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Wednesday 13 June 2012

Lie To Me - 2.6: "Lack of Candor" Review


Ben's past as an FBI agent undercover comes back to haunt him and Cal has no alternative but to help him as we get some insights into his character.

Ben (Mekhi Phifer) and some men celebrate the new year at a club where they also beat up a man.

11 months later  The beaten man, Mark (Roy Werner) wants to make a deal with assistant US Attorney, Denning, (Brian Howe) in exchange for his testimony on mobster Elliot Greene (Michael Harney).   Mark also wants his mistress in protective custody with him.   Outside the safehouse, Mark is shot and killed by a sniper. Cal (Tim Roth) walks into Gillian's (Kelli Williams) office and closes the blinds. He informs her and Ben of what's happened.  Cal knows everything about Ben, just like Ben knows everything about Cal.   Cal explains how Ben spent two years of his life undercover to bring down Greene.  Here we were led to believe that Ben was bad.

Ben is now the next witness on the list and will be placed in protective custody.   Denning arrives and is led to Ben in their interrogation room which has bullet proof glass.   Cal is holding him hostage and wants to make a deal.   Cal and Gillian question the US Marshalls assigned to the case to discover which one gave Mark up to Greene.   One of them, Johnson, (Matt Gerald) shows signs of double fear and he's questioned further.   He didn't want Mark dead even if he didn't like him.   Cal tells Ria (Monica Raymund) to watch out for Johnson.   Cal must speak with Greene.

He examines Greene as a doctor and adds Ben is a friend.   Greene is certain he will be cleared at trial and suggests Cal should asks Ben about Scotty, whom Cal mentions to Ben.   He rushes in to look through Denning's file but doesn't find what he's looking for.   He refuses to testify.   Ria wants to question Johnson but Eli (Brendan Hines) thinks they're being tested.   They ask him everything about that day and he let Mark use his mobile phone, so Johnson messed up.

Ben calls Sheila (Alicia Coppolla) his handler at the FBI when he was undercover.   Gillian asks Sheila why Ben doesn't want to testify.   She and Ben have a bond, like she shares with her other agents and Gillian says she keeps commending Ben but there's more.   Ben had been sanctioned to commit crimes undercover if necessary and he took drugs to get in with Greene.  Something which would come out at trial, but that's not all.  

Cal accuses Ben of being a 'cokehead,' but Ben was doing his job.   Cal talks to him in his office without cameras - that'd be a first for Cal, since when has Cal not used a camera especially since he was spying on the place even on holiday.   Ben knows what Cal did in Northern Ireland.   Ben used to work with Scotty who was one of Greene's men.   He found out about Ben when his wire malfunctioned.   Ben tried to explain but he didn't listen, so he had to shoot him in self defence and planted his wire on Scotty, gaining Greene's trust.   He told sheila but there was no record of this in the file.   The truth will get out at trial if he testifies and Greene will walk free.   Cal plays back their conversation and then erases it, showing he's now in the same boat as Ben, since Cal could go to prison for what he did.

Cal catches Ria and Eli watching the Internet, where Kimi (Arlene Tur) is an exotic dancer.   Eli explains if they could see she's embarrassed by what she does then they could bring her in and use it against her.   Why would she be embarrassed by that? If she was she wouldn't dance to begin with.   Cal just tells them to question her and Mark's wife, Mary (Kari Coleman) together.   Cal gives Ben a gun and Gillian chats with Sheila about Ben's drug use and also Scotty.   Sheila denies knowing anything about him.   Ben goes in with a gun and she does the same with him.   Ben is adamant he told her about Scotty and wrote a report.   She blames the drugs.   Denning has Ben arrested for murder.   Both Kimi and Mary deny wanting him dead.   Mary was divorcing him cos he lied about who he was and Kimi admits the phone was hers.   She gave it to him and he used it for work calls too, so Greene would have his number and explains Eli, anyone with the number could track the location of the safehouse.

They watch Sheila's tape and Ria knows she's lying.   Cal buys Sheila drinks at a bar and she comments on his accent.   Cal: "Gotta use what you've got."  He thinks he knows her and tells her he works for Greene .   Cal is going to kill Ben and she pulls a gun on him.   She doesn't want him harmed cos he will discredit himself at the trial.   She doesn't care what she has to do even if it's outside the realms of justice.   She tells him to talk with Greene's lawyer.   She finally confesses for failing to report Ben's actions over Scotty and he'll be seen as a rogue agent.   Cal plays this back to Denning and Ben.   Sheila wants credit still for bringing down Greene cos without her it wouldn't have happened.

At the courthouse, Ben can't wait to get out of protective custody.   Cal doesn't want Ben's thanks cos he's family and after what he did for his friend Terry, Cal owes him.   He tells Ben about the woman who is there for him and don't think Ben quite cottoned on to this being Gillian.   Also Cal trying to read her when he should be reading Sheila.   We get some insight into Ben's work as an agent and find that life at the FBI was very different for him than just some cushy job at the office or conducting investigations.   He had to do whatever was necessary whilst undercover no matter what it involved.   So now that leaves us wanting to know what Cal did in Northern Ireland.

Don't think Cal was that surprised at Ria and Eli using their own initiative - he was expecting it, but isn't it time he stopped testing them.   Ria: "I'm going in."
Eli: "Lightman will be furious that you interfered."
Ria: "I'm gonna go find out what he wants."
Eli: "Then he'll be angry we didn't take the initiative sooner." Eli and Ria congratulating themselves for doing their job.   More flirty goings on between Gillian and Cal especially when he asks her how she feels about Ben and drugs after everything with her ex husband.   Then he proceeds to read her.   Great scene.

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