Having not seen the show previously, I was a bit concerned that I would feel somewhat lost, stepping in with Lie to Me: The Complete Second Season, but within minutes, I was completely up to speed with the major players in the series. Dr. Lightman runs The Lightman Group, along with his partner and best friend, Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams) and employs Eli Loker (Brendan Hines), a brilliant scientist and Ria Torres (Monica Raymund), a "natural" at reading people and the newest member of the team. They work in conjunction with the Washington D.C. FBI office through a liaison by the name of Agent Ben Reynolds (Mekhi Phifer). Together, they tackle a wild array of cases such as people accused of murder who may be telling the truth, possible child terrorists, lying politicians, and they even tangle with a deadly member of the IRA out for blood and revenge.
One of the most clever visual cues Lie to Me utilizes are the quick snapshots of famous people used to illustrate looks of deception, guilt, fear and various other obvious expressions. They'll zoom in on a pivotal character wearing that expression and then show a series of the same expressions worn by famous people. It's a very clever effect. They'll also diagram a person's face, at times, in a scientific manner to illustrate tenseness around the mouth or eyes or various other "tells" that they may be lying. It's not something that is used regularly, like the x-ray visuals typically used in C.S.I, but it's used just enough to be intriguing and these scientific diagrams are based on the research work of Dr. Paul Ekman, the real-life deception expert on whom Dr. Lightman is loosely based.
Season Two really takes the team out of their comfort zone from time to time, whether it's having Lightman travel to Afghanistan to read an American traitor who may or may not be able to help locate several kidnapped soldiers, or having the team venture out to Vegas to help solve the disappearance of a young upstart in a heated Championship Poker tourney. Although all of the episodes are fairly excellent, several really had me riveted. One involved a radical Irish terrorist who believed Lightman had something to do with the death of his wife and child many years before. Consequently, this episode included a lot of explosions and some tense times for Lightman, as the man goes after Lightman's own daughter, Emily (Hayley McFarland), who is always a delight to watch on screen. She's such a pensive little actress and the perfect offset to Lightman's flippant ways.
Another episode involved a child killer on death row that Lightman and his now ex-wife, Zoe (Jennifer Beals) helped put away many years before. As the man is being executed, he makes a statement that causes Lightman to question whether he was truly guilty and sends the team and the FBI on a chase to catch the man's partner before he kills again.
Dr. Foster becomes involved with a man she meets during a case and she falls in love, only to discover that he has been lying about his true identity and is actually a DEA agent. It is during this time that he falls into the hands of some ruthless killers and Dr. Lightman is forced to reveal his true feelings for Foster, something he had previously kept under wraps. Cal himself also gets involved with a client, Clara Musso (Melissa George, 30 Days of Night), whom the team successfully proved innocent for her husband's murder in an earlier episode. Torres and Loker finally admit their fascination with one another, only to tamp down the passions that ignite one evening in the name of professionalism. Finally, Agent Reynolds finds himself on the receiving end of a bullet in the season finale and we are somewhat left hanging as to his fate.
Lie to Me is definitely not a clone of The Mentalist; they are completely different animals. I found The Mentalist to be humorous much of the time, simply because of the quirky attitude of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker). Dr. Cal Lightman is also hysterical, but in a devil-may-care, uber-British way. I love watching him do his thing. Tim Roth is a fantastic actor, but I can't say that I have loved the past films he's done in which he was the lead. However, Roth has found his niche in the shoes of Lightman and he is simply brilliant. He is supported by a great cast and they all work together fluidly. I have to commend all of the actors on the show, from fleeting characters to the primary ones, since they have to mimic specific facial expressions, ones that supposedly can't be faked.
As for the special features, each disc contains deleted/extended scenes for most episodes, plus Dr. Ekman's Blog which is where Dr. Ekman breaks down the science of each episode, whether it be factual or exaggerated. These weren't videos, but rather information to read and, while interesting, didn't really hold my attention as much as some of the other options. The Gag Reel was pretty humorous as Tim Roth makes the funniest faces as he works.
My favorite was a Lie Detection Tutorial from Dr. Ekman himself, who is the scientific consultant for the show. Here, he talks about specific cast members and analyzes their comments about him (which is pretty funny) and he discusses how he got his start and developed his techniques while spending a great deal of time in New Guinea in the 1960's. It's very interesting stuff. Finally, there's an amusing featurette on the character of Eli Loker and his ideas of "radical honesty."
If you haven't yet had a chance to check out Lie to Me, then Lie to Me: The Complete Second Season is a fine place to start. Although you'd obviously derive more benefit having seen the First Season, you can jump in here and be just fine. This is fine television and highly recommended. Lie to Me: The Complete First Season has already found a place on my Amazon Wish List.
