One of the most useful tool an antagonist can use in any kind of story is lying to keep their intentions hidden from the heroes. However, some characters will not let that stand, as Rian Johnson has demonstrated in his recent films and television shows. During a recent interview with Deadline, the filmmaker talked about how Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) from Knives Out and Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) from Poker Face have similar abilities that are almost inverted, given how both characters go above and beyond when someone is lying. Here's what Johnson had to say regarding the abilities of his protagonists:

Well, I mean, in both of them, they’re mechanisms, but they’re two completely opposite ends. Whereas with the Marta character, it was an obstruction. It was something to make her life harder. It was a character we care about, and the only way they can get out of a horrible situation is by lying, and you take away their ability to lie in front of the detective.

So, it was an obstacle, whereas, in this one, it’s the exact opposite. It’s something to take the place of them being a detective and it being their job. And it’s something that explains to the audience why she’s specifically good at doing this, to give a little bit of a bridge into why she keeps getting into it every week. Now, we still — and this, to me, is a joyful thing because it’s one of the hallmarks of the type of mystery TV show that I loved growing up — require a buy-in from the audience.

In the case of Charlie, she can always tell when someone is lying to her face, which might sound like the perfect ability for someone who is in the middle of solving a murder, but that might not be the case. Even if she can tell when someone isn't revealing the truth to her, Charlie won't be able to guess what actually happened based only on the fact that some information is missing. She had to take extra steps in order to find out who was the dangerous person around her when Poker Face premiere earlier this year. And this skill was the contrary of what happened to Cabrera.

During the first Knives Out mystery, Marta was frightened to find out that the man under her care, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) had suddenly passed away. When Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) wanted to get to the bottom of the case, he realized Marta suffered a condition that forced her to vomit every time she told a lie. This would come into effect during the climax of the movie, when she needed to hide the truth from the case's prime suspect, Ransom (Chris Evans). While her condition affected only the lies that she told, Marta found herself in a similar place as the Poker Face protagonist.

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Image Via Lionsgate

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Blanc Had to Solve a Second Case

Due to the massive success the first movie received, two new Knives Out installments entered development, with the first sequel, Glass Onion, releasing in December 2022. While this story had nothing to with abilities related to lying, its focus remained on the detective's intelligence as the main force behind the solving of the murder. Added to that, Benoit Blanc always needs the kind heart of a sharp friend who can do things that he simply can't. In this case, it was Helen Brand's (Janelle Monáe) turn to step up and face a deceiving manipulator who wanted to eliminate her.

You can check out Collider's interview with Johnson below: