Monica Raymund, who plays Ria Torres on Lie to Me, took some time to answer some questions about her character, working with Tim Roth, what lies ahead in Season Three, and more. She also answered some questions sent in by you guys, the readers… including her opinion on Loker/Torres. Enjoy!

LTM Scoop: I’ll be completely honest with you here: The first time I felt I could really relate to your character was in the first episode of Season Two. Her qualifications were called into question somewhat due to her age. And, since then, at least in my opinion, it seems you’ve kind of hit a stride. But, from your perspective, when did you feel you hit your stride, or settled into doing a television show?

Monica Raymund: I think I “hit my stride” exactly around the same time you felt it. Season 1 was sort of a “try on” period where we were all discovering what the show was and who our characters were. For me, the beginning of Season 2 was also the beginning of truly understanding my character which was very freeing. I started to relax into the character of Ria Torres and simply started having more fun!

LTM Scoop: Is there any part of you or your personality in your character (Ria)? And, if so, what would you say it is?

MR: Absolutely! Ria is definitely a tougher and more hardened chic than I am in real life; however, I think the strongest parts of my personality that are in Ria are my curiosity and my sense of adventure. Both Ria and I ask a lot of questions and want to know more about what’s going on around us. We also enjoy taking on a challenge and jumping at the chance to do something new!

LTM Scoop: Tim’s obviously a very accomplished, very experienced actor. Have you found that working with him has changed your technique, outlook, work ethic, or anything else as an actor?

MR: Working with Tim on a TV show is essentially like earning my MFA in Film/TV acting. It is simply astonishing to watch such a seasoned actor at work. The best lesson I’ve learned from Tim? It’s okay to take risks!! Being on stage is very natural to me, but being on a TV set is still very new. It’s hard to check my inhibitions at the door sometimes. After seeing Tim’s process and working with him, I’ve learned that it’s okay to make choices and to try everything! He always has fun and I love that about him.

LTM Scoop: I had interviewed Sarah Fain earlier this year, before you guys had been picked up for a third season. And, from a writer and producer’s viewpoint, it was interesting to get her take on what it’s like not knowing if there will be another (or a full) season. As an actor, how do you deal with that? Is it unnerving at all? Do you think it affects your performance?

MR: This is an interesting question and one I’m not quite sure how to answer. One thing I know is this: I’m an actor on this TV show. So political decisions that are made (i.e. whether or not a show gets picked up, bringing on new characters, canceling a series, etc.) are completely out of my control. So why bother worrying about something I can’t control? I simply try to enjoy every day that I go to work and am grateful to have a job. Would it be great if the show continues to get picked up? Absolutely! But does not knowing the future of the show affect my performance or experience? Not at all. Every day is a new exploration, a new adventure, an opportunity to learn and a wonderful gift. And frankly, not knowing a little bit of my future is what really attracts me to the lifestyle of an actor. The spontaneity is what sold me in the first place. I kind of enjoy not knowing what will happen! It keeps me on my toes and reminds me to simply have fun every day and to remember that the joy is in the work.

LTM Scoop: Tim has really seemed to “embrace” Twitter. It’s actually rather amusing to see him go crazy with it, and I know all of his followers are enjoying it. Now Hayley and Brendan are on as well. I know you’ve been on for well over a year. Have you felt any pressure to step up the Tweeting?

MR: Haha I know! Tim’s loving his Twitter stint! His tweeting is admirable. But no, I haven’t felt any pressure to step up the Tweeting. I think the fans get plenty from Tim and I kind of like being casual on twitter. The best part about twitter for me is being able to meet the fans in cyber-space and just talk to them as a normal gal in the world, not the actor on a TV show. It’s important to me that the fans know how much we all appreciate their loyalty to the show, but I think it’s cool to just talk to them about our similar interests, causes we support, politics, news, and all around life. I’m a pretty laid back kid and I guess a laid back tweeter…

LTM Scoop: Along with that last question, on a more serious note… Have you found it hard to maintain anonymity in public, now that you’re on a well known show? Or do people usually give you your space?

MR:People have been pretty amazing at “giving me my space” as you put it… I’ve had people come up to me and rave about the show, but everyone I’ve met has been incredibly respectful and lovely! While we’re on the subject, I’ve read a few tweets that some fans have seen me in public but didn’t want to come up and say hi out of not wanting to disturb me. Here is my message to any LTM fans: If you see me out and about and love the show, don’t be shy! I adore you guys and wouldn’t be doing this without you. You guys rock. Seriously. I want to meet you and thank you in person for watching the show!

LTM Scoop: The episode just recently aired where Loker got a promotion. Going into Season Three, does that change Loker and Torres’ dynamic at all? If so, how?

