“It’s the ending that I have imagined for a long time,” showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer says.

*Tell Me Lies boss *explains why Stephen and Lucy’s ending was ‘inevitable’

"It's the ending that I have imagined for a long time," showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer says.

By Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill

Samantha Highfill is an executive editor at **, where she's worked for more than 12 years covering television.

EW's editorial guidelines

February 17, 2026 11:00 a.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Grace Van Patten as Lucy and Jackson White as Stephen in the series finale of 'Tell Me Lies'. Credit:

Disney/Ian Watson

**This article contains spoilers for the series finale of *Tell Me Lies*, season 3, episode 8, "Are You Happy Now, That I'm on My Knees?"**

All she could do was laugh.

In the final moments of *Tell Me Lies*, viewers watched as Lucy (Grace Van Patten) once again chose to follow Stephen (Jackson White), even after he revealed everyone's secrets and essentially ruined Bree's (Catherine Missal) wedding to Evan (Branden Cook). (Though, to be fair, her being in love with someone else might've ruined that already.)

But after years of a will-they-won't-they toxic relationship, Lucy followed a newly single Stephen out of the wedding, only to find herself standing alone at a gas station moments later. When he pulled over to get gas, she ran inside to grab them coffees, and when she came out, he was gone. Turns out, it really was all about winning for him.

Grace Van Patten as Lucy on 'Tell Me Lies'.

Disney/Ian Watson

"It's the ending that I have imagined for a long time," showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer — who revealed the series was ending hours before the final episode dropped — tells **.

Specifically, Oppenheimer says she's been sitting with the visual of Stephen leaving Lucy somewhere for a couple of years.

"I said to the writers' room, 'She gives him that one last chance and it's as if he just leaves her by the side of the road.' And the writers were like, 'He could literally just leave her by the side of the road,'" Oppenheimer recalls.

And then there's Lucy's reaction: For what feels like the first time in a long time, she laughs.

"I always say that the tone of the show is at its best when it's as if there's an evil God watching the characters and laughing hysterically at all their places. And in that moment, Lucy sort of is in on the joke," Oppenheimer explains. "I like to believe that Lucy goes on from here and actually is able to have a happy life, but I think she needed to have that wake-up call. And so, for me, that's the moment of, 'Oh my God, what? Look at how dumb I am. Of course he left me.' And almost the ridiculousness of the moment. She has no choice but to laugh."

Catherine Missal as Bree and Grace Van Patten as Lucy on 'Tell Me Lies'.

Disney/Danielle Blancher

For the fans wondering, no, Stephen and Lucy were never going to have a happily ever after. When talking about their ending, Oppenheimer references the fable of the Scorpion and the Frog — Stephen, the scorpion, was always going to sting her.

"Of course, he was gonna leave her because he's Stephen," Oppenheimer says. "And I think the tragedy of Stephen is that he could have been happier if he had put his weapons down and made peace with Lucy because he does love Lucy in his very f---ed up way. But his desire to win and to hurt her more than she's hurt him is stronger. So he would rather hurt himself if it means hurting her. And that's why I I don't think he'll ever be happy."

Unlike many television shows that have worked to redeem the bad boy, Oppenheimer leaned into the reality of the situation.

"You can't change anyone that doesn't want to be changed," she says. "I wanted it to be realistic. I don't need a happy ending in things. My favorite endings are when they feel surprising, but in hindsight, inevitable. And it felt inevitable in hindsight. The signs have been there the whole time."

'Tell Me Lies' cast: What to know about the new faces joining your toxic faves in season 3

'Tell Me Lies' showrunner, Jackson White break down the many twists of the season 2 finale

As for Bree being the one to leak the tape, Oppenheimer reveals that's another plot point that she's been thinking about for a while.

"That was always the plan, even before I knew specifically that it was going to be a tape," she says. "Lucy's torn between Bree and Stephen in season 3. It really becomes clear that those are the two most important people in her life in a lot of ways. And Bree becomes this symbol of all that is still precious to Lucy. And so I knew I wanted to set up in this season that we're going to finally find out what Stephen did to ruin Lucy's life, because we've been teasing that since the beginning. And I just had it in my head that we need to reveal that it was Bree. Because it's the last person you expect, but it needs to be as a result of Lucy's own missteps and her own misguided choices."

Jackson White as Stephen on 'Tell Me Lies'.

Disney/Danielle Blancher

It all comes to a head when Stephen outs everyone's remaining secrets — or lies, if you will — at the end of Bree and Evan's wedding reception.

"That was one of the most fun days," Oppenheimer says of shooting Stephen's speech. "Jackson absolutely murdered that monologue. Stephen feels a weird sense of vindication because the worst thing that happened to Lucy, getting her expelled, he didn't do it. And he's always known he didn't do it. I think if there was any chance that he was not going to totally destroy the wedding at the end, once he figured out that it was Bree that released the tape, he's like, 'Oh well...'"****And once he blows it all up, he leaves Lucy by the side of the road.**

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Drama”