In my previous recap of Tell Me Lies, I left you pondering what new chaos Stephen (played by Jackson White) might bring now that he and Lucy (portrayed by Grace Van Patten) have parted ways.

The unsettling answer unfolds quickly in Season 3 Episode 3, aptly titled “Repent,” suggesting that this is merely the onset of more turmoil.

In an effort to distract herself from the breakup, Lucy immerses herself in the classic college escape: a lively theme party. (Side note: these characters seem to have an endless array of themed events, unlike my own college experience—anyone else have a party invite for me?) Amidst the festivities, the sophomore trio is introduced to Bree’s (Cat Missal) former foster sibling, Alex (Costa D’Angelo). Perhaps it’s my heightened suspicion due to Stephen’s antics, but Alex is a bit of an enigma. He clearly has a soft spot for Bree yet appears somewhat dismissive toward Lucy, expressing a sense of disconnection from college life and relationships (fingers crossed that his prediction of nobody knowing each other in a decade holds true!).

Meanwhile, Stephen finds himself at Max’s bar (Edmund Donovan), driven by a mix of self-loathing and a desire to sabotage Lucy from afar. His presence is a veiled assault on her peace, as he confesses later in the episode his intention to cause her pain. Alarmingly, this animosity might morph into a friendship between Stephen and Max, as evidenced by the exchange of phone numbers back in 2015 when Lucy had invited Stephen to join her and Max at the pool.

Seriously, can we just keep these people apart?!

Lucy sees Alex as a chance to have casual sex instead of a relationship for once, but his persona continues to be jarring to her and to viewers. He knows what he wants and what he can offer, but delivers those promises with such clinical distance that it’s no wonder Lucy decides not to sleep with him. He’s right that she needs reassurance and he’s forthcoming about not being able to provide it, so what good will it do?

Now for the hell. Stephen calls Bree while she’s with Lucy, prompting fresh panic and the clarification that he’s doing it for the exact worst case reason. Within moments of entering his dorm room Lucy is begging and saying she loves him. We haven’t seen a lot of Lucy like this; usually when she and Stephen turn hostile there’s an element of reciprocity, but this is one-sided cruelty inflicted with the sole intent of harm, and he admits as much. You get the sense that she was always ready for him to fully embrace this side of himself and push her to act out of desperation, and even though she does it to protect Bree, the sentiments are real. She’s so frightened that she admits to lying about Chris (Jacob Rodriguez) assaulting her, which Stephen immediately sees as an opportunity.

What follows is one of the most sickening sequences in this show, and that’s saying something. Stephen has done bad things, terrible things — but watching him coach that confession out of Lucy made me feel physically ill. After torturing her psychologically, he says he won’t publish the video yet, that he’s going to keep it to basically have something on her for as long as he wants. 

Elsewhere in the realm of blackmail and extortion, Bree sends a selfie with Amanda (Iris Apatow) to Oliver (Tom Ellis), basically letting him know that the two girls are in touch and she could tell Amanda everything on a whim (which Oliver should just do himself!). Evan (Branden Cook) adds a dash of quid pro quo and offers to cover Stephen’s sister’s tuition, saying nothing more than “We’re good now” to emphasize the true meaning of this gesture. It’s smart, and it’s also a shame; it suggests the only way to beat Stephen is to stoop to his level.

Along with his disgusting tape tactics, this episode marked another turning point with Stephen for me: his shifting attitude about the night with Macy (Lily McInerny) in Season 1. When he wanted to be with Lucy, he admitted to what happened with Macy, acted vulnerable. Now that they’re broken up he’s flat out denying it, gaslighting her, discrediting her to her face. They still know the worst parts of each other, but it’s no longer romantic.

Which leads us to the final sequence: the full reveal of Lucy’s recorded confession interspersed with her having sex with Alex and asking him to call her “pathetic.” Just a few scenes ago he recognized that she needs more stability than he can offer, and now — when she needs comfort more than ever — she shows up at his door seeking humiliation from any source besides Stephen. Lucy submits to the interaction fueled by self loathing for the accusation, the tape, and her entire relationship with Stephen. 

Too bad it’s not over.

Tell Me Lies Truths from Season 3 Episode 3 (“Repent”)

Most jarring memory of the 2000s: Maybe Lucy’s button-down shirt in the beginning, or the peasant top when she’s talking to Stephen later.

Moment that made me yell out loud: Alex saying “You want me to fuck you?” I gasped and shouted “I don’t like him!”

Proma Khosla is a New York-based writer with over 15 years of editorial experience. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Mashable, and most recently at IndieWire, where she was a Senior TV reporter for almost four years. She is the co-director of Lion Party Films and creator of Drunk Bollywood Live, where she highlights South Asian art and performers. She is one half of the podcast PromRad with fellow Decider contributor Radhika Menon.