Poker Face premiere: Rian Johnson cooks up one hell of a TV show
Natasha Lyonne anchors Peacock's detective series, which launches with a luxuriously paced yet gripping pair of episodes
TV Reviews Rian Johnson
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Jessica Fletcher, Lieutenant Columbo, Veronica Mars, Olivia Benson, Sherlock Holmes…. These are a few of TV’s prominent sleuths whose traits blend together to create Poker Face’s charming lead, Charlie Cale. Peacock’s new mystery drama endeavors to add Charlie to an enviable list of fictional small-screen detectives. The biggest hurdle is how the show and its protagonist can distinguish themselves while (inevitably) being compared to those who came before. Thankfully, Rian Johnson’s triumphant writing, paired with Natasha Lyonne’s enigmatic performance, results in one hell of a TV show. And it’s evident right away with the stellar first two installments.
Poker Face pays homage to hits like Columbo—as witnessed in the opening credits font, too—yet successfully stands out with a fresh, fun perspective on a “howcatchem.” That’s right. PF isn’t a whodunit like Johnson’s recent Knives Out films. It still carries his signature ability to invent gripping narratives and esoteric characters connected through Charlie’s escapades. Johnson and Lyonne craft such a compelling world for Charlie, it doesn’t matter that she’s not in one location too long or solving only a single crime throughout the show. In fact, that’s the most entertaining—if a tad circumstantial—aspect.
Each episode begins with the reveal of who the killer is and exactly how they committed the murder. And it’s entertaining to watch Charlie figure it out after the audience knows using her deducing skills and knack to sniff out liars. Lyonne’s portrayal is effortless. In less capable hands, Poker Face would run the risk of being too slow or structured. Lyonne inhabits Charlie with a brazen vulnerability, whether riffing opposite Adrien Brody and Benjamin Bratt, becoming pals with Hong Chau and Megan Suri, or bonding with an old friend, played by Dascha Polanco. (And all of this happens within a couple of outings alone.)
GRADE FOR SEASON 1, EPISODE 2: B+
Poker Face initially doesn’t dwell on Charlie’s larger personal background. We glean that she’s prolific at telling when someone lies; it’s a vibe she flawlessly picks up on. (Honestly, what a talent.) She’s used this in the past to earn big at poker tournaments in cities like Denver and Cheyenne before reaching Las Vegas. She landed a job at Frost Casino because, instead of letting her “misuse” her powers, the owner gives her a job as a hostess.
This feels like an arc with layers that need to unravel at some point: Why did Charlie take the gig instead of continuing her shenanigans and making money? In episode one, “Dead Man’s Hand,” she admits she used to be rich (“It was easier than being broke, harder than doing just fine,” she wisely adds). So what made her stop? Was it just the idea of settling down with a well-paid job? If so, it’s tragic that she has to give it all up now for a life on the road.
“Dead Man’s Hand” opens with Natalie (Polanco), a Frost Casino maid and Charlie’s good friend, who spots something dangerous on a rich man’s computer while cleaning his room. She takes photographic evidence, but instead of running to the cops—who can blame her?—she confides in the casino’s new leader, Sterling Frost Jr. (Brody), and his security aide, Cliff (Bratt). Unfortunately, they would rather kill Natalie and her drunk, abusive husband than turn in a wealthy whale who brings the casino a ton of money. And that’s exactly what they do after falsely lulling her into safety.
Charlie can’t stop herself from investigating because she doesn’t believe how Natalie died. She fixates on tiny clues (a missing gun, a missed call) and breaks into her friend’s devices to correctly figure out the true story. Charlie was meant to team up with Sterling Jr. and Cliff to scheme affluent clients in poker games using her “supernatural infallibility” to pick up who’s lying. Instead, she turns on the duo and gets Frost Casino blackballed, leading Sterling Jr. to jump off the balcony (so long, Adrien Brody). Charlie barely escapes Cliff’s gunshot and goes on the run because the big boss (a.k.a. Sterling Sr., whom we meet via a brief phone call) is after her now.
Poker Face is clearly Charlie’s story, but each episode presents enticing and serious subplots even if we don’t spend sufficient time with them. The premiere’s case deals with a child pornography ring that Frost Casino may or may not benefit from. Since Charlie is our lens into it all, and she’s embarked on a road trip far away from Vegas, it’s all we’ll ever know (for now, at least). But that’s alright because, as established, Charlie’s journey is compellingly told.
