Summary
The fifth episode stays in a similar form to the previous episodes. Although much of “Merry F*cking Christmas” features Lucy and Stephen separately, it’s great to uncover more of their family relationships.
This recap of the Hulu series Tell Me Lies, season 1, episode 5, “Merry F*cking Christmas”, contains spoilers.
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Based on the episode’s title, it’s likely that the episode is going to take place during the Christmas holiday. But what exactly will happen? Will Lucy and Stephen spend the holidays together? Or will absence make the heart grow fonder for the pair? Read and find out.
Tell Me Lies season 1, episode 5 recap
It’s December 2007, and Lucy is with Max. But she quickly ditches him to spend more time with Stephen. And with the Christmas holiday coming up, Lucy and Stephen are having to prepare for not seeing each other for a while. When Stephen returns home, he goes to see his Mom, who’s in bed with a migraine. But after she hears him come in, she gets Stephen to come and say hi. As Lucy returns home, she learns that she’s got a place in the writing scheme. But the mood soon turns sour when James arrives with flowers.
During a drive with his Mom, Stephen gets into a heated debate over whether or not a flower shop worker is pretty. Later, whilst the family is out for dinner, Stephen’s father is also eating at the restaurant. Whilst the children want to go home, their Mom doesn’t want to leave. Shortly afterward, Stephen’s Dad says that she has to stop doing this, and he quickly leaves with his pregnant partner. And it soon becomes clear that his Mom had purposely arranged the dinner so they would bump into Stephen’s father. Stephen’s Mom attempts to divert blame by saying that it was Stephen who chose to go to the restaurant.
The ending
Lucy calls Stephen, and they both bond over their f*cked-up families. Because of the latest developments in his family, Stephen cancels his plan to meet up with Lucy. Moments later, Lucy booty calls Max. When Lucy leaves her family to go to “Lydia’s”, although it’s most likely to see Max, it disappoints her Mom, C.J. As Lucy and Ma hang out, Diana arrives at Stephen’s house unannounced. Whilst in bed with Max, Lucy opens up about her issues with her Mom. She reveals that as her Dad was dying, her Mom was f*cking James. However, her Mom has no idea that Lucy knows, and this makes it clear why Lucy feels so much resentment towards her Mom. After listening to her story, Max asks Lucy whether she could be depressed. Lucy, however, does not want to put a label on it.
After an upset Lydia calls up Lucy, Lucy punches Rob for her. Towards the end of the show, Lucy’s Mom tells her that she never wonders if people think “if she is sad enough” as she knows she is. Lucy attends a memorial for Macy and Stephen goes to see his Dad. Stephen tells his Dad that he needs a favor. And that favor is to sign a letter for his sister so she can attend college.
A bit of a low-key ending, but that pretty much sums up the show. Overall, a very good episode!
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