Tell Me Lies ending explained as finale branded 'terrible' by frustrated fans

WARNING: This article contains details of sexual assault and rape.

After four years, three nail-biting seasons and 26 heart-stopping episodes, Tell Me Lies has finally reached its conclusion.

By the sounds of things, however, the long-awaited grand finale that fans hoped would finally tie up loose ends, fell rather flat.

The last ever episode aired on Tuesday (17 February), connecting the two timelines that have run through the Hulu hit since day one - 2007-2008, the central group’s college years, and 2015, their present day - to show how the past never really stayed in the past.

For those totally out of the loop, Tell Me Lies is based on the Carola Lovering novel of the same name, and follows the turbulent lives of a group of college students, specifically Lucy Albright (played by Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White).

The tape of Lucy was leaked (Hulu)

Ever since the debut instalment, the pair have been embroiled in a highly manipulative, on-off relationship, with fans having begged Lucy ever since to wake up to Stephen's cruel, coercive ways.

Throughout the third season, an explosive video recording - filmed by Stephen, showing Lucy admitting to lying about being raped - had been hanging over her head. Despite her praying that the tape would never see the light of day, Lucy’s worst nightmare becomes a reality in the college timeline, when the final episode sees it leaked, tarnishing her ‘golden girl’ reputation for good.

Although viewers later realise it wasn’t Mr Manipulator himself, Stephen, that leaked the clip, it dawns upon them during the present-day wedding that he's been harbouring entire revenge plot of his own up his sleeve.

Stephen delivers a bombshell wedding speech (Hulu)

At the nuptials - which he attends in a new relationship with Lucy’s ex-BFF, Lydia - he delivers a speech exposing that Lucy, the bride’s long-time gal pal, had slept with the groom at college whilst they were together.

Despite Stephen’s brutal public exposé sending the wedding into chaos and totally severing Lucy and Bree’s friendship, one of the last scenes sees him preparing to flee the ceremony, satisfied with the disarray he’s inflicted, and Lucy choosing to get into the car with him.

The very final moment is far from a romantic reboot, however, and sees Stephen cementing his toxicity by abandoning Lucy at a gas station.

Unsurprised, Lucy laughs to herself when it dawns upon her that a warning she previously received from another's of Stephen's exes, Diana, who insisted men of his nature never face consequences to their damaging behaviour.

Stephen never receives his comeuppance (Hulu)

As a reminder, Stephen previously send Diana's father nude photos of her as payback to her choosing to abort their baby.

Lucy appears to realise in the last scene that he never really changed in the years following their college split - he just found new ways to play the same savage game.

As we say, however, despite Stephen’s evil antics sending the entire final up in flames, a number of fans have claimed the ending left them feeling shortchanged.

Taking to social media, several have slammed producers of the show for refusing to give him the comeuppance he deserves.

"The show ending with Stephen humiliating Lucy one last time," one hit out.

A second continued: "'Tell me lies’ ending is so diabolical cause WHAT THE FUCK."

Lucy is seen laughing in the final scene (Hulu)

"Thinking about Lucy from tell me lies and thinking about how badly it felt when I was with my Stephen Demarco," a third went on. "I wish they gave Lucy a better ending."

Another wrote: "The ending of tell me lies was kind of corny but lowkey enjoyable. I hate that Stephen lowkey came out on top wtf….".

A fifth added: "Idk how I feel about the Tell Me Lies ending haha I liked it but Stephen needed a lillll more punishment.. BUT WRIGLEY this season."

"The ending of tell me lies was terrible, i needed something tk happen to Stephen but no it still ended w," a sixth went on. "Him basically s*****g on Lucy again. I hate them all."