Review: Poker Face is a throwback to the case-of-the-week murder mystery
Move over Benoit Blanc. Meet Rian Johnson's newest detective: Charlie Cale.
Rian Johnson, director of the Knives Out films, has created a new series of murder mysteries in a throwback to the case-of-the-week TV show. Like Columbo (a bit before my time), instead of being a classic Agatha Christie “Whodunnit”, the format is known as a “Howcatchem”.
We, the viewer, are presented with the killer right at the top of the episode. Then we get to see how our detective, or in this case, our citizen detective, pieces together the evidence. Luther is a “Howcatchem” show I’m more familiar with (Idris Elba also stars in a brand new Netflix film reviving the show).
Poker Face is a 10-episode series streaming on NBC’s Peacock in the US, and TVNZ in New Zealand. While Rian Johnson is spearheading this project, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we have Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with the uncanny ability to know when somebody is lying. A human lie detector if you will. Charlie doesn’t have any control over it and doesn’t know why someone is lying but she can smell bullshit and often calls it outright.
The obvious place to start with such a talent is at a casino run by Adrien Brody. Rian Johnson must have a pretty big Rolodex these days because just look at some of the guest stars who turn up for a single episode; Ron Perlman (the big bad), Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Cherry Jones, Tim Meadows, Ellen Barkin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a frequent collaborator of Rian’s), and recent Oscar nominees Stephanie Hsu and Hong Chau.
After the Pilot episode, Charlie ends up on the run, driving her 1969 Plymouth Barracuda across America working odd jobs. The body count is stacking and although she resolves each case, I can’t help but feel Charlie is a bad omen, bringing death and destruction in her wake. Each episode starts with a generous introduction to our new characters with no Natasha Lyonne to be seen (at least on camera). After the death we then flashback to before the murder where we see Charlie’s new gig and how she gets to know the victim.
It’s a fun formula that the show begins to play with as the season goes on. Charlie then has a personal investment in each case and feels she owes it to the victim to solve their mystery death with the aid of her “Cancer dog” ability. Because she’s on the run, Charlie can’t just waltz up to the Police with her independently sourced evidence and instead dispenses her own sense of justice.
Poker Face is a return to the case-of-the-week style show. In the streaming era of ongoing narratives across multiple seasons, it’s a breath of fresh air. Well, aired out stale air. What’s old is new again. While there is an overarching narrative of Charlie being hunted, and not staying in one place for too long, most of the episodes are standalone and in theory, you could watch the middle episodes out of order.
My favourite episode of the season would have to be “The Orpheus Syndrome” directed by Natasha Lyonne, starring Nick Nolte and Cherry Jones. Cherry Jones plays a Kathleen Kennedy-type, producer of modern-day Star Wars properties, as part of “LAM” (Lights and Magic) a clear parallel to the real-world IILM (Industrial Light & Magic). Nick Nolte is a stop-motion-animator with a haunted past.
The episode is probably the darkest of the lot, with operatic music and dramatic lighting styled like Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Phil Tippett, the inspiration for Nick Nolte’s character (famous for the stop-motion in Star Wars) was even brought in with his studio to create the models and animation just for this episode.
Observations
Poker Face also made an interesting move in its streaming release schedule. The first four episodes dropped on the same day, then left the rest to a weekly release. In recent years I’ve seen many shows drop 2 or more episodes at a time, but 4? That’s nearly half the season!
Poker Face is stylishly shot with Rian Johnson establishing the tone with the first two episodes and returning for the penultimate. Bright colours and a changing locale make each story feel distinct. There’s no returning to a boxy police precinct lit by glaring fluorescent tubes.
Natasha Lyonne is perfect as the lead in this show. A cool, laid-back redhead, who wants to be everyone’s friend. Only in the finale do we get a sense of the downsides of this vagabond lifestyle.
In short
Poker Face is a welcome return to the case-of-the-week style show and well worth your time. Often cheesy, sometimes dark, always entertaining, and already renewed for Season 2.