Episode two, “Night Shift,” also has meaty ideas on the periphery. The victim, Damian (Brandon Michael Hall), is a war vet struggling with expenses while working at a Subway chain—so much so, he even buys a lottery daily. His killer, Jed (Colton Ryan), has mental health issues, as seen in his obsession with the neighborhood convenience store employee, Sara (Suri). These key details add value to their characters without taking over Poker Face’s main goal: Charlie coincidentally being drawn into their case.
Her car breaks down close to the garage where Jed works with his uncle. She goes in to get it fixed, but she’s told to wait overnight because he’d rather watch Top Chef live over help a customer. (He’s got his priorities straight). It’s sadly the same night Jed decides to kill Damian, not knowing a burgeoning detective is nearby. The crime itself isn’t shocking: Damian finally wins $25,000 and reveals it to Jed while confronting him over his creepy attitude toward Sara. Jed then pushes him off the roof and steals the lottery ticket.
Meanwhile, Charlie finds respite in this small town with Marge (a splendid Hong Chau), a stranger who helps her superglue her wound and gives tips on how to stay hidden (no social media, ATMs, or credit cards—I feel like I could’ve told her all this too). Marge and Charlie bond immediately, but it’s short-lived because Marge is blamed for Damian’s death. First, a friend is killed. Now, another friend is arrested? You bet Charlie will get involved, even if it means getting caught by Cliff.
Channeling her inner Olivia Benson and Veronica Mars (and with a whole lot of original Lyonne-inspired sass), Charlie questions town locals to map out Damian, Jed, and Sara’s daily routines. She inspects Jed’s hangout—the garage rooftop—gains Sara’s trust, and learns about trucking calls in time to solve how and why Jed bludgeoned Damian and dumped his body in Marge’s truck. She doesn’t stick around to see the cops reach the garage lest Cliff finds her. But she’s done her amateur sleuth duty of solving the crime and saving Marge.
Poker Face isn’t hesitant to remind us that, yes, Charlie is a novice at playing detective. In episode one, she takes quite a while to connect the dots that Natalie’s phone password is the same as her locker code, and she openly interrogates killers knowing they’re capable of murder. She didn’t expect to use her powers for this work, but here we are anyway. Poker Face begins with a luxurious pace as Charlie adapts to her surroundings, but it’s a strong start; our patience is well-rewarded in these hourlong episodes.
“Night Shift” ends with Charlie on the road again, barely escaping Cliff after he tracked her down because she withdrew bills from an ATM. Who knows where her adventure will lead her next?
Stray observations
- Look out for the Poker Face episode three/four recap tomorrow. The show will continue with one weekly episode for the remaining six installments.
- I love that Dascha Polanco continues to appear in Natasha Lyonne’s projects after starring together in Orange Is The New Black. First, Russian Doll season one, and now the Poker Face opener.
- Natalie’s remark about Charlie watching the news when it’s never anything good hits hard: “Every day you’re mad at something you can’t do anything about.”
- In case you’re wondering, Charlie’s Twitter account handle is @C00rsGalnnLung3Dartz. I have to assume it’s because she loves her Coors cans.
- Admittedly, I cracked up at Cliff’s Burn Notice reference when he calls Charlie “Michael Westin.”
- I’m thrilled that Benjamin Bratt is the other connective thread of all Poker Face episodes.
- Who do we think is playing Sterling Frost Sr., based on the voice behind the phone call?
- Shout out to (Oscar-nominee!!) Chau’s wonderful delivery of “I’m getting not-gonna-hook-up vibes” to Lyonne.
- Another exchange I really enjoyed, partially because of Lyonne’s expert enunciation:
Marge: “The pain is in your mind.”
Charlie: “Lady, you got no idea.” - Technically, there isn’t much to predict about Poker Face except when Cliff will catch up to Charlie (and what happens after that?), but I’m excited to start this Poker Face journey here.
Correction: An earlier version of this recap wrongly printed Colton Ryan as Colton Haynes.
80 Comments
So Columbo with more character development and a female lead. It sounds good, but then I loved Columbo back in the day. Sounds worth checking out.
seems more serial as well, altho i guess maybe thats covered by ‘more character development’. i mean i guess you could watch the 2nd ep first and it would overall make sense but you’d definitely have a few questions
Bingo.