MR: I think it does change in a subtle way, but remember, Loker is still dealing with a very independent Latina who doesn’t mind breaking rules every now and then….. He becomes her superior, but she’s just as driven :)

LTM Scoop: David Graziano said in a recent interview that in Season Three, Lie to Me will be moving towards an ‘old-school P.I.’ feeling. There were some mixed reactions to that, I know at least from Scoop’s readers and followers. Have you enjoyed the changes to the show so far in (filming) Season Three? How do you think the audience will feel about them?

MR: I really love the changes to the show. I think the audience is going to be on the edge of their seats in Season Three. The writing is better, characters are more specific, the tension is palpable, the drama is fantastic. If anything, I think many viewers will appreciate the shift in direction of the show because it really allows Tim to do his thing: act the hell out of these scripts! He’s phenomenal in season 3 and the ‘old-school P.I.’ feeling really lets him soar. Mesdames et Monsieurs, we hope you enjoy.

LTM Scoop: On a related note, I know Monique Curnen had been filming several episodes with you guys, as she’s going to have a recurring part in Season Three. How has it been having a new character to interact with? Do you feel it changed the dynamic of the (fictional) team at all?

MR: Okay. First of all, Monique Curnen is awesome and I want to be her bff. Seriously though, it’s so amazing having a fellow Latina on the show. She plays an FBI cop and really has a more personal connection to Lightman which provides some fun friction with Foster. I’m curious to see how she and I interact…. I’m hoping our characters can become friends on the show. How fun would it be to have a scene with Monique’s character, Foster, Torres and finally, Lightman? 3 ladies and Lightman? Talk about drama!

LTM Scoop: Can you tease what’s coming up in Season Three both for Torres and for the other characters?

MR: We are still early in the filming for Season 3 but I can say that there are some steamy scenes coming up for Lightman, and maybe a little steam for Torres (nooo, not WITH Lightman you naughty peeps!). Also, there’s going to be a huge event that occurs in the Lightman family where we are faced with making the biggest decision our company has been forced to make. That’s all for now… watch what happens.

Now, for the reader submitted questions:

LTM Scoop: If you weren’t an actor what job do you think you would want or would you have?

MR: I think I’d probably be a scientist as crazy as that is. When I was looking at colleges, at the time I was pretty intent on studying biochemistry. What can I say? I’m a geek. I ended up going to Julliard for college, but I still read up on what’s happening in the field. These days, I’m really into space and black holes and quantum physics. If I had to choose a different career right now, I’d probably study something related to Space… I know I know, I’m a dork, I get it.

LTM Scoop: Who is the biggest prankster on set? And, what’s the biggest or best prank they’ve pulled off?

MR: Actually, we have a couple members of our crew who are big pranksters. One time, we rolled on a scene where the Lightman Group had to watch feedback on a video and when the director called, “action,” a dance video of our sound mixer dancing to Baby Got Back started playing on the big screen. The whole crew cracked up for about 10 minutes before we continued shooting! So much fun.

LTM Scoop: There are a lot of Loker/Torres fans out there. Are you one of them? Also, will we be seeing any more on the possibilities of a romantic relationship between them in Season Three?

MR: Hell yea I’m one of them! I love that among some viewers Loker and Torres are known as RELI, or better yet, TOKER. I’m only on Episode 5 of Season 3 which means there are many more episodes to come so I plead the fifth.

So here we are again… back in that familiar territory known as “Lie to Me’s pickup limbo”. This is now the fourth time “Lie to Me” fans have had to face this. It started back in season one, when a second season pickup came in the 11th hour. That pickup, it should be specified, was only for 13 episodes. Come to waiting game two: “Will ‘Lie to Me’ be picked up for a full second season?” That was the question on many a fan’s mind. The answer, fortunately, was yes. Of course, this too was in the 11th hour. Fast forward to the more recent decision to renew “Lie to Me” for a third season. But, wait for it… it’s only for 13 episodes. Not this again! So, that brings us now to waiting game number four: Will “Lie to Me” be picked up for a full third season?

Why It Should Be
Starting in more recent history: “Lie to Me” is the highest rated scripted show of the summer. It’s performed very solidly over the summer, never losing the audience in the second half hour of its slot, but, instead, gaining viewers. “Lie to Me” has really proven to be a tough show. It endured several time slot changes in its first season alone. I don’t know about you, but spreading a show’s mere 13 episodes over several time slots is a bit confusing. Despite that, “Lie to Me” miraculously managed to build a solid, if somewhat small, fan base. However, it has, for the most part, held onto that fan base, even amidst some extremely tough time slot competition. (Add to this the 6 month long hiatus… don’t even get me started on that!) Much like the airing of its episodes, however, “Lie to Me” has built on what it started with. Its fan base has continued to grow over time.

Now, a brief case study: A somewhat humorous pickup occurred recently on the cable channel TBS: they picked up the show “Are We There Yet?” for 90 more episodes. That’s right: 90. Clearly this network sees something in the show that works, and that they feel can work for them. So why won’t Fox do the same? The fans aren’t even asking for 90 episodes… just 9… to start.

