Deception - General Discussion

[janeta]

Wah! I want someone to pick this up!

[Lady Calypso]

Goddamnit! Why did this have to be the series finale? This show has been so damn good! I want to know more! I want to see what happens next! I am so freaking pissed off by that ending, for the sole reason that there's no damn closure. 

I wasn't surprised by the twist, though Jonathan's trick on Cameron was certainly cruel. I can only hope that it was a trick for MW as well, though I'm not so sure. I theorized at the beginning of the series that Jonathan would switch places with Cameron, but I didn't expect the journey to have taken this turn. I want to know how things work out now! I can't see Cameron being honest in order to protect his brother, though maybe he would have ended up telling Kay, unless he also wanted to protect her.

Damnit! So many damn possibilities! This two hour series finale was brilliant and fun! I want more! I just really can't believe it's ended like this. I suspect Sebastian Black would have turned up alive next season, likely on the other end of the map, and I'm pissed we won't get to see that play out. We won't get to see Jonathan's rage at Cameron and how he works to forgive his brother. We won't get to see Cameron's feeling of betrayal but also how he works to get his brother back on his side. The brothers' relationship was the best part of this show, and I resent that there's no more of that.

I guess I can only rewatch the show a bunch of times. 

[dargosmydaddy]

Well, damn! As far as series-ending cliffhangers go... yikes!

I'm going to choose to believe that Johnny is playing a long deception, and switched with Cam because he believed it was the best way to keep them both from being fugitives.

I feel very cheated that we don't get a season of watching Cutmore-Scott play Johnny pretending to be Cam and vice versa.

[Guest]

Couldn’t they have rewritten the ending to provide some closure once they knew they were cancelled?! 

I’m so irritated that this show was cancelled. Great finale other than the cliffhanger ending!

[dargosmydaddy]

2 minutes ago, deaja said:

Couldn’t they have rewritten the ending to provide some closure once they knew they were cancelled?! 

They only got cancelled a couple of weeks ago, The episode was already filmed, edited, etc. by then.

I think this cancellation hurts most of all :(

[Lady Calypso]

4 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I'm going to choose to believe that Johnny is playing a long deception, and switched with Cam because he believed it was the best way to keep them both from being fugitives.

I'd hope so. I think that Jonathan doesn't fully trust MW, and he knows that the best way to solve their problems, and get answers on their family, is to go along with MW. Well, at least he probably thinks so. I think he does still love his brother, but is feeling a little betrayed by him. 

My rage at the cancellation continues. The ratings were decent! Why ABC, why? I don't like many other shows, here! All the other shows I watch are either way too dark or way too stupid. 

I was going to have fun watching Cutmore-Scott play Cameron pretending to be Jonathan. It was interesting to see the dynamic shift, and we're going to miss it! Now Cameron's trapped, playing his brother, while his brother gets to be truly free and although he still has to possibly play Cameron from time to time in public, he's still able to be Jonathan more frequently. WE'RE GOING TO MISS THIS BECAUSE THEY CANCELLED THE SHOW. 

[Free]

48 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I'm going to choose to believe that Johnny is playing a long deception, and switched with Cam because he believed it was the best way to keep them both from being fugitives.

Same here and they already set that up earlier with the Trust Me code in the previous episode.

[Lady Calypso]

So, after some thinking (and needing to analyze the hell out of the finale, which means I'm well on my way to multiple rewatches), I think that everything that was discovered about their father in this episode, and how it affected Cameron specifically, led to Jonathan's actions. I don't think he would have actually gone with MW if Cameron had not found out that stuff about their father and how clearly disturbed he was throughout the finale. Jonathan never had any expectations with Sebastian Black, which is why he wasn't surprised nor was he disappointed. But Jonathan knows his brother better than anyone, and, when I rewatch, I'm sure I'll be paying attention to Jonathan's actions more. I'm not sure if Jonathan knew what he was going to do in its entirety before the final scene. At the very least, I'm not sure he expected Cameron to steal the map from the FBI and want to break Jonathan out of prison. But if Jonathan had an inkling, then maybe he was a step ahead of Cameron and created the plan to make sure his brother didn't do something stupid. 

