Episode 3 of Tell Me Lies' exhilarating second season kicks off in 2015, as Lucy escorts her beau, Max, to the pre-wedding bash celebrating Evan and Bree's union. Amidst the festivities, Stephen confides in Evan about Lydia's absence, while Wrigley steers clear of Pippa, maintaining a cautious distance. Lucy endeavors to project an air of indifference towards Stephen's presence, yet her facade cracks when Max engages in conversation with him, stirring up emotions within her.
Pippa, seeking solitude, ventures outside for a smoke break, where she encounters Diana and pours out her heart. She longs for Diana's support, wishing she had graced the occasion with her presence. Outdoors, Stephen attempts to strike up a conversation with Lucy, but Pippa intervenes, urging him to leave her friend be. Lucy, in turn, argues that Lydia might have had a positive influence on Stephen, a notion Pippa stubbornly refuses to entertain.
The narrative flashes back to 2008, casting light on Lucy's classroom struggles. Stephen, with a calculated charm, approaches Lucy, feigning ignorance of their shared academic space. He nitpicks her essay, offering corrections while reveling in the discomfort he inadvertently causes. Meanwhile, Bree and Oliver indulge in a passionate embrace, only to be interrupted by Oliver's impending meeting. He exchanges numbers with Bree, planning a secret rendezvous, entreating her to keep their encounter under wraps. As they part with another kiss, Diana finds herself trapped in a cycle of her mother's grievances against her father, yet she encourages her mother to stand by him despite his flaws. Later, Diana checks on Pippa, who is taken aback by her friend's unexpected concern, leaving Diana perplexed.
In the cafeteria, Evan shares the news of his split with Bree with Wrigley and Stephen, who sees an opportunity to reclaim their carefree college days. Bree's announcement of the breakup, however, casts an awkward shadow over Lucy's interactions. Chris's arrival adds to the intrigue, greeting Pippa as Lucy and Pippa refrain from revealing the truth about their encounter with Chris at the party, hurrying off to class.
Elsewhere on campus, Leo confronts Lucy, delving into his anger management issues. Lucy, unwilling to engage, dismisses the conversation and walks away. Back in the cafeteria, Diana sits amidst Wrigley and his teammates when Pippa strolls by, each encounter rich with unspoken emotions and undercurrents that hint at a complex web of relationships and secrets unraveling.
The jocks, relentless in their teasing, zeroed in on Pippa, yet this time, she didn't retreat into her usual shell of indifference. With a boldness uncharacteristic of her, she confronted them, silencing them with her response. As she strode away, she called out Wrigley, chastising him for allowing his cronies to bully her. Diana, an observer to this scene, concurred with Pippa's sentiments, leaving Wrigley to contemplate his actions.
Meanwhile, Pippa retreated to her dorm room, only to find Bree already there. Pippa's demeanor betrayed her inner turmoil; she sought solace in the comfort of her bed, drifting off into a much-needed slumber. Bree attempted to broach the subject of her kiss with Oliver, but Pippa, clearly distraught, begged for a later conversation.
Just as the air was about to settle, Bree's phone buzzed with a text from Oliver. Back in her apartment, Diana was plunged into a panic, realizing with horror that her meticulously crafted paper remained unsaved. Stephen, ever the gentleman, offered to pen the essay for her, soothing her frayed nerves. In a fit of frustration, Diana vented about her mother, branding her as pathetic. Stephen, however, gently reminded Diana that she was nothing like her mother, a comment that stung.
That evening, Wrigley sought out Pippa, offering a heartfelt apology for the way his friends had mistreated her since their breakup. Concurrently, Bree ventured out to meet Oliver at a restaurant, where he confessed his attraction to her but lamented his inability to leave his wife. Bree, undaunted, declared her willingness to embark on an illicit affair. Oliver, jolted by a sudden clarity, realized the folly of his thoughts and abruptly left, leaving Bree stunned and bewildered.
Later, Pippa and Lucy ventured outside for a smoke break, their conversation tinged with nostalgia as they reminisced about the tumultuous first year of college. Pippa confided in Lucy, explaining her desire for a fresh start, hence the drastic change in hair color. Lucy, playfully teasing, suggested that Pippa had a penchant for troubled souls, drawing parallels to Chris's past actions towards her. Pippa, unwilling to delve into the painful memories, steered the conversation towards Leo, insisting that he was not as sinister as he seemed.
The following day, as Stephen retrieves the essay he had crafted for Diana, his attention is inadvertently drawn to Lucy's ID card peeking out of her bag. Intrigued, he inquires about its provenance and the encounter Diana shared with Lucy. Diana confides that a heated exchange between the two had culminated in Lucy's careless dropping of her identity card. Stephen deceitfully informs Diana that Lucy has been reassigned to his tutelage class, a fabrication that leaves Diana perplexed and inclined to empathize with Stephen's predicament.
Empowered by this newfound information, Stephen confronts Lucy in her quarters, only to be met with a blunt dismissal. She insists that he holds no significance in her life anymore. Stephen, undeterred, contends that Lucy's words are but a facade, his advances becoming increasingly forward. Lucy, steadfast in her denial of any romantic feelings towards Stephen, nonetheless finds herself inexplicably drawn closer to him, a moment that swiftly turns awkward before Stephen abruptly departs.
Later, Lucy seeks solace in Diana's room, spilling the beans about Macy's tragic car accident. She exposes Stephen's chilling inaction as he witnessed Macy's demise, a revelation that Diana stubbornly rejects, branding Lucy's accusations as the ravings of a deranged mind. Deeply shaken, Diana severs her ties with the class Stephen oversees, seeking distance from him at all costs.
Lucy, seeking refuge from her turmoil, finds herself in Leo's room, where she unburdens herself about Stephen's impact on her life. She beseeches Leo to be her rock, and they find solace in each other's embrace on the couch.
Meanwhile, the night takes a sultry turn as Bree encounters Oliver and embarks on a late-night adventure with him. He whisks her away to a friend's apartment, where their chemistry ignites into a passionate encounter.
As the episode draws to a close, Diana, still reeling from Lucy's revelation, attempts to regain her footing by summoning Stephen for an intimate encounter, her actions a desperate attempt to reassure herself amidst the chaos swirling around her.