Another important reason Fox needs to water “Lie to Me” and help it grow is their own stable of shows has diminished. Fox has one long time action drama that’s ended (24), another drama that’s aging (House), and not too much hope of anything big in the very near future. But what they also have is a solid drama with a solid fan base that’s proven, not only are they loyal, but there’s huge room for growth among them.

I hesitate to say something negative about Fox. After all, they have a track record of being a very patient network. And, truth be told, they could’ve pulled the plug on “Lie to Me” long ago. But, I dare say they also could’ve been promoting it… long ago. All that being said, however, it’s important for everyone to keep in mind that promotion, while certainly helpful, isn’t in and of itself a guarantee. (Case in point: “The Good Guys”, another Fox drama.) And, Fox has been very careful about where they place “Lie to Me”. Up until now they’ve managed to avoid relegating it to Friday or Saturday night. I do feel Fox has some faith in the show… or else it wouldn’t be on. But what we’re asking for now, Fox, is to show that faith. Pick up “Lie to Me” for a full third season. And, while you’re at it, promote it… even a little. It’s a solid bet. Honest.

Now for the fun part… If you would like to see “Lie to Me” picked up for a full third season, leave your name below. Also feel free to share why you think it should stay on the air, how long you’ve watched, and whatever else you feel is relevant. (Only one entry per e-mail address, please. It will be monitored, and duplicates removed.) Be heard, “Lie to Me” fans!!!

Also, if you’re on Twitter, join the act.ly petition for @FoxBroadcasting. Follow the icon/link below…

- Search functionality (finally!)
- Enhanced commenting capabilities, including edit/delete and Facebook Connect
- (Tentatively) Adding User Profiles

There are some other things on the table as well, but we’ll see how it goes. So, what else would you like to see? Please feel free to be honest about areas you think we could improve on. Obviously, we may not be able to implement all of your suggestions, but knowing what you guys would like to see is important to us. So, comment below, email us, Tweet us, or leave a comment on Facebook. Thanks in advance for your input!

Thanks to Fox Home Entertainment, we’re giving away 5 copies of Season One of Lie to Me on DVD. Hopefully this will give those of you who haven’t seen Season One the chance to catch up. And, for those of you that have seen it, well, you can re-live its awesomeness, and maybe get some of your friends and family hooked as well! Now, if you don’t win, be sure to check out the Fox Home Entertainment store, where you can purchase Season One of Lie to Me on DVD and Blu-Ray.

So, for the giveaway, we decided to mix things up a little bit. You have 4 different ways to win. Here’s the breakdown:

Twitter (2 DVDs)
You must be following us on Twitter. Then…
1) We’ll pick one random follower to give a DVD prize to.
2) We’ll pick one follower who re-Tweets “Win Season One of Lie to Me on DVD from @LietoMeScoop http://tinyurl.com/33aadxh #ScoopGiveaway”. NOTE: We’ll be using Twitrand.com for the service, and they specify that this option is only available to 1500 re-Tweeters. If we encounter difficulties picking someone who RTs the message, then in lieu of that, we’ll choose one more random follower.

Facebook (2 DVDS)
If you don’t already, then “Like” us on Facebook. Afterward, leave a comment below this post: facebook.com/lietomescoop Doesn’t have to be long, just a simple “hello” will do.

Email (1 DVD)
Email us at contests@lietomescoop.com with your name and a message regarding the contest, eg: “I’d like to win season one on DVD”, and list the subject as “DVD Giveaway”.

Make sense?

Contest Rules
The contest runs through Wednesday, June 2nd at 12:00pm EST. You must contact us within 24 hours of us contacting you, or we’ll have to choose another winner. Also, while you can enter in all of the mediums above, and we actually encourage you to do so to increase your chances, only 1 DVD box set will be awarded per person. This is open to both US and non-US residents. But, for non-US residents, please note that the DVDs are region 1 DVDs, which means you will need a DVD player that can play them. We also reserve the right to end the contest early, or to cancel it due to circumstances beyond our control.

Thanks for your interest and continued support guys! Hit us up with any questions.

LTM Scoop: Really appreciate you taking some time, I know you guys are really busy.

Sarah: No, it’s no problem.

LTM Scoop: I have a few questions for you, and also I had um sent out a little Tweet to the readers… I just sort of asked ‘em if there was a question they could ask, what would it be, that type of thing. Like hypothetical. So I got some responses from them. So, I figured I’ll shoot you a few questions and then at the end if it’s okay, I can kind of run by you some of the things they said.

Sarah: Great.

LTM Scoop: Okay, cool. So first, kind of can you take us through a normal day of work for you. I know you wear a couple different hats there being a writer and executive producer. What’s a day like for you?

