The Lying Game

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Sutton (the Have) and Emma (the Have-Not)

1.1 The Lying Game: Pilot B+

I haven't decided if I'm going to keep watching and reviewing this show. If I do, future reviews won't be as long as my Pretty Little Liars ones. I'll probably just catch an episode here and there, whenever I remember. Anyway, PLL is pretty much the reason I was interested in this in the first place. Both are based on Sara Shepard novels, who seems to be a hot commodity for ABC Family now, although the two shows have entirely different production crews. From the other reviews I've read, it seems PLL is more faithful to the novels than The Lying Game, so that may dissuade some previous fans from watching - for me, however, it's not an issue I'll be highlighting.

If you know the story of the Prince and the Pauper, The Parent Trap, Cinderella, (and quite a few others) you already know a fair amount of the story. In this version, it's twin sisters, Emma and Sutton, separated at birth. Sutton was adopted by a wealthy couple, welcomed into their family and raised as one of their own. Emma on the other hand, was neglected, ending up in the foster care system, with a scumbag foster mother and a horrendously perverted foster brother. Prior to the events of the pilot, Sutton discovered Emma's existence and the two are in contact (a premise you learn in the first minute of the show, quite surprisingly). Sutton, who is overly defiant and rebellious, believes her parents are covering for some sinister secret about her adoption/real parents and why she was ever separated from her twin. She decides to take off in search of their real parents to get the answers she's always wanted.

This leaves Emma, the street smart foster kid, who fills Sutton's shoes, pretending to be Sutton while she's off parent-hunting in LA. This is where the story kicks off, as the pilot is told almost exclusively from Emma's side of the story. The majority of scenes are about what you'd expect, the poor kid enjoying her new life as a suddenly rich, suddenly popular, "it" girl. There's plenty of confusion and even some humor as Emma tries to adjust to the role, and the striking dissimilarities between these identical twins becomes immediately apparent to the other characters, though they are unknowing of the reasons.

The real enjoyment for me came not from seeing Emma trying to become Sutton, that's a story that's been told and retold, but rather seeing Emma learning the ugly truth about Sutton. The truth that she's spoiled, unappreciative of people who care for her, and needlessly defiant. Seeing Emma so appreciative of having parents, a sister, and friends is what makes a seemingly cliche story worth retelling.

Alexandra Chando tackles the role of both twins rather well. I think she and the other actors skew a little too old for high schoolers, even in comparison to most other shows which are already bad enough about it. But since she was so skilled at capturing two distinct personalities for two different characters, it seems a fair trade off. There's really only one scene that highlights Emma and Sutton together, interacting, and it was very well done. As the pilot focused so much on Emma, the other characters are mostly kept in their shell. I will say it's great to see Andy Buckley (David Wallace from The Office) in a lead role, and I think he can bring something to the character and the dark secret he most assuredly possesses regarding Sutton's adoption.

Production value isn't quite on the same level as PLL, but it's sufficient. I really like the Southwest setting - don't usually see that on TV. Overall, I give The Lying Game pilot a B+ which is just a bit lower than what I would have given the PLL pilot. The comparisons here between the two shows may seem undeserved, as I admit this is a show that already stands on its own feet. But they do tread similar ground - female character-driven, with a mystery back drop. Judging the pilots alone, PLL had both the better mystery and the more well rounded cast.

1.2 Being Sutton (B+)
1.3 Double Dibs (B+)
1.4 Twinsense and Sensibility (A-)
1.5 Over Exposed (A-)
1.6 Bad Boys Break Hearts (A)
1.7 Escape from Sutton Island (B-)
1.8 Never Have I Ever (B)
1.9 Sex, Lies, and Hard Knocks High (A)
1.10 East of Emma (A-)
1.11 O Twin, Where Art Thou? (C+)
1.12 When We Dead Awaken (B)
1.13 Pleased to Meet Me (A)
1.14 Black and White and Green All Over (A)
1.15 Dead Man Talking (A)
1.16 Reservation for Two (C+)
1.17 No Country for Young Love (B)
1.18 Not Guilty as Charged (B+)
1.19 Weekend of Living Dangerously (B)
1.20 Unholy Matrimony (B-)
overall season average: B

SPECIAL REVIEW: Ringer (Pilot) (C+)

[Blake (HDLYR)]

I also should mention that the new Sarah Michelle Gellar show, Ringer, has a similar premise. I've been really interested in seeing that one when it comes out, so I wonder how the two shows will stack up in comparison.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

The Father-GirlPretendingToBeYourDaughter Dance

1.2 Being Sutton B+

This was a pretty solid follow-up to the pilot. Emma continues to adapt to Sutton's life and the challenging task of learning how to fill her shoes, all of this based on the minimal amount of guidance provided by Sutton herself. I kind of wish Emma was more... let's say... clever. Right now, she is very reactionary, simply stumbling into a situation awkwardly and letting it solve itself. Just a peeve I guess, as I think someone with her street smarts would be more pro-active in upholding a lie and at least doing some digging to cover the more obvious angles. I do like that there's a sense of danger presented to Emma, and the threat of having assaulted her foster brother still looms over her, so there is actually a believable reason she's better off pretending to be Sutton, rather than just cutting and running.

This episode fleshes out the other characters a bit more - ie. Sutton's parents, adoptive sister, best friends, and secret boyfriend. Overall, I like that they've toned down the "glam" aspect (a bit), but it's still a bit of a needless distraction. If I wanted to watch high society kids from Gossip Girl, I'd just watch Gossip Girl. Adrian Pasdar appears in what starts as a really random minor role, but it was very easy to guess his character is not what he seems - because c'mon, it's Adrian Pasdar, he deserves better. As it stands, he's kind of the "bad guy" of the show so far.

