Tell Me Lies Star Defends Controversial Onscreen Reveal Before Finale

Tell Me Lies is getting ready for its potential series finale by putting out its most toxic episode yet — and one of the stars is defending that controversial twist.

During the Tuesday, February 10, episode of the hit Hulu series, Evan (Branden Cook) was desperate to win back Bree (Cat Missal), so he took advice from an unexpected source: her toxic ex Oliver (Tom Ellis). Oliver suggested that Evan make Bree rely on him, which inspired Evan to get Bree’s alcoholic mother drunk so his girlfriend would need his help.

“His version of the best isn’t great,” Cook, 31, exclusively told Us Weekly about Evan’s turn to the dark side. “Usually children without guidance make other mistakes.”

Cook expressed excitement at getting to push boundaries with his role this season.

“I was causing a little chaos. It was fun, though,” he noted. “I was excited to see that. I was excited to get in on some of that toxicity and do a little manipulation of my own. When [showrunner] Meaghan [Oppenheimer] first told me, I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Based on Carola Lovering‘s novel of the same name, Tell Me Lies follows the messy relationship between college students Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White). Season 3, which premiered in January, took a turn when Evan’s ex Bree secretly sparked a romance with his friend Wrigley (Spencer House).

“It was an adjustment — obviously — just in terms of where does that leave everything and how do we work through this triangle now,” Cook shared with Us. “How does that affect everybody’s relationship?”

Cook called it “fun” getting to connect the dots. At the same time, he joked that the reveal meant fewer people are rooting for Bree and Evan.

“Nobody is rooting for Evan ever. But it was cool and it’s funny,” he quipped. “Any time you add an element like that, it makes the job a lot more fun. The more drama, the better.”

Missal, meanwhile, praised Tell Me Lies for thinking outside of the box.

“Honestly, I think [Bree and Wrigley’s] relationship offers the dynamic of the show a bit of relief. I think people were yearning for that and I think the writers were so smart in doing that,” she told Us. “It’s a really beautiful thing.”

Missal teased how the fictional relationship will play out, adding, “For Bree, she’s just searching for security and searching for a truth that she’s not getting with most of these relationships in her life. And Wrigley opens that door a little bit for her.”

Elsewhere in Tuesday’s episode, Wrigley and Bree were making plans to break up with their respective partners so they could start dating. But Wrigley’s attempt to break up with Pippa (Sonia Mena) took a turn when she asked him to sleep with her one last time … to awkward results.

While Hulu has yet to announce Tell Me Lies‘ future, Oppenheimer previously weighed in on the show’s future.

“In terms of future seasons, it’s impossible to really know at this point,” Oppenheimer shared with Us. “I certainly had always thought this was always more or less the ending I’d had in mind.”

Oppenheimer didn’t rule out a return. “But you never know what’s going to happen in the future,” she continued. “But there’s definitely a sense where I didn’t want to leave anything hanging this season. Basically, I wanted to satisfy everyone.”

New episodes of Tell Me Lies air Tuesdays on Hulu.