Also Natasha Lyonne’s TV prison mom Kate Mulgrew was Mrs Columbo
I watched season one of Russian Doll last year and I adored it and I low key fell in love with Natasha Lyonne. But then I saw Russian Doll season 2 this year and although I thought I was clamouring for more Natasha Lyonne, season two of that show was so weak compared to season one my brain has slotted her into the “forgettable performances” category of my brain. I realize season two of Russian Doll was really just a victory lap for the actors but it did such little for me that it actually made me less eager to check out other stuff she’s in…
Maybe I’ll watch this tonight but I just discovered the black and white version of The Mist so….. I probably wont watch this.
maybe, she is fun
there is nothing forgettable about miss Natasha Lyonne.Great first episode, I recommend.
I felt similarly re: Russian Doll. Loved the first season, could not get into season 2.
The Mist?? Is it good?
Is this on the pay peacock or the free peacock?
it’s on pay peacock, but worth the subscription (& there’s a bunch of other good stuff there too!).
I would like to watch the 3rd Psych movie…
I just rewatched it as the capper to a complete Psych rewatch. While not top-tier Psych, it’s amazingly fun to see Shawn and Gus solving cases. Really hope they get to make the rest of the movies that Franks wants to make.
How many more does he want to make? They’re always fun to revisit. I guess James will have more free time with A Million Little Things wrapping up, though Dule is busy with Wonder Years. Surely there’s always time for a movie. It’s hard to find better, more authentic friend chemistry on television than Shawn and Gus.
He writes them with James and they’ve said they want to make six movies in total. But honestly don’t know if they’ll get to given how big of a shitshow Peacock is.
I’ll be on the lookout! I hope one day to see Shawn and Gus get their neighboring houses with the pool across both backyards.
I hope they keep making Psych movies till I’m dead. I loved the hell out of that show and the entire cast.
I actually enjoyed it even more during my rewatch – hadn’t done one since the original run ended and it is just a pure joy to watch. I don’t think I really appreciated just how good their homage episodes like Dual Spires and 100 Clues were during its initial run because almost every episode was really fun.I wish they’d just bring the show back honestly. I feel like if they planned ahead, everyone would be in for it.
I haven’t loved any of the movies; they’re all kind of rushed and sloppy (the first one gets a pass because they had to give O’Hara Lassiter’s plot due to Osmundson’s stroke. A shame, it would have been very poignant to bring the show’s actual sketchy cop to atone). That said, I’ll take any Psych they’ll give us.
You mean paycock or freecock?
Im watching it on free Peacock with ads (but not too many).
Oh cool, thanks. I don’t mind ads.
It’s the show that answers the question on everyone’s mind: “What’s the easiest way to annoy Lady Gaga?”
this should’ve been my stray observation #1. well said.
Pronounce her first name like Gwen Stefani’s last name.
You had me at “Columbo”
Not me, I needed just one more thing.
Columbo on Ice
Bratt as villain is great casting. He got to use his dark side a bit on L&O but it’s part time to go full tilt.
24 did it first.
I love him as a villain. I don’t believe I’ve seen him in a role like this. Maybe closest thing was a morally grey type character. But this guy is scary here.
You don’t actually see him onscreen, but he was pretty great as the villain in Coco.
Natasha Lyonne has a really unusual and appealing mix of toughness and vulnerability. Also she is sexy but funny. And kind of a dreamboat but also kind of an everyman/ everywoman. She is a good series lead
I’ve always been a fan, but on SNL she rocked thatV-neck jumpsuit with a visible sternotomy scar, and it was like, I hope to one day feel that confident.
I just recently started watching ‘New Girl’ and she has a great cameo as a woman Schmidt is always hooking up with at weddings.
I was surprised your recap posed the question of why she took the gig rather than keep playing poker. I thought it was quite clear that Frost, Sr. blackmailed her with gamblers by saying she played dirty. Also she was afraid he would harm her if she continued. I don’t think misheard that.
You didn’t. It was made very clear, particularly with the line “gamblers talk” that recurs later in the episode.
she’s prolific proficient at telling when someone liesProlific means “plentiful”, or “producing many works”.
So far, I’ve found Rian Johnson (yes, even the Star Wars thing) to be a consistently reliable producer of top notch entertainment. It’s a very small pool.
I agree. Ironically his movies get the exact criticisms that I would aim at other movies from the same years.
I had no problem with his Star Wars. I loved loved loved Brick. I was not a fan of Brothers Bloom – and maybe I’ll revisit it, because he’s had a terrific track record since. (I say this knowing that many people hate his Star Wars).
