Listen for the Lie

On the seventh episode of the podcast, Ben interviews Lucy, who describes her side of things to the public for the first time. The last thing she remembers on the day of the wedding is leaving home; the next thing she knew, she was walking on the side of the road covered in dirt and blood. When the police took her in, she kept asking where Savvy was. Lucy believes this means that perhaps she didn’t kill Savvy after all. Lucy denies ever having gotten into a violent altercation with Savvy, or that Savvy could have ever been violent herself.

Ben doesn’t seem concerned that Lucy is thinking of killing him. She tells him about the intrusive thoughts she has had for years and describes the different ways she imagines killing him now. Ben is aroused by this, and they have sex.

At home, Kathleen confronts Lucy about the podcast episode with Nina, asking her not to ruin Nina’s life. Lucy wonders why Kathleen is less defensive about her daughter. She reveals that Ben will probably end the show pinning the murder on Lucy. However, Kathleen seems relieved that he doesn’t have any hard evidence, meaning that Lucy can’t be charged for the crime. Lucy wonders why Kathleen has always believed that she did it and wonders if she knows something more than she is letting on.

On the podcast, Ben and Lucy discuss her parents’ and Matt’s attitudes toward her after Savvy’s death. Ben suggests that besides the head injury, their belief that Lucy did it probably traumatized her into not remembering any details. He also suggests that Lucy hasn’t tried hard enough to remember, as she doesn’t want to.

Realizing Ben is right, Lucy asks Matt and Ben to visit the wedding venue with her. Matt walks her through the events of the night he can remember before getting drunk, and Lucy remembers flashes. She remembers being outside, and an angry Savvy discovering her kissing a man who is not Matt. However, Lucy doesn’t remember who the man is, or why Savvy was angry.

After dropping Ben back at the hotel, Lucy goes to Matt’s house. Matt realizes that Lucy remembered something earlier, and Lucy confesses that she kissed someone else at the wedding. Matt wonders whether the man is Colin, explaining Savvy’s anger, but Lucy is sure it isn’t him. Matt kisses Lucy and asks her if they can start over.

Suddenly, Lucy remembers more: In a flashback, Lucy is covered in Savvy’s blood, and Matt asks her whose blood it is. Lucy says that someone deserved it and that they had a plan. She begins to say something about Savvy, then notices that she is holding a tree branch covered in blood, and she screams and runs.

In the present, Matt confesses that he got rid of the branch to protect Savvy before he tried to follow her. He is not sure what happened between Lucy and Savvy, but he believes Lucy did what she had to protect herself. However, Lucy realizes Matt is keeping something from her and leaves.

In a flashback to five years prior, Savvy interrupts Lucy kissing Matt outside the wedding venue before storming away. Lucy tells Matt she won’t sleep with him after he tried to drown her in the bathtub just hours earlier. Matt dismisses this and threatens to sleep with other people; Lucy reveals she knows he already is, and proposes she will, too. Matt angrily stalks back into the wedding, as a familiar voice approaches asking if Lucy is okay.

Lucy goes home feeling confused and overwhelmed, unable to make out her real memories from constructed ones. She books a flight back to LA and tells Ben that she is leaving soon. She refuses to tell him what she remembered, claiming she doesn’t care what he says about her on the podcast.

Lucy confronts Don about whether Matt told him she killed Savvy. Don affirms this, revealing Kathleen wanted Lucy to confess straightaway. However, Matt and Don wanted to wait until Lucy’s memory returned so they could learn what happened. Lucy is amazed that her parents believed Matt despite him having been drunk and not having actually seen her do it. She suggests someone else could have been there, but Don asserts Matt saw no one else around.

Lucy has dinner with Beverly, who tells her Ben thinks Lucy is convinced she did it. Lucy tearily affirms this, but Beverly states she has complete faith in Lucy’s innocence because she knows Lucy so well. She asks Lucy not to give up yet.

As Lucy drives home from Beverly’s, she passes Emmett’s shop and stops to tell him she is leaving. Emmett kisses her, and suddenly Lucy remembers he was the one kissing her at the wedding. Savvy had angrily interrupted them and dragged Lucy away to her car.

Nina arrives and interrupts Lucy and Emmett’s kiss in the present. She speaks to Emmett inside the store while Lucy waits in her car. As Lucy wonders why Savvy was so angry, the memory resurfaces.

In a flashback to five years prior, as Savvy and Lucy drive away in Savvy’s car, Savvy explains that she is not angry with Lucy, but concerned about her. Lucy shouldn’t be kissing Matt or Emmett, as the former is abusive and the latter is not a nice man. Savvy dispels Lucy’s notion about Emmett being a “sweetheart”, pointing out how he is only nice to Lucy because he has always been in love with her. Savvy slept with Emmett once, some months ago. Besides the sex being bad and rough, he was also rude and physically aggressive with her when she refused to sleep with him again.

Lucy realizes that she really should leave Matt but doesn’t want to kill him. Savvy and Lucy decide that they will leave town together the next day and start their lives over in California. Suddenly, Savvy sees something outside and exclaims, “What the hell?” (301).

