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The Lone Gunmen Season 1 Episode 11

The Lying Game

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8.5

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 5/4/01

The gunmen are stunned to find that FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner is somehow deeply involved in the murder of Byers' old college roommate. The Gunmen have to question what's a lie and what's really the truth to get to the bottom of this case.

Fan Episode Reviews (1)

Why Couldn't They All Have Been This Good?

9.0

By Anon67683, Sep 14, 2007

At last, a decent epsiode that approaches the quality of the parent series, The X-Files. It's not simply the inclusion of Skinner in the storyline (although this helps), but the intelligent and witty script that makes this episode the best yet in the series. Color me impressed.

This episode is a perfect example of what the series should have been. The earlier episodes should have been peppered with X-Files characters in order to retain the interest of X-Files fans and to help the series get up on its feet. I liked the more realistic storyline here too. Instead of talking chimps, tango competitions and the like, we get a simpler espionage plot that doesn't have to rely on gimmickly plot contrivances. As a result, I was able to immerse myself in the quick-moving storyline and actually watch the episode all the way through without once glancing at my watch.

There is much less of Yves in this episode, which is a huge plus in my book.

The self-deprecating humor in this episode is refreshing as it is done with a lighter touch and in a wittier, less zany and less slapstick manner than in previous episodes. Mitch Pileggi's performance as Skinner being played by Jimmy is spot on and one of the funniest things I have seen on television, period. It's the perfect companion piece to Duchovny's performance in The X-Files' "Small Potatoes."

Granted, the special effects at the end when Jimmy tears off his Skinner mask are pretty amateurish. I also could have done without the Jimmy monologue inserts, as they add nothing to the episode as a whole. But these are minor quibbles. This is, by far, the best episode of the series to date.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Tom Braidwood	Melvin Frohike
Dean Haglund	Richard "Ringo" Langly
Bruce Harwood	John Fitzgerald Byers
Zuleikha Robinson	Yves Adele Harlow
Stephen Snedden	Jimmy Bond

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Mitch Pileggi	AD Walter Sergei Skinner	Guest Star
James Tsai	Guest (#2)	Guest Star
Angela Piette	Guest #1	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- We get to see for the first time the very neatly organized living quarters for Byers in this episode. It is a largish room upstairs from their warehouse working area with a full-sized bed and a closet for all his suits. The room fits Byers to a T.
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- We also saw Jimmy's space in the Gunmen's warehouse as well. It is disorganized, with posters and a bunch of photos and other things on the walls. His bed is near a computer that gets Frohike's email.
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QUOTES (0)
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NOTES (3)
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- Mitch Pileggi appears as Walter Skinner in this episode. We know Skinner from The X-Files.
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- This was the only episode of the Lone Gunmen to be written by Nandi Bowe.
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- This episode never aired in the UK.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Title:
  
  The title refers to Neil Jordan's 1992 smash hit, The Crying Game. There was a wonderful conspiracy of silence among those who had seen it early, with everyone admitting there was quite a surprise in the storyline but nobody eager to give it away and spoil the shocker moment. The Crying Game was one of the most talked about films of 1992.
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