“I think Tell Me Lies is so addictive because we’re showing crazy moments that people can relate to from their own lives, but would never admit to,” confesses showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer who adapted the popular novel by Carola Lovering into a TV series. Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) return for a second season after their dramatic breakup with more dark twists and turns.

Oppenheimer adds that this level of craziness in Tell Me Lies is “honest, but a little bit heightened.” She’s not looking to create a sensationalized television series.

Meaghan Oppenheimer (photo credits – Luke Oppenheimer)

The YA genre typically addresses issues relating to people ranging from their early to late teens. The characters in Tell Me Lies are nineteen year old college students. This allows the storylines to become darker and more convoluted.

“What’s interesting to me about this age group is that consequences are really permanent for the first time,” adds the showrunner. A younger teen may rely on their parents to bail them out.

Lucy and Stephen’s Toxic Relationship Ramps Up

Tell Me Lies draws its drama from pushing toxic relationships to their limits and beyond. It explores how they affect the characters, and how they get out of them.

“Pretty much every woman I know has had someone that felt like a Stephen in their life. Everyone’s vulnerable to emotional and verbal abuse and trauma in romantic relationships,” she continues.

The desire to be wanted and loved is a primal desire, not just in college students, but for all of us. “As soon as you’re given a little bit of love from someone, it can be the most addictive thing in the world. And when it’s taken away, it feels like you’ve done something wrong.”

The first step to navigating a toxic relationship is to recognize that you’re in one as is the case with Lucy and Stephen. When things fall apart, Lucy partially blames herself. And walking away is so hard.

We lie to ourselves so much in those kind of relationships

Where There’s A Lie, There’s A Secret

Secrets and lies are the cause of many unhealthy romances. We rely on lies to avoid the painful truth. “Lucy is trying to be better this year. But she has secrets that she is unable to tell because they would be so damaging.”

It’s really hard to grow or heal from something if you’re still lying about it

Secrets are also being kept by Lucy. She slept with her friend Bree’s (Catherine Missal) boyfriend during Season 1. “So, she is putting her trust in Lucy in ways that she wouldn’t do if she knew the truth.”

The Effects Of Trauma

The lingering effects of negative past experiences influence the way we view the world and the decisions we make.

“Sometimes we’re making decisions because of something that someone did before we were even born. There’s a trickle effect of trauma in families. Then you do this with your boyfriend or girlfriend.”

I’ve always been interested in that idea of how we can’t escape the trauma of the people who raised us

Lucy has become emotionally-stunted from her family. “She’s vulnerable, depressed, numb, and Stephen makes her feel something for the first time.” Stephen senses this which makes Lucy easy prey.

Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White) Photo courtesy of Disney/ Hulu)

Lucy wants to belong in her college friendship circle that she undermines a lot of her happiness.

Stephen, despite being a sociopath, suffers trauma from his relationship with his manipulative mother.

Some Like It Hot…

Sex is a powerful motivator and tonic in relationships. It can be an expression of power, release, or love. Not all of it is healthy. Some of the sex scenes in Tell Me Lies are “dark and awkward.”

Many characters in Tell Me Lies certainly experience a sexual awakening during college.

“Those first sexual relationships you have make your body feel good. It is very hard to walk away from that when it’s the first time that it’s happened. I think we needed the audience to go through those feelings along with our characters to get them invested.”

Experiencing all the slices of the sexual pie are a huge part of maturing into an adult.

Meaghan Oppenheimer didn’t approach the sex scenes to excite viewers. “Sometimes they are upsetting.”

“Initially we were always trying to come from a place of story and why is this scene happening? What is the conversation between these two characters that is going on sex scene? What is the power dynamic? We’re trying to come from that place as opposed to let’s show as much skin as possible.”

There is also fluidity in the way sex is depicted in Tell Me Lies. Sometimes it begins as a strong emotional connection which devolves into something causing deep shame and regret.