Lie to Me (TV series)/YMMV


 * Big Lipped Alligator Moment: The end of "Funhouse", which, instead of ending on Cal and Emily and the burned birthday cake, gives us a mouse's-eye-view tour of the Lightman Group, ending by finding the mousetrap Cal set at the beginning of the episode.
 * Complete Monster: Martin Walker, who.
 * You find out at the end of the show
 * Nah, that had been heavily implied throughout the episode. What's really revealed at the end is
 * Andrew Jenkins is one of these as well - a serial rapist who blinded his victims with acid, so they couldn't identify them and (at least, it's implied) because that way, his face would be burned into their memories forever.
 * Of course, when Cal shuts these two down, it really is CMOA for him.
 * Cringe Comedy, or the dramatic equivalent. Repeatedly they build up lies that are sure to have part of the audience cringing in expectation of the all but inevitable discovery. Sometimes it works out, though. "Headlock" is a particularly strong showing of this trope as Cal, then Cal plus Torres, then Cal plus Torres plus Reynolds, etc., all try to keep the rest of the investigation team from learning that Cal's the prime murder suspect... and not only that, but Cal passes Torres off as a potential fighter to the "crime boss" figure, and a few scenes later Torres is on duty in the office when they bring that guy in for questioning....
 * Dude Not Funny: Cal snarking around in the crazy house and mentioning he has "an intimate connection" to suicide, especially when you remember "Depraved Heart", what happened to his mother, and the fact that 30 years later, he still blames himself for it.
 * Growing the Beard: Most critics seem to agree that the storytelling got much more dynamic with the inclusion of Shawn Ryan as co-Executive Producer in the second season.
 * Ho Yay: Cal and Jeffrey, his buddy from Oxford in one episode.
 * And Cal comes onto the character played by David Anders, but that's just to get a rise out of him (it doesn't really work).
 * Let's face it, Cal/every male character. His complete lack of respect for personal space just amps it up.
 * Nightmare Fuel:
 * The Pied Piper's singsong renditions of "Jack and Jill" and "Ring Around the Rosey" and his "I'm gonna get you" phone call to his victims.
 * His "do you know where your daughter is?" to Cal.


 * Special Effect Failure: In "Love Always", Cal demonstrates the shocking effects of gunfire by firing a semi-automatic handgun in the air; the scene is repeated in slow motion, too, and the gun is visibly fake: the slide doesn't move, and no bullet casings come out.