I was recently performing magic for my girlfriend's friend, who was one of those spectators that tends to be more analytical and skeptical than anything. I was performing an array of card effects, to which she didn't tend to react much, but enjoyed (and was very much fooled by,) the magic nonetheless.

Moreover, she was more frustrated than anything, I believe. She didn't like the fact that she couldn't wrap her head around the secret.
This, of course, is a totally normal response.

To close, I whipped out one of my recent favorites: Marcus Eddie's 'Stairway'. Up until this point, I've performed the trick many times for a variety of people, never encountering any problems. However, this spectator, for whatever reason, said "I'm watching your fingers!" in response to me saying "watch the bill."

I was a little taken aback by this, as I was surprised that she would suspect that my fingers had anything to do with the effect. (Of course, for those of you that are familiar with 'Stairway,' the fingers play a major role in the accomplishing of the effect). I was a little uncomfortable as she burned my left hand, and not the bill, as I prepared for the bill's penetration. To compensate, I had to quicken the movement of my hands to blur any type of finger/hand movement. At the end of the penetrations, I had her remove the clip and bill; she had nothing to say about my fingers.

So, I leave you readers with a couple of question: How would this spectator have any idea that my fingers had a role in this effect, after never encountering any spectator suspecting this? How do you deal with a spectator that suspects any type of "foul play" that you may be preparing to do?

-bugboy

Logic? Virtually every spectator suspects this, unless they believe in real magic. She just verbalized it, where most others do not. Critical thinkers only want to solve the puzzle. Most people are thrilled just to be entertained. But everyone understands that it is just trickery, therefore you must be controlling the effect with every move you make. Hence "watching your fingers".

Did your girlfriends friend ask to see any magic? If they don't ask and are given a show because the magic hobbyist likes to perform...a lack of interest makes them look for methods.

If she asked, how did she ask? Was she enthusiastic: "Oh, could you show me a trick? I love magic". She doesn't sound like that type. Unless they are enthusiastic, I don't bother.

You said you performed " an array of card effects ". How many is that? What were they?

These answers will help everyone. Thanks for raising an important subject.

Thank you both for giving some feedback.

@ GeneTony..this is absolutely right. Magic is very much a puzzle that begs to be figured out.

@ Zombie Magic..my girlfriend encouraged me to perform for her friend. When my girlfriend proposed the idea, her friend didn't seem too excited at the thought of a performance. So, like you mentioned, it seems as if she would behave this way right from the start. However, I wouldn't say that she didn't enjoy the magic. She was entertained, but I feel as if she was more interested in unveiling methods than simply 'letting go' and being entertained.

This was a much-needed experience for me, because up to that point, I never encountered a spectator as analytical as this person. On the contrary, my girlfriend's mom and mom's friend came over one time. I performed for them, and they were the ideal spectator duo: simply loving being entertained and mystified, and laughing amongst themselves along the way. It was a blast. But, I'm sure that there are much more analytical and skeptical spectators in my future!

In regard to what I actually performed, the tricks included the biddle trick, 'Designed for Laughter', a spectator in-the-hands reveal, Daniel Garcia's 'Timeline 2.0' (a personal favorite), and a few others which I can't remember at the moment. Maybe this collection doesn't qualify as an 'array,' but that's besides the point.

I wonder if it's possible that there are other forces at work here.
For example, is it possible that as your girlfriend and mother enjoy your performance, they are ALSO thinking, "this guy is a good boyfriend for me/my daughter."
On the other hand, your girlfriend's friend might be watching and thinking, "is this guy really worth my friend's time?"
I'm exaggerating to make a point, and of course, I don't know any of you personally. But I think it's fair to say that there is a lot of context that needs to be taken into account when deciding if this one spectator's reaction to your performance is a sign of spectators to come or just an outlier based on deeper social forces.
Just some things to consider from an innocent bystander.