I don't buy Jonathan getting so easily manipulated by MW like this. I know he's resented Cameron deep down, and MW did touch on some very real points, but I don't buy Jonathan turning on his brother, especially since he didn't in the first hour. That's why I can see him maybe resenting Cameron and feelings bubbling to the surface, but ultimately Jonathan's plan is to protect Cameron while he works with MW to figure out the map. I think Jonathan knows that MW won't hand over that evidence to get him out of prison for whatever reason. Maybe she hoped for this very outcome, where Jonathan escapes and works with her. I do think his main goal is getting as much information out of MW as he can. She hasn't given him very much, but he also knows that she'll readily slip up if she trusts him, and the only way he can ensure that is to play along. If Cameron figured out MW's weakness was Jonathan (hence the manipulation during the final heist), then Jonathan must know that as well, which means he can use himself as a weapon against her. 

I'm sure part of him, deep down, enjoys the role reversal and Cameron getting trapped. I'm sure he has some deep residual feelings about his brother that doesn't erase the love he has for him, but a feeling that isn't all sunshine and ponies. But I also don't seem him easily betraying his own brother, and I don't see him choosing MW over Cam.

[ohjoy]

UGH. I hate that they aired this as one two-hour episode instead of two separate recordings — this finale was one hour too long (or really, just ten minutes too long) for a show not getting a second season.

The whole “Cameron chose Kay over Jonathan” thing didn’t really wash for me. Neither brother trusted MW to actually fulfill any of her promises (and it was even proven in that episode that MW had no intention of giving Cam the USB drive whether she got the diamond or not), so why would Jonathan feel betrayed by Cameron not trusting MW any more than he did?

The last ten minutes didn’t make sense to me as anything other than a looong con Jonathan decided to enact to keep Cameron from getting himself killed going after the map’s contents. That may be a vain hope on my part, but all I ever really wanted was 100x more of Cameron, Jonathan, and the team, not more MW, and now I won’t get it.

I do have to say this: I thought I had a crush on Jonathan, but Cameron’s semi-drunk, still quite pissy attitute in the room with the automaton was probably as close as he gets to Jonathan’s natural demeanor, and I loved it. Gimme all of that Cam. (Oh wait, you can’t, because there are no more episodes. So stupid.)

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

The ratings were decent! Why ABC, why? I don't like many other shows, here! All the other shows I watch are either way too dark or way too stup

I think it’s becaise the landscape for Network tv is changing so rapidly that they don’t want to bet on shows that they don’t own and therefore want to only stick with shows that they have a better chance to make a profit on when it isn’t a blockbuster. Which is why I wish they would stop picking up shows they don’t own.

These two episodes convinced me that I would probably have bailed early in a second season because they larger arc is repetitive and usually nonsensical. 

Also, I really grew to not like Cameron over the season for his glib comparison of his plight versus Jonathon, not only recently with him being in prison but that he was hidden and had no identity for most of his life. Neither of those two things are Cameron’s fault but his not really acknowledging them and often actively ignoring them is all as on him. And that 30 seconds didn’t make it okay.

Edited May 28, 2018 by biakbiak

[Writing Wrongs]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I really grew to not like Cameron over the season for his glib comparison of his plight versus Jonathon, not only recently with him being in prison but that he was hidden and had no identity for most of his life.

I kind of agree. I feel like Cameron deserves being in jail for awhile.

[Lady Calypso]

6 hours ago, garnetarden said:

I do have to say this: I thought I had a crush on Jonathan, but Cameron’s semi-drunk, still quite pissy attitute in the room with the automaton was probably as close as he gets to Jonathan’s natural demeanor, and I loved it. Gimme all of that Cam. (Oh wait, you can’t, because there are no more episodes. So stupid.)

I definitely feel like they were showing that Cameron would be able to pull off playing Jonathan in prison in that scene, because he did show some very similar traits, albeit with more humour than Jonathan. 

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Also, I really grew to not like Cameron over the season for his glib comparison of his plight versus Jonathon, not only recently with him being in prison but that he was hidden and had no identity for most of his life. Neither of those two things are Cameron’s fault but his not really acknowledging them and often actively ignoring them is all as on him. And that 30 seconds didn’t make it okay.

