'Tell Me Lies' stars Grace Van Patten, Jackson White and more on what to expect in season 2
"Tell Me Lies" season two has arrived and the "ripple effects of Stephen and Lucy's relationship" are front and center this season, Meaghan Oppenheimer, the show's creator said.
"I think the reality is that whether it's good or bad, these relationships do exist," Oppenheimer told "Good Morning America" in an interview discussing the show's upcoming season.
The hit Hulu drama follows the tumultuous relationship of characters Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) and shows how their intense connection, which can be mentally and emotionally abusive, sets off a chain of events that affects those around them.
Oppenheimer said she imagines the show can be "cathartic" for some viewers, "because they realize, 'Oh, this could happen to anyone.'"
In the dramatic conclusion of season one, which is based on Carola Lovering's 2018 novel of the same name, relationships unraveled, tensions were heightened and fans were left with plenty of questions.
Ahead of the new season, the "Tell Me Lies" cast discussed the portrayal of complex relationships onscreen to several topics that some characters will face in the new episodes.
Van Patten also teased how Stephen and Lucy's story will unfold after their breakup in season one. "You see the effects it has on these people and they're not positive," she told "GMA." "They're really negative and it's really breaking these characters down, and you don't see them rise because of it."
What's in store for Lucy and Stephen's journey this season
When the show premiered in 2022, audiences were introduced to Lucy, Stephen and their group of friends as they navigated freshman and junior year of college.
Van Patten described her character's connection with Stephen last season as an "intoxicating relationship." She said that in addition to the effects of their toxic connection last season, the upcoming season will also show "how their dynamic still manages to continue and they still cannot escape each other."
"They're both trying to just redeem themselves," she said about their journey this season. "Lucy is trying so hard to make up for all the mistakes and lies she told the past year."
How care was placed in the portrayal of Lucy and Stephen's relationship
The show illustrates the ups and downs of Lucy and Stephen's all-consuming relationship, which was discussed in depth in the writer's room, Oppenheimer said, noting how important she feels it is to show how relationships like Lucy and Stephen's exist.
"What we're trying to do is not romanticize it," Oppenheimer said. "We talk about that a lot on set. I think that you have to allow the audience to fall for it."
"At times you have to put them through the same emotional roller coaster that the characters are going through," she added. "So sometimes it is really sexy and you do fall for it and you do believe the lie, and then the rug is pulled out from under you, but it's hard."
Van Patten also explained how she feels the show "does not glamorize the toxicity" in relationships: "I think a lot of people mistake that excitement and lust and toxicity and desire as an exciting thing.This is not showing it as exciting. This is showing it as really rough and brutal and you feel sorry for them."
"These characters have to do pretty not okay things a lot of times," White added. "I think it's important that we just empathize with them and try and be real."
How will friendships evolve this season?
Along with Van Patten and White, actresses Alicia Crowder, Sonia Mena and Catherine Missal -- who play Diana, Pippa and Bree, respectively -- are set to return to their roles.
"Alliances are formed where you wouldn't expect necessarily," Crowder teased about Lucy and Stephen's group of friends in season two. "Friends become enemies and enemies become friends."
"There's a lot of distrust," Sonia Mena, who plays Pippa -- a part of the core trio along with Lucy and Bree(Catherine Missal) -- added about Lucy and Stephen's relationship bleeding into the lives of others on the show, adding that it "makes people decide how to decide who you're gonna believe and what you think.''
Missal added that this season will see a "shift in dynamic between friends," particularly between Bree and Pippa. Missal described it as "challenging" but said it was "fun to play out."
"It's just so much misunderstanding and crossed signals and hurt feelings and passive aggressiveness and that covers up a lot of their love for each other," Mena said.
For Lucy, Van Patten said that one of the ways her character is trying to redeem herself this season is to "be a good friend."
"She's kind of doing it through being there for them and listening," she said.
But despite their actions, whether good or bad, Mena said that their relationship is oftentimes unpredictable.
"You definitely don't know what to expect when it comes to them," Mena added. "And I do think a lot of it is good intentioned at the heart of it, but I think these are probably the three of the worst communicators."
Why this show resonates with audiences
Ahead of season two, Oppenheimer said there were many things that she wanted to explore, but the relationships that this group of friends have in the series is one that she says is something that audiences resonate with.
"I think it's just such a formative time, especially when it comes to love and sex," she said. "I think there's so much shame when you're in a relationship that's toxic and I think it's easy to blame yourself and it's easy to think that, 'Oh, this would only happen to someone that was weak or stupid.'"
"I think those relationships are teaching you about who you are and they're teaching you how to love," she added.
Stars returning to the series this season also include Spencer House as Wrigley, Branden Cook as Evan and Natalee Linez as Lydia Montgomery.
New faces this season include Tom Ellis as Oliver, Thomas Doherty as Leo, Jacob Rodriguez as Chris and Katherine Hughes as Molly.
"Tell Me Lies" season two will premiere with two episodes on Sept. 4 on Hulu.
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