In favor of more dramatic moments, Shawn Ryan has revamped a well-worn, inviting procedural format which works about half the time. Admittedly, the second season has been more exciting, but the plots have suffered as a result, and "Headlock" is one of the best examples.
There was a murder, but that was hardly the focus. In fact, there was about two suspects total, and the episode is concluded in a janky fashion, without a real climax or emotional resolution. Instead, much of the episode was spent with all the characters deceiving each other, actually a nice way to proceed, except there was no real payoff in the end. For all the lying in the episode, nothing really came of it. And there Foster's new romance with the doctor introduced two episodes ago. When he was introduced two episodes ago, I didn't think much of it and now that's he's back, I still don't really care because he's so disconnected from everything else, and brings Foster away from the center of the show.
While I appreciate Shawn Ryan's attempt to spruce up the format, and several incredible episodes have come from that, sometimes Lie to Me needs more of what it once had--simpler, plot-intensive episodes, developing characters around the plot, not the other way around.
Score: 8.2/10