Bloom is a weird flick. It has some interesting ideas, but suffers because it’s not as clever as it thinks it is.Put props for filming in Romania.
it’s a bit like a mix between Columbo and the pretender.It’s also an interesting way to do a detective show without doing copaganda or the private detective trope
Rian Johnson does not seem to know anything about poker or the casino business. The premise of this whole thing makes no sense. First of all, no one would have to quietly play back room poker games if they have an extraordinary talent for reading people. That’s called being a great poker player, and it’s completely legal. You can just go sit in any casino game anywhere and beat it. Thousands of people do this for a living. The best of them are quite rich and famous, and you can see highlights of their amazing reads on youtube.Second, the casino doesn’t give a shit if someone is crushing at poker. Good poker players win their money from other players, and the casino gets the same rake from the winners and the losers. Here’s what a casino boss would do if a player like Charlie came into their casino: nothing, because they would never hear about it, because it doesn’t affect their bottom line in any way.Third, no casino spends a bunch of money to bring in “whales” who play poker, because even at the highest stakes the casino makes maybe a couple hundred dollars an hour in rake off of poker players. The only reason they would want a guy like that there is if he also played table games, in which case it doesn’t matter if he’s playing poker in his room or on the casino floor. Finally, despite all of the above I enjoyed the first episode and will keep watching.
You sound like even less fun than a doctor watching a medical drama.
the first point is explained. her ability is borderline supernatural and she was thought to be a cheater. The big boss blacklisted her in the poker circles; so she doesn’t discourage other players (most likely explanation, even if it is flimsy).second point you’re probably right; unless the casino has people payed to play with the “whales”. that works as well for the third point. let’s pretend they just have in-house poker players with the casino’s funds that rakes big spender.
I totally disagree with “no one would have to quietly play back room poker games if they have an extraordinary talent for reading people. That’s called being a great poker player.”Nobody can even remotely read another experienced poker player 100% of the time like she can in the show. If she used her preternatural talent unfettered in a professional poker game, the other players would very quickly come to the conclusion that she was cheating somehow, even if they couldn’t figure out how.The moment any player starts regularly ignoring the usual patterns of folding, checking, and raising in response to very typical patterns of play from other players — e.g. always calling a bluff in a situation where a player is almost never bluffing — and getting it right every time, or even most of the time, they would be called out as a cheat.It happened just last year in a televised high stakes game when an amateur player so unexpectedly called a pro-player’s bluff with bad hand that the player she bluffed was 100% convinced she had illegally gained information on his hand and accused her of cheating after the game. It took one time.Now, any smart player with the ability to read another player with 100% accuracy would be sure only to use their talents to call bluffs in situations where bluffs are likely, and only with hands they’d be expected to call with, (and get deliberately get it wrong sometimes), and they’d still make bank easily enough, but someone like Natasha’s character who sought to profit from their skill without understanding the nuances of poker would be found out quickly enough, and the word would get out that she should be avoided. It’s also doubtful she would be welcome in any well known casino card room once she had been blackballed.
Well, here’s another problem: the show we see strongly implies that Charlie can only detect when someone is lying, not when they’re not being totally forthcoming. (Otherwise every episode is just “oh, that guy did it”, based on their general manner.) Poker players don’t announce their hands! They just call, raise, or fold. What’s a lie there? There are, I suppose, implicit claims about your hand, especially when raising, but if I think you’re lying I might call with a weak hand.
Tablets usually lock you out after too many password guesses. Other than that, great show.
I was really hoping they wouldn’t think FaceID worked with pictures and was pleasantly surprised when it was just Charlie herself being stupid. But yeah, repeated password attempts locks can be disabled, and it’s especially parents who do this.
I’m also surprised that they went to the effort of creating such an ugly movieOS for an obvious iPad, but then I remember Rian Johnson perpetuating the whole “no bad guy with an Apple product” meme.
I’d know that voice anywhere – it’s Ron Perlman on the other end of the phone call as Sterling Sr.
Oooh, that’s a really solid guess!
IMDb agrees.
interesting
There’s not a doubt in my mind. I feel it in my bones!I admit, i’m a little high from binge watching Natasha calling bullshit and solving crimes.
This is not bullshit.
You’re right! THANK YOU! It’s been driving me nuts since I watched the episode.
