Liar (Episode 4 Review)

They say the truth will always find you out but Laura takes it upon herself to find Andrew’s truth herself. Earlham is a man with a charm strong enough to get away with the crime and as things stand the charge against him has been dropped. His creepiness in the fourth installment is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. While Laura is in Edinburgh tracing old footsteps, the villain of the piece is succumbing to his impulses again.

Turning up at the doorstep of Mary’s (Andrew’s ex-wife) mum is a bold step which is understandably rebuked. Laura finds more luck with Catherine, a woman who spent a night with Andrew and her experience matches. She promises to come forward to the police but unfortunately Mary’s mother calls a halt to progress and Laura goes back to square one. There looks to be more to Mary’s death and what follows strengthens those suspicions.

There’s a strong counter balance at play as the effects on the victim are shown through Laura’s interactions with a stranger at the hotel. He is polite yet flirty but her vulnerability is on full display. As she states to him “I am broken”. The assault being a form of physical and mental abuse long after the night in question. Earlham however, feels more indestructible and literally cocksure. Having walked into the office and declared himself fit for work he breaks into a house we soon learn is that of DI Harmon, spikes her drink and leaves before chillingly crawling into her house at night and well, you don’t need the words just as Liar didn’t need to give us the images. It’s not the kind of scene one would expect from a prime time drama. It’s uncomfortable and maybe the point is to take you out of the comfort zone and be shocked. Being shocked surely means the message is getting through. Earlham’s arrogance is magnified by a lawsuit sent through the post. In a doorstep confrontation we find out that his demand is for a public apology or legal action will ensue. It’s more fuel to his fire, more power to the ego and another way of chipping at Laura’s confidence.

Other than the surprising but welcome progression of Vanessa into the story not much else happened this week. With regards to the love triangle of Sam, Liam and Tom, the latter almost confesses to the affair in a drunken state. In words that will surely resonate shortly he insists on having “nothing left to lose”. His list so far is quite impressive: He’s been suspended from the force, about to break up a marriage, about to tear two sisters apart and after stealing GHB at the behest of Laura could be set to damage the chances of justice being served for good. Tom is the shaky ground everyone else is standing on. Where will the drug be planted? Where did he get it from? Did he really steal it at all? Trust no one, but then why would you trust anyone in a show called Liar? 6/10

Liar (Episode 3 review)

It starts with Laura Nielson dreaming but it soon becomes an all too real nightmare by the time the credits roll. She wakes to sounds in her house and is confronted aggressively by Andrew only to then wake up for real. Dreams within a dream are usually a cheap trick but not this time. More of that later..

Maybe, just maybe the way Laura and Andrew are forced into a face to face encounter was a bit forced but as a way of tangling the spider’s web of all the character’s arcs even further it proved effective. Sixteen year old pupil Makeda is pregnant and has wolfed down some pills purchased from the internet in order to lose the baby. Laura sees the bleeding and takes her to hospital but soon learns that Andrew’s son Luke was to be the father. Cue Andrew turning up and a bitter stand off in the corridor. Laura name calling him a “predator” makes sense later. His reply of “I’m not the man you think I am” turns out to be the exact opposite of the truth: He’s not the man everyone else thinks he is. We find out who the real Liar is. There is no one else involved. Andrew did spike the wine. He is the guilty party.

Where last week was all about putting Laura in a bad light, the tables now turn as throughout the course of the hour Andrew Earlham morphs from the perception he shows off to the reality the writer’s were hiding. They made us doubt Laura so much until now and while Froggatt’s performance is purposefully on a level throughout, Gruffudd clearly revels in the two faces he portrays. His charm decaying, increasingly eroded by his arrogance. The nasty underside surfacing in his confrontation with Tom and when he finds out the case has been dropped he becomes downright unbearable. By approaching the detective for a celebratory drink the predator is set loose as soon as it senses freedom.

Hurrah for DI Harmon too, who despite still being frustratingly ineffective is now using that angst for good.  When she looks into Earlham’s eyes and declares “I don’t drink with men who rape women” before the actual reveal, it’s a tense mic drop moment that Liar is built around. The DI also shows up at the school to offer Laura off the record advice, telling her that Andrew could potentially be very dangerous and to stay away from now on. The school hallway isn’t the most discreet of places it must be said. The same thoughts are echoed by sister Katy. Even if Laura does decide to keep a distance the same can’t be said of her attacker who is now set on filing a lawsuit.

The cobweb grows bigger with all the secondary events. Andrew knows about Tom’s affair with Katy, Liam suspects his wife is playing away but is lied to when asking for the truth. If buying concert tickets is this wrong then God help us all. Yes, we do know who the main culprit is but that doesn’t mean the show doesn’t have plenty of potential to explore. We know the truth incredibly early but the proof on just how brave this show is lies in the repercussions that follow. How bitter will things get? Will the truths only ever be known by the viewers? What effect will all this have on Laura?

There has been plenty of worry in many quarters that this could turn into a girl who cried wolf scenario (that is even referenced tonight) and that it would be a dangerous message to send out. Those doubts were understandable but it’s always best to let the story unfold before offering snapshot judgements. As suspected, this is a tale of the injustice of sexual assault victims and the laws that hamper rather than help. The bitter and frankly delusional testament by Denis Walters proves the final barrier for an already helpless police force.

Laura’s mind wasn’t playing tricks to anyone but us. Her dream was right too. She did hear movement in the house while in bed. That bloody earring turns up again, this time on her teddy in the living room. Only one person could have put it there. A man who has invaded her body, mind and now home. A man who wants to inflict further damage on his victim. Time to get #LockEarlhamUp trending.  8/10