mostly Lie to Me
I have blazed through all the Lie to Me that there is so far, and I find myself a little disappointed. I really loved season 1. Season 2...much less so. And it's entirely because Gillian went from being an equal partner in the plot, with agency and an interesting role, to being a fairly one-note subordinate. If this continues through the rest of
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I didn't realize they'd changed show runners--that could account for a great deal of the change, then. And while I did read somewhere that "Fold Equity" had been aired out of order, I didn't realize "Honey" (and also others?) had been. That is discouraging. Not just because we get uneven characterization that way but also because it indicates that either TPTB or the network sees the show as being so entirely episodic that it doesn't matter what order the eps are aired in. One of the things I particularly enjoyed about season 1 was the way certain subplots developed across the season, even though it is predominantly an episodic show: so we get the slow dissolution of Gillian and Alec's marriage, we get Torres finding her feet with this job, we get the complicated relationship between Cal and Zoe developed over several eps, etc. Whereas in season 2 it feels rather like someone pushes the Giant Reset Button at the end of every episode. Even some of the backstory seems to contradict what we got before: is Cal's best friend who had his back when his mother died Terry Marsh or the guy who plays Joe McCoy on Friday Night Lights? Did Cal have a father or stepfather in the picture (a la the clip of his mother in "Depraved Heart") or not (a la the one with Terry Marsh)? It's possible to come up with a story where all these pieces fit, but it doesn't feel all that organic.
As for Gillian, I'm not sure I necessarily read her as darker than she's been portrayed, but I definitely read her as more complicated and interesting and less perfect. And if by "darker" you mean "repressing a whole lot of baggage through her conscious choice to be optimistic" then yes, definitely. I'd be particularly interested for them to explore Gillian's relationship to addiction. Her father is or was an alcoholic. Alec is a drug addict. And Gillian, I'd argue, probably has similar addictive tendencies that she more safely channels through sugar (and I know that may sound a little crazy, but there's increasing science to suggest that certain people--especially people who are predisposed toward alcoholism--can become physiologically addicted to sugar, and while it's less destructive than alcohol or coke, obviously, it can still be detrimental). But Gillian's relationship to addiction (how much does she drink, I wonder?) and to control is potentially fascinating, and it may have quite a lot to do with the fears she has about Cal losing control with his gambling and adrenaline rush-seeking. She's not just worried about him; she's also afraid about what his lack of control might force her to face about herself.
Anyway, I obviously have a tendency to ramble on--apologies! Here's to cautious hope for a less problematic back half to season 2!
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This post has the intended airing order for season 2. I blame the FOX execs; they have a nasty habit of scheduling shows out of order for some crack reason or another. The end of "Lack of Candor" makes more sense if "Fold Equity" were shown in its original order. The beginning and end of "Honey" also make more sense if it were aired 2nd as intended.
Eps in season 1 also aired out of order, but they were episodic, so it didn't matter so much. Except in the office decor. :-) (I saw the intended order for S1 somewhere, but forgot to bookmark, sigh.)
if by "darker" you mean "repressing a whole lot of baggage through her conscious choice to be optimistic" then yes, definitely
Yes, this is what I meant. She has been through some devastating personal crises, which would pummel optimism out of people unless they choose to see it positively. As a psychologist she'd understand the need to do that. At the same time, it tends to make her--distant. Almost clinical.
Plus there is a bit of a mother-child vibe between Cal and Gillian in 2nd season, which I wish would go away, because it only distances Gillian further. I want the Cal from "Do No Harm" where he's constantly aware of the toll the kidnapping case takes on Gillian. He seems clueless about what he's doing to her this season. I hope the back half knocks some sense into him.
And it makes sense that she'd have addictive tendencies herself and/or be drawn to addicts. (I'm rather surprised she drinks, actually.) I've always had a problem pinning Gillian character's down, so I'm hoping the back half gives her her due.
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And thank you for that intended episode order. I don't know that it changes things dramatically, but yes, there are a few moments that definitely make more sense if seen in that order. And I'd like to say that putting "Grievous Bodily Harm" and "Fold Equity" back to back, and then "Lack of Candor" afterwards shows progression: that we get Cal at his most reckless, and then an acknowledgment of what it looks like when someone else's life is threatening to spin out of control, etc. But then "Secret Santa" sort of works against the idea that Cal learned his lesson after GBH and FE.
I want the Cal from "Do No Harm" where he's constantly aware of the toll the kidnapping case takes on Gillian. He seems clueless about what he's doing to her this season.
YES! I want the scene after "Grievous Bodily Harm" when Cal realizes that Gillian missed the suicidal girl and has been dealing with that while he's been off with Terry. Or an acknowledgment of how hard the case in "Black Friday" must have been for Gillian--easily as difficult as "Do No Harm," yet it's as though everyone has somehow forgotten that a case about an adopted child might bring up issues for her.
So yes, here's hoping the back half of the season does a better job with some of this.
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