Deception (Season 1) - A RMNT Review

Deception is the latest series on ABC from Chuck co-creator Chris Fedak about a world famous magician Cameron Black working with the FBI in solving odd cases. On paper, it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but could be fun too, and the trailer didn't help either as it made it feel somewhat too similar to another popular ABC series Castle, particularly the chemistry of the leading pair. But it seems that the series has pulled a brilliant deception as the pilot episode got me wanting more, thanks to the charming performance of Jack Cutmore-Scott as the world famous magician Cameron Black, the unique and creative use of deceptions crafted by him and his team of experts to fool and catch criminals, and the witty fun banter between either him or several of the other main characters, main or recurring. But regardless, how can a premise such as this continue to keep me watching until its conclusion? Best to look behind the curtain to find out!

The series follows Cameron Black, one of the greatest magicians of all time, who after his big successful show in Las Vegas, he wakes up to the news that his twin brother, Jonathan Black, also a gifted magician, is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, which in the process exposes his famous secret disappearing acts. Cameron knows that his brother's innocent because of the body of the victim having different eye colors, meaning that its a frame job. A year later, he starts to work with FBI agent Kay Daniels, played by Ilfrenesh Hadera, to search for a drug lord whose jet suddenly disappeared, but thanks to Cameron's expertise, is able to prove that his usefulness, and in condition for his help in future cases, Daniels and the FBI will help him clear his brother's name. While the series has the typical "case of the week" plot structure, what makes it stand out is, as I mentioned, the creative use of deceptions that Cameron and his team put together. Several of these episodes have the "beat for beat" cases that have been done in many, many cop shows, but some of them contain important plot elements that do contain big moments essential to the main story arc. The humor of the series also makes the series very entertaining, from the fun witty banter between Cameron and Agent Kay, or the interactions between Cameron and his crew, especially members Gunter and Jordan since they craft their work in separate different ways, particularly old-fashioned (Gunter) vs. modern and high-tech (Jordan). The series would show flashbacks of Cameron's childhood where we see on events that made him the person that he is, as well as his relationship with his twin brother and his father, also a famous magician.

The characters of the show are all likable and engaging, thanks to the performances of the cast, while some of them don't have the biggest character development, they still deliver memorable moments. Jack Cutmore-Scott's role of Cameron Black is the very charming, funny, and skilled magician, whose tricks distract you long enough to pull a fast one on you, but is also a very good guy who cares a lot for his teammates as they're a family to him, and of course, his partnership with Kay is both fun and enjoyable to watch as you can see how effective their working relationship is when it comes to tacking cases, even if Cameron tends to break the rules to get results. His teammates are brilliant in their respective areas, with Dina, Cameron's producer who's smart at planning the stage, Gunter with building the complex illusions and Jordan assisting by providing the tools they need to build the deceptions to catch criminals. Stephanie Corneliussen as the main antagonist of the series, the unnamed mystery woman who's responsible for framing Jonathan, is a beautiful, smart, and deadly character who's plan is complicated and intriguing, that you can't help but keep watching to figure what it going on.

Speaking of deceptions, I have to commend the crew for delivering brilliant effects in classic practical effects as they keep you wondering how the hell they pull them off on set, especially the ones pulled off by Cameron and his twin brother! The sets are also nicely made, especially Cameron's home and set of operations where he and his team talk cases and plan their deceptions, as its packed with history of magic, interesting eye-catching artifacts as you wish to take a tour of the place and hope to discover many secrets in the process.

Sadly, due to low ratings and mixed reviews, the series has been cancelled after its first season run, but despite that, it was still very enjoyable while it lasted, thanks to its charming lead character, interesting fun concept (despite it sounding silly on paper), its witty banter between character, solid emotional moments, impressive use of practical effects to pull off the "magic" of the show, and the intriguing main story arc that both surprised me and kept me curious, and the performances of the cast. I feel that ABC should've given it an opportunity to renew it for a second season after that jaw-dropping cliffhanger, but maybe there's hope that in the future, it'll make an spectacular return!

Story: 4 / 5

Characters: 3.5 / 5

Production: 4 / 5

Final rating: 4 / 5