I feel like, had we gotten a second season, we would have seen Cameron further pay for his actions. He was only finally starting to see how it affected Jonathan and his time in prison probably would have furthered that realization. 

BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SECOND SEASON AND I'M BITTER.

[SingerIslander]

The show's creator had Season 2 mostly mapped out in his head and gave this interview to EW.com:

http://ew.com/tv/2018/05/27/deception-season-2-what-wouldve-happened/

 

Not every twist and turn sounds appealing to me, but alot of it does.  

I'm not getting my hopes up, but it sounds like he's willing to continue the story, or wrap up the loose ends, elsewhere.

[dargosmydaddy]

Further thoughts on the finale, after sleeping on it...

-No one, not even the show's creator, can convince me that Jonathan actually screwed over Cam like that. And I also think Cam would not screw over Johnny; he would believe his brother had a plan, and would pretend to be him/ stay in prison for him (at least for awhile... more than 36 hours...). That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

-So I'm assuming the guard who was in league with MW (the one Johnny eventually punched out) was fired... is the whole prison actually in MW's pocket? Because I'm not getting how Cam could turn off the camera, and no one goes to check it out. Not to mention Johnny leaving Cam knocked out on the floor. I really have no idea why the two of them were allowed unsupervised visits in the first place...

-I think drunk Cameron navigating the secret room was my favorite scene, but that automaton was SO CREEPY!!!

[Lady Calypso]

So, 36 hours in prison is a much shorter time than I expected. If there had been a season two, I actually would have like to see them at least do a month time jump and at least have Cameron pretending to be Jonathan for an episode or two. I think Cameron would try to protect his brother at all costs, so him getting out after 36 hours wouldn't help his brother. I think he would play along and he'd probably tell Jordan about the deception his brother played on him. With Cameron's guilt starting to really appear at the end there, there's no way he wouldn't have played Jonathan as well as he could (and with his bitterness with their father, no way he wouldn't have perfected it). But since there's sadly no season 2, I can have my own imagination on what would have happened. 

Though I agree with the assessment from Fedak about Jonathan ultimately thinking that he could outsmart MW better than Cameron, which is why he trapped Cameron in prison. I did laugh at Fedak's comment about the MW/Black dynamic in episode 8, only to realize that he wasn't talking about MW/Jonathan, but MW/Cameron. MW/Cameron still have the better dynamic for me because it's entertaining. Her annoyance at Cameron in this episode was pure gold. That being said, it's clear that Jonathan knew that Cameron would get himself killed with the map because MW was willing to kill Cameron, not Jonathan. 

[biakbiak]

57 minutes ago, SingerIslander said:

show's creator had Season 2 mostly mapped out in his head and gave this interview to EW.com:

http://ew.com/tv/2018/05/27/deception-season-2-what-wouldve-happened/

Okay this really annoyed me and indicates that they had actually no idea of a long term plan. They started putting together ideas a month ago? 36 hours is a long time? He “thinks” Jonathan might have remembered her with the coin? It just seems like they had no real plan at all for this show. 

[TheRabbi]

2 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Okay this really annoyed me and indicates that they had actually no idea of a long term plan. They started putting together ideas a month ago? 36 hours is a long time? He “thinks” Jonathan might have remembered her with the coin? It just seems like they had no real plan at all for this show. 

I disagree with this after reading the interview. He probably knew all along where he wanted season 2 to go, but it was probably about a month ago where ABC likely summoned him to pitch a potential season 2 as the network was contemplating renewal or cancellation, which is very common this time of year. So he had to put together a more formal pitch with his writing team.

Based on that interview, it appears season 2 was probably heading in a much more serialized direction. And with ratings already pretty modest (not terrible by any means, just not glowing), ABC probably didn't want to risk it, since procedurals are easier to keep going long-term (for casual viewers). Added to the fact that the show was licensed from WB and not owned, and ABC had nothing to gain trying to stretch it out.

I greatly enjoyed the finale and that interview makes me a bit sad we wont get to see it play onward.

