Truth Be Told Review: Live Thru This (Season 1 Episode 7)

The revelation of Lanie and Warren’s relationship on Truth Be Told Season 1 Episode 7, “Live Thru This,” isn’t exactly shocking. But the scene between them when she visits him in jail is one of the most powerful — if not the most powerful — scenes of the series so far. 

Their relationship isn’t an earth-shattering surprise, but I didn’t make it a point to predict it, either. I find the most joy from TV when I don’t try to predict anything and take what the show gives me for what it is. When I predict something, it’s because the show wants me to or the writing is very sloppy. 

So, Lanie and Warren’s teenage love affair is acceptable, slightly intriguing, and very intense as we see from their visit. 

The intensity of their relationship isn’t as evident from the secret code in their teenage love letter as it is from moments in the present like the fact that Warren has the entire letter memorized 20 years later. Or, the tears in their eyes when they match up their palms through the glass. 

Warren is still the only boy Lanie has ever loved, and Lanie is still the only girl Warren has ever kissed. 

So, it’s obvious why Lanie didn’t tell Warren that Chuck abused her. (If that’s true, but more on that later.) Warren would have killed Chuck for her and she didn’t want that. 

This episode makes it very clear that Warren is not guilty of killing Chuck, if it wasn’t already. 

Lanie loves him, present tense. So, why give in and let Erin coach her into believably accusing Warren? 

I wouldn’t have an answer for you if I thought Lanie was a reliable narrator of her past. It took seven episodes, but as of now it’s abundantly clear to me. She is not. 

In fact, I believe Lanie helps Warren get accused of murder to save him from her. When you love someone, truly love them, you’ll save them from anyone, including yourself. 

Let’s break down the case that Lanie has serial killer tendencies. 

First and foremost, we need to accept that she killed her father Chuck Buhrman as fact. Her mother has done a lot to protect her, let’s just assume due to motherly instinct. So, that’s a win-win for Lanie because she gets away with murder and another potential victim is accessible to her with Warren in jail instead of Erin. 

She has tried to kill her twin Josie in the past. In the present, she found Josie — who has run away from her family’s history and her sister. She’s also convinced Josie to stay in California and isolates her from the person who would protect her most fiercely — Caleb.

Also, think of Aunt Susan. Her death isn’t exactly murder, we’ve seen the car crash that killed her. But now that my extreme mistrust of Lanie has roots, I wonder what we didn’t see inside of the car in a split second when the camera was deliberately giving us another angle. 

There are people that Lanie cares for enough not to kill — perhaps her daughter Ella and her husband Alex, aside from Warren. 

However, stealing the prayer fan from Poppy and giving it to Ella is a threat as well as a clue. 

Truth Be Told has officially shifted from a bland whodunnit with good actors to a slightly more intriguing journey of wondering who will survive Lanie’s murderous wrath. 

From the end of the episode, it seems like Erin will not survive. It’s sad that it took this writer seeing Erin on what could be her death bed to feel bad for her. Perhaps she is just a mother trying to do the best for her children, but who uses alcohol to cope with a difficult life. 

Hers is a life that includes a cheating husband and at least one daughter who needs psychological help — that’s not easy. Erin doesn’t deserve to die. 

We have to remember that Warren is a victim of Lanie for more than one reason, even though he’s alive. Yes, as of now he’ll be in prison his whole life. 

But as of this episode he’s now officially a murderer. Kuvney is the worst kind of human. Warren is avenging his younger self, Kuvney’s other young victim, and ultimately making the world and the prison a slightly better place.

Still, if you can premeditate a murder you are in a very dark place. From what we know, Warren was a troubled typical teenage boy when he entered prison.

Now he’s officially a white supremacist and murderer. I have very little time for anyone who would get hateful imagery tattooed on their bodies. However, I’ve never been a prisoner trying to literally survive in prison. 

When he moves past his initial anger at Poppy — let’s remember her words actually helped land him in prison — he’s respectful enough. He could just be using her to get out. He’s not a saint, but it would be surprising if the beliefs on his body matched the ones in his head. 

Warren’s transformation could very well be Lanie’s fault. She may act for only selfish, psychopathic reasons. Perhaps she still loves him. But so far Lanie hasn’t spared the life of any of her prey, Warren included. 

Production Notes 

• Shreve’s CTE reveal is very anti-climactic.
• I want to know about Poppy’s foster year too, but the further we get into the series, the less the Scoville’s past feels relevant.
• I wish the scene between Melanie and Erin was about more than trapping Erin so she’ll talk to Poppy. It has so much potential.
• The pacing and flow of this episode is great. It keeps my attention more than most have. It’s my favorite of the series so far.

What did you think of this episode of Truth Be Told? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Truth Be Told airs Fridays on Apple TV+

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