SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers for the Season 2 finale of “Inform Me Lies,” now streaming on Hulu.
The second season of “Inform Me Lies” has come to an end – in the 2008 and 2015 timelines. In an attempt to summarize everything that happened: Stephen (Jackson White) and Diana (Alicia Crowder) broke up – the thought she made him think that it was his doing, but she had been planning all along to drive him away. (No, her father never turned off his credit cards!) There was no sadness at all for Stephen, who immediately slept with Lucy (Grace Van Patten). Soon after what connection, Lucy went back to Leo (Thomas Doherty) and slept with him – without even changing her underwear. This tidbit came to Stephen’s attention later when he revealed what she was carrying to show Leo that they had met hours earlier and led to Leo repeatedly punching him until his face was unrecognizable.
Then there was Bree (Catherine Missal) and Oliver (Tom Ellis), who were finally caught by Marianne (Gabriella Pession)… plus, she identified herself the whole time, as she and her husband had an open relationship and had simply determined not to inform Bree of this. (Bree also delivered the episode’s best line, yelling at Oliver, “You can’t fuck me like I’m an adult and then talk to me like I’m a kid.”)
And the people weren’t even probably the most dramatic stories. Pippa (Sonia Mena) and Diana contacted Drew (Benjamin Wadsworth), who eventually returned to campus to see Wrigley (Spencer Home). However, after a night of partying and taking Wrigley’s drugs, Drew overdosed and died on his brother’s couch. After his death, Lucy felt so responsible for writing the letter that got Drew expelled from school that she needed to recover. Stephen decided to take the blame, showing himself capable of acting for Lucy – but obviously, since he is Stephen, he is doing this to have something to carry around in her head in the future.
Speaking of doing whatAfter Stephen and Lucy got together again, Evan (Branden Cook’s dinner party) decided that he I had to tell him that it was Lucy he slept with last year. After going outside for some fresh air, he returned and, without Evan realizing, recorded him saying once again: He cheated on Bree with Lucy.
Fast forward to 2015: it’s the day of Bree and Evan’s wedding ceremony. Stephen cheats on Lydia with Lucy and then sends the voice word to Bree. In the final moments of the episode, Bree is shown moments before walking down the aisle, listening to Evan’s confession, while Lucy, her maid of honor, stands next to her, unconscious.
After awarding Stephen as probably the worst character on television, we spoke to the show’s creator and executive producer Meaghan Oppenheimer, who broke down key moments and teased what’s to come after all of this.
Let’s go back to the penultimate episode — Lucy says she was attacked by Lydia’s brother, Chris, ending his friendship with Lydia. How was the dialogue about doing what the explanation that Lydia hated her?
Before the room started, I knew that Lucy was going to be in this failed redemption arc, and I knew that I wanted any discord between her and Lydia to happen because she tried to do the right thing, but what happened was the wrong factor for the right reason. In fact, it divided the room – Lucy claiming the attack for herself. It was probably the most controversial day in the room and that’s why I thought, “Well, now we have to do this.”
There are always some writers who feel we need to put a more positive example on screen than others. In fact, I have the idea of simply doing what is sincere. We should not coach anyone or tell people this behavior. Some people actually felt that lying about sexual assault is one of the worst things a woman can do – that it would be completely unforgivable for Lucy to do so. I really wanted to check that out and see if we could make her do the wrong thing for the right reason, and make people understand.
Bree and Oliver’s relationship has come to an end. Will we see Tom Ellis again sooner or later?
I don’t think so. I think Tom was simply eager to do a season. I think we wrapped up his storyline in a way that really worked for me. I don’t know where else we could go after this with him. I think we can bring Marianne back, possibly. There’s a lot more story to tell along with it. But I think we realize that Oliver is so hurt and empty at the end of this season that I’m ready for Bree to act with him.
One of the main reasons I wanted to do the show in the first place is to debunk this illusion that only weak or foolish women are fooled by narcissists and bad people. That only foolish girls are run over by love. This happens to the strongest of us. Some of the most amazing girls I know, their only weakness is people or relationships. There’s something so weak about it. I don’t know what it means to want to be liked that makes us neglect ourselves.
At her engagement party, Bree is given a controversial name by someone. At the time, it seemed like it could be Oliver. Or possibly Stephen?