Sarah: Oh, every day is different, I think. You know, some days we’re in the writers’ room a lot. Other days we’re sitting and watching a cut and making notes on a cut. Other days we’re reading scripts and making notes and giving notes. Sometimes we’re doing, you know, everybody has studio and network notes/calls at various points. And then when an episode of yours is shooting, then you’re just on set, all the time. And, some days are combinations of all of the above.

LTM Scoop: So one of the things I’ve found, I get feedback with running the blog, and comments there, just different things I get from people… One of the things I noticed is there’s a mixed opinion about the science in the show. Some people feel they liked the first half of season one, there was more science involved. Other people are happy the direction it’s going now. Is that something you guys talk about? You know, about the science… how much is enough, that type of thing?

Sarah: Yeah, it’s, it’s something we talk about a lot, actually. And one of the things we talked about this year is to have episodes that are driven by story and character, and not as much by science. Which doesn’t mean that the science is less important. It’s just we found that having the science be an integral part of the story, but not be kind of the engine, allows us to get deeper into our characters. That’s obviously something that Shawn cares about, if you’ve seen any of his shows… (laughs)… It’s clear that that’s a priority. You know, and that’s, I think as writers it’s more fun to, to do very cool, interesting things with the characters you’re playing with on a daily basis.

So, you know, we’re all very interested in the science, and are incredibly fortunate to have Paul Ekman and Erika Rosenberg available and commenting on scripts and providing input. And we have researchers and people who can make sure that that element of the show isn’t lacking. But, you know, without, without great stories and interesting character stuff, you know… you want to have a really interesting plate to put the science on.

LTM Scoop: Alright, so a little confession time here: Before you came on, I know it was the end of season one, right? When you joined the show? Is that right?

Sarah: Yes.

LTM Scoop: So, had you watched the show before that?

Sarah: I had not watched every episode, but I had seen several episodes.

LTM Scoop: Sort of curious about that because, I mean you guys seemed to… It was pretty seamless, um, you know, the storyline coming in, so I was curious if you had watched any of it.

Sarah: Yeah, we… Our offices were above… you know, the Dollhouse offices were right above the Lie to Me offices. So we would see them all … every day and every night when we were coming in and out. So maybe some of it seeped up through the floors by osmosis.

LTM Scoop: It’s possible [laughs]

Sarah: Stranger things have happened.

LTM Scoop: Now not too long ago I was reading an interview with Tim Roth and he said that he refers to you and your writing partner, Elizabeth Craft, as “the girls”. So do you have a nickname for Tim?

Sarah: Oh… gosh, no. But maybe we should come up with one. That’s actually… what would be good? “The man”. [laughs] “The Brit”.

LTM Scoop: There you go. See those are nice names, though. If it’s one he doesn’t like, don’t tell him I mentioned it. [laughs]

Sarah: [laughs] Um, I know, I wanna’ come up with something… “The Hell cat”… I don’t know, we don’t have anything. We should talk about that.

LTM Scoop: You should… there you go. Well, his was pretty harmless for you guys though, so that’s not too bad.

You know, speaking about that too, though, there really does seem to be, … from the very little that I’ve seen of kind of the, you know, behind the scenes stuff, there seems to be a really good dynamic, um, with the cast. And it seems that maybe that’s what comes onto the screen as well. Do you think that maybe that’s the case?

Sarah: Yeah, I mean, I think our cast is just terrific. And they do really seem to like each other. You know… I think Tim and Kelli just have tremendous chemistry and fun. And, just, you know, I love every scene that they’re in together. But I think that’s true of everyone, you know. I think the cast really has… Yeah, I mean, it’s a dynamic. It’s a very specific, fun, dynamic. Yeah, they’re just a good group, you know? I hope that they all like each other personally; it sure seems like they do.

LTM Scoop: Yeah, well, that or they’re really good liars, right?

Sarah: Right. [laughs] They certainly all should know how to lie at this point, right?

LTM Scoop: It would seem so.

You talked about that chemistry there with Tim and Kelli, and, as you know, there’s a lot of fans out there. They actually have nicknamed themselves Callian fans, I don’t know if you’ve heard that…

Sarah: [laughs]

LTM Scoop: All these names, right? … But I have to be honest, from the feedback… Like I said, I get, you know, people send me messages and what not…. From different comments I’ve read too, it seems that you’ve now written one of the least favorites, and one of the, you know, what’s the word? The fans’ favorite was, I think, “Blinded”, and then now the least favorite… some of those scenes from “Fold Equity”. They [fans] were sort of concerned about that whole thing… there was sort of a real split camp on “Fold Equity”. So, how do you see that relationship between, um, the characters themselves?

Sarah: Between Cal and Gillian?

LTM Scoop: Exactly, yeah.

