Deception - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Quote

When his career is ruined by scandal, superstar magician Cameron Black has only one place to turn to practice his art of deception, influence and illusion — the FBI. Using every trick in the book and inventing new ones, he will help the government catch the world’s most elusive criminals while staging the biggest illusions of his career.

 

[FormerMod-a1]

I hadn't planned on it, but i watched it.  I'll probably watch again.  Not sure it's great, but at least it held my interest.

[Lady Calypso]

You know what? This pilot, though not perfect, was very fun to watch for some reason. I think the lead actor is completely charming as Cameron Black and I thought the FBI agent Kay was very likable. Am I annoyed that we, once again, get the same formulaic male charming and quirky outsider working for the uptight, serious FBI agent? Yeah, I'd love to see a female take on the quirky fun role. But I think Jack Cutmore-Scott really sold the role well. He was quirky and charming, but he also sold the serious moments well.

As for the supporting cast, they were all very likable as well. I also enjoyed the case, even if I knew it was nearly impossible to really pull off. I like that the show has some uniqueness to the typical FBI/cop shows, though most of those shows try to find something unique. But I don't think I've really seen a fictional magician being the focus, so that charmed me. Plus, I used to really be into magic, so I'm in for the season. I'm not sure how long it'll last, but with my Sundays empty and with the fun I had while watching, I'm in for as long as it's on the air.

[2727]

I don't see this becoming my favorite show or anything but it was very watchable. Cameron's team can dial down the yelly/naggy/hyper personality quirks by about half, but I think that was the script more than the actors.

Where did the police get that very clear photograph of Jonathan at the crime scene? If it was from CCTV, shouldn't they also have seen the entire illusion and murder? I hope it gets explained at some point because that whole plot was a tissue thin excuse to get Jonathan jailed.

And honestly, nobody ever saw the twins together for 30 years and they were never caught being in different places at the same time? All righty.

In passing, the show Endeavour had a similar episode about twins being in a magic show and one kept hidden away for years. It didn't result in a healthy psyche for either. Be interesting to see if this show examines any possible mental damage to the twins.

Edited March 12, 2018 by 2727

[Lady Calypso]

15 minutes ago, 2727 said:

And honestly, nobody ever saw the twins together for 30 years and they were never caught being in different places at the same time? All righty.

That is one of the more fascinating aspects I'd love to see being explored. At the very least, even with Cameron's narcissism, he loved his brother enough to stay hidden when Jonathan wanted to go out. Though having to pretend to be your twin brother can't be easy either. I do think that their father putting them up to it from a very young age was an interesting route to go. I'm guessing we'll see Sebastian Black pop in at some point. I'd really like to see Cameron or Jonathan give him a piece of his mind. Their father just possibly mentally damaged one or both of his sons by keeping Jonathan hidden and putting both in as part of his magic show. That's not really good parenting...at all. Jonathan definitely seems bothered by it, while Cameron seems to be in denial of how crappy their father really is. Also, is their mother dead or did she leave the family or what? 

Edited March 12, 2018 by Lady Calypso
because apparently I can't spell Jonathan without the h??

[nilyank]

I liked it. When he asked the audience to pick a card, he ended up showing it at the end of the card trick? That was cool as there was only a 1 in 5 chance that he would show the card that I picked.

I was afraid Johnny was behind it and it was an elaborate trick to get back at Cameron for being in the shadows for years. Thankfully it was the woman with two different eye colors.

[Mysteyman]

Yeah, I was also relieved that It wasn't Johnny

Its probably doomed, But I will stick with it for awhile.

[Iguana]

So Deception = The Mentalist - Red John + (twins x card tricks)

Ok.....

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, nilyank said:

I liked it. When he asked the audience to pick a card, he ended up showing it at the end of the card trick? That was cool as there was only a 1 in 5 chance that he would show the card that I picked.

I was afraid Johnny was behind it and it was an elaborate trick to get back at Cameron for being in the shadows for years. Thankfully it was the woman with two different eye colors.

