The final episode of Tell Me Lies arrived on February 17, 2026, and it brought the toxic love story of Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco to a permanent end. The Hulu drama’s Season 3 finale, titled “Are You Happy Now, That I’m on My Knees?”, served as both the season ending and the complete series conclusion. Creator Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed just hours before the episode dropped that this was always planned as the final chapter, leaving fans shocked and emotional.
The episode delivered exactly what the series promised: chaos, betrayal, and a devastating look at two people who keep making the same mistakes. From the wedding disaster to Stephen’s final cruel act, here is everything that happened in the Tell Me Lies series finale.
The Wedding Day Flash-Forward Sets the Stage
The finale opens in 2015 at Bree and Evan’s wedding. This timeline has been teased throughout the series, showing glimpses of where these characters end up years after college. Wrigley approaches Bree when she is alone and asks why she never gave him a second chance. Bree reminds him that he cheated on her, but the conversation takes an unexpected turn. The two former lovers end up having sex, though they are quickly interrupted before things go further .
This moment confirms that even years later, these characters cannot escape their complicated histories with each other. The wedding setting becomes the perfect backdrop for all the buried secrets to finally surface.
The 2009 Flashback: Everything Falls Apart at Baird College
The episode shifts back to 2009, showing the spring semester at Baird College where the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Lucy arrives at Stephen’s Yale acceptance party with one goal: to warn the admissions representative about who Stephen really is. She tries to expose his abusive behavior, hoping to stop him from getting everything he wants .
But Stephen catches Lucy talking to the representative. She runs away, and that is when her life completely unravels. The confession video Lucy recorded earlier—where she admitted to lying about Chris Montgomery to protect Bree—gets leaked across campus . Everyone believes Stephen leaked the tape as revenge. The fallout is immediate and brutal.
Lucy confronts Stephen, accusing him of destroying her life. Stephen denies leaking the tape and manipulates Lucy into questioning whether she might have done it herself. The psychological game he plays shows his control over her remains absolute. Days later, Lucy gets expelled from college. Her academic future, her reputation, and her friendships all collapse at once .
The Truth About Who Leaked Lucy’s Tape
One of the biggest questions leading into the finale was who actually released Lucy’s confession video. The answer comes during the wedding chaos in 2015. Stephen takes the stage at the reception and exposes everyone’s secrets in front of all the guests. He reveals that Bree was the one who leaked Lucy’s tape years ago .
Bree’s motive was revenge. She had just learned that Lucy slept with Evan, her boyfriend, back in college. The betrayal cut deep, and Bree wanted Lucy to suffer. Releasing that tape destroyed Lucy’s life, led to her expulsion, and ended her college career. In the 2009 timeline, Bree is shown destroying the SD card after the damage is done, confirming her responsibility .
This revelation at the wedding changes everything. Lucy realizes her closest friend destroyed her life out of revenge. Bree’s secret, hidden for years, finally comes to light in the worst possible setting.
Stephen Loses Everything at Yale
Stephen’s actions finally catch up with him in the 2009 timeline. His Yale acceptance gets revoked after evidence surfaces showing he harassed students and shared private images of others. The person responsible for reporting him is Wrigley, who secretly provided the information that cost Stephen his future .
Stephen immediately blames Lucy, assuming she exposed him as payback for the leaked tape. But Lucy had nothing to do with it. For once, Stephen faces consequences for his behavior that he cannot control or manipulate his way out of.
Lucy’s Devastating Final Choice
Despite losing everything—her college education, her friendships, her future—Lucy still cannot let go of Stephen. After Stephen exposes all the secrets at the wedding in 2015, he asks Lucy to run away with him. The request comes right after he broke up with Lydia, his fiancée, on their wedding day by admitting he had sex with Lucy that morning .
Lucy hesitates. She knows what Stephen is. She knows what he has done to her. But Stephen’s manipulation works one last time. He convinces her to leave with him, and they drive away from the wedding together, leaving chaos and destruction behind.
They stop at a gas station. Lucy goes inside to get coffee. When she comes back, Stephen is gone. He abandoned her at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, just like he always does . The final shot shows Lucy standing in the parking lot, laughing. Not a happy laugh, but the kind of laugh that comes when you finally realize the truth about someone and, worse, about yourself for trusting them again.
Other Characters Find Closure
While Lucy and Stephen remain trapped in their toxic cycle, other characters get slightly better endings. Wrigley and Bree reconnect in the 2015 timeline. After years apart, they admit their feelings for each other. The finale suggests they might have a real chance at something healthy .
Pippa confronts her own truth earlier in the episode. After learning Lucy slept with Evan, Pippa cuts ties with Lucy and goes to Wrigley’s room. She confesses that she is gay and that sleeping with Wrigley was a mistake born from not being honest with herself . This moment of self-acceptance gives Pippa a clearer path forward.
Oliver, the professor who manipulated Bree, faces no consequences. He moves on to another young student, proving that some people never face accountability for their actions .
The Series Ends Exactly as It Should
Creator Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed this ending was always the plan. She posted on Instagram before the finale aired, telling fans, “This was always the ending my writing team and I had in mind, and we are insanely proud of it” . She explained that the story had reached its natural conclusion and extending it would have changed what the show was about.
The finale proves her right. Lucy and Stephen never change. Lucy leaves with Stephen despite everything he did to her. Stephen abandons her again. The cycle continues even after years of pain, betrayal, and loss. That is the point of Tell Me Lies. Some people cannot escape each other, and some patterns repeat forever.
Fan Reactions to the Shocking Finale
Fans took to social media immediately after the episode aired, and the reactions were intense. Many viewers expressed shock that the show ended without warning. One fan wrote, “You tell me the week of the episode, nay, THE NIGHT, that it’s the series finale?!?!” . Another posted, “I feel like I just got shot” .
Some viewers pushed back against the ending, with comments like “Could’ve added two more seasons” appearing across social platforms . Others accepted the creative decision, with one fan noting, “All good things must come to an end, but why god why must it be this show?” .
Grace Van Patten, who plays Lucy, told The Hollywood Reporter before the finale that she “loved the ending” and called it “an amazing ending, if it was the end” . She left the door open for Oppenheimer to continue the story if inspiration struck, but the creator has confirmed she is moving on to new projects.
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Where to Watch Tell Me Lies
All three seasons of Tell Me Lies are available to stream on Hulu in the United States. International viewers can watch the series on Disney+ through the Hulu content hub. The complete series is now available in full for new viewers who want to experience the toxic journey from beginning to end .
The finale ends with Stephen driving away alone and Lucy standing at a gas station, laughing at the absurdity of it all. It is a perfect ending for a show about two people who could never get it right. Tell Me Lies is over, but its characters will stick with viewers for a long time.
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