'Tell Me Lies' Gave a Whole New Meaning to the Term ‘Unhealthy Relationship”

Have you ever been in a truly toxic relationship? I haven’t, but I’ve certainly seen friends and loved ones caught in these cycles…and I’ve seen how deeply they can affect people, especially women. Not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well.

I’ve seen women I love lose alarming amounts of weight due to the stress of it all. I’ve seen them experience panic attacks or mental health issues. They’ve lost hair and gained digestive issues. Some turn to substances and change their eating habits dramatically or struggle to get out of bed each day.

When you’ve seen a toxic relationship up close, you see how accurate the term “toxic” truly is, and how unhealthy — in every way — these relationships can be. And Tell Me Lies, which just aired its series finale after three wild, twisted, toxic seasons, did justice to that experience. 

If you haven’ t watched Tell Me Lies, keep reading. I promise I'll avoid spoiling things here, but I will encourage you to read the book and watch all three seasons of the show. It’s pure millennial gold, complete with a perfect soundtrack and some truly quality acting.

But most of all, it gives us what many call the first truly accurate depiction of a toxic relationship in pop culture. It doesn’t just get into how the wrong relationship can devastate you emotionally; it also gives us a glimpse at how it can affect your health.

We’ve grown up with so many romanticized takes on toxic men. This show is the antidote to all of them. It’s not a love story; it’s a cautionary tale. It shows us how falling in love with the wrong person can strip you of your dignity, your goals, your friendships…even your physical and mental health. It can completely undo you. 

This brilliant little show feeds us the real, raw, nasty truth about toxic relationships and what they can truly do to a person. And it's about time.