Sutton appears in only one brief scene, but the whole episode is meant to explain exactly who this girl is. She's very much in the same vein as Alison DiLaurentis from Pretty Little Liars - devious, manipulative, spoiled, popular, arrogant, and obsessed with secrets. There's a cruel side to her that emerges in the "lying game" - a sort of bullying tactic she uses on her enemies. I actually don't mind how similar the two characters are because they're both great, quite fun, and Sutton definitely has the advantage of being, you know... alive. Alison is great, but you really don't get enough of her on PLL. Now if only they'd give Sutton some more screen time, I'd be quite happy. Sutton is the more appealing twin to me, but Emma has a lot more potential in her development. I think Emma's growing fondness for all the people in Sutton's life - the people whom Sutton herself considers her "enemies" - will make for great drama between the sisters down the line.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Laurel, you deserve better

1.3 Double Dibs B+

This has been a really consistent intro for the series. Everything expands nicely on the premise delivered in the pilot, and it's all very evenly paced. However, you can also look at it in the unfortunate way that even though the quality hasn't dropped, it also hasn't quite improved yet, either. Some of the characters haven't quite caught on with me yet - like Mads (dumb name), Char (dumb name), and Thayer - and I'm not really digging the romance between Emma and Ethan just yet. The mystery is still full of potential, but not quite delivering anything spectacular.

One character who's starting to click with me now is Laurel, Sutton's adoptive sister, who's kind of an enigma. On first impressions, she seems like she should be a "queen bee" type character just like Sutton and her friends. (That's also because she's played by Allie Gonino, who's really good at that kind of character.) The writers, however, present her as a bit of an outcast and a loner, and that mold doesn't really suit her. I'm guessing this is intentional. She's the kind of gal who should have had everything Sutton has - popularity, boys at her disposal, and a loyal click. You can assume that had her parents never adopted Sutton, she would have become that person. Sutton basically stole the spotlight from Laurel, and instead of being the shining eldest daughter and "it" girl - a role which is still very much suited to Laurel - she is pushed back into the submissive second child/outcast role.

Sutton gets a lot of screen time for once, but unfortunately we follow her on a rather dull search for her birth mother. I wasn't interested in her scenes, up until the point when a portion of her vulnerable side begins to show. There's an apparent wound in her, knowing that her birth mother once tried to track down Emma, but not her. Even though Sutton had perfectly good and caring parents of her own, and should have been perfectly content with that, she's definitely the kind of person who just wants want she doesn't have. Emma is accepting of the things she doesn't have and appreciative of the things she earns. Sutton is unappreciative of the things she has already, and greedy for the things she doesn't.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Laurel and Ethan

1.4 Twinsense and Sensibility A-

The introductory phase is beginning to round out into the complication phase. We are introduced to a recurring dream shared by Emma and Sutton, playing on the often speculated psychic link between twins. In it, they experience being trapped in a fire, one which probably led to the death of their birth mother. The mystery at the heart of the show has been unravelling at a pretty slow pace, even given the fact that we're only four episodes deep. Seemingly grand questions don't seem that complicated: who are Emma and Sutton's parents? what happened to them? and what role do the adoptive parents play in the cover-up? Pretty straightforward mystery if you ask me. However, there's a promise that things are much more complex than they seem, and perhaps we're all overlooking details being deliberately withheld from us, for now. My theory is that Ted, Kristin, and Alec (and maybe even Char's mother, as hinted in an earlier episode) have sinister high school ties with the girls' birth mother, sending the grand mystery even farther back in time than the birth of Emma and Sutton.

Laurel continues to be full of surprises, and she has quickly become my favorite character aside from Emma/Sutton. Her self-awareness makes her pretty entertaining, and I really like the trust she and Emma are building with each other. Laurel going to bat to protect Ethan was pretty awesome. Unfortunately some of the other characters are still falling flat - Mads, Char, and now Nisha. There's at least some effort in making these three relevant to the story by giving them a plotline with a bit of conflict and complication, but it's still an inevitable fact that if they don't apply to the main storyline with Emma/Sutton, they are dangerously close to being labelled as excessive "filler" characters.

Overall this episode felt a bit darker, throwing a kink into the somewhat fun-yet-challenging adventures of Emma established in the first three episodes. Now she's beginning to see how invested she is in acting out this part in Sutton's life, and the looming realization that she will one day have to give it back to its rightful owner is not looking pretty.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

The Sutton Campaign: Char, Emma, Mads

1.5 Over Exposed A-

One thing this show is doing really well is morphing Emma into a new person episode by episode. She is gradually on the path toward becoming just like her twin, Sutton. Right now she's in a phase where everything seems under control. She's still that charming, humble person introduced in the pilot, and she's doing a lot to dim down the one-woman parade that is Sutton Mercer's life. By effect, the people in Sutton's life are grateful for the uncharacteristic humility being demonstrated. Laurel is the best example - Emma is acting like a friend, whereas Sutton never saw any friendship in their sisterhood.
But what I like more is that underneath all the selfless things Emma does, the temptation is still in play. Even though Emma is much more humble than Sutton, she still can't avoid the spotlight. And when honors like Homecoming Queen are thrown at her without any effort on her part, that's an easy road toward hubris. We're given a bit of foreshadowing (again, Laurel is the example) that the favorable "new Sutton" in everyone's lives right now, won't be around forever. That may just mean the true Sutton will return to reclaim her life one day - but can't it also imply that Emma will become the vain, prideful person that her sister is?

Okay, I'm starting to dig the Emma/Ethan romance now. I wasn't before. It felt forced to me, and it seemed they only liked each other because they were thrown together as confidants, and she's there and she's pretty just like Sutton. But now I'm starting to see things from his perspective - the skyping scene was pretty good where he actually gets a blunt assessment of how egocentric one twin is, but how kind the other is. To me the choice seemed logical - I would go for Emma too.

Sutton suffers through a bit of a bottle episode with Thayer, where they're trapped in one room the entire episode and forced to come to some sort of relationship terms with each other. Definitely not enjoying this sideplot, I must say. I find Sutton's immense potential to be wasted by having her interact with only one character on a regular basis - and a not very interesting character at that. He's a hacker, and if there's any modern trope I think can cheat a decent story, it's the hacker character. They're like these omnipotent sleuths that can achieve anything with a few clicks of a keyboard. Cheap. And fake. (But now I'm just ranting.)