I thought for a second that was cool, then I thought if he changed all of the cards that would make sure the trick worked, so I rewound it and looked again and I was right.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jack Cutmore-Scott & Ilfenesh Hadera discuss Deception:

[Lady Calypso]

Rough ratings are in for the pilot. The series is starting off strong for a Sunday night. 1.3 in the demo, 6.1 million viewers overall. It nearly doubles Ten Days in the Valley's series debut's numbers in the same timeslot. And I'm sure being right after American Idol helps. 

The numbers are probably going to drop for episode 2, but if it's not by a lot, then that could be good for the show's renewal chances. 

[TheRabbi]

Did he guess your card? I admit, I picked the 5 of hearts as well. I can only imagine it's some mental thing where your brain subconsciously moves toward that card and he's playing the odds. But I was definitely amused and intrigued. 

Edited March 12, 2018 by TheRabbi

[SnoGirl]

I thought it was super similar to Castle....even down to the handcuffing and escaping aspect. I think Castle took down the bad guy in the first episode too, and Beckett admitting to being a fan of his work after originally saying no, just like the FBI agent. She’s even chasing someone she’s been chasing for years, like Beckett was chasing her mother’s killer.

I feel like they canceled Castle, retooled it with magic and younger characters. I liked it, but I also was a huge Castle fan too. We’ll see how the rest of the episodes go...

[justmehere]

Did they say how they knew exactly what the banker would be wearing so that they could do the switch? Even if they were watching him, it seemed a stretch to instantly get identical clothing.

That nitpick aside, I liked it pretty well.

Spoiler

Even having seen The Prestige, I didn't get the twin thing right away with the opening illusion.

I'm interested to see how it is beyond the pilot when there's not so much exposition. I'm hoping they'll stick to "genuine illusion" rather than going fantastical because it's a TV show and they can do anything. The brother showing up in the visitation room after the guard opened the door made me wonder/worry about that.

Nice to see Amaury Nolasco, and also Stephanie Corneliussen in something other than her (strange) role on Mr. Robot.

I like the leads, but again, hoping the writing and dialogue calm down a bit (and that the FBI boss quickly accepts the situation rather than always objecting and then giving in to having a magician assisting them).

[Tachi Rocinante]

50 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

No, he did not.

Actually, he did.  All the cards were different but very similar the second time, so no matter which card you initially chose, it was gone.

AnimeMania mentions it upthread.

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Several decades ago in the 70s, Bill Bixby was the main character on the show called "The Magician".

You beat me to it.  I seem to recall actually liking that show.  45 years ago...

[mandigirl]

ITA with Snogirl, this felt a lot like Castle to me mixed in with some of the Mentalist. Both are good shows, but this one... I don't know. As others have said, the lead was very likeable and its been awhile since something has filled the Castle/Leverage/Burn Notice niche. I was intrigued by the twin brother angle and generally liked the cast. It was nice to see a fun, light, procedural with a twist. 

Having said that, this show is too unbelievable. Yeah, that's right. Someone who watched every episode of Castle, Leverage, Burn Notice and the Mentalist is calling this show 'unbelievable'. I almost changed the channel when Cameron started explaining the whole plane switch illusion. And then at the end of the episode, they had the fugitive criminal multiple ways. Why they had to have Cameron in a blindfold and then lead the criminal down a fake replica alley way is completely unclear. Was it cool? Sure. Expensive, convoluted and overdone for no reason? Absolutely.

That's my main issue with this show. I assume that Cameron and his team will be focused on the criminal magician as she goes on her rampage. I could MAYBE handwave the FBI hiring Cameron as a consultant because of the magician aspect. But his whole team??  They don't need an 'illusion' to catch a criminal every week. The second episode will have to do a lot of heavy lifting to tighten up the premise. This show is going to have to pitch what possible value Cameron's team would bring to the FBI. I'm not sure how (or if) they're going to be able to do that. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

Just realized that the lead was also the title character in Cooper Barrett''s Guide to Not Surviving Cancellation.

[2727]

I wonder if real life illusionists/magicians are pissed about the BTS breakdown of famous tricks. Also, how long the lead had to practice his sleight of hand and card tricks (if it was even him).

