Network: Fox
Time: Mondays, 9:00-10:00pm
Cast: Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund, Hayley McFarland
Summary: Lightman defends a falsely accused man from an angry mob. In the course of proving his innocence, Lightman unearths a secret that allows a mother and daughter to begin to heal.
Review: I don't know what's been going on with Lie to Me lately, but I don't like it. It's like they've taken all the fun out of the episodes, and we're left with cases that aren't particularly interesting and characters that are either too extreme or too flat. I miss the first season episodes, where Foster and Lightman had a fun banter thing going on, and Loker was brutally honest, and Torres had more than six lines in an episode. I don't know what happened to those characters, but I'd like them back, please.
I really didn't like any part of this episode. I'll start with what's been bothering me the most for the last season or so: Loker. He was so fun in the first season. His honesty may have gotten him in trouble sometimes, but it was charming in its own way, like when he sang to a class of fifth graders about not telling white lies. Now it's like his entire philosophy on life has changed. He lies as much as any of them, and the best part of his personality is missing. Instead, all he does is whine about how Lightman picks on him (which he does, but Loker used to let it roll off his back). The acrimonious relationship between Loker and Lightman is driving me crazy. All I want is for them to sit down like adults and have a conversation to resolve it, and instead they exchange a handful of monosyllabic sentences each episode and talk about each other to Torres and Foster.
That relationship isn't the only one that's being slaughtered. Foster and Lightman used to be partners in crime. Foster used to be fun. Now, all she seems to do is mother Lightman, which he takes badly, and then they sort of fight. And then they sort of make up. I think. Their relationship was never particularly well-defined, but now it just seems to be chaos.
I don't even know where Torres has been lately, besides being a sounding board for Loker when he complains (which is always). They were really turning her into a cool character last season, but now she's almost disappeared completely.
To top it off, now they've brought in three new characters, none of whom seem to actually appear in the episode for more than a few minutes. I understand the logic behind shaking up the cast, especially since Lie to Me was (and still is) in serious danger of being canceled, but there's no point in bringing in new characters if they're not actually going to be part of the show. Right now, it's turning into the Lightman Hour, and all the rest of the characters, even the ones who've been with him since the beginning, are just there to further his plot line.
Even the story in the episode wasn't interesting, especially since Lie to Me has already dealt with the issue of a false rape accusation. The plot was different enough, and I did feel a little bad for all the players involved, but I didn't find that I was emotionally invested in the outcome. Maybe I'm just sick of watching Lightman manipulate everyone around him, including the people who are supposed to be his friends. He's always had this side, but it used to be balanced by Foster, Loker and Torres. Now that they're not using the other cast members as much, Lightman's unethical side is starting to get a bit annoying.
I loved the first season and a half of Lie to Me so much that it disappoints me how it's fallen apart lately. I wish I knew why they were making some of these changes, but I hope they fix things soon because I don't know how much more I can take. Am I the only one feeling this way, or have you been less than impressed by Lie to Me lately? Comment below and let me know.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad
Time: Mondays, 9:00-10:00pm
Cast: Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund, Hayley McFarland
Summary: Lightman defends a falsely accused man from an angry mob. In the course of proving his innocence, Lightman unearths a secret that allows a mother and daughter to begin to heal.
Review: I don't know what's been going on with Lie to Me lately, but I don't like it. It's like they've taken all the fun out of the episodes, and we're left with cases that aren't particularly interesting and characters that are either too extreme or too flat. I miss the first season episodes, where Foster and Lightman had a fun banter thing going on, and Loker was brutally honest, and Torres had more than six lines in an episode. I don't know what happened to those characters, but I'd like them back, please.
I really didn't like any part of this episode. I'll start with what's been bothering me the most for the last season or so: Loker. He was so fun in the first season. His honesty may have gotten him in trouble sometimes, but it was charming in its own way, like when he sang to a class of fifth graders about not telling white lies. Now it's like his entire philosophy on life has changed. He lies as much as any of them, and the best part of his personality is missing. Instead, all he does is whine about how Lightman picks on him (which he does, but Loker used to let it roll off his back). The acrimonious relationship between Loker and Lightman is driving me crazy. All I want is for them to sit down like adults and have a conversation to resolve it, and instead they exchange a handful of monosyllabic sentences each episode and talk about each other to Torres and Foster.
That relationship isn't the only one that's being slaughtered. Foster and Lightman used to be partners in crime. Foster used to be fun. Now, all she seems to do is mother Lightman, which he takes badly, and then they sort of fight. And then they sort of make up. I think. Their relationship was never particularly well-defined, but now it just seems to be chaos.
I don't even know where Torres has been lately, besides being a sounding board for Loker when he complains (which is always). They were really turning her into a cool character last season, but now she's almost disappeared completely.
To top it off, now they've brought in three new characters, none of whom seem to actually appear in the episode for more than a few minutes. I understand the logic behind shaking up the cast, especially since Lie to Me was (and still is) in serious danger of being canceled, but there's no point in bringing in new characters if they're not actually going to be part of the show. Right now, it's turning into the Lightman Hour, and all the rest of the characters, even the ones who've been with him since the beginning, are just there to further his plot line.
Even the story in the episode wasn't interesting, especially since Lie to Me has already dealt with the issue of a false rape accusation. The plot was different enough, and I did feel a little bad for all the players involved, but I didn't find that I was emotionally invested in the outcome. Maybe I'm just sick of watching Lightman manipulate everyone around him, including the people who are supposed to be his friends. He's always had this side, but it used to be balanced by Foster, Loker and Torres. Now that they're not using the other cast members as much, Lightman's unethical side is starting to get a bit annoying.
I loved the first season and a half of Lie to Me so much that it disappoints me how it's fallen apart lately. I wish I knew why they were making some of these changes, but I hope they fix things soon because I don't know how much more I can take. Am I the only one feeling this way, or have you been less than impressed by Lie to Me lately? Comment below and let me know.
For more crime TV news, follow NewarkCrimeTV on Twitter.
Email me at NewarkCrimeTV@gmail.com.
My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad
