Do you watch David Copperfield specials, where the mind plays tricks on you? You see objects fly through the sky, flowers appear out of a hat? Yet nowadays there is an extremely rational explanation for all of those tricks. The flowers - they are actually in the hat which may have a false bottom. All are very reasonable and rational explanations for what you see. But what about crime? How do you explain the impossible? A group of people robs a safe that is impenetrable and exit without being seen by the cameras or better yet, they leave a vault where there is no exit?
Think of "Now You See Me, Now You Don't."
Crime meets magic
“There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy.” ― Joseph Pulitzer found in Goodreads. The premise of the show "Deception" is that a magician can help the FBI solve crimes that appear unsolvable. Last night’s show proved no different.
A synopsis of the show is that Cameron Black a magician agrees to help Kay Daniels, FBI agent to solve the kidnapping of Cameron's ex-girlfriend Lexi Simone. Lexi, who is a model now dates Rafe Willems. Lexi’s bodyguard goes to pick up a coat for her to change into when as he turns to leave, he hears a noise. Then the lights go out.
Turning, he sees nothing at first, but then a white lamp is thrown at him.
Kay Daniels thinks it is the run-of-the-mill robbery case, but Cameron says au contraire, it is more than that. “You have a magic flying lamp and a shadow?” says Cameron. After reviewing footage from her hotel the night of the alleged robbery, Cameron and the team find nothing amiss except for a tweet sent by Lexi’s publicist, Adi, that contradicts what Lexi had said to the team earlier.
This leads them to suspect Adi of cooperating with the Shadow. When Cameron and Kay go to question Adi, the lights once again go dark and when it is all over Lexi is missing. Cameron saw her swallowed up by blackness almost as if she was wrapped up in cloth and moved away. She disappeared as if by magic.
As the team attempt to find out how Lexi was magically removed from the building where there is no trap door on stage, no apparent access from above and she didn’t walk by them, the terrorist team goes to work checking the subways.
How Cameron explains it was her disappearance could have happened through the use of Black Art. Upon returning to the station to follow up, Cameron informs them of the person who created Black Paint and says that he is being questioned. That is how Cameron thinks they took Lexi out of the theatre unnoticed.
It is found out that the inventor sold his paint to Rafe Willems. This cemented Cameron’s idea that the boyfriend was responsible for her kidnapping. But Kay says it is more likely that Willems is the target of the kidnapping. When Cameron and Kay go to question him, both of them find out that it wasn’t money the kidnappers wanted in exchange for Lexi but new technology created by Willems.
New technology that according to Willems that doesn’t work. Here comes Cameron to the rescue. He can give it the illusion of working in order for the exchange to happen. In the meantime, the technology’s creator is an employee of Willems. He is the one who staged the kidnapping and offered the tech to the highest bidder. At the end of the show he was caught and put in prison while Lexi was safe back with her boyfriend Rafe, and Cameron may still be not that happy in his love life because of his decision to let her go.
Sometimes magic covers the crime
Think of "Now You See Me, Now You Don’t" The premise of that movie was the illusions were used to pull off the best heist of the year. Unsuspecting people went to see a show, only to lose something that was important to them, money.
In the sequel, it was determined that the owner of an insurance company defrauded a lot of people. As a result, the magicians staged a show where he unsuspectingly paid them back for the money that he stole and he couldn’t get them for it because he couldn’t prove how they did it. And he was the one who paid for them to do the magic shows in the first place.
Although the shows are different premises the basic premise is the same- that crime is similar to magic if you realize that the eyes can falsely assume that information that is not there or miss what is there. This enables the criminal to get away with the crime.
I believe this show is a great show to watch and I hope that you also enjoy it. Next week is a new episode and one where Cameron himself may be in danger. Can’t wait to see it.
