‘A lost twin. A dark secret. A deadly game’, this is the tagline for The Lying Game. For those of you who already love Pretty Little Liars this is the show for you. Written by the same author, Sara Shepard, this series throws you into a world full of mystery and danger in which nothing is truly what it seems and everyone has an agenda. It’s full of suspense, drama, deception, murder, love and lies, a good basis for any show. But when I first heard about it I was sceptical, it didn’t strike me as original or inviting. Long lost twin sisters who somehow find each other and switch lives, sound familiar? It’s the plot of The Parent Trap and just like the film the twins are played by the same person, newcomer Alexandra Chando. Whilst secretly looking for her birth mother, adopted rich girl Sutton Mercer discovers her twin sister Emma Becker. Emma, who has been in foster care her entire life, agrees to impersonate Sutton while she attempts to track down their birth mother. But switching lives and trying to uncover the truth turns out to be more dangerous than they thought, someone is determined to protect the secret of the twins.
For me this show had a shaky start, initially we get Emma dealing with Sutton’s high school problems: a bitchy rivalry; a cheating boyfriend and a ditzy friend. But once these elements were removed and the writers focused on the mystery of the twins and the danger that surrounds them I realised how excitingly fresh and completely thrilling this show is. The storyline progresses at a fast pace and every episode is full of shocking truths which leave us with more questions. It might sound tedious and confusing but the writers manage to keep it intriguing and undeniably gripping. That is the best thing, the suspense the audience are left in, the way we have to piece together the story to work out what is really going on: who knows what; who is hiding what and who is aligned with whom. Not only this but the cliff-hangers at the end of each episode leave you gasping for more, counting down the days until it’s back on your screen. I have to say it has been cast perfectly. Chando does a brilliant job of playing the twins and although Emma is far more likable and sweet, it is definitely more fun to see her play manipulative sarcastic Sutton. This show also features Heroes star Adrian Pasdar and 90210’s Blair Redford who plays the resident Hunk/ Bad-boy, Ethan Whitehorse. This charming character just seems to attract trouble, and is of course at the centre of all disputes between the sisters. If you aren’t impressed by the storyline he will surely be the reason you tune in each week. The chemistry between Chando and Redford is amazing and the love story between their characters is just as captivating as the mystery and murder. By the end of the season you will be rooting for a couple, Emma and Ethan or Sutton and Ethan. Either way you will be obsessed, this show is most definately addictive!
