The Lying Game - Season 2 Episode 5 - Recap and Review - Much Ado About Everything
The Lying Game may have had a bit of a slower start, but “Much Ado About Everything” finally leveled the playing field. Emma knows, everybody. Emma knows, and it’s starting to seem like there is more Sutton in her than we’d realized. Will the tables turn now that Sutton is in the dark, and Emma is done playing nice? I’m for any team that features Laurel as a key player.
The episode opened with Sutton (Alexandra Chando) and Rebecca (Charisma Carpenter) flipping through Kristin’s (Helen Slater) ratty looking old journal. According to the ancient entries, Kristin had doubts about adopting, even going as far as to admit to having second thoughts after finding Sutton. Fuming, Sutton was out for blood from the episode’s start. Unbeknownst to her, Kristin sat like a duck in her kitchen, reminiscing about the kind speeches Laurel (Allie Gonino) and Sutton had given for Ted (Andy Buckley). Laurel, still baffled over the phone call mishap from the episode prior, started her prying surrounding Sutton’s secrets. She couldn’t be the only family member to notice Sutton’s recent “night and day” attitude.
Meanwhile, Emma and Thayer (Christian Alexander) decided to track down the doctor who’d delivered the twins. Thayer, putting two and two together, realized that Sutton probably knew more than she’d been letting on. Who else could the other mystery woman from Sutton’s motel stay be but their birth mother? He and Emma made their way to the hospital, but things didn’t go as smoothly as they’d hoped. After snooping through the file system, the two managed to track down the doctor in the cafeteria. Although it was clear that he knew a little more than he’d admitted, the doctor refused to break the confidentiality of the adoption, whether it was legal to or not.
ABC Family "The Lying Game"
Mads (Alice Greczyn) and Jordan (Ryan Rottman) continued their frustrating flirtations this week. Jordan, taking constant advantage of the lack of clothing required to use a swimming pool, was relentless in his pursuit of Mads, who has obviously been struggling all season to squash her lustful feelings for her quasi-stepbrother. Alec (Adrain Pasdar) started to pick up strange vibes surrounding the two, and we knew that couldn’t bode well for Jordan. Hot stuff continued to happen surrounding the pool area, though. By the time Mads had finished her tanning session later in the episode, she’d broken her silence and admitted mutual feelings for Jordan. I don’t really take any issue with these two dating. He’s not actually her stepbrother. He’s allegedly the son of Rebecca’s ex-husband. I’d be more concerned with living with my brand new crush.
Things continued to go smoothly for Ethan (Blair Redford) and Sutton this episode, at least seemingly so. After getting back on the academic track, Ethan found himself diffusing the situation surrounding the journal. Having already made up her mind that Kristin was some sort of hellspawn for struggling through a rushed adoption while being very pregnant, Ethan did his best to convince Sutton that the Kristin of today is a different woman entirely. Maybe Ethan’s soft spot for Sutton developed as a result of sharing a trailer with Dan (Tyler Christopher) and Theresa (Yara Martinez). The two got engaged this week. Dan taped an engagement ring to a beer can; kind of ratchet, but the fact that he’d kept her ring for years made up for it. The younger Whitehorse will serve as best man.
ABC Family "The Lying Game"
Family dinner was, needless to say, a complete train wreck. Sutton wasted no time whipping out the journal and sharing with everyone. Kristin, copping to her depressing emotional writings, attempted to explain that the journal was a part of her therapy at the time, and that she was drowning in anti-depressants. Having to care for an adopted baby alone, while pregnant, is enough. The fact that Ted, her husband, had pressured her into the situation amidst his affair is another story altogether. That would be a lot to handle, right? Although Kristin did a decent job of conveying that Sutton was the light in her darkness, Sutton threw out this little gem:
Sutton: “I don’t feel it, and I never have.”
Sutton binged on ice cream and invited Ethan over to stroke her ego after further ruining Kristin’s existence.
The next day, Ted covertly confronted Alec about the part of the journal that troubled him most. Sutton put things more bluntly, of course. Kristin had admitted to having private feelings for Alec at the time, although she also attempted to explain time and time again that the feelings jotted down in the book were entirely private, mostly thoughts and ideas she needed to purge out of her troubled brain, I’d guess. Later, Alec secretly dropped by the Mercer’s house to comfort Kristin, laying a hand on her shoulder that suggested he might have felt the same way back in the day. By the way, feelings and cheating are two very different things, Ted. Screw you.
