‘Tell Me Lies’ Season 2 Boss Teases ‘Incredibly Destructive’ Fallout From Lucy & Evan’s Secret Hookup

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The secrets keep piling up on Tell Me Lies. The long-awaited second season premieres on September 4, with the crew returning for another semester at Baird. Lucy (Grace Van Patten) is trying to shake off her heartbreak and humiliation over Stephen (Jackson White) getting back together with Diana (Alicia Crowder). Stephen and Diana’s recoupling at the end-of-the-year party led to a drunken hookup between Lucy and Evan (Branden Cook), Bree’s (Catherine Missal) boyfriend and Lucy’s best friend.

Will Lucy be able to keep it a secret? As we see in the trailer, Evan admits to cheating but doesn’t say with whom. TV Insider spoke with Tell Me Lies showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer about the aftermath of Lucy and Evan’s colossal mistake.

“Well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but whether or not Bree finds out the truth, there is a massive impact and fallout from what he did with Lucy, and it sets her on a path that is incredibly destructive and emotional and unexpected for Bree,” Oppenheimer said. “It certainly is the catalyst for most of what happens to her this season, even though she’s not in control of it.”

On top of juggling this secret, Lucy also has to deal with more of Stephen’s manipulative and gaslighting ways. Even though they’re not together, Stephen is still set on making Lucy miserable.

“I think that in the beginning of the season, I think he’s planning to let it go, and then when he sees that she doesn’t care, or at least she’s pretending not to, it’s just his ego can’t handle that,” Oppenheimer revealed. “He doesn’t need to be with someone, but he needs to be on their mind. It’s just the classic I want what I can’t have. I think he’s also just someone who, obviously, holds a grudge. He can’t let it go.”

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The showrunner noted that Stephen also wants to “control” Lucy. “It’s like, I want to keep her close so that I know what is going on because she knows so many of his secrets, so that’s another thing,” she said. “He feels vulnerable to her in that way.” His biggest secret? He was in the car with Macy and left her to die.

As Lucy dodges Stephen, she will attempt to move on with a new guy named Leo, played by Thomas Doherty. This new relationship will be in stark contrast to what Lucy had with Stephen. “I wanted to see Lucy be playful,” Oppenheimer teased. “You kind of forget that she’s only 19 in Season 1 because they’re doing such dark, adult things.”

She continued, “I wanted to see her be a kid and laugh and be silly, and also because Grace is so funny and so playful. We didn’t really give her much opportunity to do that in Season 1. I wanted to see her laugh, and I wanted to see her trying to have a normal relationship. But ultimately, it’s easier said than done.”

Tell Me Lies, Season 2, Episodes 1 and 2, September 4, Hulu