Lastly, Ted's role in the story is growing increasingly more dark. He's still very much a minor character and there's a long way for him to go to ever be deemed a "bad guy", but he's definitely become a thousand times more secretive and agitated since the pilot. Just like Emma's episodic morphing, he's kinda doing the same thing, only on a much more behind-the-scenes scale. There's confirmation that the parents' high school days are the root of the mystery, and as those secrets climb to the surface, they're pulling good people like Ted downward.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

SPECIAL REVIEW: Ringer (Pilot) C+

Ringer has been one of the most hyped new series of the Fall 2011 season. I think it's safe to say the hype was a strategic move, building on the return of Sarah Michelle Gellar to the TV world, because ultimately the hype is needed as the selling point - substance alone doesn't really deliver. My personal belief is that SMG became more iconically adored by mass audiences as Buffy after the show had ended, rather than during its original run, but I wouldn't go so far as to criticize her acting ability. I think she's pretty great all around, but at the same time, the roles she's undertaking in this pilot don't quite do her any justice.

The reason I'm including this in The Lying Game thread is because the two shows are so similar. Estranged twin sisters, one poor, one wealthy - and the poor twin is impersonating the wealthy one and dealing with her secrets and dirty laundry. I really wanted to judge how the two shows stacked up because I'm really intrigued by the whole hype vs. execution thing, and you can already tell by the grade which one I liked more. Here's what sealed the comparison for me...
I can think of about a thousand and one adjectives to describe Emma and Sutton from The Lying Game - they are both very defined individuals, and Alexandra Chando is really skilled at making me believe there are two different human beings with two distinct personalities. I literally watch and constantly forget that this is the same actress. In Ringer, however, Bridget and Siobhan (pronounced sha-VAWN) aren't as clearly defined. I have to strain a bit more to find adjectives to describe them, to fish out the differences between these two, and it takes my brain in a bit of a roundabout journey trying to figure out why the pauper is required to impersonate the princess within the context of the story in the first place. I don't see the heart in Bridget that I see in Emma, nor the humility, nor the longing for a better life. And I don't see the drive in Siobhan that I see in Sutton, nor the complex likeable arrogance. Granted, we're one episode deep and we hardly know what drives Siobhan to do the things she does, but more importantly, I honestly don't think SMG is committed to Bridget's backstory as a narcotics addict and ex-stripper, despite the amount of focus given to her.

For some it won't make sense why I chose an ABC Family summer series, geared toward a younger and possibly more immature audience, set in a high school - over a network, high budget, fall series with a big name cast. Ringer has all sorts of things going for it on paper. It actually has the benefit of special effects to have the two twins on screen together more often. There are these really awesome moments when SMG is interacting with herself so organically it's practically visual realism. But unfortunately there's also incredibly, terribly bad green screen effects seconds later that kill the believability. In those cases, The Lying Game's low budget actually serves as a good thing in maintaining the illusion. I would like for Emma and Sutton to interact more, yes, but if it's going to be as bad as Ringer's green screen effects, then no thank you.
Overall Ringer's mystery/story arc is a lot more dark, a lot more mature, focusing on murders and marriages and all sorts of adult human drama. But does that necessarily make it better? No. I still appreciate the simplistic youthful heart of The Lying Game more. Despite the cheesy high school scenarios, the cliches, the occasional campiness, I think the characters in The Lying Game are more emotionally invested in one another, and more emotionally invested in their own journeys. That alone shows more promise in my eyes when it comes to character arcs and development. I enjoy that Emma and Sutton's struggles seem lighter in comparison, because there's that ultimately optimistic belief that everything will turn out right for these characters you become attached to. Whereas Bridget and Siobhan are so bogged down in sinister, somber, noir drama, and sometimes life-threatening situations that I can't foresee many times you will ever get to lighten up and breathe, and just enjoy the characters for who they are.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

A chilling discovery

1.6 Bad Boys Break Hearts A

I didn't expect much substance going in. Right off the bat, the A-plot seems overly thin and I was expecting a tamer transitional episode. The larger subplot with Mads was a turn-off as well since this character has never impressed me. Instead, however, we get an episode that really cuts down to the human drama, exploring the relationships between the different characters. Emma and Ethan go through a huge cycle from new-couple romance to a distrusting semi-breakup. Laurel catches Justin in a lie. Sutton is dumped by Ethan, Thayer lets his skeeviness shine, and Sutton is forced to continue her venture solo. And the Mads subplot actually does more for Alec's character than for hers - his bad guy status is elevated as he spins a boldface lie to his own daughter, fooling not only her, but us as well.

What I really like about this episode is that the writers did not give an easy solution to any of the characters. Their holes keep getting dug deeper and deeper, and by the end it almost entirely changes the course of the narrative, really stepping up the drama for the next few episodes. My only gripe is that we were a bit short-changed on conflict between Emma and Sutton in regards to the dual affairs with Ethan and Thayer. The writers have been foreshadowing to some sort of opposition between these two characters, and while this seemed like the prime opportunity to deliver, the tension between them is cut short due to extenuating circumstances. I'm not sure if it was a special effects issue, having the twins interacting solely via webcam, thus making the conflict less effective, or if it was an intentional delaying of the inevitable by the writers.

