Hulu’s Tell Me Lies is a thrilling love story with twists and turns in every episode. This is the story of Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White). They meet at college and through their daily interactions with friends such as Bree, Wrigley, Pippa, Evan, Drew, and Diana (Catherine Missal, Spencer House, Sonia Mena, Branden Cook, Benjamin Wadsworth, and Alicia Crowder) their decisions, including the little white lies they tell to survive, shape their future.
While I have not been a fan of past teen romance thrillers, I found myself gravitating to the strong performances of Grace Van Patten and Jackson White. Their characters can be easily disliked, but the layers placed on the roles by Van Patten and White allow the audience to route for their success. The actors elevate the characters with their performances.
The series is set out over an eight-year period where we see Lucy and Stephen’s relationship played out through freshmen year to post graduation. The time jump is minimal, so much of the storyline takes place in a linear fashion which is all the better. The audience will wonder what happens in the early future story, which will compel viewing to find out the past.
What makes Tell Me Lies so watchable is the fact that the lies the characters use in every day interactions are not world breaking fibs. Rather, these lies are what everyone says or does in their daily life. Viewers will have an instant connection to the choices being made by the characters, and it will be easy to see how lies lead to more lies, which could lead to more trouble.
The crux of Tell Me Lies transpires in college when young adults are trying to make sense of their youth and decide what do they want to do in life. The immaturity that results and the poor choices at this time in one’s life can have dire consequences. It’s easy to feel sympathy for the characters because the situations they find themselves in are relatable.
As each episode unravels the mystery behind our characters, the audience sees how and why Lucy acts the way that she does. We come to see Stephen as a jerk but there is depth to the character that Jackson White slowly unveils which helps the audience to feel sympathy for Stephen.
The supporting cast is incredible, and while the eyes of the audience will be on Van Patten and White as they play out their onscreen romance, viewers will be caught up with what happens to Bree, ask whether Wrigley and Pippa will make it together, and wonder if Diana is a good person.
Tell Me Lies succeeds on the powerful performances of the lead actors. Grace Van Patten has a difficult role to fulfill. She must make Lucy vulnerable but strong, while not giving away anything about her character too soon. The audience will invest their time in Lucy because Van Patten makes us want to care about her, even though Lucy can be cold and hurtful because there are extenuating circumstances.
Jackson White is the confident macho male, who harbors many insecurities, and a past he doesn’t want to share. White makes the audience hate Stephen for what he says and does, while allowing the audience to like Stephen because we see the reasons for his insecurity. Stephen is a character who treads a very thin line between being hated and loved.
Based on the book by Carola Lovering, Tell Me Lies is the perfect nighttime edgy thriller that will keep the audience guessing until the last moment.