[This story contains major spoilers from the season two finale of Tell Me Lies, “Don’t Struggle Like That, Or I Will Only Love You More.”]

After weeks of anticipation, Inform Me Lies viewers lastly bought some questions answered within the jaw-dropping season two finale of Meaghan Oppenheimer’s addictive Hulu collection. However the epic cliffhanger solely provokes extra questions.

“I all the time like to go away folks guessing,” the showrunner tells The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m all the time attempting to shock folks.”

For a present that thrives on toxicity, season two introduced loads of jaw-dropping moments between the forged led by Grace Van Patten and Jackson White. However the remainder of the gang additionally had their justifiable share of drama, notably within the finale which noticed Wrigley’s (Spencer Home) youthful brother Drew (Benjamin Wadsworth) die, Bree (Catherine Missal) discovering out Oliver’s (Tom Ellis) in an open marriage, Diana (Alicia Crowder) orchestrating a breakup with Stephen, and Stephen bringing the final word revenge to Bree and Evan’s (Branden Prepare dinner) marriage ceremony within the 2015 timeline.

Oppenheimer provides that “no matter is probably the most fascinating factor to discover is what goes within the present,” as a result of she’s “not attempting to set an instance for what anybody ought to do and I’m not even actually attempting to present a powerful message. I’m attempting to simply make folks lean in and have discussions, and hopefully have issues that occur on display screen relate to folks’s actual lives.”

Under in a chat with THR, Oppenheimer opens up about why she “all the time knew that Drew was going to die,” the second she knew she wished Stephen to “blow up” the marriage (with the revenge recording the place Evan confesses to dishonest on Bree with Lucy), and she or he hints at who Bree was speaking to on the telephone earlier than her marriage ceremony, amongst different storylines she hopes to sort out in a possible third season.

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Why did this season solely have eight episodes, in comparison with season one which had 10?

There have been a bunch of causes. It was scheduling. It was as a result of I used to be anticipating a child and we have been attempting to complete the season earlier than she was born; then the strike occurred and it was all moreover the purpose anyway. It was manufacturing causes, not something artistic. However it was good. I feel it made the whole lot loads tighter. 

One of the tragic moments within the finale was Drew’s loss of life, particularly after he simply reconnected with brother Wrigley. Are you able to stroll me via your resolution on learn how to play that out?

I all the time knew that Drew was going to die, and that it was going to be one thing that Wrigley blamed himself for. However finally, the seed of it wanted to be type of Lucy’s fault. And due to that, Stephen’s fault as effectively. I assumed he was going to die on the finish of the primary season, and it simply didn’t find yourself becoming in and it didn’t make sense. And since Ben is such a beautiful particular person and a fantastic actor, the primary few weeks of the [writers] room for season two, I actually tried to consider, how might we hold his character in now that he’s been expelled? How might we hold him alive? And there simply wasn’t a method. I feel we wanted some actual, true communal guilt that might dangle over your entire group sooner or later years. So yeah, he was the sacrificial lamb, I suppose.

However I additionally wished it to be one thing that felt nearly weirdly anti-climactic. I feel loss of life in actual life is commonly not the large dramatic second you count on it to be. It occurs within the quiet moments. And so the concept that they’ve this huge night time out after which it’s simply abruptly within the morning, you slowly understand that he’s now not alive, versus some huge dramatic explosive public loss of life.

One other large shocker was Bree discovering out Marianne (Gabriella Pession) and Oliver [who is played by Oppenheimer’s real-life husband, Tom Ellis] are in an open relationship. However when Bree confronts Marianne as she’s leaving their home and tells her that Oliver mentioned he beloved her, Marianne appears shocked. Is that hinting that one thing might occur with Marianne and Oliver’s relationship sooner or later?

Something that occurs sooner or later remains to be so undecided that I might by no means need to lock myself into something. However I feel it undoubtedly hints at [how] that was in all probability not allowed. Marianne and Oliver have guidelines. The rule is that they’re each in on the joke, they’re the individuals who know the whole lot. And I feel that saying I like you isn’t allowed. So I do assume that that actually does harm Marianne.

Additionally, what we have been attempting to indicate, and she or he cries on the finish of the scene a bit of bit, was hinting at this greater interior life that Marianne has that she’s in all probability probably not OK with this case. And that she has agreed to have this open relationship in all probability to maintain him, not as a result of she will get off on it as effectively — although she actually lies to herself about having fun with it.

Going again to episode six, viewers noticed Bree speaking on the telephone with somebody within the 2015 timeline earlier than her marriage ceremony day. Are you able to affirm if she was speaking to Oliver, or was it another person?

I can’t affirm something. However I might say, I feel it being Oliver could be in all probability too apparent. I’m positive some individuals are guessing that. However I feel lots of people additionally in all probability know that it’s extra possible not Oliver. 

Viewers additionally see Stephen and Lucy hook up within the 2015 timeline earlier than Bree and Evan’s marriage ceremony. Is it secure to imagine they’ve had one thing happening between them since school?

There’s undoubtedly extra that should occur. I might say, no less than within the ultimate semester of Lucy’s sophomore 12 months. There’s nonetheless completely extra of that cat-and-mouse recreation, in the event you may even name it that, as a result of that sounds so delicate for what these two do to one another. However there’s extra of that dynamic in her second semester of sophomore 12 months and his ultimate semester. By way of what occurs between them in these different years, between school and current day, undoubtedly one thing. However I feel the majority of it’s school. 