I thought Emma was portrayed really well, finally getting a chance to show off some of her intelligence and really taking charge of the spinning factors in Sutton's life. Her assessment of Justin was spot on, and ultimately it's her knowledge of the orphan child syndrome that leads to the only happy resolution in the episode, that between Justin and Laurel. Breaking Emma and Ethan up after one episode seems premature, so I'm not convinced this is a decision that will stick. Overall, the episode does a lot to test each characters' meddle, and I think as everything starts to take a turn for the worse, I'm looking forward to seeing how Sutton and Emma are going to be forced to return to their former lives, and how they will handle the challenge.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Staring blankly ftw

1.7 Escape from Sutton Island B-

The past couple episodes have been something of a "soft reboot" for the series. Now that it's been firmly established that Emma has engrained herself in Sutton's shoes, it's time to toss things up a bit. The previous episode did that by complicating the relationships between the characters, with the most emphasis being on Emma as usual. I really liked that there were no easy outs to the conflicts, and no clear cut answers. This episode continues that trend, but honestly the writing doesn't come across as skillfully as last time. The dialogue is noticeably weaker and riddled with exposition, while certain scenarios within the plot felt cheapened to the point of cliche. The previous episode took its subject matter very seriously, but here things get a little more campy and predictable.

I think the biggest setback for me was having the central plot revolve around Eduardo's "accident". Since this character doesn't appeal to me, and he's working with such limited knowledge of anything going on around him, I felt detached from the overall story there. His hospitalization pits Emma and Mads against each other, but this seems like a misstep to me. The logical conflict should have been between Alec and Emma, or even Alec and Mads - but both of those conflicts take a back seat.

Predictability starts to set in when Laurel wants to take her relationship with Justin to the next level, so that plays out about as step-by-step as you can imagine. Emma and Ethan's bickering and bantering was about what I expected given their state of affairs after the last episode - I actually didn't mind the predictability in this case, up until the point where she conveniently gets a flat tire for the sake of bottling the two of them. I get the analogy (reminiscent of Sutton and Ethan's first meeting) and it had the potential to be sweet, but it ultimately came across as eye-rolling - a far too easy and convenient writing choice. Elsewhere, Mads and Char are almost brought in on the secret about the Emma/Sutton switch, which would have been the best direction for these characters yet, but unfortunately that trigger isn't pulled and leaves me underwhelmed.

Sutton's venture through the mental institution seemed like it was going to be pretty silly at first, as the doctor there mistakes her for some sort of delusional schizophrenic. Alexandra Chando sold the part well enough, and I could buy into Sutton's legitimate fear, so thank goodness for that - because the idea of that sideplot was borderline laughable. I was expecting more humor than character development, but the surprising results ended up being my favorite part of the episode. Sutton has a really heartbreaking confrontation with Annie her birth mother, and more importantly, she is now going to have to deal with being Emma. She is sent off to Las Vegas, in handcuffs, filling the empty shoes that Emma left behind. I really love the reboot potential here, and I honestly wasn't expecting this sort of complication in the story arc. I knew Emma eventually giving Sutton's life back to her would be the big difficult decision that's quickly approaching us, but this complication really throws an unexpected wrench in the works for everyone involved.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

"Did you just call me 'Babe'?"

1.8 Never Have I Ever B

Okay, I'm starting with two very irksome points about this episode. 1) How in the hell did Travis find Emma? Or am I just completely missing this? And furthermore, why did no one ask him how he found her? Everyone watching this show was asking that question! That was just piss poor writing, I hate to say it. He just shows up out of nowhere, causes a bit of trouble, and is sent on his way with no further immediate risks to unravelling Emma's secret identity. 2) The previous episode promised a chance to see Sutton in Emma's shoes, but that was more or less delayed from happening. Instead, she spends the majority of the episode in jail, conveniently missing opportunities to make her "one phone call". To some degree I understand the delay, you don't want the story to progress too quickly, and you don't want the conflict on Sutton's side of the story to unravel Emma's more interesting side of the story just yet, but it was still a bit of a letdown due to lack of delivery. The final scene with Sutton's release and meeting Lexi is full of a bit more promise, so it's hard to complain since the writers are taking steps to make good on their promise of seeing Sutton in Emma's life. On top of all that, the fact that Sutton is becoming downright vengeful of Emma is just awesome.

Now onto the very good. Laurel is becoming such a devious little brat, to the point that it's even becoming hard for me to like her (which honestly makes me like her even more). Since there is no "Sutton" in her life - that domineering, manipulative older sister - no one is suppressing Laurel from doing all the things she wanted to do in life. Partying, drinking, lying, having sex. Maybe I'm just putting my own spin on the character, I don't know, because the arc of Laurel becoming just like Sutton is never directly stated in any of the episodes - but to me it seems very apparent. I really don't think I'm wrong in my assessment of Laurel, but whatever the case, she's still a very attention-grabbing character with me.

Aside from Travis randomly (and I do mean randomly) finding his way into Emma's life, and aside from the fact that this episode probably should have focused more on Sutton instead, I found the central plot with Emma to be very engaging. It's hard to say what that plot was, because most of the scenes really do just open up and let the character breathe. She deals with everything from her relationship with Ethan, exploring the possibility of having sex, being caught up in lies, her shameful upbringing, some humor with the drunkenness, and even a pretty dark and very adult situation where Travis tries to force himself on her. It was a ton of material to throw at one character in a single episode, but I found her reactions to each situation to be very appropriate to her entire story arc this season. She really is an awesome character, and if you want to know why Ringer sucks compared to this show, I have your answer: Emma Becker. (Yeah, I said it.)

[Blake (HDLYR)]

The "it" girl all over again

1.9 Sex, Lies, and Hard Knocks High A

The writers finally make good on their promise to show Sutton living in Emma's life, and it was about as fun and meaningful as I could have hoped - well worth the wait. It's a little sad they penned it as a standalone adventure because by the end of the episode Sutton is sent on her way. (I guess at the time, the producers were only expecting a ten-episode season order, so they didn't plan on dragging out stories for more episodes.) But overall the whole idea was very well conceived and executed. The whole season we've explored how Sutton's world back in Phoenix could stand to use a little bit of Emma's humility and kindness, and Emma implanting herself in that life made everyone around her better. I think the same can be said reciprocally about Sutton. Emma's life could stand to use a bit of Sutton's aggressiveness and her stylish flare. Sutton manages to stand up to Emma's foster mother in a way that Emma never knew how, and she instantaneously makes a name for herself amongst Emma's high school peers. By the end, having shared a bit of Emma's POV, Sutton is even more forgiving of Emma for her recent actions.

