Lie to me, lie to you, lie to myself

What if Dr. Cal Lightman from "Lie to me" met Derren Brown? Both men require the ability to read people quickly, one using his talents to manipulate people, and the other using his to see through any decption. Who would come out on top?







Lie to me, lie to you, lie to myself







They sat opposite each other, eyes mirroring eyes. One folded his arms, and the other followed suit.



- Is that me making you do that, or are you doing it so you can make me do what you want later?



*I must not give anything away, I can keep my body positions similar to his.*



One unfolded his arms. The other sat defiant.



- I will not be pushed.



*I am standing alone.*



“So.” Non-committal. Doesn’t say anything.



“Hmm. Where to start?”



- He sounds friendly. I’d like to trust him – no, no, mustn’t do that.



*I must get him to trust me.*



“I think…how about a name?”

“My real name, or should I lie to you?”

“How about I tell you what your name is?”

“Are you sure you know what my real name is?”

“You’ve gone by the same one for quite a while.”

“True. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s correct though.”



- No hand movement. He could be telling the truth. Not much facial expression, tiny tics here and there, but nothing leaking.



*Keep still. Keep in control. Look for an opening.*



“I think that your name is…..Oh. Was that an eyebrow?



*I don’t know, was it? Damn! Lost concentration for a moment. Should I make a name up? Should I stick with what I know? Don’t panic. It’s his way in, your first step onto the thin ice.*



- Interesting. He’s worried. His breathing has elevated slightly. I remember David Blaine and his breath control. Thank god I never had to interview him for real. It’s informative though, talking to the people who know how to avoid the usual traps. This guy though…he thinks he’s good. He is, with amateurs, but even Torres sees through him.



*He’s picked up on the breathing. Good. Think I’m worried, do you? Think I’m nearly in your grasp? The effort of holding my face still is hard, but I’ve practised for years. You always get a natural in the audience – not every time, but it only takes the one person at the wrong time. You have to fool them too, and they don’t know that they can read you. They just do, they just blurt out the wrong thing at the wrong time – I remember the night I died on stage. She just came up and I was wrong about everything. I couldn’t push her, and she was trying to help but she saw all the hidden signals and thought that they were the obvious flags to make her NOT choose the envelope on the left. I nearly gave up after that. I had no idea that simple people could be so perceptive without letting on to me.*



- Whoah, he’s well away. He’s completely lost interest in me, and his eyes tell me he’s recalling something, something important. If this were any other situation, I could take advantage of it.



*Get a grip! Hang on, he’s distracted by me. Maybe I can work this to my advantage. He’s staring at the table, but not seeing it.*



“Nice wall paper.”

“Is it?”



- The walls are grey, but I relax for a moment, give respect to his comment by glancing around. When I look back, his expression has not changed.



*Got you. The observers know it. They’re hiding expressions of secret glee.*



“You think she’s pretty?”

“Who?”

“Torres.”



*Which one was Torres?*



- His eye sweep tells me he’s forgotten for a moment who she is.



“The pretty one. Not the guy.”

“It’s the guy I noticed.”



- Oh yeah, he wouldn’t be looking at the women, damn, rookie mistake. I can see the smirk in his open eyes.



“The guy is attractive?”

“It’s not just the suit.”



- Suit? He’s not wearing a suit. Oh, I see. Not that one. He’s leading me now.



*Got you there. And you still haven’t noticed.*



The intercom clicks on.

“How long are you guys just going to sit there? It’s only a game, for goodness sake!”

Cal Lightman looks down at his cards and smiles. He lays them down in front of Derren Brown, who smiles back. And then lays down his cards. And swears. Lightman has laid down four Aces. Derren Brown only holds four Kings.

“How…..? I managed to pinch one too, while you weren’t looking.”

“The thing to do is…cheat from the start. I dealt the cards, remember?” He’d set the pack up before Derren arrived.

“Uh-uh,” Cal carried on, noticing the body language. “Don’t get mad.”

Derren could not stay angry for long and laughed ruefully too.

“OK, maybe you can teach me something after all.”