Lucy (Grace Van Patten) has a complicated relationship with her mother, CJ Albright (Jessica Capshaw), in Tell Me Lies after a shocking secret that she learned from the past.
Whenever Lucy entertains the thought of her mother in the Hulu series, it is clear that she is unpacking some sort of trauma.
The pair's strained relationship takes center stage in Season 1, Episode 5, with it mainly focusing on the "Unforgivable Thing" that her mother did.
Lucy's Mom's Unforgivable Actions in Tell Me Lies Explained
In Tell Me Lies, Lucy's mom, CJ, lost her husband to cancer. Before his death, CJ had an affair with her husband's best friend, James (Garrett Hines).
Lucy describes her mom's betrayal as unforgivable and "f*cked up" and even tells one of her friends that she lost the privilege of being called her mom which is why she only calls her CJ instead.
In Season 1, Episode 5, Lucy is devastated to learn that her mother is sleeping with James again during the holiday break and this heartbreaking reveal causes her to distance herself from CJ even more.
Lucy has been bottling up her feelings since that moment, and it eventually erupts, leading to her cold treatment of her mother during Christmas.
The feeling of resentment toward her mom has haunted Lucy over the years and the fact that CJ has no idea that her daughter knows about her affair is unfortunate.
The holiday ends with Lucy failing to confront CJ about her affair with James.
CJ's betrayal is quite different from Carola Lovering's novel of the same name.
In the book, Lucy and her mom also have a strained relationship and the animosity between them started when a 14-year-old Lucy discovered that her mother was having an affair with her tennis coach and crush, Gabe Petersen.
Did Lucy & CJ Fix Their Relationship?
Tell Me Lies Season 1, Episode 9 sees Lucy in trouble after she is accused of plagiarism after her LiveJournal entry is similar to an online post that she wrote during high school.
This post details her mom's infidelity toward her dying father after she caught him sleeping with her husband's best friend.
To prove that she is not plagiarizing anything, she calls CJ to bail her out and prove the story.
This is where CJ finds out that Lucy is aware of her affair while her husband is on her deathbed.
While CJ helps her daughter steer clear of the plagiarism allegations, a not-so-intense confrontation between mother and daughter ensues, where CJ tells Lucy that she doesn't know where to start to apologize.
For the first time, CJ and Lucy have an honest conversation about the issue, but it is rudely interrupted by Stephen (Jackson White).
Although CJ and Lucy's heart-to-heart conversation does not last long, the fact that they manage to open up about the issue is already a win and the hope is it will ignite a spark that would mend their relationship in the future.
Tell Me Lies Season 1 is streaming on Hulu. New episodes of Tell Me Lies Season 2 premiere every Wednesday at midnight PT.
Read more about Tell Me Lies:
Tell Me Lies: So Who Does Lucy End Up With?
What Lucy Did to Lydia in Tell Me Lies, Explained
Drew's Departure from 'Tell Me Lies' Explained: Why He Left the Show