The same can almost be said of Emma. Back in Phoenix, these people she has come to love and appreciate are starting to let their true colors shine. Emma becomes angry with the Mercer Family's constant secret-keeping and lies, and she even starts to understand why Sutton was so resentful of them to begin with. Although they are all kind hearted people, they are incessantly secretive with one another. This is the first time it really hits Emma hard - she can't stay here. And the outcome will not be pretty.

As for the people behind the lies, Alec and Ted get a bit more focus. Alec has sort of been a silly bad guy all season, mostly because he's a full grown man constantly finding ways to butt into these teenagers' personal lives. He's a Scooby Doo villain. "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those rascally kids!" He really needs someone more age appropriate to square off against, but I will say this was the first episode that made me appreciate him a bit. His interaction with Char's boyfriend was pretty hilarious, but more exciting was his awesome cat and mouse conversation with Emma - that was wickedly clever. Not two steps behind Alec is Ted, who like I said, is finding himself on more and more of a slippery slope. His lies are only building, and that's never a good sign - especially now that we know his own wife is totally kept in the dark about Sutton and Emma's origins. Great episode and leaves me eagerly awaiting the mid-season finale.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Twin showdown

1.10 East of Emma A-

Overall I was pretty pleased with this mid-season finale. The producers weren't entirely expecting a back-half to the season, so this was originally meant to be a season-one finale. It definitely has that feel, lots of rising emotions and serious changes to the status quo. But it wasn't a perfectly smooth road. It had a lot of payoff in certain areas, things I expected to see happen, a few minor surprises, but also a few stumbling points as well. My biggest enjoyment of this entire series so far is the anticipation toward a Sutton vs. Emma standoff. Gradually Emma has become tougher, assertive, and willing to fight for the things and people she loves. On the other hand, Sutton has had moments where her vulnerability and caring side appear only seldomly, but for the most part she's become even more vindictive and manipulative than ever before. As if it weren't bad enough she failed her mission to reconnect with her birth mother, now she feels like her entire life has been robbed from her - making her into an even more dangerous predator than ever before since she has nothing to lose.

The conflict is ripe between these two characters, but for some reason it felt downplayed. Due to special effects yet again, Sutton and Emma are together in only one scene - a scene which is expected to carry the weight of resolving the entire season arc so far. While I wouldn't say it was a scene that was doomed to fail, I would say it was doomed to be less impressive than expected and that's basically what happened. So rather than Sutton and Emma squaring off throughout the entire episode, using their newfound weapons - Sutton's manipulativeness vs. Emma's strength of character - the majority of the episode is spent with its focus elsewhere.

That focus is on Emma making peace with the Mercers. For the most part she's saying her goodbyes to them, thanking them for the time they spent together, and that carries on for a good portion of the episode. It was definitely something I expected to see, so I didn't mind, but I felt it trumped the more interesting story between Sutton and Emma themselves. And there was one, dare I say, significant fault... okay, Emma has been destined to lose the Mercers - these people she has grown to love - her new parents, her new sister. But the one person she could expect to keep when all else came crashing down on her, was Ethan. No matter what Sutton did to drive Emma away, Emma would at least be able to hold onto Ethan. Yet that very important resolution was revealed in the previous episode instead of here. Looking back I feel it was a premature move, something that should have been saved for this finale. It's a major character resolution for Emma, so it lessened the culmination of her season-long journey in a sense by being revealed too early. It didn't leave much for her in this episode.

But really it's not that critical of a fault to ruin anything. The end results are still the same in the long run - Emma gets to walk away with Ethan. If anything, I'd say Emma and Sutton's stories are still entirely compelling enough to keep me hooked. I can't say the same for most of the other characters - it's sad when their stories seem like filler material, even in a finale episode. I'm really hoping the back-half of the season picks up on developing Ted, Laurel, and Alec a bit more - since they seem to have the most potential in place already. Solid mid-season finale, and it had a lot of expectations it had to meet - but even where it slipped and didn't quite deliver what was hoped for, I still have to give it credit for being bold enough to strive for something big and being a fun show with a bit of heart for the past 10 episodes.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Rebecca "My name's not Annie" Sewell

1.11 O Twin, Where Art Thou? C+

The Lying Game returns from hiatus with a relatively lackluster premiere. About half the time is spent introducing Charisma Carpenter's character, whose background is so convoluted that it seems forced. Her name is Annie just like Annie Hobbs but she's not Annie Hobbs but she might still be Emma and Sutton's mother, oh, and now her name is Rebecca. I mean seriously? I'm almost tempted to point a glaring continuity finger at some of the forced explanations that this is an entirely separate character, but I'm still indecisive. It was really such a poor introduction of a character, and not only that, but a terrible way to refresh the audience about everything that's happened in the previous ten episodes.

Aside from that, Emma goes through so much backward retread that it's frustrating. There are so many instances when she can't maintain a decent lie. Why? Emma's entire arc this season is that she's been able to gain control of Sutton's identity and uphold a lie. Yet here she stumbles over every obstacle thrown her way.
On top of that, Thayer's manipulation of her seems completely undeserved. Emma begins to distrust Ethan and suspects him of murdering Sutton (or at the very least causing her disappearance), but the character drama here seems less true to the character and simply integrated for plot purposes. Emma has no reason to distrust Ethan, and neither does the audience. We already know Ethan isn't responsible for Sutton's disappearance, so the possibility of Ethan's guilt doesn't exist on our end. The possibility could potentially exist on Emma's end, but that's never sold very well. None of his behavior, motives, or demeanor hints at any sort of suspicious role in Sutton's disappearance - so why would anyone, especially Emma, ever assume his guilt?

I wouldn't say this premiere was a complete failure. There's still the actual mystery of what happened to Sutton after her car went into the lake, and just who is now acting as the man behind the curtain. But in terms of character development and a promise that these characters will have something big in store for themselves this season, we're left hanging.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Sutton Mercer RIP...?

