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S01.E01: The Trail / S01.E02: The Father


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(edited)

The only thing that stood out to me was the child was playing with some device during the funeral service and tapped on a Tyler I believe and Ryan's character turns around and says to the woman, "Tyler's back...:" and she, all nervous, says "oh no he's just confused." I didn't fully understand what it meant because I didn't even know who Tyler is and maybe we haven't met him yet but that moment gave me pause because the mother was clearly nervous and lying in my opinion, for a reason.

 

Yes, this jumped out to us as well.

Edited by Jillybean
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I don't think I'll be able to stomach any more of this because of Juliette Lewis and her ridiculous acting choices.  I'm convinced that instead of "determined cop" she's decided to channel a cyborg masquerading as a determined cop. And not even a quality cyborg, but one with faulty programming that causes intermittent weird staring and facial tics to spring up from nowhere. She's like Data's defective brother on Star Trek, although I swear even that role was less wooden.

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First of all, i liked Juliette Lewis as Natural Born Killer 100x more then this detective.....what a xxxx.

Now the show, Its true it is heavy handed, i wonder if original version is better, maybe i should watch that, because i like the story. Not sure why it get such bad reviews, for me it was better then anything i seen on US networks this year expect The 100. But it definitely feels as a show for cable audience. Was there ever any successful remake which was not on cable?

I want also congratulate  the actress who play Jess to the escape from Under the Dome and for getting decent role on this show. Good move on her part.

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I want also congratulate  the actress who play Jess to the escape from Under the Dome and for getting decent role on this show. Good move on her part.

That's where I recognize her from! Thank you! (and yes, congratulations for escaping the DOME!

 

I can fanwank the weather stuff, because I'm starting to wonder if it plays into the story somewhat, with the somewhat blatant/obvious mention of global warming? Also, TV.

 

I can buy Ryan Phillippe as the father of teenagers (although I'm having trouble buying the oldest daughter as a teenager!).

 

And I agree, Juliette Lewis is not working for me...maybe if I go check out the online stuff with the case so far, that will help buy her act.

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... (although I'm having trouble buying the oldest daughter as a teenager!).

Could be because the actress playing her is 25.  Surely they could have found someone younger to play the role of a 16 year old.

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Eldest daughter is probably screwing the PTSD vet next door, so maybe they didn't want a 16 year old to be playing her.  She's definitely sleeping with some dude -- maybe my friend Poor Man's Galafinakis!

 

I kinda like the way Juliette is playing the cop --stoic and still while everyone else is screaming and flailing.

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The cop was obsessively fixated on him from literally the first minute. More than makes any sense at all given the initial evidence. That is throwing everything off for me frankly.

 

If she had been more open and genuine in the beginning, just doing her job but then stumbled on stuff that made her wonder it would have worked better.

 

Frankly I have to wonder what is wrong with that wife. She has been like stone - no emotion at all at the death of a child. No helping her kids deal with it. Very odd. 

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I think the wife is in it up to her eyeballs. Her reactions are not normal, as you say, she should be more upset about a child dying. Especially one that her daughter babysat. Unless she figured out her husband is the father of a little boy. A son.

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(edited)

If she had been more open and genuine in the beginning, just doing her job but then stumbled on stuff that made her wonder it would have worked better.

I bet she has already recovered the murder weapon (flashlight) and knows it is his.  Now he will have to uncover who stole it from his tool box in order to prove his innocence.

Edited by dogfish
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This show confuses me.

Am I supposed to be suspicious of Ryan Phillippe's character? Because right now he is so totally likeable that I could never believe it.  If they want to add suspense it needs to come soon.

 

And is Juliette Lewis choosing to play this character as the wooden Indian from Cheers?Because she's awful. AWFUL.

 

Actually the only ones I like are RP, his little daughter and the drunk guy in the back yard. lol  Why am I watching? One more week....

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Based on what's been shown so far, wouldn't the husband be the clear suspect? Finds out that his son is not biologically his, has abuse/ptsd issues, and is separated from the mother. Why would RP kill his son? 

 

I too didn't get the reaction from the neighbourhoods. If the mother thought he killed her (their) son, would she invite him to the funeral? 

 

I guess when the show is from RP's pov, these kind of questions will be raised. Frustrating, nonetheless. 

 

I do think RP is doing a very good job. I have definite sympathy for him, despite his mistakes. 

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I haven't seen Gone Girl yet but I have seen Gracepoint and boy do I feel like I'm watching it all over again.

 

The slow-burn, single-murder story genre has already gone stale.  

 

I made it through the first episode before the tedium swallowed me up like quicksand.   I don't care who killed the kid.   I'm out.