Edited March 13, 2018 by 2727

[Tachi Rocinante]

It was a variation on a do-it-yourself online trick that made the rounds on the internet a few years ago.  It was in a cave or something like that.

[Kimmel77]

I'm not sure if I watched the trailer because I was surprised about the guy having a twin, which for me, isn't really adding any value to the whole set up. Though to contradict myself it is what is motivating the protagonist to act.

The magician's gang were perky enough but not individualistic enough to warrant a gang of three, unless one is due to defect as the illusionist's inside man/or has their own grudge. I would deduct at least one of them because they already have the twin as an additional source. Honestly, I think they have too much help and too many specialists on board.

I feel bad for Nolasco, he is better than playing a bit part, side character (But looking at his career, maybe not...). I like the main police lady. She comes across well. I just hope the show doesn't pursue the romantic pairing with the main leads which seemed to be alluded to.

[jbrecken]

On 3/13/2018 at 12:50 PM, icemiser69 said:

Several decades ago in the 70s, Bill Bixby was the main character on the show called "The Magician".  That series was recently released on dvd.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magician_(U.S._TV_series)

Much like "The Magician",  I can 't envision "Deception" lasting more than one season.  Actually, I can't imagine "Deception" lasting more than a few weeks.

On the other hand, "Johnathan Creek" lasted more than one season.

[millahnna]

I was going crazy trying to place the chick playing Cameron's producer and finally broke down to look her up.  Annie from the U.K. version of Being Human (and White Bear, the most jacked up episode of Black Mirror).  I feel much better now.

[kaygeeret]

Agree with all t he comments.

A weirdly charming show and I will watch.

[Lady Calypso]

Second episode in, and it only cemented how in I am for this show. I loved this second episode. Maybe this show has caught me at a good time, because I have been thoroughly invested in the entire thing. The magic aspect is just so much fun. I loved the fourth wall meta stuff with Cameron and the smoke screen, only to discover that he wasn't JUST talking to us, the audience, but also the FBI characters. That was a brilliant deception, indeed. 

I'll admit, they also got me with the Deception team's big trick at the end for Hal Ozsan's character. I'm surprised that, for a moment, I legitimately got worried for Cameron. I legit got invested in a character I've only just met. 

I like the easy going chemistry between Cameron and Kay as well. She seems to really trust him now, which is great. Plus, the FBI is willing to work with him. 

Unfortunately, I'm a little shady about Jonathan. I didn't say this in the pilot thread, but I'm still on my guard with Jonathan playing everyone. I've seen shows where the supposed innocent relative/loved one of the main character is pulling a fast one on the naive lead and everyone else until it's too late. For all I know, Jonathan's plan was to get arrested and thrown into jail for some ultimate purpose. What that could be, I have no idea. I'd really, really like for Jonathan to be innocent in all of this. I do like Jonathan's cynicism and realistic approach to things, to counter Cameron. 

The magic stuff is fun to watch. I'm no expert, so I don't know what is realistic and what isn't. All I know is that this is a fun series to watch and I will continue to watch. If they got me to actually feel for a character I've known for two episodes, then they got me all in. 

[AnimeMania]

Two FBI agents go to arrest a bar full of Russians mobsters and end up arresting nobody and somehow it is Cameron's fault. The FBI learn from their mistake and send 10 FBI agents to arrest one Russian mobster.

[Accidental Martyr]

Why did they leave the guy in the fake hospital room completely unattended, unrestrained, etc.?

[candall]

I enjoyed it.  I like magic and I like being told how it's done. 

I like Greg Kinnear enough to accept this younger version of his boyish charm.  Greg Kinnear-lite.  (Maybe Greg can be the dad!)

I also really like Laila Robbins (FBI chief) and I thought it was too bad she had to be made so impatient and grouchy.   Even while he was solving one issue after another on the FBI's massive screwup cartel witness/"plane explosion", she kept snarling "Who is this?  Get him out of here!!"

 

Nice to have lots of female representation, including the villain.  (Although the mismatched eyes seem too different--you're telling me an APB that mentioned those peepers wouldn't result in some reports?)

