Tell Me Lies: Official Podcast

Episode Title: She Just Can’t Help It
Date: January 20, 2026
Host: Stassi Schroeder
Guests: Grace Van Patten (Lucy), Katharine Missel (Brie), Tila Dunn (superfan)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into episode four ("She Just Can’t Help It") of Tell Me Lies Season 3. Host Stassi Schroeder chats with stars Grace Van Patten (Lucy), Katharine Missel (Brie), and superfan Tila Dunn about the latest drama: relationships, secrets, betrayals, and the power of female friendship. They unpack the most jaw-dropping moments, character growth, and on- and off-screen dynamics, and swap stories about life, social media, and nostalgia.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Episode 4 Recap & Immediate Reactions

• [00:01]–[03:00] Stassi recaps Episode 4’s hottest moments: Diana’s abortion dilemma, Steven’s manipulations, the Facebook page scandal, Brie’s photo exhibit sabotage, girl power alliances, and the climactic wedding flash-forwards.
  • “Can we please just take a moment for Wrigley? In this scene, she's making a huge decision without consulting me. First consult.” — Stassi Schroeder [00:26]
  • “Stephen plots to use Diana's pregnancy to get back in with her dad, which is completely unhinged. But she obviously sees right through his plan…” — Stassi [01:03]

2. Fun, Light-Hearted Icebreakers

• [03:05]–[05:51] The group asks each other playful “Would You Rather?” questions and swap stories about childhood TV shows ("Hannah Montana," "Wizards of Waverly Place," "Lizzie McGuire").
  • “Would you rather date Shrek or the old man from Up?” — Stassi [03:43]
  • “We're both kind of like, well, I'm decorating my house… Facebook Marketplace.” — Grace Van Patten [04:56]

3. On Social Media (or Lack Thereof)

• [05:10]–[05:48]
  • Grace and Kat reveal they don’t really use TikTok or Instagram for leisure.
  • “We are rare breed. We don't have…” — Grace Van Patten [04:33]
  • “It gives me anxiety.” — Grace Van Patten [05:21]
  • “I don't have it on my phone … I actually have to redownload it [for the show].” — Katharine Missel [05:25]

4. Inspirations for Lucy & Brie’s On-Screen Friendship

• [05:51]–[06:39]
  • The cast discusses which female duos inspired Lucy and Brie’s dynamic.
    • “Miley and Lily—Brie's Lily, for sure.”—Katharine Missel [06:06], [06:08]
    • “Thelma and Louise… maybe O.C. vibes, like Marissa.”—Katharine Missel [06:18], [06:20]
    • “A group of toxic friends.”—Stassi Schroeder [06:36]

5. Evolution of Lucy & Brie’s Relationship

• [06:45]–[08:24]
  • Both characters have "trauma bonded." Their relationship deepens from season to season as they become confidantes.
  • “Season one seems like so long ago… first season, it's very much like everyone's kind of in it for themselves… second season, we were like each other's confidants, and we totally held each other's secrets…” — Grace Van Patten [06:51]
  • “They're trauma bonded but for reasons they might not even understand.” — Katharine Missel [07:39]
  • “Seeing female friendship is always just, like, my fucking favorite part.” — Stassi Schroeder [08:01]

6. Lucy’s Loyalty Shift: Choosing Brie Over Steven

• [08:24]–[09:55]
  • Lucy’s choice marks growth, showing her acting on intuition—however briefly—to prioritize female friendship over her toxic relationship with Steven.
  • “I was proud of Lucy in that moment reading it. I was, like, not expecting her to choose a girl over Steven.” — Grace Van Patten [08:07]
  • “She just can't help it. It's like she is addicted to him. He is a drug to her… she did [choose Brie] for a hot second.” — Grace Van Patten [09:55]

7. The Depths of Lucy & Brie’s Bond

• [09:55]–[11:30]
  • They share a repressed darkness, making them feel safe together.
  • “There's a darkness to both of them… a repressed sense.” — Katharine Missel [08:24]
  • “It's so much overcompensation to, like, make Brie believe that Lucy is there for her, but she's really just feeling so incredibly guilty…” — Grace Van Patten [08:33]