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JL was on Kelly & Michael this week and she said that her part was originally written for a man.  Also, that her character is the  most opposite of her that she has ever played (which is obvious).  Maybe she's overcompensating for that.

 

I agree with the many plot holes - it's inexplicable that RP's character is being exclusively focused/harangued on by the detective and villified by the neighbors and media.  Jess thinks her ex did it - does that matter at all?  I am still curious enough to keep watching.  I'm liking RP in this so far.

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You'd think so. But I'm thinking that the lead detective has yet something else she hasn't tipped her hand on...

 

 

My guess is when they searched everyone's trash, they probably found the bloody flashlight which is the murder weapon but of course the detective won't tell Ben that. That's why she conveniently had him show him hers which wouldn't you know it, wasn't there. Of course you'd think such a super smart and amazing detective would wonder what kind of person is that stupid to throw their flashlight in their trash after committing a murder but whatever. If that is what she has, I think that just further lends support to the theory that the wife did it and she's now setting the husband up to take the fall.

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I like the actors in this, but the hounding and demonization of RP's character is too heavy handed. I actually feel uncomfortable when I watch shows where someone is framed and pushed into a corner. I don't see why a person finding a body would immediately be the only suspect. At one point, Juliet's character said "Well you did find the body, what did you expect" or something like that. I would have said "Should I have left him out there".

I guess the bottom line is, anyone who is questioned more than once by the police needs to lawyer up. I don't have a good feel as to who the killer is, but I don't think its RP's character.

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My husband is with the crowd who thinks it was the wife.

 

I am pretty sure I wouldn't end up in this situation because I am naturally unlikely to give the police anything without a lawyer/warrant/charges/etc. (That doesn't preclude me ending up in a worse situation including being locked in a jail cell awaiting arraignment, of course!) Ryan Phillippe seems unbelievably dumb in some ways, but only garden-variety dumb in others, so I guess it averages out.

 

I'm guessing that the reason the husband isn't a viable suspect is because he has some air-tight alibi that no one has been apprised of yet. If that's not the case, I don't understand at all why the police are so disinterested in him.

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(edited)

I think people have already noted most of the things that stood out to me. One that I didn't see - don't detectives usually work in pairs, especially for serious crimes like murder?

Thinking like a TV show writer (instead of like a real world crime solver), I keep thinking it would be a "big twist" to film the show from Ben's point of view, make us sympathize with him, and then it turns out he did it anyway. I don't know if they'll go that way, though. I notice his wife's reactions don't really make a lot of sense to me - but that could point to her being off, or to him being off I the past and so her reactions to him are off.

I think it would be a terrible twist if Ben did it but doesn't remember it because he was so drunk. I hope they don't do that, that would be really pathetic. I also hope it doesn't turn out to be someone not really culpable, like the possibility mentioned above that the disabled kid did it by accident not knowing his own strength. I do think that it will turn out he witnessed something or knows something and is having trouble communicating it. Like maybe this Tyler did it, and he's the only one who knows so far.

Edited by LeGrandElephant
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This show confuses me.

Am I supposed to be suspicious of Ryan Phillippe's character? Because right now he is so totally likeable that I could never believe it.  If they want to add suspense it needs to come soon.

 

 

That is the thing.  I WANT him to be innocent.  As others have said, he's the most likeable character on the show (and the young daughter).  The wife is off (although I wouldn't be happy either knowing the woman my husband had an affair with is across the street). How long has she known about the affair and did she suspect the boy was her husband's son?  If the affair was common knowledge, it seems strange that the two families would still be close enough to baby sit.

 

I am used to the actress playing the wife being a firecracker on Private Practice so it is so strange to see her so emotionless.  Do not care for the oldest entitled daughter at ALL. 

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As a North Carolinian, I am most offended that not one single person has a southern accent.

        Seriously, this! The one time that KaDee Strickland's heavy southern drawl would fit the setting, NOW she decides to tone it down?
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        Seriously, this! The one time that KaDee Strickland's heavy southern drawl would fit the setting, NOW she decides to tone it down?

 

Perhaps they thought her southern accent would serve to call our attention to the fact that no one else has one and asked her to tone it down?  Maybe they are trying to make it seem like "this could be any town in America"?