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

And I also think Cam would not screw over Johnny; he would believe his brother had a plan, and would pretend to be him/ stay in prison for him (at least for awhile... more than 36 hours...).

After Cameron has been in jail for a while, he will realize how bad Jonathan actually had it and do everything he can not to actually catch Jonathan and put him back in prison. This show had a lot of balls in the air, we have no idea what the secret society that allied themselves with Cameron's ancestors are up to now, and there are crime organizations around the globe that might be tied in to the show (they could have done some plots similar to what people originally thought Blacklist was going to be about).

[Lived In Inch]

Not surprised but I am still pretty mad that this one got cancelled. Season two had so much potential. I was glad that ABC allowed it to run its course unlike FOX which routinely pulls series mid run. It was a fun procedural, that didn't take itself too seriously and had a killer soundtrack. Sure that show has flaws, mostly writing and nonsensical plot twist like why would Cameron need to break into the safe deposit box when the bank is cooperating with the sting? My favorite episodes were the ones involving Mystery Woman. But most of the filler episodes still advanced the Mystery Woman plotline by giving us another piece of the puzzle.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Lived In Inch

[theatremouse]

On 5/27/2018 at 9:13 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I don't buy Jonathan getting so easily manipulated by MW like this. I know he's resented Cameron deep down, and MW did touch on some very real points, but I don't buy Jonathan turning on his brother, especially since he didn't in the first hour.

I didn't buy it, not because I have any issue with the concept of J resenting the fuck out of C, but because MW IS THE WHOLE REASON HE SPENT ANY TIME IN PRISON AT ALL. She framed him for murder. And he knows this. So not only does he already have ample reason not to trust her for one minute, but, OK sure he resents Cam for their whole damn life, but he shouldn't be resenting Cam for failing to get him out of jail. She put him in jail. Then she got herself freed and left him to rot. So it's some long con of hers to have him get out and be with her too? Even if he did have all sorts of feelings for her and against Cam from HistoryWhatevers, it makes no sense he wouldn't hate her for getting him arrested in the first place. "Oops I thought I had the wrong twin" is sort of a shitty excuse. So, if he is really on team MW and it's not a long con, Johnny is waywayway more stupid than this show set him up to be.

Also when Cam first went to the prison to get Johnny out I absolutely assumed he was going to intentionally switch, not go on some sort of fugitive thing.

Also I loathe how all MW's plans basically rely entirely on everyone's reactions to her being incredibly predictable. She's practically omniscient. It's not just that she seems to have spies everyfuckingwhere, she can't possibly guess right on how everyone will respond to everything, or have that many backup plans to cover multiple outs. I mean I get they're doing a magic metaphor here, but she can't possibly cover so many bases.

I did however like how the first hour seemed to imply their dad was Bank Robber Extraordinaire but then second hour seemed to imply He Was Not It Charge, MW's Mom Was. So I guess, yay woman being a better criminal mastermind that not even her fake name managed to be well known for the heists?

[ursula]

23 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Okay this really annoyed me and indicates that they had actually no idea of a long term plan. They started putting together ideas a month ago? 36 hours is a long time? He “thinks” Jonathan might have remembered her with the coin? It just seems like they had no real plan at all for this show. 

I agree. That entire synopsis seems sounds like spitballing, not any kind of coherent plan. What's the point of keeping her name a mystery? Sounds less like some Important Plot Secret than We Never Actually Thought That Far Ahead.

The potential of this show was more interesting to me than the actual execution. I kept waiting for it to deliver... something, but the truth is that I quit watching weeks before the cancellation news. I'll probably catch up on Hulu over the summer just for completion. All the episodes are up there in the US right?

[Free]

20 minutes ago, ursula said:

I agree. That entire synopsis seems sounds like spitballing, not any kind of coherent plan. What's the point of keeping her name a mystery? Sounds less like some Important Plot Secret than We Never Actually Thought That Far Ahead.

Probably to keep her mysterious or something and then come up with a backstory somewhere down the line later on had it survived, I guess.

[bara007]

I really don't see why would anybody think that Cameron wronged Jonathan in some way. They made a decision to continue the show together, so they did that. I see no way Cameron could made him do the show, if he didnt want to continue no more.

