New show,same crimes

Rating:

Star Worlds latest weekday 10 pm offering,Lie To Me is about a private company called The Lightman Group that assists US federal agencies to solve varied crimes. The lead role is played by actor Tim Roth as Dr Cal Lightman who is a psychologist as well as an expert in body language. Cal specialises in something called as microexpressions,which are generally twitches and subconscious reactions to words and surroundings to solve crime. If that reminds you of the channels previous crime investigation series Psych,then youre in for a nasty surprise.

As opposed to Psych,Lie To Me is serious in its approach to crime to such an extent that even the characters on screen seem to apologise every time they laugh. For example,when Cal explains microexpressions to Homeland Security officials,one officer tells the other that Cal spent three years in Africa studying facial expressions just to elicit a laugh that doesnt come. The humour in other places is even more drab.

This is not to say that the serial is bland in any way. On the contrary,the performances and linear storytelling provide enough of a hook to lure viewers to the show. In the opening episode,Cal and his assistant Gillian hire a new associate called Ria Torres who can detect deception without learning any of the sciences Cal applies to his case. The series follows Cal and his team of deception experts as they assist law enforcement and government agencies to expose the truth behind the lies. It also gives real-life investigators a new and better method as Cal is clearly the shows high point and carries his smugness like a badge in the series. Sample this. Someone wants the truth,someone else wants to be right and here we are,the idiots in the middle, Cal says at one point. However,he also puts skeptical authorities in their rightful place by demonstrating their own actions and interpreting them,often with sarcastic overtones. The show also uses a lot of stock images of famous people such as George Bush II,Saddam Hussain,Mike Tyson etc. to show what exactly theyre talking about. Rather than force,they use careful line of questions,provocative statements,theatrics and healthy doses of deception on their own part. In the shows pilot episode,Lightman is speaking to a man who is refusing to speak at all,and is able to discern vital information by talking to him and gauging his reaction to each statement.

A series regular may even start taking some of the shows lines as truisms. For example,Cal says the following lines in the show. If you see wrinkles when a person smiles,then that person is telling the truth, and Body language tells the truth,even from the grave. This might not be all fiction,considering that the show is based on the real-life scientific discoveries of psychologist Paul Ekman.

The show though lacks Psychs humour,Castles touching moments,White Collars depth of storytelling and Bones chemistry between the detective pair. These are all shows that audiences here have previously sampled on Star World. Lie To Me certainly has potential and can even thrill you,it remains to be seen how long you can sustain your interest in face reading. Apart from that,the show offers no other USP.

Verdict: If face detection is your thing,you will enjoy this.