Sarah: Oh! I mean, I think they have an extraordinarily loving and deep relationship, … and a very complicated relationship. I think they have tremendous respect for each other. I think they understand each other in ways that other people probably don’t and can’t. And, part of that is understanding how difficult it would be to kind of take their relationship to different levels. Which doesn’t mean they can’t, or they won’t. But, you know, they have a very, very complicated relationship.

LTM Scoop: Yeah, absolutely. I certainly obviously agree with that. [laughs]

Sarah: Frankly “Fold Equity” wasn’t my favorite episode either, so… [laughs]

LTM Scoop: Okay. I was like: “How do I say it delicately?”. Because I was trying to think… You guys always do such an awesome job, but that one really seemed to… I tell you: I got so many Tweets, like right after that, and comments on the blog…. And some people were like, “Oh it was great”. Other people were like “Oh I can’t believe that!”. They like hated Cal after that, like one episode.

Sarah: Right. No, I got a very extended, on my blog I got a very extended… I don’t write about work, but I got a very long thing from someone about how that episode was a betrayal. And I don’t think it is. I mean, I think one of the interesting things about Lightman is that he can do all of these things and still be Lightman. You know? I mean he is someone who pushes boundaries and who manipulates people and situations in his pursuit of the truth. And, you know, I don’t think… I, I don’t think it compromised him in any way, actually.

LTM Scoop: I think you’re right… But I think that sort of that’s all part of, you were talking about getting to know the character. So, you know, he may not always be the most likable person, but that’s his character. I mean, that’s sort of the idea behind it.

Sarah: Yeah. Well, I actually didn’t find him ‘unlikable’…

LTM Scoop: Sure, yeah…

Sarah: But I, you know… he, he, you know, … Yeah. Well, he slept with someone who was not the greatest person in the world, but haven’t we all? [laughs]

LTM Scoop: I think that’s the main issue with people. I think that was sort of the one thing. It wasn’t anything else he said or did, it was just that…

Sarah: And someone put: “He slept with that cheap whore.” And I’m like: “She was a female poker player.” You know? I don’t think Annie Duke would really like that. [laughs]

LTM Scoop: Yeah. Well it was, you know, hey… Like I said: You guys always do a great job, so I can’t say too much one way or the other.

I was curious too, I know there’s so much speculation… and that’s actually the one thing, the question I get most often… “When’s it coming back?” I get that all the time. But, I’m just curious: How does that, or does it even, affect your writing: not knowing if you’ll have a third season. Like with your storylines, how does that work in?

Sarah: I don’t know that it does. I mean, I think we always just try and do the best episodes we can do and sort of operate on the assumption that there will be a third season. We certainly haven’t heard otherwise. And, I think it makes a lot of sense for the network to pick up a third season, so… Or at least 12 or 13 more episodes, depending on when we re-air, um, or when we’re back on the air. So, you know, I… It doesn’t, I don’t think it really does affect how we proceed. I mean, it affects… Not knowing definitively means that we certainly feel the responsibility of making the best show we can make in the most financially responsible way possible, looking as great as we can possibly make it look, so that the network goes: “Oh, yeah! We have to keep that show around”. We want to make the decision easy for them. So, in that way it affects the writing, but it doesn’t, you know, really affect it in terms of like writing towards an end, or anything. We’re certainly not. We’re writing toward a third season.

LTM Scoop: Think optimistically, that’s good.

Sarah: Yeah. And I don’t think we have any reason not to think optimistically. I don’t want it to seem like we’re, you know…

LTM Scoop: Oh, sure. Yeah, and I didn’t mean that by the question. I guess that was just something… At the end of season one they had wondered that. And, you know, now obviously into this second season. But, hey, we’re obviously hoping there’s many more seasons to come.

I know you mentioned too about your blog, and that’s something I enjoy reading. It’s very entertaining, … about your journey to becoming a mother. And you’re pretty open about that, I know that. I’m curious: It seems there’s actually then some parallels, you know, with Kelli William’s character, Foster, on the show. You’re both successful, you’re single, want to be a mother. Does having similarities like that… are you able to relate to your character in a way that helps you write for her?

Sarah: That’s an interesting question. We’re not doing a whole lot with that right now, but it definitely… I don’t know that it necessarily impacts writing Gillian. But, you know, I am the person that goes, you know, I am the person that points out when things are not right when they have to do with adoption or single parenthood, or, you know, IUI stuff. All of that. I am sort of the wannabe single mom on the show. Who, if there’s a representation of someone that I think is inappropriate, [laughs], I will certainly say something.

LTM Scoop: Well that’s a good contribution then, that’s good.

Sarah: Yes.

LTM Scoop: Well, we talked a little bit earlier, I heard that there will be some more about the back story with Cal and Gillian, how they met, that type of thing…

Sarah: Ah, yes…

LTM Scoop: Is that something you guys have sort of been mapping out as you go along? What’s goin’ on with that?