In the argument I presume Cameron was on the side that he wants to do the show - but still don't see no fault in that. I believe Jonathan may have been afraid to go out and live his own life, because he was not use to it and he wouldn't know how, so they left it as it was.... but that is fault in their up-bringing and their father. Definitely not Cams!

And after Jonathan got himself into jail - which was MW fault (and again definitely not Cams) - Cameron did everything he could, being just a civilian, all year long, to help him get out. He could easily just left, didn't even have to believe him he was set in some way... He didn't go back to old life, everyday routine, job, show, relationships.... it had seemed actually that Cameron wasn't even able go on while his brother wasn't with him!

I get why Jonathan would be bitter at him at jail, it was long time, with not light at the end of the tunnel...  I thought it was just rapport the kept going between each other, nothing really unfriendly. I  really believed they had a good relationship.

What I think the show failed us the most in the last episodes was to show that there great affection in fact between the brothers. I was somehow logically waiting for that, and was a bit disappointed... :(

(but that maybe a bit difficult to really act that out and film!!)

[ursula]

23 minutes ago, bara007 said:

In the argument I presume Cameron was on the side that he wants to do the show - but still don't see no fault in that. I believe Jonathan may have been afraid to go out and live his own life, because he was not use to it and he wouldn't know how, so they left it as it was.... but that is fault in their up-bringing and their father. Definitely not Cams!

 

It's a bit of a gray area. Well the argument can be made that Cam was taking advantage of his brother in this. That since Cam wanted to continue in the business, and this particular deception and Jonathan didn't know how to live outside this Deception (pun not intended!) that Cam was exploiting Jonathan. The right thing for him to do was to stop this masquerade - there was nothing preventing him from continuing as a Magician without a convenient twin brother. 

So while their father was to blame for creating this situation, and conditioning the two men to be OK with it --- Cam still made the decision to perpetuate it. And as you pointed out, Jonathan's ability/will/agency in this was severely compromised. But then again, you can argue that Cam was just as conditioned as Jonathan in this. 

Basically, both brothers used this masquerade as a very unhealthy crutch. The only thing was that Jonathan drew the shorter stick. 

[bara007]

From the one flashback of the brothers I was always kind let to believe that Jonathan was indeed better then Cameron (even as a child, faster etc...) - so that is why father trained Cam even harder, to be the main performer, even though even wasn't never that good - so that the deception could would 100 %, they were both equally as good. He wanted him to live up to Jonathan.

I got this from these scene

- while kids, Cameron was trapped inside the "metal box", and Jonathan was helping him (morally) to get out (because he could already do and was better at it)

- the way Cam was always sort of looking up to his brother... as if he was better then him. As if the could not go on without him.

- it also seemed like father trusted Jonathan and his ability much more - when he told him the combination to the secret "box", and not to Cameron (which made him mad and sad).

So I somehow believe that actually Cameron got the shorter end of the stick. But as you say, it depends on your perception.

[theatremouse]

I guess, it really depends on what you mean by "shorter". Jonathan basically had his whole existence denied. That's pretty shitty. But their father did show a certain sort of favouritism to Jonathan over Cam. He did seem to think Cam incompetent by comparison, or certainly less capable. So, basically, the entire arrangement was set up to simultaneously pit them against each other and make them both extremely dependent on each other. It's sort of psychological torture in both directions. There's probably a universe in which both twins enjoy the mechanics and brain puzzles of their performances to want to continue in the business they're in, but one loves/wants fame and the other wants nothing to do with it (or would even prefer so much privacy as to otherwise be a recluse), in which case their setup could've been mutually beneficial. But that's not the universe presented on this show.

[Koalagirl]

Maybe now that Roseanne has been cancelled ABC would consider bringing back Deception.  Too much to hope for I guess.

[dargosmydaddy]

31 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

Maybe now that Roseanne has been cancelled ABC would consider bringing back Deception.  Too much to hope for I guess.

I was wishing Roseanne had been a drama; I think there would have been more hope if they had an hour time slot to fill.