[mertensia]

Hee! "I couldn't kill anyone! I'm from Wisconsin!" As a Wisconsinite, yep!  I'd be saying that, too.

[Lady Calypso]

Numbers are in for the second episode and they did drop by 25% and 29% respectively, down to 0.9 and 4.15 million viewers. However, to be noted that American Idol also dropped a considerable number. 

[AnimeMania]

If they are so good at making facial masks, I don't understand why they needed the twin brother.

[Whimsy]

On 3/15/2018 at 11:38 PM, millahnna said:

I was going crazy trying to place the chick playing Cameron's producer and finally broke down to look her up.  Annie from the U.K. version of Being Human (and White Bear, the most jacked up episode of Black Mirror).  I feel much better now.

I recognized her right away.  I was going crazy trying to place Gunter.  I had to look him up and remind myself he was on Galavant. sigh.  I miss Galavant. 

I liked it well enough to stick with it but I immediately thought of Castle and The Mentalist too.  How many other ways can they possibly get a civilian assigned to a police squad?  Very contrived.  But, I like the cast well enough I'll watch. 

[Dowel Jones]

It's interesting that, after a year in prison, Jonathon has managed to keep the same styled haircut and close facial shave as Cameron. 

[ParadoxLost]

Someone needs to reign in the set designer.

Using a wall of windows to build a board about Cameron is pretty and all.  But I was sitting there thinking about whether she pulled out a ladder to put it together and whether she needed a ladder to review to full scope of her dastardly plans.

I will only forgive this if at some point they reveal that there is an apparatus that she uses to review the full view of pictures from an aerial perspective necessary to multitask practicing for a flying magic trick. 

[ParadoxLost]

7 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I recognized her right away.  I was going crazy trying to place Gunter.  I had to look him up and remind myself he was on Galavant. sigh.  I miss Galavant. 

I liked it well enough to stick with it but I immediately thought of Castle and The Mentalist too.  How many other ways can they possibly get a civilian assigned to a police squad?  Very contrived.  But, I like the cast well enough I'll watch. 

Add Psych and White Collar to that list.  There is a whole sub genre of people with unusual skills helping in cop shows.  The problem I see with Deception is that the actor playing Cameron doesn't seem to have the charisma usually necessary to pull off the viewers hand waving the civilian being part of the police squad.

At this point, I'm only still in for Gareth/Gunter.

[millahnna]

Vinnie Jones I knew from roles in Guy Ritchie flicks.  That's why him being on Galavant tickled me so much.  I got a little giddy spotting him here, too, to be honest.  I love when former athletes go actor and turn out to be hilarious. He seems like such a genuinely likable dude but always plays these gruff assholes.  I love him. 

[Whimsy]

15 hours ago, ParadoxLost said:

Someone needs to reign in the set designer.

Using a wall of windows to build a board about Cameron is pretty and all.  But I was sitting there thinking about whether she pulled out a ladder to put it together and whether she needed a ladder to review to full scope of her dastardly plans.

I will only forgive this if at some point they reveal that there is an apparatus that she uses to review the full view of pictures from an aerial perspective necessary to multitask practicing for a flying magic trick. 

Hahahahaha.  That was my first thought as well.  As the camera kept pulling back I was looking around for a ladder. 

17 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

It's interesting that, after a year in prison, Jonathon has managed to keep the same styled haircut and close facial shave as Cameron. 

Again, something else I noticed.  They should have a wig for him and maybe add facial hair to make it realistic that he's been in prison and unable to get nice haircuts, etc.

I thought it hilarious when Cameron and Dina were walking down the stairs into the "VIP" room.  They stopped at the top of a very short staircase, fully in view of the guard, to discuss how they were going to handle it (they went with "Lucille Ball").  They proceeded to walk down the stairs together (still in full view of the guard).  Dina falls down into the guards arms and Cameron squeezed past the guard in a tight area to slip through the door.  The guard was never like "hey!  Where'd the guy go!?!".  

Besides all that, I still like this show, too.  For some reason I keep flipping back on forth between liking and not liking Kay.  I hope I warm up to her especially since I am sure she'll be the love interest.  They always pair them off. 

