History YMMV / LietoMe

** From the same episode comes Jenkins's copycat, [[spoiler:Paul Russell]], who is also a SerialRapist who collaborates with Jenkins to gain as many rape victims as possible. Not content with just raping and blinding women, he married one of Jenkin's victims later so he could always be close to one of Jenkins' "masterpieces."

** From the same episode comes Jenkins's copycat, [[spoiler:Paul Russell]], who is also a SerialRapist who collaborates with Jenkins to gain as many rape victims as possible. Not content with just raping and blinding women, he married one of his victims later so he could always be close to one of his "masterpieces." Eventually, he also murdered one of his victims in his quest to become more famous than his mentor as a rapist psychopath.

** Andrew Jenkins from season 1's "Blinded" is a SerialRapist whose crime spree involved raping 12 women. When he was done, Jenkins would focus their gaze on him before he blinded them so he would be the last thing they ever saw. Knowing a copycat of his is out there and kidnapping a woman to blind and rape, Jenkins enjoys playing a twisted game with hero Cal Lightman as Lightman tries to save the woman. With a reach extending outside prison, Jenkins has a guard pass letters to his copycat by threatening the man's daughters and promises Lightman his copycat's next victim will be someone Lightman loves.
** From the same episode comes Jenkins's copycat, [[spoiler:Paul Russell]], who is also a SerialRapist who collaborates with Jenkins to gain as many rape victims as possible. Not content with just raping and blinding women, he married one of his victims later so he could always be close to one of his "masterpieces." Eventually, he also murdered one of his victims in his quest to become more famous than his mentor as a rapist psychopath.
** Martin Walker from season 2's "Beat The Devil" is a SerialKiller and [[ColdBloodedTorture torturer]]. At first, he gains Lightman's notice when he becomes aroused by seeing photos of women being tortured. It comes out Walker is a vicious murderer who gets his kicks by waterboarding young women. He then forces them to dig their own graves before murdering and burying them in them. The waterboarding is related to how he allowed his sister to drown as a child, allowing her to drown merely because he wanted her bike.

** From the same episode comes Jenkins's copycat, [[spoiler:Paul Russell]], who is also a SerialRapist who collaborates with Jenkins to gain as many rape victims as possible. Not content with just raping and blinding women, he married one of his victims later so he could always be close to one of his "masterpieces."

* GrowingTheBeard: Most critics seem to agree that the storytelling got much more dynamic with the inclusion of [[TheShield Shawn]] [[TheUnit Ryan]] as co-Executive Producer in the second season.

* DudeNotFunny: 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.

* NightmareFuel:
** 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.
** [[spoiler:The fate Cal prepares for Zach in ''The Killer App''.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Lightman:''' I have recommended to the Judge you be sent to a mental hospital.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Zach:''' Why would you do that for me?]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Lightman:''' You framed an innocent man. You hacked my computers. You hurt a very close friend of mine. You murdered a wonderful young girl. Now, prison will only take your freedom. But at a hospital... the pills they'll give you, they'll take your mind. And make no mistake... Dr. Foster will make sure of that. ''Personally.'']]

* CringeComedy, 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....

** Andrew Jenkins from season 1's "Blinded" is a SerialRapist whose crime spree involved raping 12 women. When he was done, Jenkins would focus their gaze on him before he blinded them so he would be the last thing they ever saw. Knowing a copycat of his is out there and kidnapping a woman to blind and rape, Jenkins enjoys playing a twisted game with hero Cal Lightman as Lightman tries to save the woman. With a reach extending outside prison, Jenkins has a guard pass letters to his copycat by threatening the man's life and promises Lightman his copycat's next victim will be someone Lightman loves.

** From the same episode comes Jenkins's copycat, [[spoiler:Paul Russell]], who is also a SerialRapist who collaborates with Jenkins to gain as many rape victims as possible. Not content with just raping and blinding women, he married one of his victims later so he could always be close to one of his "masterpieces." Eventually, he also murdered one of his victims in his quest to become more famous than his mentor as a rapist psychopath.

