3 out of 5

Developed by: Barbie Kligman

covers season 1

It’s definitely a bit heavy-handed and, being extended to 10 episodes from a 6 episode Aussie source, clearly red-herringed out the wazzoo… but derned if it isn’t a pretty gripping and teeth-gritting mystery.  In ‘Secrets and Lies,’ Ben (Ryan Phillipe) is out running one morning when he stumbles across the body of 5-year-old Tom, the child of one of Ben’s neighbors, Jess Murphy (Natalie Martinez).  Upon reporting his discovery, Ben is astounded to find that the assigned detective, Andrea Cornfield (Juliette Lewis), suspects him as a potential murderer, and over the next few episodes, things spiral out of control for Ben and his family as the ramifications of being investigated and the wear of the stress of suspicion bring to light a web of lies that runs underneath the surface of their neighborhood.  Yes, it’s another Broadchurch or Killing, but with the pace amplified; Phillipe is perfectly cast for the character and tone of the series, as ‘Secrets’ revels in either pummeling its characters into submission or having them yell and run about, and while Phillipe absolutely has acting chops that work in the range between that, his range of expressions is tainted by a permanently somber brow and eyes which ends up being the element that keeps Ben’s frequently dumb decisions and fly-off-the-handle responses feel human and not scripted: you can always see the pain of the situation painted across his face.  Similarly, Lewis’ character is inhumanly focused on making Ben’s life crap, and the actresses’ slightly zoned out look – combined with her acting – is what makes this role work as something more than just Evil Cop Lady.  With these two key cast members effectively represented, a lot of the rest of the series can fall in place, despite being something of a textbook find-the-killer countdown runaround.

As mentioned, the expanded runtime makes for some clear diversions, but otherwise, the central mystery is trotted out effectively, withholding information – most of it centering around a drunken blackout for Ben during the time leading up to the murder – sensibly, as it makes this lack of info part of the characters’ stresses and not simply knowledge that everyone except the viewer knows.  Still, if you can’t deal with the hot-and-cold acting style of Phillipe and Lewis’ off-kilter approach, the story isn’t so overwhelmingly unique as to rope you in.  It is more involved and better handled than your standard procedural, though, so assuming that blown out tone doesn’t bother you, prepare to get wrapped up for an exciting ten episode ride.

And yes, we learned from The Killing: this mystery is resolved within the first season.