[janeta]

16 hours ago, Koalagirl said:

Maybe now that Roseanne has been cancelled ABC would consider bringing back Deception.  Too much to hope for I guess.

One of the writers on Designated Survivor has a column in Politico where he basically says the same thing for his show. :-)

[Koalagirl]

2 hours ago, janeta said:

One of the writers on Designated Survivor has a column in Politico where he basically says the same thing for his show. :-)

Just shows how many cancelled quality or well liked shows that are out there that could be slipped into the new season.l

[JasmineFlower]

10 hours ago, janeta said:

One of the writers on Designated Survivor has a column in Politico where he basically says the same thing for his show. :-)

Yes, but at least that is a somewhat reasonable hope. ABC admitted that was a hard cancellation and it was well known and got publicity and talk especially because of its cast. Not true of Deception and it's also from an outside studio. Only way Deception makes a comeback is if WB successfully shops it around, which is unlikely for a variety of reasons, and likely playing second fiddle to efforts of finding a new home for Lucifer, which must have a larger following than ratings suggest they do given how much noise they've kicked up.

[Sandman]

I assumed that Isaac would be the one trying to take out Kay, to the point that I almost misunderstood the reveal about Ann's "supervisor" also being in on the operation.

On 5/21/2018 at 6:54 PM, Dowel Jones said:

And Dina should have recognized that bump and lift trick out on the street.  It's been used enough in their profession.

It's been used enough on the show for it not to be a surprise to her.

This was the first episode (I think) where I noticed holes in the plot: for instance, if both Ann and Supervisor Guy were part of the same operation, why was it necessary to for her to shoot him at all? I know it set up everything that came after, with the backpack, etc., but surely if they can embed two agents, there's a simpler operation, without so many variables and chances for error to creep in? And I know nothing (or even less) about the CIA -- even the difference between a field agent and whatever undercover operative Isaac was revealed to be -- but does the CIA really list loved ones, fiancées and other potential assets in operational files, ripe for the blackmailing or torture? And, lastly, why would Supervisor Guy be confused to that degree by Cameron's (admittedly daring, but also secretly accurate and schmoopy!) pretense of being her ex-fiancé? They already knew Hive-saac was CIA. That seemed highly unlikely to me, for all the impossible things we've seen on the show. 

Don't get me wrong, I thought the episode had a couple of good twists, and was pretty fun -- and I've been putting off watching the two-parter in order to make this season last as long as I can -- but there was a lot of suspension of disbelief happening with this one.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Sandman

[bara007]

Hi,

The show is up for E! Online TV Scoop Awards 2018.If you have time, get to voting, the show could seriously win in these categories:

https://www.eonline.com/news/945551/tv-scoop-awards-2018-vote-for-the-best-new-show-and-most-anticipated-new-show

https://www.eonline.com/news/943619/tv-scoop-awards-2018-vote-for-your-favorite-breakout-stars

https://www.eonline.com/news/943961/tv-scoop-awards-2018-vote-for-the-best-and-worst-shockers

It is a possibility the networks will notice the fan campaign, and give the show another chance, for renewal!

Also, if want to join the  fan campaign, take a look at this website:

http://deception.pcriot.com/decieve.html

[Sandman]

So I finally watched the last hour, and it definitely gave me a bittersweet feeling. I really hate that the cliffhanger will (probably?) never be resolved. But I liked that Jonny got to share in the team's adventure, and contributed to their triumph. The scene of them all enjoying each other's company in the Archive was nice. I really liked that in the scenes leading up to the embassy fake-out, the parallels between the brothers were so carefully placed -- but I didn't find that they were hammered home, either. Jonathan and Fake Heterochromia, Baby! in the FBI interview room, the mirror image of Kay and Cameron; FHB! telling Jonny the truth, while Kay is caught in a lie ("FBI consultant isn't actually a thing"). I like how absolutely flabbergasted Cameron felt by this season-long, if minor, deception, which he clearly had no clue about.

