Percetion – Faces: Part 1

“Faces” is episode two of season one of Perception and Daniel is lecturing to a class, saying that he went fishing and caught a huge striped bass. He holds his hands wide and says it was this big. Which gets a laugh. Daniel says that he is going to hang it in his office and asks Lewicki if that isn’t right. Lewicki replies whatever he says, but mouths ‘No’ to the class when Daniel is not looking. Daniel says that, even if his soon-to-be-unemployed assistant didn’t roll over on him, they would have known Daniel was lying, but why. One person replies that it’s because it’s a fishing story.

Daniel then asks what if he was a better liar. Studies have shown that the most convincing liars get better jobs, more friends – and all the hot women. If he was a really good liar, would there be any way to bust him? One student suggests a polygraph. Which segues into Kate polygraphing a man. Kate asks the man if he discovered a male intruder in his home, which is yes, did he know the intruder’s identity, which is no, did he see his face, which is yes, and could he describe the intruder. Which is no. Which is odd. Back to the class and Daniel says that polygraphs only measure responses to stress. They are interested in the brain. If you could stick a liar in an MRI you would see parts of the brain light up. Because people use their brains when they lie, and when being lied to. Daniel asks the class if the brain can lie to itself. Which is probably yes.

After the class, Lewicki is giving Daniel a rundown on his timetable. Which includes a meeting with the dean. Lewicki asks Daniel if he wants him to lie for him and Daniel says yes. It will be good practice for Lewicki doesn’t get him out of the meeting with the dean. Lewicki replies that doesn’t make sense – which it doesn’t – and Daniel’s response is that it’s a paradox. It’s not supposed to make sense.

Kate is getting a hot drink and turns around and spills it over a man. She apologises and says she will pay for the dry cleaning. He replies that it was his fault and will buy her another. Kate orders another camomile tea and the man says that is a good choice as she doesn’t need any more caffeine. She replies that it’s for a friend – and she can handle her caffeine. He asks if she can handle her liquor. As he’s buying Kate a tea, she could buy him a real drink. Seven’s good for him. Kate leaves at this point.

The tea is for Daniel and when Kate hands it to him he asks if he’s on a government watch list. Kate tells him not yet. Daniel is sure she hasn’t just come to bring him tea. Because she hasn’t. Kate shows Daniel a photo of Frank and Olena Prentice. Frank is the man who was being polygraphed earlier. Olena is quite a bit younger and rather attractive and Daniel says it looks as if Frank has won the lottery. Kate says no, actually she cost him a bundle. Olena is a mail order bride from the Ukraine. Daniel asks if people actually do that and Kate asks him why, is he in the market for one? Daniel’s ‘No’ does not sounds as convincing as it could.

The match was made through Eastern Bloc Introductions, who flew Frank out to Odessa to meet his prospective bride. With wedding bells sounding, Frank flies home but Olena’ visa runs into immigration problems. Then Frank gets a call from the broker; it will cost another $100K to get Olena into the U.S. Frank does not have that sort of money so the broker introduces him to ‘alternative financing.’ Aka a loan shark. Frank can’t make the payments and the loan shark says if Frank doesn’t pay he will take Olena to ‘work off the debt.’ Daniel assumes, rightly, that this does not refer to a nice office job. Indeed it doesn’t. According to Kate, Alexi Topaloff runs the largest loan sharking and prostitution ring in the Midwest and that the FBI has been after him for years. He also owns Eastern Bloc Introductions. Last night the loan shark made good on his threat. Frank arrived home to find a blue Camaro and an intruder. There was a fight and Frank’s head got smashed with a lamp. The live-in maid came home to find Frank lying on the floor and called the police. Olena was gone.

Daniel is sorry for Olena and asks what he can do to help. Kate tells him that Frank can’t give a description of the intruder – even though they were face to face. Daniel replies that a blow to the head can affect memory but this is why Kate came to him. Frank’s memory is fine. He can describe everything that happened last night in perfect detail, yet he can’t describe what the intruder looks like.

When Daniel arrives at the FBI he asks Kate what the hell something is. The something is a whole body imaging scanner. Daniel says that it wasn’t there last time and Kate tells him it is new security protocols. Kate heads in and Daniel joins the queue for the scanner. He’s nervous so puts on his headphones and listens to music, but it doesn’t help. The signs warning about X-ray radiation get to him and he bolts. Kate chases after him and tells him it’s perfectly safe. Daniel is not convinced at safety assured by a government body he cannot trust to look out for his wellbeing. And lists all the potential problems. Plus the violation of privacy. So Kate tells him they will do it the old fashioned way. Which is a very slow, very careful hand search. Which is perhaps a much greater invasion of privacy than any scanner.

In the interview room, Frank tells them he was never too good with faces. When asked if the intruder was the same person he made payments to, Frank says maybe. They were around the same size. Although the guy he pays usually wears a gold Orthodox cross around his neck. When asked what his wife looks like, Frank says they have pictures. Daniel asks what she looks like to Frank, and Frank says blonde, good looking. With a good body. He wouldn’t spend all his money to bring her over here if she wasn’t hot.

Outside the interview room Kate says to Daniel that Olena’s husband is a real charmer. Even if they find the girl she has got that to go back to. Daniel is interested in something else though. He tells Kate to put on a cardigan and gives her a pad and pen. Probert comes out and asks what they are doing as they are in the middle of the interrogation but Daniel says they need to do something about Kate’s hair. Daniel and Kate re-enter the interview room, her hair now piled on her head. Daniel introduces Kate to Frank as Ms Jones, a sketch artist who will do a composite sketch of the man who attacked Frank. Frank replies that he sure hopes she is more help than the other girl. When Frank is asked if he doesn’t recognise Kate, he asks why, have they met. Yes. Like about a minute ago.

To be continued…