Tim Roth is a gift. He is the centre of the drama and the writers have to face the challenge of how to orbit the supporting characters around him. The A story of “Unchained” shows how well the show works when Lightman is centre stage.
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Article comments
1 - NancyGail
Wouldn't Tim Roth have the primary case no matter which he worked on? He plays the lead role.
2 - Gerry
He would, although who works with him changes. The problem I see is that the second case so far is not integrated into the first, and that one tends to be a little flat, because the secondary characters do not hold interest like Roth does. I think in order for two cases to be a good structure, Lightman needs to be substantially involved in both. And that would be hard. It's also hard to allow the audience to get to know two different sets of guest stars enough to care. I think it may be a better bet to have one case and figure out why it needs all four involved.
3 - Clare
Thanks, Gerry, for this article. I really enjoyed reading it, and agree with what you said.
I am an instant fan of Lie to Me, already having been interested in body language. It's a great opportunity: entertainment and education of a valuable technique at the same time. I agree that the separate case arrangement could put a rift in the overall cohesiveness of the potentially successful show. Lightman's cases are more complicated and charged, whereas Foster's cases are more relaxed, and low key. At least, I get that feeling when I watch the show. Unchained was a great example. Lightman's portion kept me guessing, but I had already solved Foster's case in the first few minutes of meeting her suspects. It can't be good if fans are picking up that extreme distinction so soon. Thinking back to "Love Always", it was rewarding to see the whole team work together and figure things out. They were able to utilize all of their collective expertise, talents, and insight to bring truth out of a complex situation. But the show is still progressing and developing, and it will be interesting to see what more they will continue to bring out in the main characters...
4 - Gerry
Thank you for reading! I've liked the show from the start, Tim Roth being the initial draw for me. I do think the science of reading emotions is fascinating. But I agree with you that I can already pick out facial expressions the team will focus on. Sometimes that's alright--I thought it was nicely played in the A Story when there was a nice shot of Torres with an anger micro-expression when she and Lightman are talking about Trillo and violence. No one had to specifically mention it for it to add to her portrayal of being overly involved. Lightman certainly noticed. But when we can solve the B story without much angst or being led astray, that's not good.
I think you make a good point when you say that Love Always used the whole team effectively on one case. I hope the writers are able to set up more situations where everyone brings something to the same case. It's a hard enough job to get the audience to care about one set of guest stars each week. Two sets is really tough.
Thanks again for stopping by!
5 - Madeleine
I enjoyed reading this review,although my opinion does differ one point you made, " the secondary characters do not hold interest like Roth does." I believe that in this episode this may be true, but in the subsequent episode, "Do No Harm," I found the relationship between characters Ria and Eli more intriguing.
Nonetheless, a detailed and compelling review.
6 - Gerry
Hi Madeleine, thanks for commenting on this review! It's interesting to go back and read what I thought last year, in light of the changes the writers have made since.
One thing I've really liked is the writers are developing the team dynamics more and more, so the secondary characters are more interesting when they play off each other, and you are right, Do No Harm, was an example of that development. I still think, though, that the dual case structure is hard to pull off and needs to be used sparingly. I suspect Loker, with his new interest in being in the field, may get to lead a B case from time to time.
7 - Madeleine
Thanks Gerry, I appreciate your reply!