I felt like their hook-up additionally defined why Lucy was being so well mannered to Stephen within the 2015 timeline, given the whole lot he’s put her via.

Yeah, and I feel she’s well mannered as a result of I feel most individuals [are polite]. Once I see issues on TV and characters are being so blatantly nasty to folks, we’re by no means actually like that in actual life. I imply, except you’re a psychopath. I see individuals who have devastated me prior to now and except it’s like yesterday, I see them once I’m well mannered and vice versa. I feel that’s what we do as folks, and I feel she blames herself for lots of what occurred in her school years, and has tried to develop and mature. So she tries to no less than save face in entrance of him. 

I additionally need to discuss to you about that wild cliffhanger when Stephen sends Bree that recording on her marriage ceremony day, of Evan confessing again in school to dishonest on her with Lucy. Have you ever been planning that since season one?

Not in season one. In season two, I undoubtedly knew that he was going to document Evan saying this factor. Initially, I didn’t assume he was going to play it on the finish of the finale. I rewrote the ending of the finale in a short time, final minute. I used to be on set at [Video] Village and I rewrote it, as a result of initially it was going to be extra of a cliffhanger of: Is he going to inform Bree or not on the marriage ceremony? After which I made a decision he’s simply gotta inform her; we simply should have that blow up. The long-con is fascinating, however I’ve a variety of Scorpios in my life and I feel that there are individuals who undoubtedly go in it for the long-con, and Stephen is one in every of them. I imply, my God, he holds a grudge. It’s the large distinction between him and Leo’s [Thomas Doherty] anger. Stephen is ready to management his anger after which put it to use to his benefit, and when the second is smart. It’s very uncommon that he’s explosive or impulsive. Whereas Leo, clearly we see is completely different than that. He’s very impulsive. 

Can viewers count on to see the ramifications of that Evan confession in a possible season three?

I feel we have to see that. Poor Bree. That’s just like the hashtag of the season in my thoughts, #PoorBree. She’s simply been via it. I feel she deserves some form of response to this large betrayal from everybody. 

Lucy and Stephen subvert the expectation of making leads who’re likable. Why did you resolve to make them so flawed and, in Stephen’s case, veering on villainous, whereas additionally protecting the present gravitating round them?

Stephen, undoubtedly, is fairly villainous although he’s additionally the male lead. It’s humorous, I by no means nervous an excessive amount of about whether or not a personality is likable, so long as there’s somebody I need to watch and so they’re fascinating. That’s what I care about. And to me, it’s really actually shocked me how unlikable folks assume Lucy is. I imply, I bought right into a combat with my mother about it the opposite day. My mother was like, “Lucy’s a bitch.” I used to be like, “Mother, Lucy is an efficient particular person and she or he’s simply had a variety of shit thrown at her.” I like Lucy. I feel she’s nice. I feel she’s very flawed. I feel she may be very younger and immature, however she got here into school from a spot of trauma that was unresolved and never handled. After which she met this grasp manipulator who made the whole lot worse. And I used to be actually attempting to indicate the best way that good folks and powerful folks and clever folks can fall sufferer to predators.

We see these girls, often girls characters on TV, who act pathetic or messy due to a person, and we wish to assume that which means there have to be one thing inherently incorrect with them. And I simply don’t assume it’s true. I feel in the event you take a look at actual life, a few of the strongest girls I do know have behaved very out of character due to their emotions being harm, or due to falling in with the incorrect folks. 

You informed me earlier than season two debuted that if something will get you canceled, it might be Lucy saying she was the one assaulted slightly than Pippa in episode seven. You additionally famous that it was very divisive within the writers room. Why was it essential so that you can embody that this season?

I simply felt that was an motion that’s arguably one of many worst issues a lady can do, lie about sexual assault. I used to be simply very intrigued by the concept of, how do we have now her do one thing that’s so nasty and icky and universally despised, however for the suitable causes? There was part of me that’s saying like “fuck you” to all of society with that, as a result of folks don’t consider girls and folks don’t shield girls. And Pippa is on this state of affairs and nobody helps her, and she or he has no choices actually, as a result of society is ready up in a method that doesn’t assist her. So it was form of a “fuck you” to everybody within the sense of, “OK, you’re not supposed to do that, however nobody helps these women.” So she’s gonna do probably the most determined factor doable, and she or he’s coming from a spot of actual helplessness as a result of the system has failed her. It’s failed her buddy, it’s failed her classmate. And something that makes our writers within the room argue with one another, I all the time lean into these issues. 

There are nonetheless a variety of lacking items to the Inform Me Lies puzzle. Are you aware but in the event you’ll be getting a season three? Additionally, was it intentional to nonetheless go away folks guessing?

I don’t know if we’ll get a season three, who is aware of? I feel the present has had a very great response this season, so I’m very hopeful a couple of season three. I all the time like to go away folks guessing. And I additionally assume a few of my favourite exhibits, even once they finish, go away issues not utterly resolved. I don’t hate these tales which have open endings. So I used to be form of of the thoughts of, let’s have a cliffhanger so that individuals need to come again and, if we don’t get to reply it, then that’s life (laughs). I’m all the time attempting to shock folks. I’m all the time attempting to shock the viewers, as a result of it’s simply very enjoyable to do. 

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Inform Me Lies season two is at present streaming on Hulu. Make amends for THR‘s season two interviews with Grace Van Patten, co-stars Sonia Mena and Alicia Crowder, and star Cat Missal, together with Van Patten and Jackson White digging into the season two ending.