With "Depraved Heart," Lie To Me really hits its stride, answering my questions on how the writers would make two cases interesting when only one involves Lightman. The solution: explore and complicate the relationships among the team, so that scenes from one case resonate with the other. This week, the spotlight is on families and the lies we tell to protect them. In particular, the writers pick up Torres’ question to Lightman in "Unchained": "Who made you what you are?"
The episode opens with Lightman and his daughter Emily having a father/daughter talk in the car on the way to school. Or rather, Emily is trying to give her father advice on letting go of the past and moving on in his romantic life, and Lightman is deflecting. One of the joys of the series is the way the writers showed lie detection techniques such as spotting deflection so thoroughly in the initial episodes they can now depend on the audience to pick up the clues in people’s faces and voices. I was worried the show would go over the same ground , but instead the writers assume we were paying attention.
Lightman is so anxious not to have this conversation with his daughter he jumps from the car, which is stalled in some kind of traffic jam, to find out what’s happening. The policeman’s evasive answers ignite his suspicions and he soon realises he’s at the scene of a suicide. Cal spots a woman from the US Attorney’s office who used to work with his ex-wife and disregards the tension between them to push for details. The investigator admits that surprisingly this woman of Indian background had a sister who jumped to her death from the same bridge two days earlier, but warns Lightman there is no reason for him to get involved.
Lightman is determined he will get involved, and we get our first hint there is an important back story here when Emily asks, “Didn’t you used to study suicides?” Her father’s quietly delivered “Still do” signals that whatever interest he has in suicides is not confined to the past. It also resonates with Emily’s suggestion in the car that Cal is stuck in his past and it’s time for him to move forward. But what is he stuck on and why?
Article comments
1 - Clare
Good review, Gerry. "Depraved Heart" was an especially interesting episode - and surprisingly, the first one that I really disliked so far. I guess it was the entire atmosphere of the whole hour. Lightman was aggravated and Foster was intolerant. There was an impatient feeling all around. And then: Loker lied! after being relentless with his personal prejudice in the case. Whoa. (Do you want to lose your job, Loker?!) I read comments from fans that showed disbelief and distaste at his unprofessional move. It was an extremely uncharacteristic action.
I can't quite pinpoint the exact part of the ep that didn't make it great; it was definitely a collective thing. But the one point of great interest was Lightman's mother. That told a lot and hopefully will tell more.
2 - Clare
And one thing I forgot: I was puzzled by the fact that there was no opening credits as there is with every show, every time. One can usually expect the opening theme/music, but in this case it was oddly missing. Not that it necessarily matters, just something that makes you think twice...
3 - Gerry
Thank you for the comment! Nice to have you stop by. What put you off the episode was what drew me in, I think. I liked that the relationships among the team are being complicated. I think Foster does a great earth mother, but it would be a pretty boring character if she has no issues of her own. I thought Loker was a very thinly drawn character until the episode, a bit one-note, so I was glad to see him get snared in a whopper of a lie. I don't think it should be easy to live a life without lies. I'm not sure at this point we can really say what is uncharacteristic and what isn't, because we're just getting to know the characters. We know what they've told us, but we haven't seen them reveal themselves through action for long enough yet. I think we got some nice shading to the characters last night. Are you curious about what Loker is going to do, now that he has to hide so much from Foster and Lightman?
And yes, Lightman's mother--that was an excellent twist to his story. No wonder he's driven.
Thanks again for the comment! Always nice to chat about Lie To Me.
4 - Drama Minx
i basically saw 2 parts of this episode when it was rerun on July 14, 09. I was simply blown away by the exchange between Torres and Lightman at the end. It was so fraught with tension as he stared at her, with an inscrutable expression- some heartbreak, some anger, I can see now- during that scene I actually held my breath. I coudln't wait to see what would happen next.
I thought it was sexual tension, since they stood so close. But after reading your epi recap, I see it was more of an intimacy issue: Cal didn't expect this and is actually quite threatening to Cal, who can fool so many. This interpretation explains why when Torres came to stand so close to him, he pushed her away with three fingers to her chest. I mean, that was kind of agressive for a teacher to a student, esp a man to a woman.
But I also think that he is starting to get a bit "into her", which i don't think he meant to happen. When you learn about a person, and their background, and they can read you and get inside not just your head but perhaps you heart, your relationship has take a turn. And it doesn't hurt that she is young, gorgeous and intense, and he is tortured, charismatic and intense.
I think the writers are setting the stage next season for some sort of climactic exchange between these two around their unwilling but increasing bond!