Hulu’s Tell Me Lies :: Bringing Back All the College Feels
My friends and I can’t get enough of Tell Me Lies. However, it’s more than just the storyline that keeps us going back for more. The show elicits a trip down memory lane, landing us right back to those wild and free days of college, which were easily one of the most equal parts fun and confusing times of my life.
The series takes place in 2007. The prime college time for those of us who are now between the ages of 35 and 40 years old. If you haven’t watched the show yet, Tell Me Lies involves a group of friends who meet in college. They reunite for a wedding in 2015. It flashes back and forth to the present and past time, giving you the backstory to the relationships.
Is it the story line or the nostalgia?
The juicy storyline keeps you hooked. But it’s that nostalgia that keeps you thinking about the show long after the episode is over. Smiles creep across my face when I see the characters using the flip phones we were so found of. Remember how to text with one hand and not even needing to look at the phone because you memorize how many clicks on which number to get to the letters? That’s true skill. The 2 am text messages after a night out of “U up?” Your stomach flipping when you hear a “bing” and seeing a certain name come across. Re-reading and analyzing text messages like you’re studying for the MCAT.
Solo Cups and bad decisions
I giggle every time I see those solo cups at the parties in the show. I recently went to a bar and couldn’t believe they served me a martini in a plastic cup. But in 2007, I had no problem drinking from a plastic cup during beer pong, that twenty other people had used before me, with blades of grass floating in it. Watching the characters have a rager and then go to class the next day reminded me of stopping at the Union at LSU for a fountain diet coke on three hours of sleep. I miss how my cells could regenerate like that.
Clothing trends
The clothing is on point in the series. Low-rise jeans, “going out” tops, Ugg boots. I’ll never forget my go-to teal, lace-trimmed camisole that was my secret weapon. Jean skirts in every shade of denim were our go-to. It brought me back to going to the Mall of Louisiana with my roommate on a Friday for a new outfit because we “had nothing to wear.” It all came together with either a statement necklace or an infinity scarf.
Tears that turned into laughter
I can’t help but reflect on the many “interesting” decisions I made then as I watch the relationships play out. Sometimes I look back on the romantic relationships and wonder to myself, “What was I thinking?” Wouldn’t it be so cool to go back to that time, having the maturity and confidence we have now in our late 30s? I’ll never forget being in my friend’s apartment, crying over a boy, listening to Shakira’s “Don’t Bother.” I was devastated in that moment. I can look back at it and laugh. Whether it was Lucy, Bree, Wrigley, Evan or (God forbid) a Stephen you had in your life, the “I’ll never get past this” feelings now are stories I can tell with a sense humor. Time has a way of softening the sharp edges.
The last and final season of Tell Me Lies is now streaming on Hulu. Even if you didn’t go to college during the time the show is set, it’s still enticing and entertaining. The storyline keeps you hanging on. However, for those of us who can also experience some nostalgia from it, enjoy the trip down memory lane.
