Friday, March 6, 2009

Lie To Me - Recap & Review - Unchained

Lie To Me
Unchained

Original Air Date: Mar 4, 2009

JD - Associate Staff Writer
JD@thetwocentscorp.com

That was a nasty bit of teasing, wasn't it, Fox? You can't just end the show like that! But I should start at the beginning, yes? And not flail about the end and spoil it, no matter how much I'd like to? Oh, fine...

Fun, fun, fun at The Lightman Group this episode! Or at least it was fun to watch--I'm sure our little human lie detectors weren't having as much fun solving the cases as I was watching them do it. Anyway, as much as I'm growing to really like Loker and Foster (I wasn't sure at first, you know), it's still a pleasure to watch Lightman and Torres work together, and a got another chance to do that in Unchained. This week, it's Lightman and Torres off to investigate a supposedly reformed gang leader who's set to be released from prison, while Loker and Foster investigate the mysterious death of a firefighter. Let's go, shall we?

Continue reading...

[photo: daemonstv.com]

3 comments:

  1. Let's meet Manny Trillo. He's an ex-gang leader who shot a cop and started one of the most vicious gangs in DC, and is, according to Torres, responsible to half the crack trade there as well. Lightman and Torres are going to visit him in the slammer, Torres insisting the whole time that guys like Trillo don't change, while Lightman is willing to wait and see. The two of them enter the prison, where they get a run down on Trillo --he's up for a Nobel prize for the anti-gang work he's done in the Big House--and then they stand there and watch while a few of the inmates stab Trillo in the neck. Nice.

    As Lightman and Torres watch Trillo bleed all over himself, Foster and Loker are off to the firehouse. Eric Mitchell, who had less than a year on the job, was killed in a building fire. Seems pretty normal for a job where you run that risk every day, but the problem is that the coroner couldn't find a cause of death. Mitchell wasn't killed by the fire, he was dead before the flames ever reached him. Maybe he just decided to take a nap? Who doesn't like to cuddle up in front of a fire? Okay, maybe not.

    Foster and Loker have a problem, though. The firemen are likely to stick together in the face of "adversity", so the firemen probably won't respond well to being interrogated by the two of them. So they won't do it. They're going to make the Chief and his Lieutenant do it. Here you go, guys, find your own rat!

    All of the firefighters stories match up, almost creepily, and we know from previous episodes that often this is cause for alarm. The biggest problem with their interviews, though, is that all of them are answering the questions too fast, they all want to get the interview over with as fast as possible. All of them are lying, and now Foster and Loker have to find out why.

    Back at the prison, we find out the attack we saw was the second attempt on Trillo's life in a month. He's been speaking out, and a lot of the inmates want him dead. Lightman and Torres interview Trillo, where Lightman proves that some people really can get more food on their face than in their mouth when they eat, and then they take the footage of the interview back to The Lightman Group where Lightman, Torres and Foster review it.

    Lightman still thinks Trillo might have changed, Torres is still playing the skeptic, and Foster... well, she's not sure she's happy about Lightman taking Torres on this case. Apparently, most naturals in this field come from an abusive past, and while Lightman thinks this will teach Torres to not let her past cloud her judgment, Foster feels like he's only teaching her her to avoid her feelings. Like he does.

    You know, as much as I raved about liking the single case format of the last episode, this episode didn't feel rushed at all. In Unchained, I really think the dynamics of each case really highlighted the other: In the case with the firemen, most of the conflict and tension came from the men in the fire retardant suits. On the other hand, in the case of Manny Trillo, a great deal of the tension came from watching Lightman and Torres go back and forth.

    They still clash, but there's also a really nice chemistry to them, they way they push each other past their comfort zones. I think Lightman, in particular, is a man who needs that, but we've also seen Torres become emotional before. They're good for each other.

    The episode touched on Torres' past, which I thought was really nicely done without being too much. They worked it into the plot pretty seamlessly; it didn't feel like it was tacked on as an afterthought. We have been getting snippets on most of the characters of the show (except Loker, sadly), and I can't wait to learn more about all of them, Lightman in particular, as they just keep teasing us. But from other fans I've talked to, Torres seems to be one of the least popular characters on the show so far. It actually sort of surprised me, given that until recently, I thought that Torres made the show (second only to Lightman , of course). Maybe this episode will help people understand her a little better. Maybe not. Either way, I'd love to hear what you guys think of her, and if you're one of those people out there that dislike her, I'd love to know why.

    What did you guys think of Unchained? Wasn't that ending just the biggest tease in the history of anything ever? [/exaggeration] Give me your two cents!

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  2. I kinda thought the whole "micro expressions" thing was only going to be a 1 episode thing. Can they base an entire series on them and expect people to keep watching? Well I guess House did it with Lupus.

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  3. I worried it would get old fast, too, because you're right, it does seem like a pretty finite subject. So far, though, I haven't gotten bored.

    Granted, it's only been five episodes, so who knows...

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