1.12 When We Dead Awaken B

Sutton's death never seemed like a possibility, but it was interesting enough guessing who would want to make it seem like she was dead. Ethan and Thayer uncharacteristically agree on a theory that Sutton is faking her own death, and if it weren't for the mysterious individual who appeared in her backseat when her car crashed, I'd believe it too. For the people who know her best, it's not far-fetched to believe she'd go that far - for attention, for vengeance, maybe even for laughs. But it's also believable that someone like Emma, who is the most emotionally connected to Sutton, would take the threat seriously. I think her reaction kept the episode grounded in reality and maintained some sense of suspense.

Emma has another opportunity to appreciate living Sutton's life as she explores the possibility of college. These character moments where she takes account of her blessings are always sweet enough, but at this point in the season I think they need to start offering something more. I'm not saying get rid of the emotional development - because I like all the tender moments between the Mercers especially - but it is time to start clarifying motivations elsewhere. I want to know what's up with Alec, Ted, and Rebecca/Annie and the whole underlying secret of the series. I'm not saying they need to give away all the answers, but rather start explaining why these characters are perpetuating a lie. So far that is only clear through subtext, and that will only carry us so far. We know each of these characters has a complicated relationship with each other, but they have progressed only minimally since episode one. The development is glacial.
Alec is by far the most obscure. Dan Whitehorse's involvement with him is explained in this episode, so that does give me hope that they are taking steps to revealing more and more about Alec. It's a good sign.

Justin has always been a bit of a wildcard. It's been apparent for a long time that he knows something more about Ted than he lets on, and because that secret directly correlates with his parents' death, he harbors some sort of distrust of him. His breaking up with Laurel really comes out of left field, and it normally it would have seemed like fickle teen drama had you not caught onto the clues before. I still think Justin is an interesting enough character, so hopefully he won't go down the same route as the other "secret-keepers" on the show, like Alec, Ted, Rebecca... The mystery is only as good as the characters who create it, and that's always been The Lying Game's crutch. They're afraid shining the light on important characters will dim the mystery, but in my opinion it's only hurting my interest in it.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

"Who are you?!"

1.13 Pleased to Meet Me A

I gotta hand it to the folks behind the camera - they really figured out a way to make the single-actress-playing-twins thing work on camera. There were so many times when Emma and Sutton are interacting that I completely forgot I was watching the same actress having a conversation with herself. I've seen other shows where the twin thing comes across just as well, but for some reason it took TLG a bit longer to catch up. But they've finally found something fluid and natural. There are still a few motionless wide-angle shots where they incorporate both twins in the frame, which isn't really necessary, but overall it's on point.

This episode more than doubled the amount of screen time Sutton and Emma have shared up until this point, and it makes you wonder "My god, why hasn't there been more of this in the past?" I really hope this episode wasn't a tease where they'll be separated once again by next week because the show has reached a high point in both its production value and storytelling, so going back to an old status quo wouldn't do anyone any justice.

Sutton's return wasn't ripe with conflict the way I had been expecting, but it actually came across better than expected because it was still a very complex situation for everyone involved. There's no screaming and yelling, or devious backstabbing, or whatever else you could imagine Sutton doing - instead, it's all about the characters questioning their own suspicions and current attachments to one another. Sutton is clearly using any situation she stumbles into as a means to an end, but like a skilled chameleon she's winning everyone with kindness and charm. It's very subtle of her, very cunning - and something different. You could say she's acting just like Emma - because it's not enough for Sutton to simply take her old life back; she wants the improved life that Emma has been forging for the past several months. She's trying to assimilate herself into her life where Emma left it, playing the good daughter, but reflections of the "old Sutton" shine through from time to time, like when she yells at her mother.
Elsewhere, Ethan can't accept the fact that Sutton may have changed for the better, and I really enjoyed his unwavering doubt, which actually helped keep the audience's view off balance as well. Sutton plays her new role so convincingly that we might buy into it, but with Ethan constantly stating the more plausible reality, we're left second guessing, as we should be. Thayer expresses some doubt too while still clinging to his love for her, while Emma is stunned by the abrupt moment where she has to give up everything. Even though she had been anticipating this situation since the beginning, it came faster than planned.

Justin reveals his true motives to Laurel, and it plays out about as I expected. Ted was directly involved in his mother's death, and he had been using Laurel to get closer to him. It's not exactly the most unique twist the show has conceived, despite an awesome performance by Allie Gonino, but it is at least the best B-plot offered so far. TLG has always suffered a bit in its side stories, and that's one of the fundamental flaws still holding the series back in general. When the focus steps away from Emma and Sutton's side of the story, there's nothing really compelling happening with the other characters. It's either a question of "What is Alec and/or Ted up to now?" "Who is Rebecca?" or "How can we include Mads or Char in this episode?" and the answers are either unresolved or disappointingly un-profound.

I will say, however, this is my favorite episode of the series so far. It's rare I'll like an episode better than the same week's Pretty Little Liars episode, but I guess there's a first for everything. The main appeal for me was Sutton's return and every character's own unique reaction to her, while she herself seemed more cunning than ever. I hope they stick with Sutton and Emma having some more time together because for the first time in a long time, everything felt right with the show.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

She gets what she wants

1.14 Black and White and Green All Over A

One day back into her old shoes and Sutton is already bringing down the house Emma has so painstakingly built for her. Because of her own narcissism, she can't see the reasons things are collapsing around her, specifically her relationships. Laurel is catching on to her general lack of compassion, her parents have already noticed the spoiled brat version of their daughter returning, and particularly highlighted in this episode was Ethan's complete distaste for her. I like that Sutton is so pathetically flawed sometimes that she can't see how horrible she is, but what's even more interesting is that she takes such elaborate means to mask those flaws rather than face them. She knows Emma was doing something right, and since Sutton doesn't possess the necessary emotional maturity and empathy to replicate it, she decides that manipulating Emma into sticking around and lending her assistance is the best she can get. Emma was practically on her way out the door, with Ethan in tow, but thanks to Sutton's clever manipulation, she feels the need to stay. Sutton is so good at recognizing people's emotional outlets and using them to get what she wants, even when she is so bad at facing her own demons.