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Then it would have been best, I think, to have an imaginary town that has no locale that we know of. Sort of how Mayberry was a fictionalized version of Andy Griffith's hometown of Mt. Airy, NC. Plenty of shows have been set in cities or towns we know (Sparta, In The Heat of The Night), so if you're going to say you're in Charlotte, NC, the actors should mimic the accent. I can't help it, it drives me batty! :)

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I can't get past Juliette Lewis.  She is terrible.  I get that the part was written for a male, but why does she have to play it as if she is a man?  She could put her own spin on the character with out looking and acting so stilted and wooden. Please stop with the grimacing.  She is making the show unwatchable for me.  Not to mention how stupid it is that all the neighbors are instantly against him.  I might just tune in to the last episode to find out who did it and skip all the drama in the middle.

 

Yay! Revenge is back!

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First of all..I hate it when someone in California decides that they know how to portray a southern city and they have no clue how to do it. Charlotte is COLD in the winter!! There would be no deciduous tress with leaves on them. We do have seasons in all of NC.

I thought Ben's daughter looked a lot like his ex-wife Reese Witherspoon.

Wondered why Melissa Gilbert  had such a small part as the mother of autistic (?) son and then saw her new husband playing the part of high dollar lawyer. I can't remember his name, but I know they got married recently. Maybe they have a hand in the production of this show???? 

Thanks GaiusB for explaining where I had seen the actress that plays Jess before (Under the Dome).

I think this show has promise, I'll have to see how Juliette Lewis evolves...right now she is playing this part poorly (IMHO) 

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Wondered why Melissa Gilbert  had such a small part as the mother of autistic (?) son and then saw her new husband playing the part of high dollar lawyer. I can't remember his name, but I know they got married recently. Maybe they have a hand in the production of this show???? 

 

Timothy Busfield - he's both a producer and director for the show.

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I have no previous associations with Juliette Lewis, but the detective is being played and written in a bizarro way. I just hopes its on purpose and they're going somewhere with it.

 

 

AWAY!  That's the only place I can think of.

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Looking at the IMDB listing for this show, something weird.

Ryan P is listed as playing Ben Crawford/Ben Garner. Same with all of his family, they play characters named Crawford and Garner. And Tim Busfield plays John Garner.

Any possible meaning for this?

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Actually, I think that was the original last name for the family, and it was changed for some reason. I've seen numerous articles that refer to the character as Ben Garner, so it's not a spoiler, just a production screw up. And given the mess they've made of the weather and other issues...?

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Actors don't just act however they want; the directors are the final word on that.  

 

I've seen her in other roles and while not a fan either way, she can clearly act differently than this - so, for me, it's the director who has made the bum choice here and maybe with some luck, maybe it will be dialed down from this caricature - time will tell, I guess.

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Oh yes, I definitely think her weird mannerisms are on purpose on the part of the writers, directors, etc. I'm sure an actress couldn't just decide to do that on her own. So I wouldn't blame her. But I do think the part so far is really weird, and I hope it's going somewhere.

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The only thing that stood out to me was the child was playing with some device during the funeral service and tapped on a Tyler I believe and Ryan's character turns around and says to the woman, "Tyler's back...:" and she, all nervous, says "oh no he's just confused." I didn't fully understand what it meant because I didn't even know who Tyler is and maybe we haven't met him yet but that moment gave me pause because the mother was clearly nervous and lying in my opinion, for a reason.

 

I also thought this Tyler person may have something to do with it and maybe Melissa Gilbert's son saw something or was a witness to it.

 

Ryan's wife (sorry I just watched the show last night don't remember all the names yet) has every reason to be pissed at her husband for the cheating and the secret love child deal.  I get that.  But it seems that she was almost defending Jess's ex(?)husband rather than her own husband.  That was a little weird.  It's like she wants him to be guilty or already believes he is.  She is also a suspect in my opinion.  Ditto for older daughter.

 

Lastly all the neighbors ganging up on Ryan, wowzers.  That's kind of shitty of them.  After watching the first two episodes I just feel sorry for Ryan and hate pretty much everyone else.

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I think the wife is in it up to her eyeballs. Her reactions are not normal, as you say, she should be more upset about a child dying. Especially one that her daughter babysat. Unless she figured out her husband is the father of a little boy. A son.

 

I haven't minded her reactions.  Seems normal to me for a woman who knows her husband slept with the woman who lost her son.  Sure, that's terrible for her, but she slept with the woman's husband and it seems she just recently found out.  I'd have issues having a ton of sympathy for her too.

 

I also wouldn't really characterize RP's character as likable.  I mean, he's really hot and all, but it's clear he's got an anger problem and he cheated on his wife (even if she does seem like a stone cold bitch).  The anger problem alone would set off alarms in my head if I were the detective.  It's also not a stretch to think that finding out he was the kid's father was a reason for him to murder the kid.  He's not the first father to take out one of his illegitimate kids so it doesn't wreck his family.  Cheating is one thing, having another kid?  Quite different.

