Grace Van Patten Dishes On Lucy’s Wildest Tell Me Lies S2 Choices

Spoiler alert: This post discusses plot details from the Tell Me Lies Season 2 finale. Lucy Albright isn’t exactly the paragon of wise decisions. Throughout Season 2 of Tell Me Lies, the college sophomore makes a string of questionable choices, from hiding her hookup with a best friend’s boyfriend to co-opting another bestie’s trauma as her own.

Lucy was on a tear like no other throughout Season 2, even if she went into her sophomore year thinking she was over all her past drama. Even Grace Van Patten can admit that Lucy did some “selfish” and “crazy” things this season, and she broke down all of the wildest moments with Elite Daily.

Below, Van Patten explores Lucy’s addiction to “toxic stimulation,” whether the character had planned that finale sex or not, and which of Lucy’s “crazy” moments surprised her the most.

Elite Daily: How has Lucy’s perception of Stephen changed this season as opposed to Season 1?

Grace Van Patten: Lucy goes into the first day of school really believing that she’s over it and that she was delusional last year: “I don’t know who that was, time to move on. I;m going to stay on track.” Very quickly she’s proven wrong and realizes that she’s not ready to let go but doesn’t want to admit that.

So that connection she wants to have with Stephen is coming out through psychological warfare as opposed to intimacy. There's a part of them that is so latched on to each other.

ED: What are your thoughts on Lucy not telling Bree she hooked up with Evan?

GVP: Unfortunately, I think it is more selfish than not. Instead of telling Bree what happened, owning up to it, and trying to rebuild the friendship, she decides to overcompensate — to prove to herself that she’s doing the right thing and redeem herself by supporting Bree through her journey. She’s trying not to judge and trying to be there for Bree as opposed to just owning up to what she did.

ED: At one point, Leo observes that Lucy is turned on by drama. What do you make of that assessment?

GVP: I don’t think he’s wrong. Lucy is so addicted to this toxic stimulation of being on edge and fighting and making up. Since she doesn’t have that with Stephen right now, she’s kind of looking for drama and trying to fill that part of herself. In her mind, it’s either that or nothing at all, and that’s terrifying to her.

I don’t think she was planning on sleeping with Leo.

ED: In the finale, Lucy sleeps with Leo right after sleeping with Stephen. What’s your read on that decision?

GVP: It is tragic. After she sleeps with Stephen again, it’s absolute panic. She’s desperate for a safe person. And she’s not talking to Pippa or Bree, so Leo is that person for her. She goes to make amends to him and it happens. I don’t think she was planning on sleeping with Leo, but she also didn’t stop it because she doesn’t want to admit that she just slept with Stephen, so it’s tricky.

ED: Which of Lucy’s decisions surprised you the most this season?

GVP: It was really shocking to me when Lucy stood up for Pippa by telling Pippa’s story as her own. That’s a really complicated storyline, because Lucy’s intentions were all there, but it wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do. People will either be like “What a great friend” or “Are you kidding me? That is the worst thing you could possibly do in this situation.” I thought it was a crazy move.

ED: Looking ahead at Lucy’s future, there’s a point in the 2015 storyline where she reveals she’s doing sales for a travel agency. She hasn’t become the writer she wanted to be. How do you think she feels about where she’s ended up?

GVP: I think she’s struggling. I don’t think she’s happy. She still has unfinished business with Stephen and has not had closure. He still floats around in her mind consistently, and she doesn’t have the life that she’s wanted. She wanted to be a writer, and this whole relationship derailed her need to take care of herself.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.