TV Review: Lie To Me - "Grievous Bodily Harm"

This week’s Lie To Me is the kind of tightly plotted, tension and humour-filled, character-driven episode the show should have been from the start. Tim Roth is finally given material that showcases the intensity, humour and insight that makes him such an interesting actor. His storyline keeps the viewer on the edge of his seat, trying to guess what Lightman knows and when he knew it. His relationship with his boyhood friend is complex, helping the audience get a glimpse of what makes the man tick. "Grievous Bodily Harm" is an excellent example of new show-runner Shawn Ryan’s vision for the series, and I hope FOX gives the audience time to find the show again. It deserves it.

Lightman’s story opens with lighthearted banter with Foster as she tries to get him to discuss business plans and he tries to deflect by asking about her personal life. It’s his own personal life that takes centre stage, though, when Torres tells him Sally Robinson is waiting for him in his office. One look at Cal’s face and both Foster and Torres know someone from the past is waiting for him, and so there is—but in the first of many reversals, it’s not the woman Cal’s expecting. It’s his old friend Terry Marsh (Lennie James), and from the way Cal hustles him out of the building while shooing away Foster, it’s clear he’s expecting Terry to be a handful.

Roth and James play off each other beautifully, with many nuances showing their deep relationship even as the actors also show the cracks in it. Roth’s London accent gets noticeably stronger in Terry’s presence, and the two men are physically comfortable and playful with each other. We see a Lightman who allows his emotions to show as he both chastises Terry for showing up only to involve him in a dangerous scheme and admits his own shame at not contacting his friend for years. Given that we find out Terry saved Cal from a jail term by taking the fall for a joint caper they pulled when young, Cal’s willingness to follow Terry into obvious trouble makes sense, or as much sense as we can make of what Cal’s up to as the plot goes from one reversal of expectation to another.

Article Author: Gerry Weaver

Gerry loves film, books, a few television shows (House, True Blood and Lie To Me come to mind), and writing about them.

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