Poker Face was a surprising delight when the crime comedy-drama premiered its first season on Peacock in 2023. Created by Rian Johnson, best known for the Knives Out mystery movies, Poker Face is like a modern-day Columbo with a twist. Like that classic show, it’s an inverted detective series with a case-of-the-week, all involving Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale. She has a unique gift – she can immediately tell if someone is lying or telling the truth. It serves her well but also gets her into plenty of trouble.
The second season of the series is just as delightful with a new roster of guest stars playing a unique mix of characters, from good guys to bad guys. One actor even plays five different characters in the same episode. Lyonne is at the centre of each story, of course, bringing her unique style and addictive charm to the character.
Note: This review is based on episodes 1-10 of season two, which were provided for advanced screening.
Poker Face Season 2 Review
At the end of season one, Charlie was finally absolved of a crime she was framed for and free from the clutches of casino owner Frost, St. (Ron Perlman) and his henchman Cliff (Benjamin Bratt). But now, her special skills have piqued the interest of rival casino owner and mob boss Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman). Beatrix calls and warns Charlie that she either needs to come work for her or be hunted and killed. Happy to live like a nomad on the run and confident she can play a constant disappearing act, Charlie goads Hasp to try and find her. She breaks her phone, hops in her car, and heads out on the open road.
Season two picks up as Charlie has clearly gotten used to running. Every time she gets settled somewhere, two suited men inevitably show up shooting. Apparently, they were trained by Storm Troopers, however, because they fire and miss every time, giving Charlie the chance to get away to another location until they meet again.
Perhaps unintentionally, Charlie lives for calling out peoples’ bullshit. In fact, she literally calls bullshit repeatedly, whether it’s out loud or whispered under her breath in her signature raspy tone. It’s ironic that because of having such a good bullshit detector, Charlie keeps getting sucked into everyone else’s BS.
Whether or not you like Lyonne and her acting style (she dials up the exaggerated tough Bronx girl persona at times and tones it down at others), there’s no denying that Charlie is the type of character to whom people are just drawn. She never approaches with ego and she’s a serial optimist, which is why it’s believable that she so quickly finds a new friend or group of friends everywhere she goes. People inherently trust and open up to her when they realize she’s not only harmless, she has no hidden agenda. She’s just figuring out herself and enjoying life on her own while also appreciating interacting with all types of people. There’s something magnetic about her energy that you can’t quite put your finger on. Lyonne totally captures this persona, even if at times she lays it on a bit too thick. What she also does, however, is ensure that Charlie does not fit a typical female lead character trope. She’s truly unlike any other character on television.
The cases all involve murder of some kind, but there’s an element of silliness to each one. If you were to mix Columbo with Only Murders in the Building, that’s the tone of the show. The different settings and cases are fun, many quirkier and cleverer than the ones in season one, with an incredible guest cast that ups the ante further. I found myself literally laughing out loud during a few episodes, including one that skewers a popular Internet meme and another that parodies a horror movie character type. Hint: for those who work in the tech industry, episode 7 “One Last Job” is a must-watch.
Charlie takes a backseat quite a bit in this season to allow the guest actors to shine. And as mentioned, there are a lot of them, like Cynthia Erivo, John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, Gaby Hoffman, Carol Kane, Giancarlo Esposito, Melanie Lynskey, Jason Ritter, Justin Theroux, Katie Holmes, Margo Martindale, and Richard Kind, just to name a few. Simon Helberg also reprises his role as federal agent and friend Luca. As with season one, the first third or so of each episode shows what happens and who did it. Lyonne arrives for the remainder as we find out how she came to be in the right (or wrong) place at the right time to put her detective hat on.
Each episode elicits a chuckle at Charlie’s perfect delivery of a witty, sarcastic remark or a guest actor totally nailing their role. How can you possibly go wrong with Kumail Nanjiani in a blonde mullet, John Mulaney guzzling milk to treat an ulcer, or Richard Kind making panini sandwiches with an iron? What about Lyonne delivering lines like “I’m drinking for two. Not that I’m pregnant. It’s just me and the Lord,” or donning a baseball cap with the saying “My other hat is a Stetson.”
Should You Watch Poker Face Season 2?
If you want to be able to sit back, relax, and laugh, Poker Face will do the trick. You can’t help but appreciate Charlie’s chutzpah, her bravery to live a nomadic lifestyle, even when it seems that every place she ends up has a murder to solve. We’re happy to suspend belief and forget about the unlikeliness of that because Charlie makes you believe that she’d have that kind of ridiculous bad luck.
What’s more, her desire to solve the cases, even against her better judgment, is often rooted in helping someone who is being taken advantage of. She’s a human lie detector with a conscience, an everyday hero who is happy to make things right then move onto the next. Because of that, you’ll feel satisfied at the end of every episode that justice was served, often with a big surprise for the killer.
The free-spirited nature of the show, the changing settings and tones from one episode to the next, and the tremendous guest cast, all make Poker Face a worthwhile watch. While season one had some heavier, albeit still humorous, episodes like “The Night Shift,” Exit Stage Death,” and “Escape From Shit Mountain,” this season seems lighter, softer in tone. There are more laughs and parodies of everything from common movie tropes to poking fun at stereotypes and pop culture.
Overall, Poker Face season 2 is plenty fun, downright ridiculous at times, and wonderfully cast. Every episode is distinct, Charlie being the only unifying factor among them. If you want to pick out the best of the lot, I’d go with episodes 1, 3, 4, 6 as the strongest of the season.
It’s wonderful to watch Charlie roam the country, closing her eyes and pointing to a place on the map, something everyone has dreamed of doing. But she’s living it. She’s free to roam with nowhere, but also everywhere, to go. No one is calling bullshit on that.
Poker Face streams in the U.S. on Peacock. Season one streamed on Citytv in Canada, so it’s likely season two will be available there as well. Stay tuned.