* CompleteMonster: Martin Walker, who [[spoiler: waterboarded a girl multiple times, brought her back via CPR, and almost succeeded in burying her alive out in the woods. Plus giving the same treatment to Cal, who is ''former British intelligence''.]].
** You find out at the end of the show [[spoiler: that he succeeded with five girls before her.]]
*** Nah, that had been heavily implied throughout the episode. What's ''really'' revealed at the end is [[spoiler:when he was a kid, he watched his older sister drown in the pool in their backyard, and he didn't try to save her because he "wanted her bike."]]
** 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.
*** And his copycat killer, who [[spoiler:''married'' one of the victims just to hear more about how she was tortured]].
** When Cal shuts these two down, it really is [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMOA]] for him.

* SpecialEffectFailure: 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.

* CompleteMonster: Martin Walker, who [[spoiler: waterboarded a girl multiple times, brought her back via CPR, and almost succeeded in burying her alive out in the woods. Not to mention giving the same treatment to Cal, who is ''former British intelligence''.]].

** Of course, when Cal shuts these two down, it really is [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome CMOA]] for him.

* NightmareFuel: 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 ups it into HighOctaneNightmareFuel.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel: [[spoiler:The fate Cal prepares for Zach in ''The Killer App''.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Lightman:''' I have recommended to the Judge you be sent to a mental hospital.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Zach:''' Why would you do that for me?]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Lightman:''' You framed an innocent man. You hacked my computers. You hurt a very close friend of mine. You murdered a wonderful young girl. Now, prison will only take your freedom. But at a hospital... the pills they'll give you, they'll take your mind. And make no mistake... Dr. Foster will make sure of that. ''Personally.'']]

* FetishFuel: TimRoth. Someone on the writing team so far seems to really have a thing about this short guy with a tall attitude cringing away from big guys threatening him and/or beating him to a pulp.
** The PapaWolf tendencies and [[RefugeInAudacity outrageous behavior]] just add to it.
** Emily, with her schoolgirl outfits and general jailbait-ness, is rapidly approaching this.
** In "Delinquent", Lightman forces a drunken Torres [[WetSariScene into a shower, still wearing her clothes]].
** Cal and Gillian undercover at a porn company, discussing filming themselves, threesomes, schoolgirl fantasies, and Gillian wanting to be tied up.
** The writers' love affair with fetishizing TimRoth is reaching new heights in season three. We've got Cal handcuffed in a dive bar by two ex-prisoners, and threatened with a screwdriver and a gun; hitting on a jailbait sadist to get her to confess to lying about being molested; firing guns and letting himself be sucker-punched by a gang member.
** "The Core of It", when Cal tries to talk to a woman's [[spoiler: alternate personality]]. He goes from apologetic and businesslike to "take off your clothes, you filthy whore", grabbing her face and choking her. Needless to say, the [[spoiler: protective personality]] comes out and fucks him up a bit.

* GrowingTheBeard: YourMileageMayVary of course, but most critics seem to agree that the storytelling got much more dynamic with the inclusion of [[TheShield Shawn]] [[TheUnit Ryan]] as co-Executive Producer in the second season.

** 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.
* NightmareFuel: 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 ups it into HighOctaneNightmareFuel.

* AmbiguouslyAutistic: Dr. Cal Lightman himself. He's got a very limited understanding of social norms, severe inability to understand his effects on people and incredible empathy for those he truly cares about: Foster and his daughter, Emily.

* BetterThanItSounds: A LivingLieDetector takes more than thirty seconds to tell if someone committed a crime or not.

* SpecialEffectFailure: 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.
* WallBanger: Wait, so Cal, Reynolds, and about ''fifteen'' armed FBI agents go looking for the Pied Piper's hideout. Cal finds a huge crate that shouldn't be there, asks one of the agents to hold his flashlight, and breaks into it. He finds the victim in there, still alive, but somehow, ALL FIFTEEN AGENTS have vanished, leaving Cal to be attacked by the Piper.
** "The Canary's Song". There's been a horrific mining accident that caused the deaths of six men and a loss of life, it most likely had to do with the oxygen fans, and the mining company is just going to turn off the fans altogether on Cal's XanatosRoulette orders?! Never mind the fact that it works - because [[ShowyInvincibleHero Cal's always right]] - they just decide to ignore the high possibility of dangerous gas and/or a second explosion?