Rian Johnson’s Crime Thriller Reaches New Heights

Poker Face has always seemed like Rian Johnson’s big experiment.

The filmmaker is no stranger to the mystery genre: his directorial debut was the dazzling neo-noir Brick, and he’s now getting ready to release his third Knives Out movie starring Daniel Craig as the drawling Benoit Blanc. But Poker Face was something different, a case-of-the-week show that wasn’t a whodunit like his other stories, but a “howcatchem,” a story that begins by showing the crime being committed before the detective even appears.

The format was a risk, but everything else was a selling point. At the center of Poker Face was Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, the no-nonsense drifter with an uncanny ability to sense when people are lying, and in each episode she’s surrounded by a host of one-off guest stars.

While Season 1 was a proof of concept, Season 2 stretches the potential of this unique show, wrapping up the season-long arc of Season 1 and starting a new era that proves it has the legs to stand amongst the giants in the case-of-the-week genre.

The last time we saw Charlie, she was on the run from the criminal Hasp family. In Season 2, she’s in the exact same spot, settling into a new spot with a new job until she’s found again. The first three episodes find her in that strange limbo, and for a while, it seems like the entire season will show Charlie conveniently getting found when the episode is over. But Poker Face is far too clever for that, so Season 1’s overarching plot is not wrapped up in the beginning or end of the season but rather in Episode 3, an action-packed crime thriller guest starring Everybody’s Live duo John Mulaney and Richard Kind.

It’s no wonder that this season has a three-episode premiere, as this is when the story really gets going. From then on, Charlie is a true lone wolf, going wherever the mood takes her and even attempting a “normal life.” She even quits smoking and takes up a vape, reflecting Natasha Lyonne’s own personal journey.

Episode 7, “One Last Job,” in a standout in showing this new era. It stars Sam Richardson as a big-box store worker with dreams of being a screenwriter, while Charlie investigates the murder of his manager, with whom she shared a fling worthy of a rom-com. It’s a love letter to the movies — from heist thrillers, to action flicks, and romance dramas — but it also shows how even when Charlie tries to live a normal life, she can’t.

But even without the on-the-run plot device, Poker Face still manages to find an intriguing throughline. When Charlie rents out her car for use on a film shoot in Episode 2, the crew installs a CB radio, and she’s eager to try it out and meet buddies on the road. She makes a new friend and chats with him often before and after each case, adding a great structure for narration and reflection as Charlie explores the country. (The voice on the radio isn’t credited, but if I had to make a guess, I would wager it’s Steve Buscemi.)

It’s still unclear if Charlie will find the “normal” she’s looking for — there are multiple episodes where she’s in New York, but who knows how long that will last — but it’s clear the series has found its own new normal, the perfect handful of weekly episodes with their own tones and twists, while still keeping Charlie’s character moving forward. She may be the only thing staying the same from episode to episode, but even still, she’s growing and changing, and Poker Face itself is doing the same. Who knows where it will go from here?

Poker Face premieres May 8, 2025 on Peacock.