Lie to Me - TV Fanatic

Fox Fall Schedule: Five Shows Canceled, Two Added

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Wed, 11 May 2011 07:54:34 EST

Even before it presents its official 2011-2012 schedule next week, Fox has made it clear there won't be a lot of room on its upcoming calendar. The network committed months ago to new programs The X-Factor and Terra Nova.

Therefore, it didn't come as a major surprise last night when five shows were axed. With apologies to fans of the following, the canceled series are:

Human Target
Breaking In
Traffic Light
Lie to Me
The Chicago Code

Cal Lightman and Jarek Wysocki: Solid characters on unpopular shows.

Fox also picked up a pair of highly-anticipated dramas. They are:

Alcatraz: Produced by J.J. Abrams, starring Jorge Garcia.
The Finder: A Bones spin-off, featuring Geoff Stults as a former military policeman, aired as a back-door pilot last month.

Fox will announce its complete schedule on Monday, May 16.

Lie to Me Review: "Killer App"

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 07:37:11 EST

Wow. Where to start reviewing the Lie to Me season finale?

Overall, "Killer App" had so much in it that I want to talk about. I will start with my nod to Paul James, who played Kyle. I have really enjoyed him in Greek and it was great to see him in something else.

With that small item is out of the way, let’s move on to the main aspects of the installment.

Lightman’s new hire: Ria pulled the kid off the streets a few episodes ago and now it looks like she may have someone to take under her wing when the show returns, as there was a clear connection between Lightman and the young recruit. While I am sure our interview had nothing to do with the new character, it would be fun if it did.

Personal case for Gillian: Ria and Eli called her out on “doing that thing Lightman does” when they pointed out the case was a personal case on company time. However, unlike a lot of Lightman’s cases this one got very personal when Claire was murdered. Kelli Williams did such a great job with the tears in each scene. I really felt her pain. I really hope the Emmy voters watch this episode.

Wollowski's faith in Lightman: I have commented before how quickly Wollowski trusted Lightman, but when she was willing to walk away and not arrest Kyle, but left with “If you see him, tell him to turn himself in,” it showed me how completely she believes in him. Not many people trust Lightman that much.

Sex without having sex: Between Emily grunting when Liam was stretching her hamstrings to Wollowski and Lightman on the couch at the crime scene, I don’t think have ever seen this much sex without their being actual sex involved.

Lightman’s scariest dialogue ever: In what had to be the most powerful dialogue ever spoken by Lightman, he explained to Zach that prison would only take his freedom but that a mental hospital (and its pills) would take his mind, and that DR Foster would personal make sure of it. It struck home how much Lightman hated seeing Gillian in pain and the things Lightman was willing to do to help.

Lightman really loves Gillian: We have all known for a long time that there was something there but he actually said it out loud to Emily. While it may go back into the shadows, we can hope that now it’s been verbalized we will see more of it.

I was also happily surprised that they didn’t get into the debate about personal information on the Internet. I was really afraid they were going to when Lightman started his rant about “sifting through her laundry” when he first met Zach. Glad I was wrong.

Lastly, my inner-geek would not allow me to sleep if I didn’t mention the effect you might have noticed where the names popped up on his camera when he was walking around. It appears they were basing that on Augmented Reality software. Sadly, I don’t know much as much about AR as I would like (it is still very knew and growing), but I have seen enough that I recognized it as the basis for that gimmick in the show.

The Chicago Code takes over this time slot next week. Look for Lie to Me to return in the summer or the fall - and for TV Fanatic to follow it every step of the way.

Lie to Me Review: "Gone"

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:35:23 EST

While there was nothing fresh or different about this episode of Lie to Me, when you have a show this well-written, you don’t need major changes each week to make for an entertaining hour.

On "Gone," we got to watch Cal Lightman do what he does best: Shake people up until they lose control and forget to hide their emotions. I think the writers sometimes forget that this is why we watch the show. The result is that we occasionally get episodes where Cal helps a war vet remember repressed memories using virtual reality, or helps Alzheimer patients remember a murder.

Don’t get me wrong, these are good episodes. But this week was about one thing: Finding who took a baby, using only the faces and emotions of the people involved as evidence, making it one of the best episodes done to date.

My hat is off to Kathleen Rose Perkins, who portrayed the distraught wife and mother, Collette. I only recently became familiar with Perkins, as she is a regular on Episodes, though she isn't asked to do much. However, after this episode, I was blown away with how much emotion she can project.

