Tell Me Lies podcast Oppenheimer said she believed Stephen wouldn’t ever try and contact Lucy again after that and she would be able to move on, do better and make new friends.

What will happen to Lucy, Bree and Pippa?

Speaking of friends, the reason why Lucy went with Stephen was because she found out it was actually Bree who released the tape of her confessing she had lied about Chris assaulting her - although she had always blamed him. Bree’s released the tape, of course, after she found out Lucy had slept was Evan the year before - and she’d just come out of that crazy meeting with Oliver, Marianne, Amanda and her mum, so no wonder she was on an emotional edge. When Stephen figured all this out and told Lucy Bree told her they could still sort things out between them and begged her not to go with Stephen. Although she did, were her and Bree able to resolve things between them? Or did they just stop being friends there and then? And what about Pippa? When Lucy confided in her she had slept with Evan she judged her horribly and said she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore - but then changed her mind as Lucy faced the consequences of her confession tape. But, could she forgive Lucy for leaving with Stephen? And could she forgive Bree for releasing the tape, and also cheating on Evan with Wrigley? Pippa’s feelings for former boyfriend Wrigley may have become platonic while they were still in college as she realised she was actually in love with Diana, but she’s made it known she condemns cheating.

Will Bree and Wrigley get together?

Speaking of Bree and Wrigley, it’s revealed in the finale that they have been secretly seeing each other for months after sleeping together on the night of Bree and Evan’s engagement party. They exchange loving glances after Stephen reveals their affair - even while Evan screams in his (presumably now former) best friend’s face - which seems to confirm they will somehow make it work between them. But, we need confirmation.

What will happen to Stephen, Wrigley and Evan?

On to the other best friend trio in the show, it seems likely that the three of them end their friendship after all the wedding day revelations. Wrigley and Evan were seen to be getting wise to Stephen’s manipulative ways in their college days anyway, while Stephen was habouring secret hatred of Evan for sleeping with Lucy, so their apparent friendship had been fake for years. Surely Evan wouldn’t be able to forgive Wrigley for having an affair with Bree? How could he watch while the two get together as he files for divorce after a marriage which barely lasted a few hours? He just couldn’t. Would Wrigley find out that Stephen was responsible for Macy’s death, but had allowed his brother Drew to believe he was - and then that started a chain of events which ultimately lead to Drew’s death in season two? Wrigley had forgiven Stephen when he took responsability for the letter which implicated Drew in Macy’s death, but he just couldn’t forgive what he was truly responsible for. Also, would Stephen find out it was Wrigley who told Yale about his awful conduct, which led his acceptance being withdrawn? Stephen definitely wouldn’t forgive that. Evan would also find out that Stephen had secretly recorded him confessing to sleeping with Lucy during their college days, keeping hold of the recording to several years and then sending it to Bree on the morning of their wedding, thinking that it would stop the wedding and destroy his life - little knowing that Bree had already found out for herself during college so his plan didn’t work. So, this trio of fake friends will surely cut ties?

Why did Bree and Evan wait six years to get married?

The couple got engaged back in the 2009 storyline, but their wedding day isn’t until 2015. Why would they wait six years for their wedding? It can’t be financial reasons as it’s continually referenced throughout all three seasons of the show that Evan comes from a very rich family. Such a long engagement was likely actually decided upon by the writers for dramatic impact and to allow other storylines a realistic amount of time to develop, but the idea that they had decided to wait several years to actually tie the knot is quite unbelievable. Although perhaps Bree just kept finding ways to stall given that she didn’t really want to be with Evan and was secretly in love with Wrigley!

How did Pippa and Diana get together?

The pair shocked everyone in 2015 by revealing they are an item, but viewers learn they actually began a romance back in college in 2009. But, they split when they had a disagreement about where Diana was going to college, and she became overwhelmed by the intensity of their relationship (which was understanable given she was previously with Stephen, who was super intense and also very toxic). Fans were thrilled to see Pippa and Diana together and thriving at Bree and Evan’s wedding, but they never actually explained how they came to reconnect and rekindle their love.

How did Lucy get back together with Max?

Talking of rekindled relationships, Lucy is back together with Max ahead of Bree and Evan’s wedding in 2015. But, he then finishes with her when he realises Stephen still has a hold over her and she’s manipulated him into having sex in a hot tub, so that she can trick Stephen into watching and taunt him. Lucy first met bar worker Max in 2007 in season one and she dated him for a while as she tried to figure out what was happening with Stephen. The pair didn’t last long and he told Lucy she was immature. He’s appeared a few times in season three, lastly when Lucy was drunk and flirting with him in front of Alex, who she was sleeping with at the time. But, it was never explained how he and Lucy actually came to get back together several years later. Presumably they’d been together for a while for him to be invited to the wedding too.

Why wasn’t Alex at Bree’s wedding, and what actually happened in Bree and their childhood?

In season three, Alex is introduced as an old friend of Bree’s who she knew from her days in a care home. They each speak to others about how they met in a bad care home, and this seems to impact their respective behaviours, especially in their romantic relationships, but it’s never fully explained what happened to them. In the finale, Bree is seen seeking advice and comfort from Alex immediately after finding out Lucy and Evan slept together so they must be close, but if that’s the case then why wasn’t he at her wedding? Was he just not invited?

How did Lydia and Stephen start dating and then get engaged?

One of the biggest shocks at the end of season one was the revelation that Stephen, in 2015, is engaged to Lydia - who is being portrayed in the college days as Lucy’s childhood best friend, who in that moment is hating on Stephen for breaking her best friend’s heart. While it was revealed in season two that Lydia fell out with Lucy when she learned she was accusing her brother of assault, what is never revealed is how she then gets together with Stephen. The pair see each other briefly while Lydia is still friends with Lucy and visiting her at college, prior to her finding out about her accusations against her brother, and he manages to get under her skin and make her question how genuine her friendship with Lucy is . . . We also know that Lucy and Lydia come from the town next to the one Stephen grew up in, and presumably Stephen had no choice but to return home after his offer to Yale was revoked - but again we don’t know that for sure. Given how manipulative Stephen is, it is highly likely that he purposefully sought out Lydia and pursued a relationship with her purely because he knew it would hurt Lucy. That was sort of confirmed when Lydia and Stephen got into an argument at Bree and Evan’s wedding and ended their engagement and he made a statement about them only getting together to annoy Lucy. But, this still begs the question of how long they’d actually been together to actually get engaged in the first place. How could Stephen act well enough in a relationship for long enough to convince anybody to agree to marry him!?

* Tell Me Lies seasons one to three are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+. Seasons one and two are also available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer.