One of us is Lying- Season 2, A Review

Keep your friends close. Keep your secrets closer.

One of us is Lying Season 1 Review (Top 10 2021).

The second season of One of us is Lying follows the ‘Murder Club’ as they now begin receiving anonymous texts from someone calling themselves ‘Simon Says’, instructing each of them to carry out certain tasks or risk being arrested for Jake’s (Barrett Carnahan, Cruel Summer) murder. At first the group attempt to ignore the texts but ‘Simon’ proves persistent and once again the five are thrust into another investigation as they scramble to unmask ‘Simon’ before it’s too late.

Things are far from easy however, especially with Vanessa (Sara Thompson) launching a full on media campaign into the group, convinced that they murdered Jake. Jake’s Brother Cole (Joe Witkowski) also shows up in town, desperate for answers. Now in a race against time the five must continue to carry out Simon Says’ deadly deeds whilst also maintaining their own innocence and keeping up the charade that Jake fled to Mexico. With their lives literally on the line here can the group unmask another killer and come out of the other side or will this deadly game go too far and leave Murder Club no more?

When season two of One of us is Lying was first announced it was also revealed that the storyline wouldn’t be a direct adaptation of the second book in the trilogy (One of us is Next) but instead its own thing, continuing to follow the original Murder Club now also including Janae (Jessica McLeod). Whilst season two definitely is its own thing it does also borrow the anonymous texting elements from the original second book, sort of merging together the original cast with the new mystery- which I actually really liked. Obviously One of us is Next did have some great characters that we sadly didn’t set to see make it over to the TV show but I do like how we got to further develop the characters we already had, well past anything that happened within the original novel. It’s so rare that a TV adaptation goes further with its characters than the book did but in this case I definitely feel like the TV versions of Nate (Cooper van Grootel), Addy (Annalisa Cochrane), Bronwyn (Marianly Tejada) and Cooper (Chibuikem Uche) are more fleshed out and likeable than their book counterparts. This obviously isn’t a criticism of the original books but an extended television series means you’re going to be able to explore more with the story and characters and I’ve really liked the directions the show has gone in, it’s been really interesting to see what happens next or the Bayview Four.

The Simon Says storyline made for an interesting mystery and whilst anonymous text threats aren’t anything ground-breaking for the teen drama genre it’s definitely a classic for a reason. Here The Murder Club were blackmailed over their involvement in Jake’s death, instantly giving us that sense of urgency as the group scrambled to avoid jail time. Whilst also carrying out ‘Simon’s’ dares there was also the added mystery of who was threatening them in the first place and why they were so determined to avenge Jake’s death. A lot of ‘Simon’s’ threats put the group in serious danger and I really loved the rising tension throughout. Season two definitely borrowed a lot of aspects from the original second novel and even if we didn’t get to carry the characters over I’m glad we got to keep the ‘truth or dare’ aspect with a slight twist because I really did love his aspect of the book, it was a lot of fun.

I was really surprised by how much I ended up loving Vanessa this season, but her 2×06 central episode really put her in a new light and made her an essential part of the group. Up until this point she’d been using social media to ‘investigate’ Jake’s disappearance by using her popularity to draw in tips and generally harass the Murder Club but after being laughed off too many times she actually sat down and did some honest to god investigating, proving to be a real asset in solving Simon Says’ identity. It was genuinely uplifting to see a previously self-centred character actually prove herself and work to be taken seriously and I just loved the plotline of Vanessa, Keely (Zenia Marshall) and Evan (Martin Bobb-Semple) carrying out their own investigation and actually stumbling on some valuable evidence, it was nice to focus on some of the smaller character for once.

Additionally I loved Maeve (Melissa Collazo) and Janae’s bigger roles this season, both are easily my favourite characters of the series. The two played relatively minor roles in the original book (although Maeve does have a starring role in book 2) and so I like how the show has elevated them to be part of the main group, again showcasing how the series allows its characters to develop further than the original novel. Aside from being an adorable couple (another book to TV change I really liked), the pair are great assets to The Murder Club, with Maeve having an extraordinary brain and Janae having the connection to Simon and also being a quick thinker when needed. Season two did shockingly end with Maeve betraying the rest of the group in order to save them and so I’m interested to see how this effects the group dynamic moving forward and how (or if) Murder Club can ever forgive her.

After the cliff-hanger that we ended on I am absolutely desperate for a third season and really hope that we hear some renewal news soon! The last few minutes of the finale suggested that somebody else in Bayview had been murdered and judging from the locket left at the scene it’s either Bronwyn or someone close to her (at this point I can only assume). As I said above the TV show has moved past the events of the book now with its main cast but with a third One of us is Lying book due to be released later next year I do wonder whether the two are going to coincide and whether McManus (who is involved in the show’s production) is going to use the book for inspiration for season three or even vice versa.

Overall I absolutely loved this second season of One of us is Lying! I like how the show build on the original premise whilst also incorporating details from the second book in the trilogy, meaning we got a brand new mystery but got to stick with the original cast and flesh out their characters even more. Maeve, Janae and Vanessa made great additions to the Murder Club and I really loved their development this season. Overall I continue to love this show and really hope we get to see more- especially after that cliff-hanger, I’m desperate to see what happens next!