I figured Jonny and Cam would switch places by the time FHB! (I refuse to indulge the showrunners by calling her "Mystery Woman," 'cause that's just lame), but I figured Cameron would volunteer out of guilt -- I was surprised that Jonathan actually knocked him out. And also a little disappointed that the show would rely on that hoary old idea, that you can land one punch and knock someone out cold, without actually harming them... Still, I thought the separation of the brothers carried a little poignancy, even if I don't believe that Jonny is actually won over to FHB!'s ridiculous cause. It probably doesn't help that I no longer remember what the Marauding Magicians' Map is supposed to lead to -- billions, I suppose.

Speaking of things that are lame, I find the "Mystery Woman" -- fine, whatever! -- character the biggest disappointment; her whole backstory dissolved in the end. Alistair Black was mean to her that one time, and so she decided to destroy someone she met once, when they were 11? Oh, come on! Surely Jonny could see through that nonsense, especially since I think he was being sincere when he told he didn't remember her at all. I think the denouement was kind of a waste of Jack Davenport, honestly. Presumably Bad Daddy Alistair would have appeared in the second season. My money's on his being Not Actually Dead Bad Dad, come to that.

I still want to see more, though. I want to see Kay figure out that Jonathan escaped. I want to see Cameron live through his need for expiation; I want to see Jordan kick some more people in the head. I want to see Fake Heterochromia, Baby! get what's coming to her!

ETA: I meant to say as well that I thought the first half, "Code Act," was tidily and tightly constructed, and had really nice pacing -- everything that's best about the show was in place. I think I found "Transposition" disappointing in comparison, and because I don'twantittobeoverrrrwaaaahh!

Edited July 1, 2018 by Sandman
Lucifer seems like muddled dreck to me; I can't believe it has a better chance than this clever show.

[Catfi9ht]

I realize I'm super late to the party, but I just discovered this show. I missed the initial run for some reason.

I'm really watching it for the chemistry between the cast, and I appreciate that they're writing purposeful parts for each member of the team. This is why I think Castle and Brooklyn 99 work is because each team member brings a unique skillset and the shows feature all the cast members in meaningful plots. One minor casting gripe; I think the Mystery Woman is a terrible actress. It was really noticeable in her scenes with Billy Zane who's become a surprisingly good actor over the years.

So far, this show is fun if you don't look too closely. I can overlook things like in The Unseen Hand where the conspiracy theory guy had a small enough camera to sneak into the secret club that recorded directly to BetaMax. This was about as small as they came.

Or when in Masking the kid that was asked to paint graffiti was given Polaroids of his images when about 10 minutes prior in the episode they talked about there were small hidden images that were messages to the other taggers which wouldn't be able to be seen in a Polaroid so the kid wouldn't have known to draw them.

However, this episode was just bad. 

Really?! A body scanner that picks up super tiny metallic objects but doesn't pick up things like buttons on a coat or metal clasps on a purse? The fact that the super secret weapon was inside a glass case in a small, unalarmed lab that was only protected by a guard and a keypad? The fact that this super awesome spy would leave her spy stuff in a drawer in the apartment of one of her targets? Plus the items below that folks have already pointed out.

On 5/21/2018 at 12:59 AM, AnimeMania said:

A gun strong enough to fire a bullet, but not strong enough to be dropped on the ground. What will Lego think of next? The gun probably only fired one bullet anyway and was empty when she waved if at the security guard.

I would have preferred a gun made from things in a makeup bag like the gun barrel being a lipstick tube, the bullet being the red lipstick inside, nail polish, a compact, eyeliner and a makeup brush.

 

On 5/21/2018 at 8:54 AM, meira.hand said:

How did the guard, working for MW, know that Dina had Mike's card? Unless the whole reduction problem was a set up to trigger the theft of the card and (ostensibly for access to the "redacted" page). My first thought was that Johnathan redacted the page himself as an excuse to ask her to steal the card, but him being the MW accomplice does not make sense. So who?

Why would Dina put Mike's card in her pocket and not in her purse?

The worst episode this season by far. I don't know who these writers are but they really should stay away from spy-related plot lines in the future.

[Catfi9ht]

I didn't know this show had been canceled when I posted yesterday. IMHO, it's for the best. The "Deception" plot lines became increasingly problematic and poorly written. However, I did enjoy the cast's chemistry so that part of the show, I will miss. I look forward to seeing these actors in other things.