The biggest confusion for me was the need for the story to have Lane (the husband) appear to be an abusive and controlling man, only for this to prove to be a fake-out, as he breaks down crying in the middle of the episode.

Why not just start the episode out with him being dedicated to his family? Why put in all the tension in the opening scene if you're just going to change it up twenty minutes later? What point did it really serve?

After watching it a second time, I kind of feel that it was similar to a badly done magic trick. The illusion of abuse was there as smoke and mirrors to distract us from the one key scene of LJ being jealous when his dad stops to pick up Kim before commenting on his achievement.

Actually, if they hadn’t thrown the red herring at us with Lane possibly being abusive, we would have seen that it was the son throwing a tantrum for attention much sooner. So I guess in the long run you needed to have some sort of distraction and this one worked as well as anything.

Lastly, I want to mention how I really liked that Anna has started showing signs of picking up some skills from Lightman. It's so easy to forget that she is there, day in and day out, and there is a good chance that some of the tricks they used will rub off.

What did you think of this week’s episode? The official eating count for this week: just one time total, when he had cookies with Emily. Good job, Cal, it was nice to be able to understand you.

Lie to Me Review: "Saved"

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:46:57 EST

While this week’s episode of Lie to Me was very well done and enjoyable, I have one request: Can Tim Roth not talk with his mouthful again?

Based on "Saved," I am starting a new game: counting the number of times in each episode that Cal Lightman is eating or looking for something to eat (or drink). Kathy J commented last week about how often this occurs, so I made a point of watching for it this week and I completely agree with her that the man must be hypoglycemic.

This week’s episode focused on paramedic Ilene Clarke (very well portrayed by Annabeth Gish) as a possible adrenaline junkie who gets off on saving people so much she was actually causing accidents. Of course, there was more to it than that, as it turned out her mentally handicapped brother was causing the accidents to punish her for their mom dying years before.

To be honest, there was nothing new and different here. In fact there were two regurgitated tropes that I have to point out because they bugged me so badly:

1. District Attorney that just wants convictions. They introduced Assistant District Attorney Jill Ottinger, who is a tough-as-nails, don’t-care-about-the truth bad ass who is always grumpy and “just wanted to close cases." First, this is such a tired concept that I am actually more surprised with a movie/TV ADA isn’t portrayed like this.

Second, doesn’t the Lightman Group have enough law-enforcement types that burst into the office looking for Lightman bitching about how he has gone about something? Wasn’t the point of getting rid of the FBI this season to change it up and not use the same tired stereotypes?

2. Remote “Clicker” to change stop lights. First, there isn’t a “remote” clicker to change stop lights. The only push-button to change the lights is a button on a spring-cord inside the traffic signal box that police have access to. You will see this used a lot with concerts and events where they want to control the lights (if not just directing traffic).

What ambulance drivers, firemen, cops, FBI and any other police/state vehicle do have are flashing strobes lights that trip a special photo-sensor calibrated specifically for emergencies.

However, neither of these two items can change the lights in one direction nor change it instantly; it forces the lights to cycle. In the case of the strobe sensor it makes it so that lights in the direction the emergency vehicle is traveling gets a green-light quicker; but both still have to allow for the normal programmed length of time for the cross traffic to get a yellow and red light. What this means is that the entire story premise is built on a horrid Hollywood trope of being able to control the lights to cause accidents. (The Italian Job at least did this more believably).

So now you might be asking, “Jim, why did you give it a 4.3 rating if had huge holes and worn tropes in it?” The answer is easy: Emily Lightman. The interaction between Cal and Emily in this episode made up for any short-comings the main story plot had. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Emily and that I see her as a force to be contended with. Tonight was no exception, just check out the quotes from this episode to see what I mean.

While we won’t be seeing any more of Emily’s mom Zoe - played by Jennifer Beals new star of The Chicago Code - I really hope that we continue to get more of Hayley McFarland as the show progresses.

The official eating count for this week: four times total, including two different times he was talking while eating. Did you catch them all? Did I miss any?

Lie to Me Reviews: Welcome to Cal-apaloosa!

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 07:53:55 EST

Lie to Me kicked off 2011 with Cal-apaloosa, as "Funhouse" and "Rebound" being shown back-to-back.