Sarah: Well, yeah, I mean, there was a sort of vague sense of that and has been, I think, for a while. And, then it just sort of took shape within one particular episode. But we all had sort of a general sense of what it was and how their beginning happened.

LTM Scoop: Right. Well, it seems even for a timeline, in different episodes, you guys have kind of been dropping hints a little bit… Not hints so much, but little bits here and there like, “This was x amount of years ago”, or, that type of thing, you know kind of building that I think.

Sarah: Right.

LTM Scoop: Is there anything coming up in the second half of season two that you can tell us?

Sarah: Well, I can tell you that there are some really terrific episodes coming up. I can tell you that there’s some action happening between some characters, but I won’t say who.

LTM Scoop: Okay.

Sarah: What else? Yeah, I mean, the Gillian, or the… We always refer to them with their last names, so… The Lightman/Foster back story is really, really nice. There’s a very emotional episode with Torres and her sister that Liz and I did that I think is one of my favorite episodes of TV we’ve done.

LTM Scoop: Okay.

Reader Submitted Questions

So, onto the questions that people sent. One was from @TheSurfReport on Twitter. She asked: “I wanna’ see more of Cal’s ‘associates’ from his previous, somewhat criminal life. Any plans for that?”

Sarah: Oh, that’s great. You know, I think there are plans for that in general. There… there is an episode where that comes up. We always talk about bringing Lennie back, who played, you know, his old buddy, because they had such great chemistry. I mean, that was so fun. But, we don’t currently have that on the books. But, yeah, we’re all very interested in Cal’s, Cal’s shady past. I imagine it’ll crop up an episode or two every season, as long as there are seasons.

LTM Scoop: Now, I got this one a few different times, but the basic idea was: Will you be introducing a new love interest for Gillian this season?

Sarah: Hmmm… I assume I can say. [A little later in the interview...:] I will say that someone comes into Gillian’s life.

LTM Scoop: Okay.

Alright, moving on: People wondered what happened with Dupree. They sort of felt like he fell off the face of the earth a little bit. Did you guys sort of just decide to end that storyline?

Sarah: Yeah, we did, you know. We felt like there was a big gap of time between season one and season two, and it just wasn’t kind of a, a thing that anyone felt the need to tie off. She obviously moved on, and was at sort of a different place in her life.

LTM Scoop: Finally, the one… I have my own personal view, I will tell you in a moment, but… I couldn’t not ask this one as well. People, and you touched on this earlier, they wanna’ know when Cal and Gillian are going to get together. So, I had to ask.

Sarah: You know, I think, … I think in some ways they already are together.

LTM Scoop: See, and that’s why you get paid to say things. I could never come up with that.

Sarah: [laughs] “When are they gonna’ have sex?”, you know, is a different question. You
know, my response to that would be “I don’t know”.

LTM Scoop: Right. Well, and that’s okay. I think that, there’s so much, … it’s such a complicated relationship, that personally I’m never a big fan of jumping right into things. I like, you know, seeing things build over time. You know, and develop it, and watch it.

Sarah: Yeah.

LTM Scoop: But, I got that one a few times so I had to put it out there.

Sarah: Yeah, I know. Of course, of course.

LTM Scoop: I think that’s it. I know you’re very busy … I really appreciate you taking time.

Sarah: No problem.

Be sure to follow Sarah on Twitter and on her blog, Starfish Envy.

A couple months back I caught up with Ryan after a show. I chatted with him a little about his music, the show, renewal, and the blog. During the conversation, he shared a neat fact about his song, “Brand New Day”, which is the theme for the show: Other contenders to write the theme were Rob Thomas, Lindsey Buckingham, and Jakob Dylan. But, obviously, our boy Ryan won out. And, personally, I’m thankful that he did. His title track plays a huge part in the Emmy-nominated opening sequence.

Anyhow, we had wanted to give away a signed CD for the blog, and when Ryan heard it was for Lie to Me, he decided to put his own inscription: “‘Lie to Me’. Actually, don’t. I want to know the truth. – Ryan Star”. The CD itself is an EP, as the full album, “11:59″, won’t be released for several months. However, on the back of the EP is a code to download the entire CD once it’s released.

The EP contains 5 tracks:
1) Brand New Day
2) Right Now
3) Last Train Home
4) Breathe
5) This Could Be the Year

So what do you need to do to enter? Simple. Just correctly answer the three questions below, and e-mail them to contests@lietomescoop.com. The randomly selected winner will be announced via Twitter and Facebook, so make sure you’re following so you don’t miss it. Here’s what you need to answer:

1) Name of the final song performed in the Pilot episode, along with the artist’s name
2) The title of the season one finale episode.
3) Tim Roth’s full birth name

The contest will be open for at least 48 hrs., possibly longer depending on entries. It’s open to both US and non-US fans, so please feel free to enter.

