IMHO "Lie to Me" (1.10): "Better Half"

Fox's new crime procedural Lie to Me is one of those shows that I always figured I'd get around to watching some day. Sure, it sounded interesting ... but with so much crime being solved on TV already, I wasn't in a hurry to add more to the DVR.

However, hearing that this week's episode included a gay story got me to check it out and I'm glad I did. First off, it's about people who solve crimes by reading subtle facial cues, which means they spend all their time either in interview rooms or watching (and discussing) video footage from the interview room, which is a nice break after a decade of CSI. Meanwhile, the gay story also offered a mild change-of-pace.

If you didn't catch it, you can watch the entire episode after the jump (thanks, Hulu!) but if you read any further be wary of SPOILERS...

The case involved the drive-by shooting of Dante Edwards, who worked for a popular rapper, Little Sid. The first stop for the investigators is the home of Little Sid's rap rival, Caden.

Caden shows signs of regret when Dante is brought up, which leaves them confused since that's not the look of someone who committed murder as part of a feud. Watching old video footage of Caden and Little Sid, they deduce that the rivalry is an act meant to generate publicity. They also declare that Dante has a case of gayface, literally: they figure out he was gay because of "the pattern of muscle tension in the face".

Computer asks, "Does Dante have a face more like a gay or straight man?"

This leads them to question Little Sid, whose songs include homophobic lyrics, including lines about killing gays. He responds that he knew that Dante was gay all along and the homophobia in his work is just as much an act as when he raps about guns and violence. Since his face doesn't register any disgust when he talks about Dante's homosexuality, the investigation shifts back to Caden, who was about to steal away Dante's mixing skills.

On their return visit to Caden, it becomes clear that Caden and Dante were in love. It also becomes clear that Davis, Caden's manager and cousin, murdered Dante, a crime motivated by a mix of homophobia and wanting to protect Caden's career.

Caden spells out his grief on his face

I liked the balance to this episode. Unlike other stories where the victim's homosexuality is a twist in the mystery, Dante's outing didn't have a sensational tone. That's probably because it was one of many lies these people were living, so figuring out that Dante was gay was one of many clues leading to his murderer, not the key revelation. Or maybe I was overtaken by the emotional power that came when Caden talked about not being able to attend Dante's funeral.

That's not to say I didn't have any problems with the episode. I mean, if they could figure out Dante was gay just by looking at his face, why couldn't they similarly out Caden? Still, considering the current state of gay representation on Fox, this seemed pretty progressive. Plus, there's something mesmerizing about a crime procedural where everybody is Deanna Troi.

What did you think? How did this episode compare to other crime shows where the victim turns out to be gay? How did you feel about them using that "gayface" study to out Dante to the audience? Discuss it in the comments!