Tell Me Lies season 3 ending explained: Stephen DeMarco continues to be the worst person ever

*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for the final episode of Tell Me Lies season 3.*

The season 3 finale of Tell Me Lies was as intense as we expected! Grace Van Patten and Jackson White previously told us the episode would offer a satisfying conclusion, and it definitely delivered, bringing closure to many storylines.

White said he knew instantly it was the right way to end the season, stating, “It’s the correct ending, and that’s what I realized as soon as I read it.”

Honestly, all season everyone was guessing about how things would end, but the finale really threw me for a loop. A huge scandal broke out at Baird, and it turned out Lucy (played by Van Patten) was right in the middle of it – with some seriously heartbreaking results. It was a total shocker!

Like many episodes of Tell Me Lies, this one is incredibly frustrating, especially because of Stephen DeMarco—who continues to be a truly awful character. But this time, it became clear he wasn’t the only one behaving badly.

Now that the final episode of Tell Me Lies has aired and the show won’t be back for another season, fans are likely still trying to make sense of everything. Luckily, we’ve put together a complete recap of the season 3 finale, so keep reading to find out what happened.

Tell Me Lies season 3 ending explained: What happens to Lucy?

The episode begins in 2015 at Bree and Evan’s engagement party, a few months before their wedding. Bree is taking a cigarette break alone in a hotel room when Wrigley unexpectedly walks in, unaware it’s been reserved for him.

Wrigley and Bree finally discuss a misunderstanding from years ago, with Wrigley explaining he only slept with Pippa after they broke up because he felt sorry for her. They admit they still have feelings for each other and begin to become intimate, but are interrupted and stop when they hear voices nearby.

Earlier in the story, after Bree discovers Evan and Lucy slept together at the Hawaiian party, she angrily goes to find Lucy. Lucy is getting ready to go to an event at Yale hosted by Stephen, and leaves her room. Bree arrives to find the room empty. Feeling lost, Bree is surprised to receive a call from her mother, Mary (played by Emily Meade), who reveals she’s on campus and wants to speak with her.

When Bree meets her mother, she’s led to a room where Oliver, Marianne, and Amanda are waiting. They’ve been talking, and Marianne and Oliver have led Bree’s mother to believe she’s misinterpreting a friendly relationship with Oliver as something romantic. They point to Bree’s recent visit and claim Oliver’s texts don’t suggest an affair. It’s a manipulative tactic, designed to make Bree look like the one overstepping boundaries.

The group managed to get a visibly upset Amanda to claim Bree was stalking her and that she never had an affair with Oliver. It’s obvious a lot of untruths are being spoken – and they aren’t coming from Bree – which explains why she gets so upset and leaves, feeling betrayed that her mother didn’t support her.

People often speculated that Mary’s drinking caused problems in her relationship with Bree, but it was actually this specific incident that finally drove them apart, leading Bree to declare she never wanted to see Mary again.

During the event at Yale, Lucy attempts to talk to a Yale graduate about Stephen’s actions, but Stephen interrupts them. He dismisses Lucy’s concerns and acts as if she’s overreacting, telling her it was a foolish thing to do. It’s clear this is a subtle threat, and the consequences of his words unfold later in the episode.

The following morning, Lucy attempted to talk things through with Pippa, who had been distant lately. Lucy apologized for lying about Chris’s assault, and it seemed like they were starting to reconnect as they shared their feelings. Pippa revealed she had been unfaithful to Wrigley, and Lucy, in turn, confessed to sleeping with Evan. However, Pippa reacted badly, criticizing Lucy for sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend and accusing her of being pathetic and weak.

Pippa eventually confessed to Wrigley that she’d been unfaithful to him for several weeks, and also revealed she’s gay. While this came as a surprise to Wrigley, it was clear they wouldn’t let it ruin their friendship and they planned to stay friends.

During their talk, Pippa questions Wrigley about why he remains friends with someone like Stephen, revealing that Stephen sent compromising photos of Diana to her father and falsely told her she didn’t get into Yale. While Wrigley doesn’t defend Stephen’s actions, Pippa points out that no one actually confronts him or holds him accountable for his terrible behavior.

Later that day, Lucy’s biggest fear came true: the video Stephen made of her confession – admitting she lied about being sexually assaulted – was circulating around campus. Everyone was watching it, and she immediately confronted Stephen, believing he had leaked it. He denied it, claiming he never even made a copy. Given Lucy’s recent memory lapses, the story suggests she might have released the video herself as a form of self-punishment, and Stephen is subtly leading viewers to believe this is the case.

I was really hooked by this scene! Lucy shows up at Alex’s place, but he won’t even let her in – he’s seriously upset about her dishonesty. It’s clear this hits home for him because of his own experiences, and he makes it very clear that lying about this is just unforgivable. Then, the big reveal! It turns out Bree was already hiding at Alex’s, and she’s the one who filled him in on everything happening with Evan and Lucy. What a twist!

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Pippa’s comments about Stephen clearly affected Wrigley, who then suggests to Stephen that someone should check on Lucy now that the tape is out. Stephen insists he had nothing to do with it, but shockingly adds that Lucy is the one who deserves to have her life fall apart. Later that evening, Lucy is clearly upset and hides in her room, overwhelmed by the negative attention she’s receiving online.

The following day, Pippa finally confessed to Bree that Chris had actually assaulted her, and that the story about the tape was a misunderstanding. Bree was stunned by the revelation and struggled to understand why Lucy had been covering it up, even though the situation was complicated.

