Review: Liar (Season 2)
If your head spun at how almost every character in the first season of Liar was cagey, shady and highly dubious, you will be thrown even more off balance getting through the second and final instalment of the British mystery thriller series.
It picks up right where the massive cliffhanger left off - and continues to keep viewers gripped and on their toes.
After serial rapist Andrew Earlham's (Ioan Gruffudd) body is found in the Kent marshes, a new detective inspector-antagonist (Katherine Kelly) swoops in to unpack the events of the three weeks - when he was on the run from the police - leading up to his death.
Now that Liar 2 has morphed into a whodunit, expect every twist and turn to be thrown in. An expanded cast of new players also means more secrets and revelations.
Toggling between two timelines with flashbacks aplenty can be frustrating at points, and suspending disbelief is really required when people start making stupid decisions and loopholes show up.
Protagonist Laura (Joanne Froggatt) goes from rape victim to prime suspect several times, amid a revolving door of potential killers, and she once again must fight for her truth to be believed.
Liar has given Froggatt, best known for playing the lady's maid in Downton Abbey, who was also sexually assaulted on that show, the role of a lifetime.
At once vulnerable and pitiable yet steely and annoying, she gets to sink her teeth even more into a divisive, resilient and empowering female character.
Gruffudd also showcases a whole new element to Earlham, as we are given a window into his sociopathic mindset and how he became such a depraved predator in complete denial of reality.
The climax and identity of the murderer has already caused fan outcry. For some, it is a deal-breaker that undoes all the goodwill and makes you question everything that came before.
Beyond that, Liar 2 can also be seen as a companion piece that presents the flipside of the first season's exploration of truths, lies and every grey area in between.
PLATFORM: BBC First (StarHub TV Ch 502) and BBC Player
SCORE: 3.5/5
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