8. On Female Friendship, Trauma Bonding, and Off-Screen Chemistry

• [11:11]–[13:26]
  • Lucy and Diana finally bond as women manipulated by the same man; cast reveals the off-screen cast friendships.
  • “It's such a good opportunity to show these two girls bonding over what they've been… they've dealt with the same issues and the same person just trying to ruin their lives.” — Grace Van Patten [11:16]
  • “We're friends in real life. Like, we're all of us bonded a lot over filming. And so I think that, like, a lot of that chemistry is just… real.” — Katharine Missel [12:27]
  • “There's no. We don't have to try and feel close.” — Grace Van Patten [12:38]

9. Parental Figures: Oliver and Marianne’s Hold

• [13:26]–[14:48]
  • Marianne serves as a mother figure for Lucy & Brie; Oliver a father figure for Brie.
  • “Lucy really saw Marianne as, like, a motherly figure, I think, which she lacks hardcore.” — Grace Van Patten [13:56]
  • “She seeks a motherly figure out of Marianne and a fatherly figure out of Oliver.” — Katharine Missel [14:37]

10. Brie’s Insecurities and Growth

• [14:48]–[16:32]
  • Brie is defined by insecurity and her search for external validation; Oliver’s “needy” accusation is harshly critiqued.
  • “Brie is not needy. Like, when Oliver says that to Brie… She was just, like, gaslit, like, love bomb.” — Stassi Schroeder [15:44], [15:51]
  • “She looks for security within her relationships, within her friendships, and her friends aren't very secure people.” — Katharine Missel [15:33]

11. Favorite Scenes and Character Growth

• [17:13]–[18:47]
  • The cast reminisce about favorite scenes, especially the MDMA dance sequence—both fun and a representation of their closeness.
  • “When we're dancing and we're on mdma. That was really fun and really cute… it really set the tone for their closeness this season.” — Grace Van Patten [17:45]
  • “Like, they're very intertwined in this way… it's interesting to see, like, are they staying close… is it 1000% genuine?” — Grace Van Patten [18:27]

12. Steven Gets Outplayed—And Observes the Wedding Reveal

• [19:04]–[20:36]
  • Brie “beats Steven at his own game” at the wedding, leading to the Wrigley and Brie secret coming out.
  • “Does Steven ever lose? What's winning to Steven? He doesn't know what happiness is lost.” — Stassi Schroeder [19:22]
  • “I loved reading that. The end of four. It was just like. It felt like a puzzle. It was like, Clue.” — Grace Van Patten [20:08]
  • “The Wrigley thing came out of nowhere, and then it became my favorite relationship… This is genius.” — Stassi Schroeder [20:28]

13. Off-Screen Friendships & Day-in-the-Life

• [20:53]–[22:05]
  • Grace shares anecdotes about being Stassi’s neighbor and their chill routines.
  • “I've seen Stassi on the street and I've been too nervous to go up to her, so…” — Grace Van Patten [21:23]
  • “What do you do? Yeah, well, I have two kids.” — Stassi Schroeder [22:01]

Tila Dunn’s Superfan Segment: Hot Takes & Nostalgia

1. On Social Media Influencer Energy

• [22:53]–[23:59]
  • “Lucy… just tries so hard to be liked… I could see her being like, an influencer that does, like, a little bit of everything and then, like, quits.” — Tila Dunn [24:07]
  • “I just don't feel like she ever really fully commits to anything.” — Stassi Schroeder [23:53]

2. Most Talked-About Character: Steven

• [25:14]–[26:25]
  • Steven's manipulation is a fan fascination and a repeated discussion topic among viewers.
  • “Steven fascinates me. Cause he's such a… master manipulator. He loves a good blackmailer… it's like watching a serial killer.” — Tila Dunn [25:39], [26:20]
  • “I feel personally attacked by Steven.” — Stassi Schroeder [26:30]

3. Best (and Worst) Friend Material

• [28:10]–[29:18]
  • “It definitely wouldn't be Lucy. I'm so sorry… she's so messy in her own life. How can she help anybody else?” — Tila Dunn [28:22], [28:44]
  • “I feel like Diana. I love her.” — Tila Dunn [29:01]
  • “Don't hate the player. Hate the game… She got the prize first.” — Tila Dunn [29:22]

4. Toxic Female Friendships: The Molly Problem

• [29:24]–[31:06]
  • Tila relays her own story of a gossiping “Regina George” friend, comparing her to Molly’s betrayals.
  • “Molly's problematic because I had a friend like this growing up. I'd say between the ages of 18 to, like, 23. One of my most toxic girl friendships ever… she was basically like Regina George…” — Tila Dunn [29:44]
  • “Molly is a dangerous woman because… if somebody confides in you with something that is very vulnerable and they really trust you, it's so rude to do that.” — Tila Dunn [30:51]

