[PREVIEW] 'Tell Me Lies' Is A Hookup-Culture Horror Story

Happy Halloween, beloveds! Gather round the campfire, because we sure have a spooky story for you: a tale of a sweet, naive college freshman who stumbles into an entanglement with the wrong man. A man with a dark past and a penchant for seduction. A man so addicted to fucking around, he’s driving his life straight into a ditch.In short, we both ripped through Hulu’s sordid series “Tell Me Lies,” based on the 2018 novel by Carola Lovering, which wrapped up this week with a shocking finale that already has us clamoring for a second season. As a TV show, it’s far from perfect; as a period piece set in 2007 (our own college days!) it sadly leaves much to be desired. As a creepy, steamy binge, it fits the bill, as long as you don’t worry too much about the details. The series follows Lucy (Grace Van Patten), a freshman at an upstate NY liberal arts college in 2007, who falls hard and fast for Stephen (Jackson White), a junior with “bad boy” oozing from his pores. Stephen pursues Lucy diligently, but he also withholds commitment and seems to be hiding things from her, which only makes her work harder to keep him interested. Meanwhile, her roommate Macy dies in a tragic car accident before classes even begin, and it soon emerges that some people on campus know more about the circumstances of her death than it initially seemed. Is Stephen a wounded but worthy soul, or a fuckboy beyond redemption? Will their relationship bring out Lucy’s best, or drag her down to the depths? On this episode, we discuss the aesthetic of 2007 (side parts and flat-irons, dark eyeliner and tunics) and what appears to be the show’s choice not to embrace it. We also unpack the show’s exploration of emotional abuse both in families and between romantic partners, and its lurid depiction of the evils of hook-up culture. We hope you enjoy, and remember: stay safe out there. Fuckboys are everywhere.P.S. Remember to vote!! Look up your early voting polling place and get out there. Even scarier than an FBoy is a racist, xenophobic, misogynist nutjob running your state and local government.Share Rich Text