Every relationship on Tell Me Lies seems doomed.
They’re all marred with something ugly or masked by this perception of perfection that simply doesn’t exist.
Yet one relationship in Tell Me Lies Season 3 emerges from sincerity, making it nearly impossible not to empathize with it, even if we sense its eventual unraveling.
Wrigley and Bree represent friends in a large group who, despite knowing each other for years, are only now truly connecting.
Their relationship has always been something that exists through other people, making their current evolution relatable.
In the first two seasons, they never had a reason to hang out alone or confide in each other, yet still considered themselves friends because of shared connections.
Bree and Pippa are best friends, and Pippa dates Wrigley. While Bree had a dalliance with Drew, Wrigley’s brother, and also dated Evan, one of Wrigley’s best friends.
So, they’ve existed around each other, but never spent one-on-one time together.
Season 3 flashbacks show them finally connecting on their own, like being the last ones in their group at a party and sharing a photography class, allowing for organic interactions.
Their evolving friendship doesn’t feel like it’s been shoehorned in because the writers are running out of ideas, but instead something purposeful, especially as the two have more in common than they may have ever realized.
Wrigley has been through a lot, and in the early parts of this season, you see him just trying to re-acclimate to life as normally as possible, but his friends are understandably worried about him.
They don’t want to say the wrong things or upset him, so there’s a lot of tiptoeing and monitoring, and it’s understandable.
But Wrigley’s also pretty vocal about it not being what he wants.
When he and Bree spend the night on that bus stop bench, you can see a change in Wrigley’s demeanor, where he feels like someone is finally listening to him in the ways that he needs.
There’s no pandering, but instead understanding.
Bree isn’t sober, and Wrigley’s aware, but her words feel genuine, soothing something in him and making him feel a little less crazy, if only for a little while.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the conversation was one of the best moments of the early hours, and I just kept thinking to myself, why have we never seen these two together before?
As Bree struggles with personal issues and Oliver’s manipulations, she asks Wrigley to confirm whether she’s too needy, since she’s starting to doubt herself. Wrigley responds heartfeltly and does not dismiss her concerns or offer empty reassurances.
Wrigley and Bree still don’t know each other well, but he’s unwilling to let her believe anything negative about herself.
And it’s in moments like that that you can see the two are deepening a superficial friendship into something more meaningful.
And as we see at Evan and Bree’s wedding in the future, that tentative connection they’re fostering in the past must blossom into something more because there was a sea of longing forming in the center of that dance floor.
But just what happened to them in the past? And over the subsequent years?
Wrigley wears his emotions on his face, and the Wrigley at that wedding is still head over heels in love with Bree.
He says as much to Pippa, and diabolical Stephen clocks everything just by looking between the two as they sway to the music, but can’t keep their eyes off each other.
Given that things on Tell Me Lies are never as they seem, though, there’s likely a twist or two yet to be revealed that will give greater context.
I could be changing my tune entirely about the Wrigley and Bree connection being the best thing about this season.
But let me live in my bubble a little bit longer, where we’re watching two young people connect on a deeper level amid some of the most trying years of their lives.
Among all the psychological turbulence of Tell Me Lies, these hopeful, genuine moments between Wrigley and Bree offer much-needed lightness and possibility.
Their bond stands as a hopeful counterpoint to the show’s darker themes.
How are you guys feeling about Wrigley and Bree?
A lot of people guessed Wrigley was the mystery man in one of the wedding scenes in previous seasons, but now that Tell Me Lies has all but confirmed it, how do you think things went down with them?
And now that Stephen DeMarco knows something is up, how will things unfold from here?
Let me know in the comments so we can discuss!
You can watch Tell Me Lies on Hulu. New episodes air on Tuesdays.
-
Dunk needs to make sacrifices on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 2, as he realizes that nobody remembers Ser Arlan.
-
On The Night Manager Season 2 Episode 5, no one is safe now that Roper knows Pine is on his trail. We review every nerve-wracking move!
-
In Spartacus: House of Ashur Season 1 Episode 8, A shocking death changes everything. We analyze Tarchon’s future, the new female gladiator, and the rebellion.
