Our favorite male manipulator is back

“New year, new us?”

Absolutely NOT.

If you haven’t already heard, Hulu’s “Tell Me Lies” has returned for Season 3, and fans are already buzzing with their thoughts and theories on what may happen to the students of Baird College. 

This dramatic (and for sure catastrophic) show released the first three episodes of the new season on Jan. 13, and is continuing to release weekly episodes until the finale on Feb. 17.

Not only does the release bring back favorites like Bree, Pippa, Wrigley, Evan, Diana and Lucy (we can’t help but adore her), it also means the return of the man we all love to hate: 

Stephen DeMarco.

BLE: Big Liar Energy

Oh Stephen, where do we even begin? From the moment you entered the screen, and thus into our lives, you’ve done nothing more than piss us off. We’ve lost count of the amount of times we’ve screamed “No!” at our TVs as Lucy gives you yet another chance. You’re a pathological liar, a terrible friend and an even worse boyfriend. 

Throughout the show, whenever Stephen doesn’t get his way, he makes sure to try and drag someone down with him. From making Diana feel terrible when she tells him she didn’t do well on the LSAT to getting Evan down about not having his life together, he brings down the mood in every room he enters. Add a sprinkle of insincerity and a dash of crazy eyes and you’ve got yourself the Stephen DeMarco Gaslighter Narcissist Special.

The Beginning

If you’re caught up on the show, you already know that Stephen was the one who killed Macy, Lucy’s freshman year roommate, by crashing the car while drunk-driving her home from a party. This is arguably one of the biggest lies he pulls off — in order to escape from getting in trouble for her accidental death, he switches places with her and leaves to make it look like Macy was the one driving. Pure evil at its finest.

The only person who knows this is Lucy, who keeps this information to herself to protect him and their toxic relationship. She eventually tells Diana, who we believe is starting to catch on after finding out Stephen had bruised ribs and a secret relationship with Macy. 

The Breakup(s)

Perhaps one of the most shocking moments that happened last season was when Evan cheated on Bree with Lucy. This happens right after Stephen leaves a themed party hand-in-hand with Diana, marking the end of his and Lucy’s relationship (and not to mention, leaving her all alone in a coconut bra). Lucy is heartbroken and ends up finding unexpected comfort with Evan. To make the situation even more complicated, Evan is close with Stephen, and Bree is one of Lucy’s best friends.

Fast forward to Season 3 and Lucy and Stephen are “happily” back together (surprise surprise) until Evan tells Stephen about his affair with Lucy. Enraged, Stephen tries manipulating Lucy into telling him about it while she’s on drugs, and when she doesn’t, it only makes things worse. He confronts her, and eventually makes her choose between him and Bree, who still doesn’t know that it was Lucy who Evan cheated with. When she picks Bree, their short-lived attempt at their relationship ends once again. 

The Tape

If Stephen has information he can hold against someone, you best bet he’s going to use it. Stephen makes it clear he wants to hurt Lucy after the breakup, so he starts calling Bree, threatening to tell her about Lucy and Evan. In a desperate attempt to save their friendship from imploding, Lucy tells Stephen that she lied about getting sexually assaulted by Lydia’s brother last semester. Oh Lucy, now why would you do that?

In order to get Stephen to lay off Bree, Lucy agrees to admit on tape that she lied about the assault. He doesn’t know she did it to protect Pippa, but a lie this big would get Lucy into significant trouble. Now Stephen has a copy of the tape, and Lucy doesn’t know if or when he will send it out to everyone. A true master of manipulation.

The Downfall of Stephen DeMarco

There’s no doubt that Stephen is the worst and he needs to go, at least to jail. However, with a few episodes still to come, theories are up in the air. Will the group finally take down Stephen at Bree and Evan’s wedding? Will Lucy cast him out for good? 

The ending is uncertain, so for now all we can do is pray for the downfall of our favorite male manipulator, Stephen DeMarco.  

What are your “Tell Me Lies” theories? Let us know on X, @VALLEYmag! 

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