Bree is worried about Lucy and suggests they ask the resident assistant to open her door because Lucy isn’t responding. When they get in, they find Lucy in bed, but the RA insists Lucy needs to go with her to the dean’s office. There, Lucy is informed that her dishonesty and recent actions have led to her expulsion from Baird. Surprisingly, Lucy doesn’t seem overly upset, still excited about her upcoming study abroad program, unaware that it’s a Baird-sponsored opportunity she’ll now miss out on since she’s no longer a student.

It really hit me when I saw Lucy trying to pretend everything was okay as she left the office – that forced smile just broke my heart. Then she got back to her room and had to tell Bree and the others she’d been expelled. It felt so final, especially with her mum on the way and her being told to pack up her room. It seemed like her time at Baird was over. Despite everything, though, Bree’s reaction was just beautiful – a simple, loving hug and telling Lucy she loved her no matter what. It was a genuinely touching moment amidst all the chaos.

Lucy went to pack her things, and then Evan came to Bree’s room to find out what was going on. Bree directly asked him if he’d slept with Lucy the previous year, and he confessed that he had. Bree decided they could put it behind them, and insisted Lucy had already suffered enough because of the tape. They agreed not to tell anyone – not even Lucy – that Bree now knew about the affair.

When Evan wonders why Bree is forgiving him, she explains it’s simply because he loves her. This echoes a previous conversation with Marianne, who had told Bree about the importance of finding someone who loves you deeply – even more than you love them.

After Lucy gets kicked out of college, Diana checks in on her and even helps her pack. However, it’s Bree who’s there to help Lucy load the car and say goodbye as she leaves, feeling embarrassed. Stephen just watches the whole thing happen.

What happens to Stephen?

Stephen received a call from Yale Law School informing him that his acceptance had been revoked because he violated their rules.

When he asks what he’s accused of doing, she tells him that Baird students have been targeted by serious online harassment, including the sharing of explicit content. This reveals the real impact of his actions towards Diana.

Stephen angrily hangs up the phone, revealing his true self, and demands to know who reported something. We then see Wrigley confidently walking down the hallway. He goes to Pippa and Bree’s room, intending to speak with Bree, but finds Evan there as well. Bree is distant and clearly upset with Wrigley, hinting that she knows about his affair with Pippa. She makes the situation even more uncomfortable by kissing Evan and declaring her love for him.

Who released the tape of Lucy?

Once Evan and Wrigley leave, Bree breaks down in tears, leaning against her door. While she seems upset about what happened with Wrigley, there’s a hidden reason for her distress. She quickly grabs an SD card from her nightstand drawer – the one containing the damaging video of Lucy.

Overcome with rage, she broke it into pieces while still weeping. It quickly became obvious that despite being angry with Lucy, Bree was actually the one who had shared the video.

The scene shifts to 2015, showing Bree and Lucy happily dancing at a wedding. We learn Diana did get into Yale, and Bree playfully asks Lucy if being a bridesmaid was too much trouble.

Stephen and Lydia (Natalee Linez) have a heated argument during the party. Stephen cruelly reveals he slept with Lucy and admits he only dated Lydia to upset her, then breaks up with her. Lydia, furious, throws her engagement ring at him. The outburst is overheard by everyone, and Bree expresses her relief that she isn’t in a similar situation.

What happens to Bree and Wrigley?

As Bree was enjoying a quiet moment, Stephen confronted her with what he knew. He admitted he’d misjudged her and asked how long she’d been aware of the relationship between Lucy and Evan. He went on to say he’d noticed how upset Wrigley seemed, and realized that, like him, Bree had strongly disliked Lucy – leading him to believe she was the one who leaked the tape.

Stephen, unable to help himself, once again creates chaos and ruins everything. He grabs the microphone before the last song and delivers a hurtful speech, confessing his hatred for Evan and revealing a past affair between Evan and Lucy from their college days. He then accuses Bree of knowing about it for years, claiming she was the one who leaked the tape and is currently having an affair with Wrigley. This causes a huge fight, with Bree hilariously throwing wedding cake at Stephen and Evan angrily confronting Wrigley.

Evan ran towards Stephen, but Stephen quickly moved, causing Evan to fall headfirst into the cake – it looked like something out of a funny movie! Diana and Pippa hurried away, and Lucy seemed really upset by what Bree had done.

Stephen is trying to convince Lucy that he’s the only one who truly cares about her, and that she’ll be seen negatively by others regardless. He offers to pick her up in his car, leaving Lucy unsure of what to do. Bree points out that Stephen is only focused on being right, not on Lucy’s well-being, and urges her to avoid making a decision she’ll regret.

Despite the surrounding turmoil and Evan yelling at him, Wrigley shared a simple, loving smile with Bree.

Do Lucy and Stephen end up together at the end of Tell Me Lies?

Facing a big choice and with everyone hoping she’d choose wisely, Lucy surprisingly made a poor decision and got into the car with Stephen.

Stephen tells Lucy he’s been okay without her, which isn’t what she wants to hear, but surprisingly, their dynamic seems to function. Lucy points out Stephen’s need to be right, but he challenges her, questioning why he would have disrupted his life so drastically if all he wanted was to win an argument.

Stephen and Lucy drove in silence until they stopped at a gas station. Lucy offered to go inside for coffee, but when she returned, Stephen had driven away, leaving her stranded. He did leave her handbag near a gas pump, and Lucy could only laugh as she watched the sunrise, alone with her thoughts.

You can now watch season 3 of Tell Me Lies on Disney+ in the UK, where the first two seasons are also available. In the United States, the show streams on Hulu.

Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing, freelancing, and holds a BA in English Literature.

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2026-02-17 18:08