HOLLYWOOD—I’m always a sucker for a great mystery. Considering that ABC has officially wrapped its first season of the guilty pleasure “How to Get Away With Murder” I need something to fill that void. I may have found that show. The new drama “Secrets and Lies” follows Ben Crawford (Ryan Phillippe) whose life is turned upside down when he discovers the body of neighborhood child.
Yes, when I first heard about this show, I automatically thought this was a re-interpretation of the FOX series “Gracepoint.” While that show was more about finding out the killer, this series is more about seeing a potential suspect unravel and rather he did or did not commit the crime. For a show with such a title, it better be able to deliver with the secrets and lies, and the first episode titled “The Trail” did just that with the revelation that Tom (the little boy who was murdered) is actually Ben’s son! Yep, he cheated on his wife Christy (KaDee Strickland) with his neighbor Jess (Natalie Martinez) a few years back. The shocker is she kept the news from him.
That revelation only further complicates theory that Ben is capable of murder; the premiere sprinkled plenty of hints that it is very possible that Ben may have known Tom was his son because of the countless interaction, the shear shock of the revelation proves otherwise. The one issue I’m having is the constant interrogation calls from Detective Andrea Cornell (Juliette Lewis). It’s just becoming a bit to unbelievable in my opinion; Ben might have been called to the station 10 times alone in the first two episode of the show, if not more. Sorry I started to lose county.
The series in a unique way presents a bode of characters as possible red herrings or individuals who are harboring some secrets that I’m sure will come out as the series progresses. On that list we have Dave (Dan Fogler), Ben’s hard partying brother, who happens to be staying in their pool house to speak. He was out partying with Ben after a massive fight with his wife. What’s the problem? Ben can’t remember how he got home, which contradicts the tale he gives to authorities.
Other polarizing parties include Ben’s wife Christy. It’s apparent their marriage is strained; the tension is so strong you can pretty much slice it with a knife. I mean when your wife first forbids you from speaking to the mother who lost her child, to just allowing you to go over her house very late at night with no trepidation, it’s apparent this marriage is beyond on the rocks. I almost have the strongest inkling she wants her husband to go to jail. Who just lets the cops search the house without a warrant, leaving your daughters in disarray while you leave for work?
A very interesting narrative point in this series is the use of the media and cameras to impede on Ben’s life. One day all is perfect, the next day he can’t leave or enter his home without being harassed by the cameras. This has a major impact on his youngest daughter Abby (Belle Shouse). Ben happens to be the closest with her; she’s his rock and he is very protective of both of his daughters, but Abby the most. So what about Natalie (Indiana Evans); well she’s distant with her father. She’s encountering cyber-bullying where everyone suspects he is a child murdered, but she’s also meeting a late night biker by the name of Scott. Did I mention Scott happens to be Jess’ husband?
That was another secret that was a bit of a surprise for the audience in my opinion. What is intriguing about this drama is how things unfold at a steady pace. There isn’t a whole bunch thrown at you at once. We get to explore the family dynamic, we see the neighbors, and we see how these people operate on a daily basis.
Our title character is doing everything in his power to cooperate with the police, not only did he provide a DNA sample, but he even took a lie detector test to prove his innocence. What’s problematic? It doesn’t help when authorities suspect the murder weapon happens to be a flashlight that just happens to be missing. So either Ben is being framed or he is the guilty party. I have my suspicions on who might be guilty, but I’ll save that for a little bit later.
When Scott discovered Ben was the father of Tom, he put a massive beating on his neighbor, one that didn’t shock his wife, oldest daughter or the lead detective to say the least. Such empathy huh? Another interesting development towards the end of the episode was the fact that Ben cheated on his wife in the midst of him asking her to have an abortion. Yeah, that had to sting a bit. The final moments saw Ben watching television as an intruder broke into the home, as he fake slept on the couch.
If you’re ready for another murder mystery “Secrets & Lies” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC.
