Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) is on the run again. This time from Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman) and her crew. Hasp blames Charlie for her part in the fall of the organization and is trying to have her killed. Charlie bounces from place to place, solving the murders that seem to be heralded by her proximity. If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time!
“Poker Face” Season 1 Recap
Charlie Cale, played by Natasha Lyonne, works in a casino, and she has the uncanny ability to know if someone is telling the truth or a lie. Manager of the casino, Sterling Frost, Jr. (Adrien Brody), asks her to use her ability in a scheme involving a high roller. Things go sideways, her boss dies, and his father is not happy. Charlie goes on the run.
The 10 episodes of “Poker Face” Season 1 follow Charlie going from place to place for a year. Each episode starts with a murder. Then there’s a shift in the timeline to before the murder, when Charlie arrived at the location. Lyonne owns every scene she’s in with Charlie’s quirky personality and tenacious desire to solve the mystery around each unusual death.
“Poker Face” Season 1 had memorable actors including Benjamin Bratt, John Ratzenberger, Tim Meadows, Jameela Jamil, Ellen Barkin, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, Tim Russ, Ron Perlman, and Rhea Perlman.
Season 2, Episode 1: The Game is a Foot
“Poker Face” Season 2 starts with star actor and singer, Cynthia Erivo, most recently known for her role as Elphaba in “Wicked,” who plays five identical sisters dealing with the death of their showbiz mother, and who will inherit the money.
Four of the sisters starred in a show called Kid Cop, but their mother controlled the money and kept it for herself. One of them, Amber, had been taking care of her mother during her illness, and cracks when she finds out she has a fifth sister and that sister will inherit everything. After their mother’s death, all of the sisters come home, but Amber has apparently committed suicide.
Charlie has to unravel the usual string of odd clues while figuring out why one of the sisters is lying to help her friend inherit the money she deserves. Erivo is as amusing as the quintuplets. The only thing missing is a chance to hear her sing.
Episode 2: Last Looks
Giancarlo Esposito and Katie Holmes are a married couple, Fred and Greta Finch, who own and run a funeral home. Charlie scores a cash job assisting a movie crew filming at the funeral home. She even gets to play a corpse. Fred is completely committed to his business, and he’s proud of the many keepsake offerings they have. But Greta isn’t happy with their life, and she wants to leave.
Fred didn’t count on Charlie making friends with his wife and her tenacious need to solve a mystery, especially when it involves someone she cares about.
Episode 3: Whack-a-Mole
Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman) finally catches up with Charlie. She’s holding quite a grudge over the fall of her organization. In exchange for not killing her, she has Charlie vet her remaining associates to find out if they’re working for the FBI. The FBI is closing in, and Charlie has her contact, Luca Clark (Simon Helberg), on the inside.
John Mulaney and Chris Bauer are FBI agents, and Richard Kind is Jeffrey, the husband of Beatrix Hasp. It’s quite an epic conclusion to the Hasp conflict. You won’t regret catching this “Poker Face” episode.
Episode 4: The Taste of Human Blood
Joseph ‘Gator Joe’ Pilson is a Florida police officer known for his team-up with a live alligator. For five years in a row, he’s won the big award at their police awards ceremony, and he’s set to win for the sixth time. Officer Fran Lamont (Gaby Hoffman) was supportive the first time, but by the sixth, she’s about to snap.
Charlie is free, no longer being chased by hit men. She meets a group of radical animal rights activists. They recruit Charlie to help liberate Daisy, ‘Gator Joe’s’ alligator partner. They don’t agree with how the alligator is treated. Charlie finds herself in the middle of a police convention where she’s trying to save a full-grown alligator.
Wrap Up
We’ve done our best to avoid saying too much because we don’t want to spoil the fun. You can see “Poker Face” for yourself on Peacock with a subscription, or you can purchase episodes from other providers like Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video. New episodes are up on Thursdays!
The descriptions of the episodes don’t do them justice. As a murder mystery show, “Poker Face” is fresh and entertaining. Each episode’s story is unique, and you could watch any of them on their own without too much confusion. You just need to know that Charlie is a walking lie detector, and you’re ready to watch!
