Chris Connor reviews the second season of Poker Face…
Rian Johnson’s Poker Face proved a huge hit on its initial release in 2023. A crime comedy with plenty of unique personality, we followed Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale, on the run from criminal organisations, sleuthing her way from one situation to another. It further cemented Johnson as a singular voice in the genre following the Knives Out films and his earlier works like Brick.
With a two year gap, the show now returns for its highly anticipated second season with Charlie on the run from the five families and once again finding herself in awkward situations. As with the first season, there is an assortment of guest stars from Awkwafina and Giancarlo Esposito to Katie Holmes and Richard Kind, and so many more. They feel crucial to the plot rather than simply being a major name randomly appearing.
Of course, the question of following up a season as successful as Poker Face’s first, is whether it lives up to the hype and delivers a satisfying continuation. Rest assured the show’s second season delivers plenty more twists and turns as Charlie continues to put her unique ability to tell when someone is lying to good use while trying to stay one step ahead of her pursuers.
The stories of the individual episodes keep audiences guessing, from Cynthia Erivo’s quadruplets in the opening episode, wanting what’s rightly theirs following their mother’s death, or a mysterious funeral home acting as a film set. Each episode brings a unique air with its own mystery for Charlie to solve. Full of action, intrigue and a compelling lead performance from Lyonne, it is a winning return for the show.
The second season of Poker Face picks up where it’s first left off, delivering a delicious cocktail of intrigue, suspense and thrills built around Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, a perfect fit for her dry wit. Rhea Perlman’s Beatrix Hasp is also a welcome addition as one of the heads of the five families, out for Charlie’s blood after the events of the first season.
Often hilarious but with a twist or two never far away, season two an incredibly fun season that knows when to make fun of itself and genre trappings fans might come to expect, with episodes going in some unexpected directions. It is to Johnson and the writers/directors’ credit that they keep it so engaging as we remain invested in Charlie’s escapades.
Chris Connor