I've noticed one thing regarding my overall enjoyment of the series so far, and that's that I tend to give a higher rating to episodes that focus heavily on Sutton. I try to look at every character and every plotline on level terms, but she really is a character that is simply functioning on a much more complex and compelling level than many others around her. The foil between Emma and Sutton is so raw and tangible, almost to the point of exaggeration, that I can't help but admire it. I've stated before that I think Alexandra Chando does an amazing job capturing both characters, but I gotta hand it to Blair Redford (Ethan) for this episode as well - he did an astounding job playing off each twin as if they were two separate actresses. I think Sutton brings out the best drama on the show, for sure, and even highlights the more positive aspects of the other characters around her simply by being so nasty in comparison. I hate to say it, but she's almost too good for this show. I don't know if it's because the writers like to give her special attention compared to everything else going on, or if it's simply a truly inspired acting performance.

Regardless, a lot of B-plot comes across as soapy from time to time, and this episode was a good example. There's a lot of repetition and dialogue which expounds upon events we already know to have taken place, and rather than learning something new per se, we get reverberation. It's like an echo effect. For example, Ted causing Justin's mother's death - not many new facts stated in this episode, just a continual repercussion from where we last left that story, this time seeing it from Ted's point of view instead of Justin or Laurel. It sounds like I'm complaining, but I actually do like this technique which TLG uses quite frequently. The only problem is that when the A-plot is strikingly faster paced in comparison, it makes the B-plot seem slow instead of subtle. I'm still hoping for a happy medium where they can balance the Emma/Sutton story and the Everyone Else stories so that everything is travelling along harmoniously at the same speed.

Lastly, I just wanted to commend Alice Greczyn (Mads) for showing the most improvement this season, acting-wise. Her abilities never blew me away to begin with, but she's definitely grown into the character and seems exponentially more comfortable in the role. Hopefully they can use the newfound confidence to experiment with the character some more.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Not amused

1.15 Dead Man Talking A

I can't help but feel sorry for Sutton sometimes. She certainly doesn't do anything to actively garner sympathy, but there's something inherently pathetic about her that makes you pity her. She's extremely intelligent, yet totally inept at dealing with other people in a socially acceptable capacity. On top of all that, everyone around her compares her to Emma - whether openly (like those who are in on the secret), or accidentally (like Mads and the Mercers) - and in every aspect, Emma comes out as the favorite.

Most of the time Emma doesn't realize she's complicating Sutton's life. She's simply acting like herself, showing humility and compassion toward others, and Sutton simply doesn't have the maturity to keep up. But Emma is also not perfect. She often makes poor decisions that cost Sutton, and her, when it comes to the big picture. Emma is eager to mop up Sutton's mess out of niceness, such as covering for Sutton's midterms and apologizing for bad behavior to the Mercer parents, but she also fails to see that it's not solving any problems in the long run. Sutton will not learn from her mistakes, and Emma is simply being an enabler. Ultimately, Emma does not have the ability to single-handedly better everyone's image of Sutton, so the real Sutton will always shine through.

Things certainly ramp up in the last ten minutes with a really intense mood shift. The suspense and tension is thick enough to cut, as Derek (revealed to be Sutton's attacker) is murdered (an easy bet is by Alec), and Ethan is blamed for the murder. Dan's decision to send Ethan running was a terrible flaw in logic, especially coming from a police officer(!), and that's the kind of poor writing that peeves audiences to no end. I think Ethan going on the run is a natural in-character reaction for him when being faced with an accusation so serious, so I think it's good set-up for drama in upcoming episodes, but including Dan in that decision-making seemed forced. That was the only gripe I had there.

Elsewhere Laurel gets a new love interest. I like when actors get to showcase their other talents in their roles, such as Allie Gonino's singing and violin talent, but I hate when writers make whole plotlines out of it. Laurel had a lot going for her early in the season, but now it seems half her time is spent being crammed into situations where she gets to sing and play the violin. Musical talent is a nice addition to the character, but it's not what attracted viewers to her at the start.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Stumbling for an alibi

1.16 Reservation for Two C+

After cruising along in high gear for a few episodes, the writers decide to turn things back a notch. The coinciding Emma and Sutton plot, which was a great change of pace for the series as a whole, gets the rewind treatment a bit and they're sent on two separate paths again. Sutton is on the run with Ethan, and Emma is covering for them back at home, all while cleaning up Sutton's mess with Mads. For the most part everything comes across as soapy melodrama, and frankly... I hate to say it...

I was just bored.

Ethan and Sutton make for the worst fugitives ever as he decides to go into hiding at his father's house on the reservation. Aside from a randomly silly moment involving Sutton and horseback riding, we get a glimpse into Ethan's family life, and the writers aim for a bit of mirror-imaging between him and Sutton. They've both been neglected by their mothers, but as far as similarities go, it stops there. I think the writers try to force an understanding between these two characters based simply on that fact, but they brush past the more interesting connection between them. They did date each other, after all, so there is some sort of chemistry between them. Having them come to terms with how nasty they've been to each other, and simply apologize, seemed like a fair enough way to bring these two closer together. Adding the orphan syndrome on top of it wasn't really necessary.

Laurel's present love triangle with Justin and her bandmate is slowly frustrating me. I really feel like the writers are struggling to get a grasp of her as a character, and it's starting to become clear that they don't really know where she fits into the whole story. To me her potential has always been clear, and she shows so many subtle reflections of the bratty Sutton side, but for some reason the writers never feel committed to go down that road. They're fixated on never portraying Laurel in any different shades. Lately she's been driven down B-character Avenue, and it's only Justin who's keeping her relevant to a bigger plotline. There's a lot of emotional damage he has to repair, and I guess for me the whole band subplot is a less interesting distraction.

