Stephen & Lucy’s Final Scene In Tell Me Lies Series Finale Broken Down By Show Boss & Stars

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Okay, so I just finished the season 3 finale of Tell Me Lies, and wow, it was a lot! Honestly, with this show, you expect a certain level of messiness – everyone’s made some pretty bad choices, let’s be real. But the final decision Stephen and Lucy had to make? It was genuinely shocking and left me completely stunned. It definitely wasn’t a neat and tidy ending!

The Hulu series created a lot of drama and negativity, as the troubled characters Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) and Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) caused chaos for those around them over an eight-year period.

In the closing scenes of Tell Me Lies, Lucy decides to leave Bree’s wedding with Stephen, only for him to hurt her one last time by abandoning her at a gas station. Meaghan Oppenheimer, the show’s creator, explained to Ash Crossan from ScreenRant, along with actors Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, the reasoning behind Stephen’s actions and why Lucy needed to finally move on from their relationship.

Meaghan Oppenheimer described how she sometimes visualizes a scene’s feeling before she knows the specific details. She told the writers she wanted a moment where her character gives someone another chance, but with a sense of betrayal – almost like being abandoned. The writers suggested he could actually leave her stranded, and she realized that was a perfect way to show it.

I was really struck by the idea of things being unavoidable. It reminded me of the story of the scorpion and the frog – you might know it. Essentially, the frog asks the scorpion for a ride across a river, but worries the scorpion will sting him, killing them both. The scorpion argues that wouldn’t make sense, because then it would drown too.

The story goes that a scorpion offers a frog a ride across a river, but then stings him, dooming them both. When the frog asks why, the scorpion simply says, “Because I’m a scorpion.” This illustrates Steven’s behavior. Why would he sabotage his own chance at happiness, even leaving the one person willing to speak to him stranded? His need to win and get revenge outweighs any desire for a fulfilling life, and that’s why he’s destined to remain unhappy.

The idea of the scorpion and the frog has appeared repeatedly in the show, especially in season 3, episode 7. During Bree’s art gallery event, Lucy and Stephen both notice a painting of a scorpion and a frog, hinting at the difficult events that would soon unfold between them.

Stephen leaving Lucy was likely the best thing he could have done for her, as their relationship brought out the worst in both of them. While Lucy feels a sense of relief, she also feels foolish for letting him behave this way. The author, Oppenheimer, has come to Lucy’s defense, arguing against criticism of her actions while simultaneously acknowledging Stephen’s far more damaging behavior.

I wasn’t necessarily relieved, but I realized how foolish I’d been to repeat this pattern. I think he really needed to end things with her completely so she could finally break free and find happiness.

Van Patten and White discussed what the characters might have been thinking, noting that both were known for being strategic and manipulative. However, the central question remained: had Stephen orchestrated everything from the beginning?

It’s interesting, I don’t believe he intentionally planned any of this. He’s usually very strategic, but it seems like he just seized the chance to win one last time – or at least, that’s my impression. I’m not entirely sure, though.

Grace Van Patten described a turning point for her character, Lucy, where initial shock gave way to a strange sense of relief. Lucy finally realized someone was going to consistently hurt her, and there was something freeing about fully accepting that painful truth.

Since its debut in 2022, Tell Me Lies has been both a hit and a source of frustration for viewers. Now that the series has concluded with its finale and been confirmed to end after three seasons, the explosive fallout was compelling and chaotic, keeping audiences hooked right to the very end.

Tell Me Lies is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.

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2026-02-17 19:39