[Lady Calypso]

9 minutes ago, doram said:

I'm inclined to think this as well (the most innocent-looking person is guilty trope, etc) but I think it would be too contrived to pull off.

Well, this IS a show about magic and deception. Shows have made that trope work with far less than magic to back it up. Again, I do NOT want Jonathan to be a bad guy, but I think it's going to happen....because it always seems to happen on these shows.

3 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

Besides all that, I still like this show, too.  For some reason I keep flipping back on forth between liking and not liking Kay.  I hope I warm up to her especially since I am sure she'll be the love interest.  They always pair them off. 

I think the issue is that they have written Kay to be very uptight and not much else. She needs more charm, or more personality. I like her for now, but I'm not loving her yet.

[ohjoy]

For some reason every time I watch this show, something about Jack Cutmore-Scott makes me think of Joshua Jackson. Not that JCS necessarily looks like JJ, but I get the same "still sort of baby-faced" dramatic vibe from JCS as I did from JJ at the beginning of Fringe -- and then my mind wanders off wondering what this show would be like if it actually had JJ circa-Fringe Season 1 in the main role.

That being said, I do like the show well enough -- for all the flash, it's not dark and twisty (at least not right now), and that suits me just fine. Not feeling anything special between Cameron and Kay, so hopefully nothing gets forced there, but I am curious if there's more than meets the eye with Jonathan.

[kaygeeret]

I liked the show, but I love Alan Cummings enough that it is on the list to be recorded.

[hoosiermom]

I so enjoy this show. That is all.

[Writing Wrongs]

Nothing? Yikes. I liked this episode and this show is fun. I feel like his brother is shady though.

[Lady Calypso]

7 minutes ago, Writing Wrongs said:

Nothing? Yikes. I liked this episode and this show is fun. I feel like his brother is shady though.

I didn't get a chance to watch last night so I will be watching when I get home in a couple of hours. I'm hoping it's a good one.

[meira.hand]

On 3/22/2018 at 4:45 AM, kaygeeret said:

I liked the show, but I love Alan Cummings enough that it is on the list to be recorded.

Aren't you confusing Deception with Instinct?

[LakeGal]

I enjoy this show.  I suspected the woman trapped in the room was in on it.  

[Writing Wrongs]

Yeah, me too.

 I enjoy the group dynamics more than the actual cases. I'm glad bitchy boss was absent.

[Lady Calypso]

I really do like this show. Even though I'm becoming more certain of Jonathan having some big endgame that'll hurt Cameron at the end of the season, I still enjoy their dynamic. I also like Kay and Cameron's relationship. She seems to trust him, which is great. 

I do like Cameron's team overall. I really like Dina, and Jordan/Gunther's banter is pretty good. I even like Mike and his giddiness over Cameron. I think the entire group, both the magicians and FBI, are great. I look forward to really getting to know them all as characters, as I feel like they haven't done that yet. We have started getting some pieces of information from each character, which is great.

I thought that the case was very fun. I actually enjoyed seeing Cameron sneak into the art gallery and pull that painting trick.

Of course, Dina showing Mike the luggage that Jonathan only knows how to open is going to be a major thing at some point this season. The "ghost of Houdini" is definitely a clue of some sort. 

[rhys]

Yeah, I liked all the mirror stuff  & how things had to be reversed to be "correct" on camera. Whew! Where do they find the time?

[Charlesman]

The roll-out mirror that ended up being perfectly straight was a little funny, but, overall a decent episode.

[Charlesman]

On 3/14/2018 at 1:37 PM, jbrecken said:

On the other hand, "Johnathan Creek" lasted more than one season.

Big fan of Johnathan Creek, at least, while he lived in the windmill. The later seasons, not so much :)

 

I thought it was pretty decent, though as a magic fan, once he name-dropped that the big illusion at the end would need a "Pepper's Ghost", I waited and waited for it, but, I don't think I saw it. Disappointing... Pepper's Ghost is one of my favorite illusions (don't Google it unless you want to be spoiled on how Disney's Haunted Mansion works!)