In the present, Lucy looks up to see Emmett yelling at Nina inside the store. She now remembers that Emmett left the wedding in his truck right after Savvy and Lucy. She calls Ben, who confirms that Emmett claims he stayed at the wedding the entire night.

Lucy tells Ben she is at Emmett’s shop. As she watches Emmett grab Nina’s wrists, she recognizes the way Nina flinches and realizes that Emmett has been hurting Nina. She says this out loud as Nina runs out and Emmett comes to the car. The rest of the memory comes flooding back.

In a flashback to five years prior, Emmett’s truck is parked on the road ahead of Savvy’s car. Emmett asks to talk to Lucy alone, but Savvy insists on waiting. Emmett admits he has been in love with Lucy for years and asks her to leave Matt, claiming he knows Lucy doesn’t love him. Lucy reflects on how Emmett is creating his own narrative about her. She rejects Emmett, stating she doesn’t have feelings for him. The rejection angers Emmett, and when Savvy interrupts, he grabs Lucy and pulls her away. Lucy punches Emmett, and he lunges at her in retaliation.

In the present, Emmett hangs up on Ben and pockets Lucy’s phone before taking her keys as well. He gently asks her to come inside, but Lucy is confused, as in her head Emmet is screaming and Savvy’s voice is telling her to run.

In a flashback to five years prior, Emmett attacks both Savvy and Lucy, who fight back and break free. They accidentally run away from the road, allowing Emmett to catch up with them with a huge metal hammer. Emmett punches Lucy, and when Savvy wrestles the hammer out of his hand, he hits her with a fallen tree branch. Lucy grabs Savvy and begs Emmett to let them go. They suddenly hear Matt’s voice in the distance. Before Lucy can respond, Emmett picks up the hammer and hits Lucy in the head. Savvy screams for help, and as Emmett aims for Lucy again, Savvy blocks the blow and gets hit instead. She falls into Lucy’s lap, who can hear Matt’s voice before she loses consciousness.

As Lucy struggles with the resurfacing memories in the present, Emmett confesses he was there that night, assuming Matt has already told Lucy. In his version, he claims that Savvy saw Lucy and Emmett kissing and got jealous because of their old fling. Emmett left the wedding shortly after them to tend to his dog at home, but he came across Savvy’s parked car and the two women yelling at each other.

Emmett asserts he saw Lucy hit Savvy with the tree branch. He claims he didn’t tell the police because he loves Lucy and thought he and Matt could take care of things themselves. After he is done with his story, Lucy reveals her memory has returned, and she punches Emmett in the face.

With Savvy’s voice in her head egging her on, Lucy fights Emmett. He retaliates, dragging her into the store and trying to kill her with a huge hammer like he did years ago. Although injured, Lucy manages to wrest control of the hammer and runs after Emmett with it. Ben suddenly arrives on the scene. Lucy tells him everything she remembered, pointing out Matt even saw Emmett that night. Emmett tries to claim that Lucy is lying and she is trying to kill him like she killed Savvy, but Ben believes Lucy.

At the hospital, Ben tells the police he heard Emmett yelling about having tried to kill Lucy before. Lucy confronts Ben, as Emmett never said this. However, Ben asserts it is close enough to what happened and people will believe him; no one would believe Lucy’s word alone. Lucy hears Savvy’s voice gently reiterate that the truth doesn’t matter.

Matt, Kathleen, and Don are waiting for Lucy outside the hospital. Lucy confronts Matt about not revealing that Emmett was there that night and believing him over her. The police want to talk to Matt and her parents about withholding evidence. Matt defends their actions, asserting they were only trying to protect Lucy. Lucy retorts that he was only protecting himself, as investigations would have uncovered his abuse. Savvy is the only one who ever protected Lucy.

In the final episode of the podcast, Ben reveals that Emmett has been charged with Savvy’s murder, while Matt, Kathleen, and Don have been charged with withholding evidence. He speaks to several people about this. Beverly states she was always sure of Lucy’s innocence, and Lucy is enraged that her own parents believed Matt over her. Ivy is still processing this new information. Joanna is disbelieving and thinks that Lucy suddenly remembering everything is suspicious.

Lucy admits that she regrets not coming back earlier and trying to figure things out. She knows some people still don’t believe her, but she has made her peace with it. She reflects that people tend to believe men—like Matt and Emmett—and assume a woman is to blame when in doubt. She is angry, but not surprised at this. Lucy believes Savvy would be happy she is okay now; they were a team until the end.

Lucy stops by Beverly’s place on the way to the airport and thanks her for setting up her meeting with Ben. She confesses that the picture she painted of Savvy on the podcast is not the full story. Beverly knows this but reassures Lucy she is entitled to keep Savvy’s secrets. The internet is still divided about Lucy, but Beverly reiterates she cannot please everyone.

Beverly asks Lucy if she will continue seeing Ben back in LA. Lucy has an unanswered message from Ben on her phone asking if he can take her out once she is back in LA. As Lucy contemplates Beverly’s question, Savvy appears and asserts that Lucy will see Ben. Lucy laughs and types out a reply to Ben’s message.