I can’t say, because that will be a revelation in a later season. But it’s certainly not Stephen and it’s not Oliver.
Jumping ahead to Wrigley’s heartbreaking arc this season. In the pilot, it was hinted that Drew is no longer around. When did you decide how/when Drew would return and ultimately die?
Throughout Season 1, I believed it would be the end of Season 1, after which there was a lot, and we didn’t want that. So I always knew he was going to die. Ben is so cool and handsome that when we started the Season 2 writers’ room, I was like, “Is there any way we can have him around?” There was no point in any other approach. I actually needed Wrigley to be destroyed at the end of the season. I know it’s so horrible to say this! We saw him in the future, and I wanted to understand why he got to this point, because he’s clearly a big number in the future.
At the wedding ceremony, Wrigley mentions that it’s time to let go of his passion. I just have to check: is this about Pippa?
Yes. I feel like he was holding out hope the whole time.
Wrigley and Pippa slept together in the penultimate episode – before he revealed her. Was this the last time we’ll see them together romantically?
I think the saddest thing about Pippa’s journey this season is that it will be cut short once again. Because she’s not going to be able to completely let go of Wrigley in the way that she, I think, probably needs to right now, because he’s been through this huge tragedy. She will probably get back with him, at least for a short time after this, because he wants her so much and she loves him so much as a friend. It doesn’t have to be another thing that breaks your heart. But of course it’s really bad luck for her and her development because it’s another factor that’s just stopping that development.
Moving forward, assuming we get more seasons, will we see how Pippa and Diana come together?
I’m probably not sure. I think it depends on how far we get into the story in 2008. I think we’ll probably see Pippa showing up, because when we leave them in 2008, she’s much further along this journey than Diana is. She is already aware that she has these emotions. And Diana, I really don’t think so, is. I think she knows she has feelings for Pippa, but I don’t think she’s labeled it or been honest with herself about it. So it simply depends. But I don’t know if we’ll get to see Diana’s, because Pippa and Diana definitely don’t get together until after school. They are not connecting across the faculty.
How and when did you decide to have Diana activate Stephen?
I hope no one saw this coming. It’s funny, before we were officially greenlit for Season 2, Hulu called me and said they really wanted to greenlight it in any way necessary to make sure we had enough ideas. So I had, like, 48 hours to lie some things and that was one of the things that came to mind – that Diana orchestrates this whole plot to get away from Stephen. I feel like she starts in earnest in episode 4 when she finds Macy’s photos of Stephen. That’s when she realizes she needs to get out of there.
Let’s talk about Lucy sleeping with Stephen once again, then sleeping with Leo… which led to a pretty nasty confrontation.
The scene (Leo and Lucy) was very difficult to film because everything had to appear on Grace’s face. It’s about Lucy’s personal misfortune at that moment, and just not wanting to lose Leo. She’s made up her mind, not wanting to hurt his feelings or say no to him, but considering, “I just had sex with Stephen an hour ago.” We kept doing that scene to get to a point where we were sure she wasn’t disgusted by Leo, but by herself. We use the final shot. It works like a horror movie.
After that the battle in truth It works like a horror film.
My father and mother will be very proud when they hear the road: “How’s my fucking style?” Grace actually approached me and said, “So are we saying I had sex with Stephen and then wore the same underwear?” I feel like she did that. It’s something that drives the panic attack she’s having. Lucy is clearly not considering. She is acting on her resolve to sleep with Stephen and seek a sheltered place. It’s touching and I hope people don’t hate her, but people are very hard on women.
If you’re mapping out the future, how many years of college do you want to show? In the future, will we have more than in 2015 and less in 2008?
I mapped out this approach in advance after just considering what the construction of the gift was. And I believed that we would get more and more into the long term as time went on. I think in the third season we will still have something in 2008 because there are things we need to wrap up there. But I think it will change a little bit in the sense that there will probably be more 2015s than 2008s.
Will there be an increase in time when season 3 returns or will it not be next semester?
I think there would probably be an increase in time.
Lastly, social media has been abuzz about Leo and Stephen each having a rose tattoo and whether or not this suggests some form of prior connection. Is this part of the story?
Someone just told me about the tattoo hypothesis! These are simply his real tattoos. Two actors with identical tattoos. Complete coincidence.
This interview has been edited and condensed.