Having seen all 4 episode that are out now I can say that the thing I like the most about the show is that it really takes the time to let you get to know the victim. It really makes you like them and makes you really invested in seeing the asshole that killed them get caught. I don’t think any other show has done that before. I can already tell this will be one of my favorite shows of the year.
is this how aliens write reviews (from another planet, not south of the US)? Episode two, “Night Shift,” also has meaty ideas on the periphery. The victim, Damian (Brandon Michael Hall), is a war vet struggling with expenses while working at a Subway chain—so much so, he even buys a lottery daily. His killer, Jed (Colton Haynes), has mental health issues, as seen in his obsession with the neighborhood convenience store employee, Sara (Suri) Poker Face initially doesn’t dwell on Charlie’s larger personal background. We glean that she’s prolific at telling when someone lies; it’s a vibe she flawlessly picks up on. (Honestly, what a talent.)
it’s a weirdly fawning review is all I mean. And like, I watched it. It was…ok?
Did Natasha Lyonne’s publicist write this, or just her mom? It’s the most gushing, fawning thing I’ve ever seen. Great artistic choices, Nat! So funny Nat! You are the best actresss to ever grace this pathetic planet we call earth, Natasha!
Had a ball with this, and am pleased to say I spotted a couple of the moments that I knew would come up as “gotchas” later in the episode.
I get the feeling we’ll be seeing Hong Chau’s Marge again before the end of Season 1. I hope so because she and Lyonne were great together in the little time they shared on screen.
Hong Chau is electric. And she’s a chameleon. She’s an electric chameleon. I had to look up the IMDb for Poker Face because I just wasn’t sure if it was the same woman from The Menu. Damn good.
And Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) as the mechanic.
So now, the big question is…who was in Benois Blanc’s Zoom call? Natasha Lyonne or Charlie Cain? 🤣
Nametag said Natasha
Yeah, I tried editing my post and replying to my own post when I discovered that, but I was on my iPad and it is not Kinja friendly. I’m on a laptop now. 😀
One quick bit of pedantry- it’s not Vegas, it’s the lower-rent, seedier, Laughlin, NV. The Frost Hotel used to be the Hilton there.
Does the “we already know what happened” structure actually improve the show, or is it more of a gimmick that the show works in spite of?
the show spends quite some time characterizing the victim of the day and their entourage so it helps understands the relationship between the characters. Also in each episode what they hide at first is Charlie’s presence and you get to relive the story from her perspective (with a few scene that are played a second time where you discover she was nearby so you get a sense of the chronology)
“His killer, Jed (Colton Haynes), has mental health issues, as seen in his obsession with the neighborhood convenience store employee, Sara (Suri).”I was baffled to read that this character was played by Colton Haynes, because he didn’t look anything like him! That’s because Jed was played by a completely different actor named Colton Ryan.
Colton Ryan aka the first actor they should call when they make a Jack Black biopic.
I was thinking a cross between Jack Black and Henry Thomas.
I was thinking the same thing! I halfway wondered if he was Jack Black’s son or way younger brother.
We glean that she’s prolific at telling when someone lies;You can’t be prolific at
Having watched the first four episodes, I would suggest this is a show suits a one-episode-a-week viewing habit better than bingeing. I’m not a Columbo fan, so I don’t know if Poker Face takes after that show in this, but the fact that it sometimes takes over 10 minutes to set up the murder took some getting used to since it significantly delays the star’s involvement in the episode and limits her Columbo-ing time by a considerable amount. Her always being on the murder scene or adjacent to it is necessarily part of the formula given she’s on the run, but unless they mix things up somehow, people dropping dead everywhere she goes will eventually strain credulity beyond even the generous amount typically afforded shows involving small town amateur sleuths.
I hope episode 4 is just a blip. It has so many problems it was hard to watch.
yeah it was really the weakest of the show.
Just finished episode 1, and starting episode 2, and……I am enjoying it – I *am*.I (mostly) LOVE Lyonne, the throwback feel/atmosphere is enchanting, and this whole setup is 1000 times more interesting than either of the Knives Out excursions.But.I *did* bristle a tiny bit at the catalyst moment that threw everything into action: Charlie’s running away after Jr. offed himself: it makes ZERO sense. – Cliff is a smart and pragmatic guy, and he had little – if any – respect for Frost Jr- Charlie is an asset that Cliff and Frost Sr both recognize- Charlie isn’t dumbEven if her intent was to turn everyone in (including Caine The Whale), her best bet would have been to turn to Cliff after Frost Jr jumped and said, “Okay, so what’s the play? What do we tell everyone what happened here just now?”, and then proceed to get in close with Frost Sr (and possibly Caine) and then – when she’s comfortably snuggled up with all the baddies (maybe even pulled a couple of jobs for them) THEN pull a scamper, when nobody was looking.Anyway, minor gripe; still excited for the remaining nine episodes. 😀