Tell Me Lies Season 3, Episode 2 unveiled Bree's unexpected reunion with Alex (Costa D'Angelo), an individual who clearly knows a lot about her traumatic past. Bree has had quite the journey in Hulu's romantic drama series, considering she broke up with her longtime boyfriend Evan and engaged in an intimate relationship with a 45-year-old professor named Oliver at Baird College.
Despite the mess she experienced during her freshman year, Tell Me Lies' 2015 timeline confirmed that Bree ends up with Evan, though her situation is far more complicated than that because of a secret tied to Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten). Season 3 explored more of Bree's friendship with Lucy and newcomer Alex, who later turns out to be her former foster brother.
How Alex And Bree Knew Each Other in Tell Me Lies Season 3
Tell Me Lies introduced Alex as a campus drug dealer and a psychology student at Baird College who actually knows Bree because they spent time growing up together in a difficult group home. Bree and Alex's dynamic is rooted in their traumatic childhood, with Bree telling Lucy in Season 3, Episode 2 that she met him in a foster home, which she described as "the bad one."
Bree revealed that Alex protected her during tough times in the dysfunctional foster home. She also admitted that she suppressed those memories because of how bad her experience was, and the only thing she can remember is that Alex was nice to her amid the chaos.
While they were studying in the same college, Alex held back from approaching Bree because he was unsure if she could still remember him or if she was intentionally avoiding him. While some have pointed out that Alex is a red flag due to his mysterious demeanor, his connection to Bree appears genuine and reassuring, especially after her revelation that she had a problematic childhood.
Alex appears to view Bree as an important figure from her past, and the same could be said for Bree because she still refers to him as her "old foster brother" in Episode 3. That said, it's reasonable to assume that Alex's primary goal is to protect Bree no matter what, while offering a genuine family figure for her after experiencing a mess of a situation in Tell Me Lies Season 2. Despite that, Alex still harbors secrets that could drastically alter Bree's dynamic with some of her friends, most notably Lucy.
Tell Me Lies Reveals Alex Still Has Red Flags
Tell Me Lies Season 3, Episode 3 showed Bree formally introducing Alex to the group, and this marked the beginning of a new problematic dynamic with Lucy.
After telling Lucy more about Bree's childhood and how bossy she gets during their time at the "bad" foster home, Alex admitted to her that he really doesn't want anything serious and directly asks Lucy for a no-strings-attached intimate relationship (or even a one night stand), noting that he is "not trying to get close to people [he's] never gonna see again after [he] leaves."
Lucy is clearly in a vulnerable state since she broke up with Stephen, making things complicated for whom she actually ends up with in the 2015 timeline. The fact that Bree also encouraged Lucy to hook up with Alex also presents another messy situation for the Tell Me Lies protagonist.
Episode 3 ended with Alex and Lucy finally hooking up, and it highlighted the unusual dynamic between the pair because Alex was willing to comply with Lucy's request to degrade her while they were having sex. Alex's willingness to comply suggests that he is enabling self-harm for Lucy, which is clearly a red flag.
Moreover, there are signs that Alex is not a saint. Tell Me Lies shows Alex doesn't really genuinely care for anyone (aside from Bree), and the fact that he is now closely tied to Lucy suggests that not everything will go well for her, especially after a flash forward in Tell Me Lies Season 3's 2015 timeline spoiled that Lucy experienced the worst during her sophomore year at Baird College.
