NEED TO KNOW
Toxic is reaching new levels in Tell Me Lies.
On Wednesday, Dec. 17, Hulu dropped the trailer for season 3 of Meaghan Oppenheimer’s hit drama, and this time around, the line between love and hate for recently rekindled couple Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White) is more feeble than ever.
The trailer begins with Lucy in tears, recording a confession of sorts. “I need to apologize to everyone, so I am making this tape to say that I am so sorry,” she says, setting the stage for a season full of bad decisions, per usual.
She and Stephen are back together, and her friends think she’s “crazy” for taking him back, but there’s a new elephant in the room now that Stephen knows Lucy and Evan (Branden Cook) have hooked up.
“It’s been rough, but I just have to try to get over it,” Stephen says of the betrayal, which is making things tense between not only him and Lucy, but between him and Evan, too.
Hulu
Bree (Cat Missal), meanwhile, is “obviously” still thinking about how Oliver (Tom Ellis) betrayed her last season, but she’s hopeful that a fresh start is just what she needs. “If last semester wasn’t rock bottom, I’m gonna be so pissed,” she quips.
Wrigley (Spencer House) and Pippa (Sonia Mena) are back together, too, and she’s been taking care of him after his brother Drew (Benjamin Wadsworth) died in season 2, but Diana (Alicia Crowder) thinks Pippa isn’t being honest.
“Is that why you got back together with Wrigley? You feel guilty?” Diana questions Pippa.
The truth about Evan and Lucy’s drunken hookup freshman year seems to be taking over everyone’s lives this season, as Lucy warns Evan, “He’s gonna hold this over us forever.”
She’s scared, too, of what her boyfriend is capable of. “Why are you doing this?” she asks him.
“Because I wanna hurt you, and I don’t know how else to do it,” Stephen confesses.
Hulu
Newcomer Alex (Costa D’Angelo) is complicating things in another way, as he wonders why Lucy is “so scared” of Stephen, but he also sees through her: “Maybe you’re not really that sorry. Maybe you like it.”
Along with D’Angelo, Iris Apatow also joins this season, and in the trailer, she seems to catch Oliver’s eye, which will surely bring about some conflict for Bree.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Per the official synopsis, season 3 sees Lucy and Stephen’s “past indiscretions hinder their best intentions, and Lucy finds herself embroiled in a controversy she wants nothing to do with.”
“Meanwhile, the disastrous repercussions from the previous year also force Lucy and Stephen’s friends to face their own destructive behaviors. As scandalous secrets fester around campus, vicious consequences threaten Lucy and everyone in her circle.”
Hulu
Van Patten, 29, told PEOPLE that she’s “scared for the audience” ahead of season 3.
“Everything’s coming to a head, and everything’s getting more and more tangled and intertwined,” she said, teasing that the drama is reaching “the point of no return.”
“You start to see these characters actually face consequences, which is new,” she said. “I just want it to come out. I’m so curious to hear what people think — and I’m obsessed with the ending. I’m really excited for the reactions to that.”
Tell Me Lies season 3 premieres Jan. 13, on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