If you enter the contest but don’t win, you can also check out Ryan’s Music on Amazon. (They do have a digital version of the “Last Train Home” EP, but it doesn’t contain his new single “Breathe”, nor the code for the entire “11:59″ CD.)

We also want to take this chance to let you guys in on another project Ryan has going on right now: Breathe 4 Jobs. Inspired by his single “Breathe”, this is a movement to help people that are unemployed find jobs. On their Web site, breathe4jobs.com, you’ll find several real people currently unemployed and looking for work. In the video posted below, all of the people featured are real unemployed people, not actors. So please, if you know of a position for one of them, check out the Web site and get in contact with them.

And Ryan: You asked if we were pimping the song on the blog… Consider it pimped.

Winner: “BLINDED”

I often see TV performances woefully overlooked, sometimes year after year. After watching the twelfth episode of season one of Lie to Me, “Blinded”, and after processing everything that happened, it began to sink in that this was a brilliant performance by Tim Roth. Each week he brings his A-game, lifting the show from average to exceptional. It’s the subtle things he says or does that make his portrayal of this character so enjoyable for me. But this episode, as disturbing as it was at times, and, honestly, a little graphic for my taste, was a Tour de Force for Roth.

From that first somewhat evil grin he gave after getting beaten up in the prison cafeteria, you knew this was going to be good. He touched on a whole gamut of emotions, and conveyed each one flawlessly. From demented happiness to anger, concern to fear, comforting and caring… he played them all. What impressed me so much was how these emotions were often combined in one scene. For instance, after confronting Torres in the hold and telling her to leave, Jenkins says something to Cal that makes him smirk. He then keeps eye contact with Jenkins for a moment, before turning and walking out to Torres who’s waiting outside. Then he commences screaming, not yelling, but screaming at Torres reprimandingly. After that, he immediately walks back into the hold, sits down, and begins questioning Jenkins again, now in a somewhat subdued manner. However, this only lasts for a moment until Jenkins invokes anger in Lightman, at which time he flips over the table in the hold. Laughing, yelling, mellow, angry… all in a matter of a couple of minutes. Brilliant.

At times, the way Cal, and really Tim, expressed himself even seemed to leave viewers questioning just what he did and didn’t mean or know during the episode. Some people said they spotted the “long-con” early, and others didn’t see it coming. (Yet another tip of the hat to Roth’s performance.)

I think, too, the thought of being able to deceive people so close to you; those who spend most waking hours in your company, is rather disconcerting.

Perhaps the whole thing can be summed up with these few lines exchanged by Foster and Torres:
“The long con. One of Lightman’s favorite moves.” – Foster
“You knew?” – Torres
“No idea.” – Foster
“He is scary good.” – Torres

Runner-Up: “Better Half”

What I found entertaining about the episode was it showcased the personal toll having such an ability can take on one’s relationships. Though Cal is usually quite tuned into other people, or at the very least constantly observing them, he seemed to miss an obvious fact: he was at “fault” for what happened to he and Zoe’s marriage as well. It’s shown in the way he responds to what Zoe says in the hallway: “Oh, so it’s my fault now?” He seemed utterly clueless as to the part he played, or in fact didn’t play, in what happened to their marriage. It’s not that he meant any harm. As he said, he was “just trying to be honest”. But being that tuned into people, seeing every emotion and yet perhaps missing why they’re feeling that, or as Zoe pointed out, what else they’re feeling, is quite sad, and, in fact, damaging.

Not to be overlooked, too, is the dynamic between Cal, Zoe, and Gillian. There’s a lot of resentment, protectiveness, and a definite history. Hopefully season two lets us in on more of that.

Final Results

The final results were as follows:
Blinded 33 50%
Better Half 13 20%
Sacrifice 8 12%
Pilot 4 6%
Do No Harm 2 3%
Love Always 2 3%
Unchained 1 2%
Depraved Heart 1 2%
Life Is Priceless 1 2%
The Best Policy 1 2%
A Perfect Score 0 0%
Undercover 0 0%
Moral Waiver 0 0%

Readers’ Comments:

Michael: “This was definitely the best episode yet, truly amazingly written and superb acting, especially from Roth.” (Blinded)

Gregor: “An absolutely wonderful episode. Fantastic acting from all as usual, especially Roth, and one of those great twists that you never see coming. And I’m NOT lying :)” (Blinded)

Celtic: “I vote for Blinded followed by Better half. I think the character development was at its best in these two episodes, plus the plot line in Blinded was really good.”