After failing to extract the truth from the doctor, Thayer and Emma headed to the home of one of the nurses who’d helped deliver the twins. There, Emma attempted to use the woman’s own motherhood against her, as a means of pressuring her to spill information. Feeling for Emma after hearing about her lack of motherly love, the nurse admitted to remembering her birth mother. In fact, she remembered seeing her wedding pictures in a tabloid, considering the fact that she’d married a famous music producer. The writing was on the wall then, and Thayer confirmed for Emma that Rebecca is, indeed, her birth mother by showing the nurse a photo. Later, the two attempted to unravel Sutton’s scheme. Emma, saddened by the fact that her mother has been right under her nose and seemingly entirely apathetic, would need to reevaluate her own plan.
Alec made it a point to have a conversation with Dan surrounding Derrick’s murder case. Dan, who’d been recently removed from the case, was hesitant to help Alec out again. Although he’d been freed of charges, Alec wanted his name cleared entirely. Basically, he wanted Dan and Theresa to continue searching for the killer, regardless of whether they were supposed to. Alec’s prime target is, of course, his wife Rebecca, but he also seems to believe that Jordan could be the key to solving the crime. Theresa, convinced that this could be a good idea regardless of whether Alec is innocent or guilty, encouraged Dan to keep investigating. Uh oh; something’s telling me this relationship could end tragically. I’m worried for Theresa!
Throughout the episode, Laurel continued her search for the truth surrounding Sutton’s strange behavior. Her first target was Mads, who had absolutely no explanation as to why she’d call Sutton from inside the same house (Sutton would lambast her later for her slip). Laurel then attempted to enlist Ethan’s help, but he was no good either. Lastly, Laurel tried to confront Sutton herself, but Sutton is a ruthless viper regardless of the situation at hand. The idea that Laurel was on to her secret was enough to bring the worst out of her, who bashed Laurel for “obsessing” over her life.
ABC Family "The Lying Game"
That night, Laurel overheard Sutton and Ethan talking by the front door. Eavesdropping, she managed to catch Sutton’s mention that some chick named Emma had set her academic bar too high. That was enough to entice Laurel to trail Sutton on her escapades later on. Following her to Rebecca’s house, Laurel attempted to peer inside from atop the home’s barricade, only to slip and fall.
Laurel "Humpty Dumptying" on top of that wall, though... Moment of the week!
Clearly trailing her sister, Laurel was left unconscious in the grass. Panicked, Rebecca and Sutton would have to think up an excuse as to why she was sneaking around the house by the time her family arrived at the hospital.
Rebecca had appreciated that Sutton ran her mouth to Alec surrounding Kristin’s feelings. It could be the perfect opportunity to happily ruin her own marriage and hook Ted (yeah, right) once and for all. Meanwhile, Alec took it upon himself to speak to his daughter over her recent attraction to Jordan. Mads denied everything (duh), but Alec made sure to plant the seeds of doubt in her head. Jordan has some secret, Rebecca made that clear. Also, whatever she has on him must be big if it’s enough to keep him under her thumb. I like Jordan, though. He could actually end up being a key player on the opposite side of things, if anyone in this town decides to give him the time of day. Do your thang, Mads.
Having concocted the excuse that Laurel was sneaking in to see Jordan, sadly painting her as a desperate stalker-type, Rebecca and Sutton managed to dodge Kristin and Ted’s bullets in the waiting area. As soon as Laurel was able to speak, though, she confessed to Ted that she’d been trailing Sutton and that, well, Sutton probably has a twin. Ted played dumb.
Outside, Emma and Thayer ran into Sutton. With her mind overloaded from all of their recent discoveries, Emma was in absolutely no mood to deal with Sutton’s snark. Sutton, on the other hand, was clearly done with Emma entirely. Refusing to switch back as planned, Sutton left Emma in the parking lot, assuming she’d won the game. Emma, finally realizing that Sutton suuuucks, took it upon herself to sneak into the hospital and confess the truth to Laurel. With Laurel secretly working with Emma, Sutton better watch her damn back.
What did you all think of The Lying Game Season 2 Episode 5, “Much Ado About Everything”? Are you happy that Laurel finally knows the secret? Have the tables turned on Sutton? Is Rebecca’s plan to steal Ted totally and tragically hopeless? Are you a Jordan fan too?
Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of The Lying Game Season 2 Episode 5, “Much Ado About Everything”!