The two installments had two things in common: first, Lightman took both jobs to help a child; second, Lightman was as great as he has ever been.

While the writing for both episodes was exceptional, I found that I was really drawn to "Funhouse" a bit more. From Lightman eating a banana while sitting calmly in the middle of a patient fight where everyone else was standing, to him talking to his mother, who very well played by Paula Malcomson, I thought the episode was one of the best ever done.

I will freely admit that I have been a big fan of Malcomson since I first saw her on Deadwood years ago. But, really, it was Tim Roth who made the episode as satisfying as it was. He did such a great job of acting drugged up, with a mix of silly and insane, that you begin to wonder if his cheese really has slipped off his cracker.

My favorite part is that the episode ended with Lightman coming to the realization that it wasn’t his mother he needed to worry about being like. It was his abusive father he needed to watch for signs of. I think if we could all have such life-changing realizations, we would sign up for a few days on the same medication.

This was followed by a case where a man being a social chameleon has been seducing women, getting them to marry him to get their ex-husbands out of alimony payments. While not as personally moving as the prior episode, I think Lightman saw a bit of himself in Noah. He kept challenging Noah, and Lightman only does that to people he can see have potential, such as Eli and Ria.

The only weak part of the entire night was the casting of Sam Page as George Walker. Having watched him with James Woods in Shark and more recently as Joel the intern in Greek, I am familiar with his work.

Overall, his character in this episode seemed like it was more of the same. He didn’t have any real depth or deception. He didn’t come across as a believable social chameleon who prays on women.

I noticed that they even had to go so far as specifically point out that he was lying without the classics signs of lying so we would buy into the story he was a great con-artist. Compare Page’s Walker to Angus Macfadyen Jimmy Doyle in the episode "Sweet Sixteen." You didn’t have to be told that Doyle was dangerous, Macfadyen did a superb job of getting that feeling across.

I do want to stress this is not a ding on Page, he is a good actor and I have enjoyed him in a lot of shows; he just wasn’t right for the part of lying-sociopath George Walker. There are many actors out there that could have given the character the depth it really needed.

However, offsetting Page’s mediocre performance was Hayley McFarland's continual awesomeness as Emily Lightman. From the trick Lightman pointed out she used to pull Amanda into the conversation to her picking up on queues from Gillian (or just tricking her), Emily is becoming a force to marvel. I cannot wait to see where they take young Emily. In time, I think she may have Ria and Eli chasing their tales a bit.

What did you think of this week’s episode(s)? Did you like the 2011 kick off? Do you think Wallowski had anything on under her trench coat when she visited Lightman?

Doug Hutchison to Guest Star on Lie to Me

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:30:02 EST

Doug Hutchison is coming to Lie to Me.

The actor, most recently seen on 24 and best known for playing Horace Goodspeed on Lost, will appear on a future episode as a character named Lane Bradley.

Bradley will be a detective whose career/life comes hits a major obstacle when his infant daughter is kidnapped. This intense individual will blames his wife for the kidnapping, but, as you might expect, harbors a few secrets of his own.

The episode will be titled "Gone Baby Gone."

Lie to Me Review: "Smoked"

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 06:33:47 EST

Detective Wallowski made a return visit to Lightman on "Smoked" and brought with her a case drenched in family drama, as the daughter of a BBQ restaurant founder was murdered during a robbery.

It was great to see Wallowski again. This meant that Lightman was juggling the two dominate women in his life throughout the hour, trying to keep Gillian and Wallowski away from each other. Why? Because he had to lie to Gillian about Wallowski when she was under investigation.

Maybe Cal actually has three dominate women in his life. Emily Lightman has truly grown into her own, steering Cal as well as Gillian can, keeping him on track with his book. I noticed that he didn’t argue with her more than he would have with Gillian when she took his laptop. He also had zero defense against her blank stare when discussion turned to Wallowski and Gillian getting along.

As bold and brash as Cal Lightman is, you can tell he needs strong women in his life to work as bumpers to help keep him “in bounds” and at least mostly playing by the rules. In fact, has anyone else noticed there isn’t a weak woman in his life? Wallowski, Gillian, Emily, and even his ex-wife Zoe are all self-assured.

