Tell Me Lies has debuted the first three episodes of its ten episode season run on Hulu. The series follows the toxic relationship between Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco. The two met in college and their love affair nearly burned down everything in both of their lives and hurt the people around them as well.
One such person is Diana, Stephen’s ex-girlfriend who he’s still romantically and sexually entangled with despite their split the year prior. The two can’t seem to stay away from one another and are often trading barbs while contending with their smoldering chemistry.
Whether they’re sniping at one another on campus or behind closed doors, Diana and Stephen do seem to enjoy going toe-to-toe with one another. Even the classroom has been turned into the battlefield as they both vie for attention from their professor and assert their intellect in a learning environment.
A prime example of this takes place in episode 2 “Hot-Blooded.” The reading had focused on hard and soft power. The on-and-off pair each picked a side and explained their points.
Tell Me Lies: What is hard and soft power?
Diana held that hard power is the most effective means of governing. She cited the use of military force to maintain order and the status quo when it comes to global politics. It’s this show of might that persuades other countries to do what one nation or a group of nations want them to do.
Stephen, however, countered that while hard power is the most immediate form of coercion, it’s actually soft power that’s the most effective in the long term. By definition, soft power is a country’s use of cultural and economic influence–not military force–that persuades other countries to do something another country or countries wants.
His example is the professor’s decision to call upon Diana, who Stephen describes as the prettiest person in the room, instead of calling on one of the other students raising their hand. His insinuation is that it’s Diana’s beauty that holds the most sway in the classroom. She’s deferred to because she’s attractive and that is a form of soft power whether she’s consciously using that to her favor or not.
Stephen tells her that his position was a compliment. However, it’s a backhanded one considering it also implies that it’s not Diana’s intellect that’s holding their professor’s attention but rather her appearance.
This isn’t the only time Stephen undermines Diana’s position in the classroom, unfortunately. But it also denotes Stephen’s belief in soft power considering he’s often using his influence to persuade the people in his life to his point of view. He plays on their insecurities, the faults in their logic, and changes their feelings on him by destabilizing their belief systems.
Stephen is a charismatic wordsmith with a silver tongue who knows how to turn a conversation to his favor. No wonder he wants to be a wealthy (likely unscrupulous) lawyer.
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more Tell Me Lies news and coverage. New episodes of the show premiere Wednesdays on Hulu.
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September 07, 2022 at 12:45PM
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Tell Me Lies episode 2: What is hard and soft power? - Hidden Remote
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