Simone: “i liked betterhalf i think if they bring back zoe now and again in the series it will stir things up for cal and gillian”

Dawndapple: “Oh I loved Better Half too! Even though I want Cal and Gillian to be become a couple that episode was really funny. I loved the part when Gillian is trying to convince Cal not to take the case that, was really funny. Its nice to see that he doesn’t have total self confidence. :)”

Dawndapple: “I thought it was really funny when Zoe wasn’t happy about Gillian. I may want Lightman and Foster as a couple but I don’t mind a jealous Zoe! :)” (Better Half)

Mary: ““Blinded” is the best episode so far in my opinion and I can’t wait to find the new season 2 episode that gets to be the best of S2!”

3rdrocker: “They’re all excellent episodes (with the exception of “Undercover” IMO, due to the horrible continuity). My favorite is a toss up between Blinded and Sacrifice. Blinded was just a brilliantly written episode (loved the power war between Cal & Jenkins), but then I love the emotionally charged plots of Sacrifice (most notably Gillian leaving Alec).”

viviennep: “I voted for Blinded. It was really well written and acted. If you have an actor of Tim Roths ability you might as well give him something to get his teeth into. Also the actor that played Andrew Jenkins was very chillingly charming!”

Ames: “Better Half because of these two words: Jennifer Beals :))”

nextoy: “I second Ames!”

1zmonkeystar: “Its tied between Sacrifice and Blinded. Blinded because it was just awesome. Cal against some one at his own level, cooool lol. And the rescue! Then theres Sacrifice. The look on Cals face when Foster said she was getting a seperation was perfect. I bet he was thinking “YES,FINALLY!!!” LOL it was just awesome”

Cindy: “Hard choice between Blinded and Sacrifice, but Blinded won out for me. Jenkins is a great psycho and I LOVE Cal/Gillian in this episode!”

Thanks to everyone else for sharing your thoughts on your favorite episodes as well!

I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t start watching Lie to Me myself until, by mere happenstance, I caught part of the 5th episode, “Unchained”. It’s not that the show didn’t look interesting. It’s just that I told myself, as I do every time a new show comes out: “You don’t have time to watch another show.” And, to some extent that’s true. Like most, I’m a busy person and I don’t really have time to watch another show. And yet, once I saw a few minutes of Lie To Me, I knew I’d have to make time. After catching up with the first 4 episodes online, I was hooked.

In reading some of the many reviews out there, I’ve been surprised to find so many mediocre ones. I haven’t found a “love it or hate it” thing, but rather a “love it” or “I can take it or leave it” thing. To me, it’s a bit puzzling. And it got my wheels spinning… why aren’t more people watching Lie to Me?

I’ve seen strengths and weaknesses in this first season. But for all of those, I think it’s important to remember that not only was this the first season, it wasn’t even a full order. And once it had found some footing (and an audience) after Idol, it was moved. Moving shows is always a risky thing, let alone for a newcomer. I’m sure Fox has taken all of that into consideration, and likely that’s part of what prompted the renewal.

Perhaps the release time has something to do with it as well, being a freshman drama at the same time as “The Mentalist”. Though, even that show lacks originality to me. I haven’t watched it, so I’m speaking solely from a premise standpoint. But a genius guy that catches things no one else does… Sherlock Holmes, anyone? Even on TV, Columbo (Peter Falk) and Det. Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio, L&O:CI) have pioneered and blazed the trails of the quirky genius. So if some say two shows are about basically the same thing, what’s the big deal? It’s all in the delivery to me. And on that level, Lie to Me, (Tim Roth in particular), doesn’t disappoint.

The one complaint I have on Fox’s side, (and I say this with the utmost respect), is that I don’t feel they’ve promoted it enough. Take for example Fringe. I don’t watch the show myself, but I do watch House. And, for quite a while there, every episode of House I’d expect to be inundated with Fringe promotions. But, it worked for them. I think Fox has definitely shown faith in Lie to Me, but I’m a little puzzled as to why they don’t promote it more.

It’s not House!
Another thing I’ve heard quite frequently is people comparing it to House. While there are certainly similarities between the two, (“Everybody Lies”), any negative correlations, to be blunt, just annoy me. But, in the spirit of comparison, let’s go that route. Though I know the comparisons drawn don’t always have to do with the structure of the show, that’s the point I’m going to touch on myself. It’s often said that once Lightman and the team find out someone’s lying, what’s the big deal? He always finds out. Well, don’t we know that House is always going to figure out what’s wrong with someone? He’s always going to have that “aha!” moment. (And yet, that’s clearly a successful, and for me, an enjoyable show.) So it becomes, not so much that someone is lying, (or is sick in House’s case), but rather “why”. Why are people lying? What is their story? Therein lies Lie to Me’s hope of longevity.

It seems to me that people are viewing it under a microscope of sorts, without cutting it a lot of slack. So often I hear that it’s built on a concept or a premise that will wear out fast. Well, to those people I say: View it as a procedural with a twist. There’s still plenty of story-telling opportunities left with Lie To Me. Honestly.

What do you think? Do you agree/disagree? Any other ideas on why more people aren’t watching Lie to Me? Sound off below.