If Tell Me Lies has taught us anything over the years, it’s that peace never lasts and when it does, it’s usually a setup. Season 3, Episode 4, titled “Fix Me Up, Girl,” leans hard into that philosophy. It begins as an episode that seems to wrap up lingering chaos instead detonates something far more dangerous beneath the surface. The hour is slow-burn cruel, emotionally invasive, and quietly devastating - a classic Tell Me Lies, but sharper, colder, and more self-aware than ever.
This episode feels like a storm that’s already formed.
Comfort That Crosses Lines
At first glance, Bree’s storyline appears hopeful. She’s selected for a prestigious photography exhibit, one of the few pure wins anyone gets in this universe. But even that victory is immediately poisoned when she runs into Oliver, who continues to assert himself as one of the show’s most unsettling figures.
Oliver corners Bree in his office, berating her over a photo she sent that included Amanda. While Bree tries to bluff confidence, Oliver slices straight through her defenses, accusing her of being desperate, insecure, and emotionally hollow. This moment confirms that Oliver isn’t just inappropriate; he’s manipulative and predatory, thriving on psychological dominance.
Shaken, Bree finds unexpected comfort in Wrigley.
Wrigley shows up looking for Pippa and ends up helping Bree sift through her photography portfolio. He even lets her photograph him for her exhibit submission, a small gesture that feels intimate without being overtly romantic. When Bree worries aloud about whether Evan ever thought she was “too much,” Wrigley reassures her in ways Evan never did, reminding her of how deeply loved she actually was.
It’s warm. It’s grounding and in retrospect, it’s dangerous.
When Pippa finally arrives, she casually brushes Wrigley off, claiming she’s heading to see Diana instead. Wrigley is left standing there, emotionally exposed and Bree is the one who sees it. At the time, it feels like nothing more than a quiet bond forming between two people who feel unseen.
By the end of the episode, that innocence is obliterated.
Diana Takes Control; Stephen Hates It
Diana’s pregnancy revelation from the previous episode comes roaring back into focus here, and true to form, Diana handles it with a clarity Stephen can’t tolerate. She schedules an abortion and tells almost no one except Molly, who promptly proves she can’t be trusted.
News spreads fast, and Stephen is livid, not out of concern, but because he wasn’t consulted. His entitlement is staggering, and when he confronts Diana, it’s clear he sees the pregnancy as leverage, a possible route back into her father’s good graces.
Diana shuts that fantasy down instantly.
She tells Stephen, coldly and deliberately, that terminating the pregnancy will be the highlight of her year. It’s vicious, but also liberating. Diana isn’t grieving the loss of a relationship or a future; she’s erasing a mistake.
Only Wrigley has the courage to point out how absurd Stephen’s expectations are, and for once, Stephen has no clever comeback.
Meanwhile, Diana’s connection with Pippa deepens. When Pippa asks how she’s feeling, Diana describes the pregnancy as “disruptive” - a word so detached it perfectly captures how little emotional power Stephen has left over her. Their intimate moments are awkward, soft, and real, standing in stark contrast to the manipulative dynamics elsewhere in the episode.
Diana may be carrying the heaviest burden—but she’s also the most emotionally grounded person in the room.
Lucy’s Brutal Tightens
Lucy’s storyline this week is quietly brutal. Still processing her degrading encounter with Alex, she meets him again for drinks, trying to convince herself she’s not the kind of person who makes self-destructive choices on purpose.
Alex, oddly perceptive beneath his detached demeanor, challenges her to prove it.
When Lucy spots Max at the bar, on a date, Alex suggests she do the unthinkable, that is to apologize and she does. It’s messy, sincere, and painful, but also the closest Lucy comes to real accountability all episode.
Unfortunately, that brief moment of growth leads her straight back into another hollow encounter with Alex, one that feels less like desire and more like punishment.
Things only get worse when Lucy is summoned to the dean’s office again. This time, Katie and Marianne are present. Katie, inspired by Lucy’s earlier story, is considering reopening her assault case and wants Lucy’s account to support it.
Lucy can’t agree. She knows the truth would unravel everything.
The bitter irony is Marianne’s presence. Her performative support disgusts Lucy, especially knowing what Marianne represents. It’s hypocrisy masquerading as advocacy, and Lucy sees it clearly even as she remains trapped by her own lie.
Soon after, a Facebook group titled “Chris Is a Rapist” appears, publicly naming Katie and Lucy as victims. Lucy is forced to maintain the lie to protect Pippa, who was the real victim and wants no part in reopening old wounds.
Desperate and cornered, Lucy turns to Diana, who advises silence hoping the storm will pass. But when Lucy reveals that Stephen secretly recorded her confession, Diana’s reaction is a mix of dark humor and genuine fear.
She understands better than anyone how dangerous Stephen truly is.
A Wedding, A Dance, And a New Threat
The episode finally shifts to the 2015 timeline, where Bree and Evan’s wedding unfolds seemingly intact despite Stephen’s long campaign to destroy it.
Bree reconciles with Evan, convinced that he was better than she ever gave him credit for. Even his loose gossip about Diana’s pregnancy doesn’t faze her. She’s ready to move forward.
During their first dance, the camera lingers on familiar faces.
Wrigley watches, his expression unreadable.
Stephen simmers with barely concealed rage.
Lucy and Pippa sway together, drunk and hopeful.
Stephen tries one last time to provoke Lucy, asking if seeing him with Lydia hurts. Lucy laughs it off, claiming she feels validated knowing he’ll never change. Bree, too, shrugs off his attempts to sow doubt, refusing to let “one mistake” ruin her happiness.
For a moment, Stephen appears defeated.
Then Wrigley dances with Pippa and whispers something that changes everything:
“I’m just pretending you’re the one I’m still in love with.”
Across the dance floor, Bree and Wrigley lock eyes... Stephen notices!
Moments later, he picks up Wrigley’s unattended phone and finds a trail of calls and FaceTimes between Bree and Wrigley stretching back weeks, his face curls into a slow, satisfied smile.
The game isn’t over.
It’s just beginning again.
Final Thoughts
“Fix Me Up, Girl” is deceptive in its structure, presenting resolution only to reveal a deeper, more dangerous fracture beneath it. The episode closes one chapter of Stephen’s manipulation only to hand him something far more explosive.
In Tell Me Lies, no one ever truly escapes. They just trade one lie for another and Stephen always remembers where the bodies are buried.
Read more: Tell Me Lies