Even protégé Ria is a strong woman; however, tonight we got to see a glimpse of her vulnerable side when the camera got stolen. I really wish we could have gotten some flashbacks or back story on the jacket she dug out and was wearing as “armor." I was really enjoyed the “hands-on” time with Ria in her old stomping grounds, as she went looking for the guy who took the camera.

I’m also hoping that we get to see more of the guy who took the camera (did they ever give him a name?), as it looks like the student may be on her way to being the master if he becomes a trainee. Which makes me wonder if the questions that we got to ask Monica Raymund helped spawn the idea of her getting a minion of her own.

Overall, it was another excellent episode. Season three is shaping up to be one of the strongest seasons on the books for Lie to Me. Now. if only Lightman can get that pesky book finished...

Lie to Me Preview: "Smoked"

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 10:39:49 EST

Dr. Cal Lightman runs into a pretty big problem on Monday's new episode of Lie to Me.

He's hired by a terminally ill man and tasked with tracking down his daughter's killer. It's the man's dying wish.

But during the investigation, Lightman starts to suspect the client's sons could be involved in the crime. Uh-oh. What's a doctor to do in this situation? Watch the official Fox promo for "Smoked" now:

Smoked Promo

Lie to Me Review: A Major Challenge for Lightman

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:06:37 EST

Lie to Me provided Lightman with his biggest challenge ever this week in "Veronica," as he helped an Alzheimer's patient who believed she knew a truth that no one else did.

If you needed another reason not to text and drive (other than it being illegal in several states), Emily gave viewers on this week. While being hit by Emily was one of the most unusual character introductions I’ve seen on Lie to Me, having the talented Annette O’Toole as Veronica was a genius casting move.

This episode effectively had all its eggs in one basket, as the bulk of the story was carried by Veronica herself.

Fortunately, I couldn't imagine a better actress than O’Toole to play the early on-set Alzheimer's patient. She had such a broad range of emotions, expressions and reactions that she made it look effortless.

O’Toole’s performance allowed the rest of the cast to do what it does best, and the combination made for one of the best episodes of the season. While the installment was far from action-intensive, its focus on Veronica made for a welcome change of pace.

The only thing that came across as odd to me was Emily. She spent a lot of time standing around with a “deer in the headlights” look. I understood this when she first had the accident and was shaken up as a result. But it seemed like every time she was on screen after that, she was used as mere decoration.

On a more subtle, yet no less important, note, we had Eli coming into the office, beaten all to hell.

This was a direct result of Lightman telling Eli to get out of the office and into the field. The show also put to rest Eli’s “job hunting” with a quick comment that the economy was to blame for him not finding another job. I'll be honest, I liked this Eli, though it did make me wonder what happened to the therapy or counselor he was seeing back a few weeks ago, as the shift in personality, behavior and habit mixed with everything suddenly being okay with Lightman and Eli felt a bit weird.

Still, I’ll take it.

Lie to Me Review: "Beyond Belief"

jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 06:59:13 EST

If you’re a self-help evangelist with a lot of skeletons in your close, it may not be a good idea to provoke the sleeping bear inside Cal Lightman. However, if you do, it can have some dramatic and humorous results, as evidenced by "Beyond Belief."

We all know that Lightman has a soft spot for those who attempt suicide and that showed through loud and clear this week, as he was like a shark chasing the scent of blood in the water while going after John Stafford.

Then again, Stafford effectively chummed the water when he had his goons leave a pamphlet at Lightman’s house as a warning that he knew where he lived. There were at least two points after when Lightman got into Stafford’s face that actually made me flinch.

Is anyone else picking up on the subtle tug-of-war between Gillian and Lightman at the office?

The latter asked Ria and Eli to keep digging instead of going for coffee and then Gillian told them to go get the coffee they liked. Maybe I am reading more into it than is really there, but it's something I'm going to keep an eye on. Given last week’s glimpse into how much Gillian and Lightman care for each other, it should make for a fun contrast.

Of course Lightman is now getting it from two women in his life. Emily is clearly holding her own and even gained a few steps with her new beau, Liam, when Lightman sat down to discuss semicolons. I have said it before, but I will say it again: I love Emily. She clearly has her father’s gift and has begun harnessing her powers for the forces of good.

Ironically, Lightman is not immune to her gift, but that’s not to say it works all the time. If you watch closely, you'll see Emily succeed at things with Lightman that nobody else would have.

What did you think of this week’s episode? How is your work with semicolons?