Tell Me Lies – Season 1 Episode 2 “Hot-Blooded” Recap & Review

Hot-Blooded

Episode 2 of Tell Me Lies throws the answers to the questions raised after the previous episode’s ending into the fold. Drew did have something to do with Macy’s death. But it turns out, the thing is just too innocuous. At least for us. Probably not for Drew himself, who seems devastated and will take some more time to heal. He might not ever get over it. Drew was on a beer run from a party he was attending the same night. While driving, a car jumped at him from nowhere. Both had to swerve to avoid colliding and Macy went right into a tree. But Drew did not stop to look inside and maybe call out for help. It is not a given, but in hindsight that could have saved Macy’s life. This ambiguity will probably weigh heavy on him. Wrigley had called Steven to talk to him.

And Steven is smart. He calmly asks all the right questions and dissuades Drew from going to the authorities or anyone else. He asks him to keep it among themselves and everyone will be okay. During a grief counselling session at college, Lucy is not forthcoming in talking about Macy. She seems uncomfortable and reluctant to indulge in any conversation. After the session, the moderator lets her know that Macy’s parents will be dropping by later to collect her belongings. The Dean would appreciate having Lucy there as an ear for the parents and support them. Steven is caught in two minds as to whether or not to go ahead on the date with Lucy. Evan teases him about being a bit of a Casanova and fooling around with two girls.

In history class, Diana chooses not to sit with Steven and keep him afar. He charms her in front of the entire class and partially wins her over with his charm. Diana is keeping him at a distance as he cheated on her a while back but hasn’t completely ruled out the idea of getting back with him. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell come to the room and Lucy feigns interest and compassion for Macy out of sheer embarrassment. It is not as if she hated her or has any malice; she is just managing expectations. Steven messages Lucy for the dinner after Diana keeps him at bay. The Casanova gets a reply from Lucy, who says yes on the insistence of Bree and Pippa. Mrs. Campbell leaves Macy’s makeup kit for Lucy as a thank you gift and her number to stay in touch.

She even uses it for the date, not showing any reluctance. On the date, things go well. Steven’s charm is so infectious that Lucy only needs to be reeled in. They do not have to do anything else to conjure chemistry. He even kisses her impromptu without notice and Lucy is taken aback a bit. Steven’s mother keeps calling him and when he finally attends – right in the middle of another instance where Lucy kisses him – Nora (his mother), is upset with him. She feels Steven is “not on her side”. Steven is too upset by Nora’s behaviour and the rest of the date goes coldly. After dropping off Lucy at her dorm, Steven goes right to Diana’s room, where the two watch a movie together.

It is nothing until it is. As they’re about to get ready to make love, Steven is again not able to “get it up”. They then have a fight that more or less buries any chance of them getting back together. The girls discuss Drew and how he was uncouth. Lucy is also confused by Steven’s actions and proceeds to delete his number, saying one side of her hates him and the other wants to drag her nails across her face. Nora still isn’t responding to Steven’s messages, taking a further mental toll on him. At lunch, Diana walks up to the group’s table and asks Wrigley to come to her fundraiser later that night. Evan’s girlfriend says she is Steven’s girlfriend, to which Evan quickly says it was a long time ago. Lucy is kind of jealous and taken aback by it and even suggests they go to Diana’s fundraiser to “get to know her better”.

Drew isn’t picking up his phone, worrying Wrigley. Steven, though, says he must give Drew some space and invites the boys over for a drink. All of them, except, Steven, then leave for Diana’s fundraiser. Bree takes an interest in Tim, the guy from the group, while Pippa gets busy with Wrigley. Lucy is left alone and inadvertently bumps into Diana. Lucy is intimidated by how open, warm, and personable Diana is, and in comparison, she is indeed the “ice queen”. She storms out of the party and goes straight to Steven’s room and kisses him. They make out, have a steamy love-making session, and Steven is finally able to “get it up”.

The Episode Review

So it finally happens. The backstory for Lucy has just started. Now, all eyes will be on her to see how she matches up to Steven’s domineering personality. Is it a “fifty shades of Grey” situation once again? Will history repeat itself and find us a story of equals? A better comparison would probably be Reynolds and Alma from Phantom Thread. But Tell Me Lies seems to be more than just about Lucy. Until now, we haven’t seen all the emotional ends develop.

Episode 2 saw the creators and writers putting in more effort to lay down the groundwork before all the fun begins. There is no unravelling just yet. For some reason, I feel the show will not be able to escape the fiction-fed frenzy of its literary source and not become more than the sum of the parts of the novel. It does not have a voice of its own and that has been a disappointing feature. Unless that changes, the opinion about season 1 continues to remain neutral.