Emma has a great scene with Alec. These two seldom get to have their cat-and-mouse conversations, but when they do, it seems promising. She knows more about his involvement in the local schemes than he would like, but he's always one step far enough ahead that he can keep his true motives out of her sight. As the relationship between Mads and "Sutton" deteriorates, Emma gets backed into a corner and the only way out is to confess who she really is. We're not left to see Mads' reaction - but it's easy enough to guess. Any normal person would immediately believe Sutton had lost her mind - Really? You're going to play the "evil twin" card? I can only imagine the writers backed themselves into a corner as well, writing a fairly... dull... episode and hoping that a big twist at the end could salvage an hour of sloppy writing. It was a valiant effort, but I'm not convinced it worked here, or if it will even contribute to a better episode next week. We'll see.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

Fireside confession

1.17 No Country for Young Love B

After a sluggish start last week, Ethan and Sutton delve into a situation which is meant to repair their broken relationship. The events that transpire here are more in line with what I expected from last week's episode - focusing on the natural chemistry that exists between the two. But in many senses, while the writers course-correct, they also go a little overboard. Surely I can't be the only one who thinks Ethan falling so quickly for Sutton's advances was a little extreme. He and Emma have been separated for like, a day. I can't buy into the idea that that is enough time for him to completely lose hope in being with Emma, thus driving him into Sutton's waiting arms. The girl plays to his weaknesses like a pro, I'll give her that - she finds ways to make Ethan smile in dire times, and single-handedly repairs the most damaged relationship in his family life - but she's not that good. She can't just make him do a complete 180 that fast. If anything, the writing choice here demeans Ethan in my eyes and escalates the high school fickle-mindedness that's never been present in the Ethan/Emma relationship, until now. It's another example of the amateur sense of timing and progression that has always been present in the writers room - they simply stumble too frequently on knowing when to speed things along to maintain excitement, and when to slow things down to build up well-earned, credible drama later on.

Laurel's plotline continues to be Blah-Fest 2012 and I swear if they have another musical number between her and Baz (? dumb name), I may cause physical harm to the first person I see. She's got talent, that's great, now move on! Please just stop serenading each other. It's really sad that Laurel and Justin's failed relationship is barely noticeable anymore, because my hate for the musical plotline is smothering it.

Mads is brought in on the twins' secret and it's... less than stellar. While she proves her worth to the group, playing a minor role in uncovering Alec's involvement in Derek's murder, I can't say she was absolutely vital. I mean her role was "act like a slut so they give you info". Bringing Mads in on the secret doesn't really change the status quo for anyone, even Mads. There's no emotional conflict involved, and that's because the writers never designed one for her from the start. She was never excluded from the inner circle for any particular reason, or any particular obstacle blocking her from knowing the truth, or even some sort of psychological workings that would make her a liability to the members of the inner circle. Since none of those things ever existed, bringing her into the circle now doesn't overcome anything. Mads' relationships with Sutton, Thayer, maybe even Ethan, are no different now than they were before - the only difference now is that she knows Emma exists. Bringing her into the circle was a good choice, yes I admit that, but that's only because Mads' season-long task of being a B-character to this point was so much more unappealing in comparison.

So if you haven't noticed by now, yeah I had some complaints about this episode, and really this present point in the season as a whole. Everything feels incredibly underwhelming right now, in some places stagnant. But this was a significant step up from last week, if only for the small steps in a forward direction.

[Blake (HDLYR)]

The innocent and the impostor

1.18 Not Guilty as Charged B+

The best string of The Lying Game episodes so far has been the short stint where Sutton and Emma were located within workable proximity of each other. There's only so much drama that can be had when the two best characters are either conversing via webcam, or wrapped up in their own individual plotlines separately. So when they finally came together, learning how to occupy the same space, it made for great drama.
That being said... the worst string of episodes of The Lying Game has probably been the previous two episodes. The great development of bringing Emma and Sutton together was nullified as they were sent on their separate ways again. To some degree I can overlook that, but what made it seem painful was that Emma and Sutton were exclusively prohibited any contact with each other whatsoever. It relied wholly on the early season-one format where they were strictly two separate characters on two separate paths. Frankly, we're past that. Once you get a taste of something better, something that works better for the show in every sense, why would we want to go back?

This episode does a lot to course-correct by quickly wrapping up the Ethan-Sutton fugitive situation. His incarceration, trial, and release are all quickly resolved, as they needed to be - add to that a nice resolution with his father - and we're back to a heavier drama between the twins. Sutton goes full-on sociopath by impersonating Emma in order to sabotage her relationship with Ethan. There's really no way she'll ever be able to uphold the ruse forever, but I could see the moment in her eyes where she really went over the edge and committed to the lie - that's when Ethan declares his complete lack of feelings for Sutton, unknowingly straight to her face. I think anyone can sympathize with her pain right there, but in natural Sutton fashion her pain is handled in an unhealthy, sadistic fashion. What person in their right mind could tell her own twin that she stole her boyfriend for a night, and then dictate the terms of her own forgiveness?

Honestly I enjoy that Sutton is such an exaggerated version of the emotionally frail bully who converts her hidden insecurities into the torture of others. If there's anything the show has needed, it's at least one character who can grip the audience's attention, and she certainly fits the bill. With a deeper look at Rebecca, I think that's what the writers are going for again, another sociopathic character to stir up drama, but it's never quite worked very well. At this point, I actually do hope she is the true mother of the twins. The more we see of her, the more she has in common with both of them. She has the manipulative, mastermind side of Sutton that is willing to go to great lengths for vengeful purposes, but she's also much better than Sutton at playing the Emma role - the humble, caring individual - in order to mask her darker side. The only problem with Rebecca is that her endgame is still totally unclear. She obviously came back into town for a specific reason, most likely to exact revenge upon Alec and possibly Ted, but we still have no clearer details on what Alec and Ted even did in the first place to cause such a fuss.