5. Rumor Mill Confessions

• [31:11]–[32:43]
  • Tila retells a viral rumor about her “dating Hannah Montana’s brother”—which was completely false but widely believed.
  • “People fully think that I had a full blown relationship with the guy who played Hannah Montana's older brother. Mind you never met him.” — Tila Dunn [32:24]

6. Real Life Rule Followers vs. TV Drama

• [33:21]–[34:59]
  • Both Stassi and Tila confess to their real-life “good girl” tendencies.
  • “Rule follower. There's a reason the world works because we put rules in place.” — Stassi Schroeder [34:07]
  • “If you don't have structure, you just fall apart. This is why you built a proper foundation.” — Tila Dunn [34:18]

7. Crushes and The “Look”

• [35:46]–[37:19]
  • Tila and Stassi discuss exchanging longing stares and meet-cutes. Stassi jokes she hasn’t “made eyes” in 15 years due to marriage.
  • “If I'm interested in a person, I will make that eye contact…” — Tila Dunn [36:21]
  • “I haven't made eyes in, like, 15 years.” — Stassi Schroeder [36:36]

Notable Quotes

• “She just can’t help it. It's like she is addicted to him. He is a drug to her.”
  — Grace Van Patten, on Lucy’s feelings for Steven [09:55]

• “They're trauma bonded but for reasons they might not even understand.”
  — Katharine Missel, on Brie and Lucy [07:39]

• “It gives me anxiety.”
  — Grace Van Patten, on social media [05:21]

• “Steven fascinates me… it’s like watching a serial killer.”
  — Tila Dunn [26:20]

• “Rule follower. There's a reason the world works because we put rules in place.”
  — Stassi Schroeder [34:07]

• “We might need to ask a professional about whether [trauma bonding] is right or not. But I think entirely intention is. Yes.”
  — Stassi Schroeder [11:50]

• “Drugs and trauma. And they have both.”
  — Grace Van Patten, on Brie & Lucy’s friendship [18:05]

Key Timestamps

• [00:01] – Episode introduction & plot recap
• [03:05] – “Would You Rather?” and childhood TV
• [06:45] – On-screen duos and character inspirations
• [06:51] – The evolution of Brie and Lucy
• [08:07] – Lucy chooses Brie over Steven
• [09:55] – Addiction to toxic love
• [12:27] – Real-life female cast friendships
• [13:26] – Parental figures in the story
• [14:48] – Brie’s insecurities & Oliver’s gaslighting
• [17:45] – Favorite (and craziest) scenes
• [19:04] – Outplaying Steven & the wedding climax
• [22:53] – Tila Dunn’s superfan hot takes
• [24:07] – Which character would be an influencer?
• [25:39] – Steven’s “serial killer” vibes
• [29:44] – Toxic friendships in life and onscreen
• [31:11] – Tila’s false dating rumor
• [34:07] – Real-life “good girls” vs. unhinged Lucy
• [36:21] – Longing stares & meet-cutes

Key Takeaways

• Friendship Evolution: Lucy and Brie’s bond has grown from self-interest to deep, if complicated, closeness—rooted in trauma, loyalty, and guilt.
• Lucy’s Addiction: Lucy’s inability to break free from Steven is likened to addiction; her brief loyalty shift feels monumental.
• Female Power: Moments when women support other women (Lucy choosing Brie, Lucy bonding with Diana) are celebrated above all.
• On-Screen vs. Off-Screen: The off-screen cast bonds genuinely translate into on-screen chemistry, amplifying the emotional impact of female friendships.
• Real-life Parallels: The guests compare their personal experiences of toxic friendships and high-stress group dynamics to those dramatized on the show.
• Steven as Antihero: Steven remains the show’s most talked-about manipulator and emotional minefield—endlessly fascinating and infuriating.
• Nostalgia & Relatability: Childhood TV, relationship drama, and social media anxieties are woven through both the narrative and the actors’ real-life experiences, grounding the conversation in universal coming-of-age themes.

This episode offers an energetic, candid, and slightly chaotic blend of emotional insight, behind-the-scenes banter, and relatable nostalgia, focusing on the power and complexity of female relationships in both life and fiction.