Jan 27 2025 66 mins
We were told these two episodes were an improvement... and that was not wrong!
The Lying Game impressively avoids a gigantic pitfall that would have made the episode incredibly uncomfortable and lowered our impression of the characters still further. It also boasts a guest appearance from Mitch Pileggi who does a stellar job of impersonating Jimmy when events call for it.
We'll even overlook how the reasons the LGM get into the plot aren't exactly meant to be their thing, the plot does revolve around the kind of thing they would care about. It's doing well!
But it's just... why don't they even try talking to Mulder or Scully or Doggett as events spool out? Why do we need to add a moment when a dog humps Langley's leg? Why does Skinner not jump to shapeshifter as the explanation when confronted by himself?
The Cap'n Toby Show is likewise more LGM-like than a lot of the series. It even has a scene about how the LGM find stories which feels so intrinsic and fundamental, its actually really odd it wasn't in episode 3.
Despite this, the episode while better, it remains faintly awkward with some odd focuses. And as has become a pattern, the original three LGM do one thing while Yves and Jimmy do another. And at the 11th hour, the series tries to imply something more about Yves, but there's only one (sort of two) episodes to go and no time to really get into it.