 

I do think that she's focusing on him so she can throw off the person she's really after though.  I don't think she thinks he did it.  I think she's using him to draw out who did though.  If the perp thinks the cops have someone else on the hook for it, maybe they'll start making mistakes and start calling attention to themselves.

 

The fact that they aren't taking Jess' explanation for who did it seems plausible to me.  The man is a decorated vet.  She's never filed a report for the domestic abuse.  Everyone in the neighborhood seems to think he's a fabulous human being.  The only thing that's troubling in this instance is her video.  I wonder if the detective has even seen it.

 

Anyway, this show is called Secrets & Lies and I assume just about everyone on it, short of RP's youngest daughter, is a liar of some sort.  

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I think Juliette laid it on really thick, so much so I found it hard to take her seriously.  Maybe future episodes will give her character more shades, but I like it better when the Detective is adept to using charm to catch the criminals, not just acting like a hard ass.

This.

I love pretty much any crime drama but one ep of this and I'm out. Reporters always running  after the guy, the guy always asking the other guy "what happened last night??", the nasty lasagna exchange came way too early and the oh so obvious paternity storyline made me run away screaming.

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I have no previous associations with Juliette Lewis, but the detective is being played and written in a bizarro way. I just hopes its on purpose and they're going somewhere with it.

 

I like the murder mystery to this series but I don't know if I can take anymore Juliette Lewis.  I keep thinking she's some kind of joke on the viewer.  Is someone tell her to act this way?  Is this Tim Burton's fault.  Or maybe she is a bad actor with really crappy instincts.  I don't know but if her part isn't back burnered soon I'm signing off this one.  I'll come back and check the forum for the big reveal though.

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Juliette, I think, is channeling Mariska Hargitay' s Olivia Benson.

 

There's Taking! It! Personally! and then there's Taunting the Suspect Because I Am Shockingly Bad At My Job. And Also Bitter and Crazy.

 

After watching the first two episodes I just feel sorry for Ryan and hate pretty much everyone else.

 

That's where I am already, too.

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Who's Michael?  Ben came home and some guy was sitting at his table and Mom said the oldest girl was upset (can't remember all the names yet) and Ben was obviously annoyed, especially when Michael spoke up without being asked his opinion.  Thanks.

 

Oh, and why is fat slob living with them?

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Did Det. Glarey-Pants really say that she and Ben's lawyer graduated the same year? Of what possible relevance is it that she graduated from Crazy Clown College the same year that Ben's lawyer got his J.D.? Because this show cannot have meant she went to law school.

Freeloading Dave is far too involved. He'll probably end up disclosing some wonky flashlight fetish!

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Who's Michael?  Ben came home and some guy was sitting at his table and Mom said the oldest girl was upset (can't remember all the names yet) and Ben was obviously annoyed, especially when Michael spoke up without being asked his opinion.  Thanks.

 

 

I believe that's his wife's brother who he clearly hates him and who also hates him.

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Just watched the first episode on demand and I'm out.

1. I knew immediately about the affair with the dead kids mother by the way they looked at each other as she was brought out by the police.

2. Next obvious reveal was that the kid was his.

3. All I could think with Juliette Lewis is a) what happened to your acting skills because I did not see them on display and b) is it going to be re eased that she was secretly in love with the RP character as a kid, but was not one of the pretty,,popular people and he arranged for all the kids to call her Turd Face, because that's how she came across. She is single-handedly ruining the investigation because of course RP didn't do it and the lawyer of the real killer is going to have a field day dirtying the water with how she spent the most vital days of the investigation. Likewise, if RP is the killer in the big "twist," any lawyer is going to be able to create doubt because of her obsession with him.

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I hate shows where the plot is advanced by the characters' stupidity.

Cosign. Was watching with my boyfriend who in all seriousness was questioning why he'd do the polygraph. I had to deliver the bad news of plot contrivance. I took issue with his jogs not missing a beat. Look dumbass, join a gym, run laps at a high school, anywhere outside the doomed path or near the cameras.

To keep a viewer engaged you can't throw Jack wannabe Black neighbor or that guy who babysat the kids that clearly got Phillipes hackles up and throw us nothing. Who the hell are they? What about the news showing up and his wife being like "I'm going to be late for work" while adjusting her lapel. Could we have a less realistic sequence of events? A fucking real estate agent? Neurosurgeon, maybe.

I may stay in bc the comment that she was playing the wooden thing from Cheers got me laughing so much as did several other posts. I could see this site driving my interest to keep on.

Edited by KnoxForPres
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