This is the second to last episode.

Tell Me Rise Season 3 kicks off with a surprising moment in the midst of all the chaos. Wrigley (Spencer House) and Bree (Misaru Cat) share a kiss in Episode 6. Both are aware of the potential fallout for their friends, yet their feelings for each other are genuine—not just fleeting sentiments, as viewers can tell their love might endure beyond their college days. Wrigley mentions he will break things off with Pippa (Sonia Mena), and Bree agrees to end her relationship with Evan (Branden Cook). However, they’re uncertain about what the future holds.

“Let’s let things settle for now, and then we’ll see how we feel,” Wrigley suggests. For a moment, he seems happier than he’s been all season, radiating confidence, especially when he’s around Bree. Yet, looking back to 2015, a nagging fear for them creeps in. Is this high-pressure environment a breeding ground for their romance? They share a goodbye kiss, only to dive back into the same grim circumstances.

Evan, starting the episode with his usual controlling demeanor, seeks Oliver’s advice on how to get along better with Bree. Oliver comments, “Are you asking me how to mess with her head?” It’s a sign of some maturity on Evan’s part, yet he uses his skewed understanding of Bree to his advantage. He labels her as “scared” and “desperate for stability,” suggesting that if she needs him, she won’t let him go. Seriously, Evan, just stop.

The morning after the anti-Valentine’s Day party, Lucy (Grace Van Patten) confides in Tegan (Bianca Ngara) that Stephen (Jackson White) isn’t a good friend; in fact, she finds him “dangerous.” “Honestly, I’m scared of him,” she admits, revealing a level of honesty she typically keeps under wraps. Tegan processes this information, forming her own conflicted feelings, while Lucy leaves the conversation feeling braver.

That newfound courage, however, leads to a poorly thought-out plan. She convinces Stephen they’re still a couple, gaining his trust to retrieve the confession video, all while denying any claims of an affair between her and Evan. I understand the motive—discrediting Stephen—but dragging Bree into this mess? That’s where I draw the line. Through my many passionate discussions with Decider’s Nicole Gallucci, we often wish they’d simply come clean and end the suffering. Just tell Bree the truth!

Let’s shift focus to Pippa, whose character takes a nosedive. Despite her past mistakes, mainly cheating on Wrigley, I was willing to cut her some slack. But when Wrigley approaches her for a compassionate breakup, she responds with excessive anger. “I feel like you’re trying to manipulate me into saying something,” she accuses, despite her own reluctance to face tough conversations. It seems she might have hoped for this very outcome, wanting to escape. Yet she insists she doesn’t hate Wrigley, even when her actions tell a different story. One can’t help but wonder if she intended to break up or was just fine maintaining her double life with him and hoping for stability.

Pippa shows minimal self-awareness as she goes to Diana, quickly acknowledging her mishandling of the situation. Still rattled by Wrigley’s actions, she feels sensitive about Diana’s plans to attend Stanford law school and move away, voicing her concerns that Stephen should not play a role in Diana’s major life choices. Unfortunately, her points come out sounding childish: “Maybe you don’t care about me as much as him.” An overwhelmed Diana walks away, leaving Pippa in tears. It’s probably more about her realization of losing two partners in one day than anything else.

Meanwhile, at Bree’s photo exhibition, tension runs high. Her mom shows up drunk, but even more unsettling, Stephen arrives sober.

Amidst the rising tensions, everyone keeps their cool. Although Stephen’s relationship with Mary (Emily Meade) intensifies, it ends amicably. Marianne (Gabriella Pétion) awkwardly mentions her last chat with Bree, but it doesn’t escalate. Stephen confronts Lucy outside the party—her scheme unravels, revealing her desperation to obtain the tape. When she begs to see it, he not only shows it to her, but hands it over, insisting he has no copy. Is this more unsettling than anything he’s done before? Could he have been the one behind the photo leak that has Bree questioning Evan and Lucy? Considering how unfazed she appears, perhaps everything will be laid bare in the season finale.

For now, Lucy can breathe easy, as it seems the exhibition wasn’t a total disaster (thanks to Stephen DeMarco’s approval), but the rest of the night tells a different story. Wrigley leaves early to meet Pippa.

Oh, Pippa. She seems oblivious to the struggles her friends are facing. There’s a lot to unpack with her handling of the assault in silence, keeping it from those close to her—Bree, Lucy, Wrigley, Diana. I’m uncertain if the show is trying to draw parallels to her views on Stephen, but there are striking similarities. “He’s going to keep getting away with all this disgusting crap because no one will do anything,” she laments, criticizing Diana and Lucy’s fear and inaction, even though she knows precisely how those feelings play out. Unable to handle her situation, she calls for Wrigley and insists they sleep together, and he agrees wholeheartedly.

The following day, everyone appears drained, but only Lucy seems affected by memory lapses reminiscent of PTSD. She attempts to warn Tegan about Stephen once more, but the scene seems designed to confuse the audience, leaving us as unsure as Lucy feels. To quote my notes: “Wait, what does this mean?”

Or, to echo the show itself:

Tell Me Rise: The Truth About Season 3 Episode 7 (“I Promise Not to Sting”)

Most unpleasant memory of the 2000s: “tape.” Not a physical tape, but rather an SD card packed with files from Stephen’s camera.

The moment that made me want to scream: Everything Pippa did and said. Can someone help her?