Tell Me Lies’ Jackson White Explains Why Stephen Gives Lucy Her Tape
“I think he’s over the game.”
Spoiler alert: This post discusses details from Tell Me Lies Season 3, Episode 7.
Is it possible that Stephen DeMarco could actually have a heart? After years of cold, calculated manipulation, Stephen seemed to choose the kind option at the end of Tell Me Lies Season 3’s penultimate episode. As he witnessed Lucy break down, Stephen handed over the tape he’d been using to blackmail her, finally freeing her from his control. It was a surprisingly out-of-character maneuver — but according to actor Jackson White, it’s not as nice as it may come off.
Rather than actually feeling bad for his ex-girlfriend, Stephen has simply lost interest in torturing her now that he’s crushed her so entirely, White believes. “It’s like, is he experiencing remorse or is he bored? It’s probably a little bit of both,” he says. “I think he’s over the game. You can see him give up on the game because he won, because she’s broken.”
White’s co-star Grace Van Patten brings up another reason Stephen is tired of manipulating Lucy: She’s started doing it to herself. In the latest episodes, Lucy has fully unraveled, to the point where she’s experiencing lapses in her memory and fugue states.
“You see Lucy is doing all the damage to herself herself at this point,” Van Patten says. “Stephen’s always had to create the damage for her, but for the first time you see that Lucy’s completely self-destructive and hurting herself. And that’s sad because Stephen’s not doing it anymore. So Stephen’s not getting the joy, so the job is done.”
The actors’ interpretation of the scene seems to suggest that Stephen may be fully done with Lucy, although fans know that isn’t true thanks to the 2015 flash-forward showing the toxic exes gravitating toward one another in the future. However, it could be setting up the couple’s final chapter, given all the rumors that Season 3 may end up being the show’s final season. The Season 3 finale will air Feb. 17 on Hulu.
