In this week’s episode of Lie to Me, entitled “Dirty Loyal”, Dr. Cal Lightman takes it upon himself to clear the name of Detective Wallowsky. Internal Affairs believes that her partner, Detective Farr, is corrupt; therefore, according to IA, Detective Wallowsky must be corrupt as well. When a local gang member is shot, IA believes that Wallowsky either did it herself, or is covering for Farr. This leads The Lightman Group into an investigation of the gang’s internal politics, as well as what kind of relationship exists between Detective Farr and Suarez (one of the gang members who seems a bit too happy about the two gangsters’ deaths.)
Once again, the writers of “Lie to Me” leave viewers in the dark regarding the science behind The Lightman Group’s work and how their conclusions about each person are arrived at.
For example, in the following clip, Suarez’ expression is compared to some other photographs from the news. However, what the expression conveys, or why it is important, is never explained. This leaves viewers confused as to what the expression was, and its significance of being shown.
However, there is one scene that is done relatively well.
In order to decide whether or not Wallowsky knows about any deal between Suarez and Farr, truth wizard Ria Torres analyzes some video clips from their interrogations. Based on the progression of Wallowsky’s non-verbal behavior towards Farr, Torres deduces that she is aware of the relationship between the two, and gives an explanation of each expression that she points out in order to arrive to this conclusion.
In particular, they pointed out certain expressions, such as disgust (horseshoe shape around the nose area) and explained the significance of that expression, given the context.
From a dramatic perspective, the episode is a bit dry; the plot isn’t that interesting or different.
It would be nice if the show would listen to its viewers and revert back to the writing of season 1, when more of the science was explained. The previous clip did a nice job of this; let’s hope there continues to be more of this type of analysis.
Did you watch “Dirty Loyal”? What did you think?
Hi,
I only watched a few clips of the episode, one where some guy was firing a machine guy in a bedroom (I turned it off at that point) and later where there was very obvious tension as it appeared that Lightman betrayed the trust of Foster. I could be very wrong about that, since I only saw two clips.
However, as far as season one, the things that made it exciting was not just that they explained the science. It’s not a documentary, it’s not PBS, but that the writers found incredibly creative ways to show off the skills of the team. It’s like watching Michael Jordan on his best days. They did a whole show that was really about detecting dangerous demeanor. Another one where a huge part of the plot was their inability to establish a baseline because the accused would not tell the truth (at least not verbally). It wasn’t just about the relationships between the members of the team. It was how the science can be used and applied in extremely difficult situations that required a lot of cunning and creativity and intelligence to outsmart the bad guys.
I’m watching season one over again (now in my second viewing) to learn all the cool stuff I missed the first time around. I bet if they wrote like that again, the ratings would go way up, as they were in season one, not as they are now. (see here for numbers of U.S. Viewers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lie_to_Me_episodes) I would think a downward trend in number of viewers that bad would get management’s attention – fast!
Russ Conte
Well, i loved season one, but the writers had choosen to focus on lightman and his relationship with the others members of the team. I’d like a little more of science but i agree with What dr. Ekman writes on his blog http://community.fox.com/drpaulekman/blog/2010/10/04/“in_the_red”_-_note_from_dr._ekman
I got started watching “Lie To Me” late in season 2 and found it absolutely fascinating. I started watching back episodes on Hulu and then found season 1 on Netflix.
I suppose because the show was so well produced and acted, I found myself wondering if there was any “truth” to the show or if the premise was only fictional TV. I did a search and was fascinated by the science that the show was based on.
While I am no “Wizard,”I have always felt that I excelled at reading people. I am planning on taking the online training and reading as much as I can on the subject. But for me the show is very demonstrative and really engaging. It has been a long time since a TV show has captivated me like seasons 1 & 2. I have to say though, season 3 isn’t working for me. In fact, it is killing it for me, and I am really disappointed.
I feel that Tim Roth is being directed to act as if his character is intoxicated at times and treat his employees with disrespect. (Any business that relies on talent as specialized as this, can not risk insulting them. That kind of talent is way too hard to replace. They would not put up with it and be gone in a heart beat. I find it unbelievable.) Plus, the tension between Lightman and Foster that was started in episode 1 lacked development and is not pleasant to watch.
Look… My real life has so much tension that I can barely stand it, and I sure don’t need to feel more. I watch the show because I feel a connection with the characters and am fascinated by the abilities that they depict. The show is exceptionally well cast and has introduced me to acting talent that I hope to follow for years. But if the story continues along this line, I just can’t watch it.
That would be a shame.
This one was an OK episode, there were one or two things in it that I liked. I still like the characters but the disrespect for law enforcement, employees, colleagues, and the vitriol are really becoming very distasteful to me.
I get that Cal is kind of a jerk and really narcisisstic and cocky, but the writers and directors are really starting to way overplay that hand. It’s like they’ve lost their talent, their edge. It seems like a lot of people at Fox think that friction, anger, disrespect and other negative emotions are what make something good or interesting. Even house isn’t as explosive as Lightman has been getting. I hope they reign his character in and quickly. They need to write him into getting some therapy of some kind, maybe even write portions of therapy sessions into the show. It would be easy to incorporate a logical explanation for his increasingly rotten behavior over the past several episodes into the show and make it interesting and bring viewers back. It’s almost as if the show is trying to tap into the “righteous angst” of the Tea Party movement and embittered voters’ emotions in a way. I don’t like it. There is nothing at all wrong with being civil and respectful while disagreeing, even passionately.
If they keep up this line of writing, they’ll kill the show by the end of season 3, and that’s a crying shame because it’s a great premise and one that more and more people are becoming interested in. I hope they don’t drop the ball this late in the game. 🙁