POKER FACE Recap: (S02E07) One Last Job

Geek Girl Authority

2 days ago

Poker Face Season 2 Episode 7, 'One Last Job,' sees Charlie getting wrapped up in the plot of a heist film happening in real-time. 'One Last Job' blends multiple genres — crime and rom-com — to deliver an intriguing pop culture-laden homage to cinema. It's fun; it's dark. My only true complaint is that Charlie finally gets some personal development, but, in true Poker Face fashion, it's dashed in an instant. She and Bill were super cute together, and his murder is one of the darkest this show has done.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Poker Face episode, 'Sloppy Joseph' Poker Face, 'One Last Job'
We open with Kendall (Sam Richardson) showing a customer in the electronics department of Super Save — a big box store — the resolution on a fancy TV. Baby Driver plays on it. He also gestures eagerly to a selection of DVDs on the shelf; his personal crime movie picks. However, the man simply wants a blender, not a TV. Bill (Corey Hawkins) calls Kendall to his office.
Bill has just finished reading Kendall's latest script, titled One Last Job (hey, that's the episode title). He sings its praises and Kendall's adeptness at crafting an engaging narrative. Kendall has written several scripts by now, each one better than the last. So, Bill is firing Kendall. Why? It's an act of tough love. Well, the higher-ups are also pressing Bill to make some staff cuts, but besides that, he wants Kendall to move to LA and do what he was meant to do. However, Kendall's too scared to take that first step, so Bill's doing it for him. POKER FACE — 'One Last Job' Season 2 Episode 7 — Pictured: (l-r) James Ransone as Juice, Sam Richardson as Kendall Hines — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK) Let's Commit a Crime
Unfortunately, Kendall takes his sacking personally. As he's leaving, he spots a man named Juice (James Ransone), who's wearing a terrible wig, as the latter's robbing Super Save. Kendall gives him advice on how to evade capture. He informs Juice that he's been fired, so he doesn't care if the store is beset by thieves. Juice offers to take Kendall out for a drink after he finishes stealing some TVs.
RELATED: Poker Face Season 2: Our 6 Dream Guest Stars
At the bar, Kendall vents about Bill. He and Bill have been buddies for decades. The conversation pivots to Kendall's latest script, which is, funnily enough, about a man who gets fired from a big box store and decides to rob it. He walks away with $200,000 and a puppy. Juice asks if there really is that much in the safe at Super Save. After Black Friday, absolutely — and that day is right around the corner.
This gives Juice an idea. What if they steal $200,000 from the Super Save safe and split the money down the middle? Then, they can go their separate ways. Kendall will have enough money to move to LA and become a hotshot screenwriter. Hell, he could probably fund his own project (well, partially, at least). Kendall doesn't seem too keen on the idea. His record is clean. He doesn't even have a speeding ticket. The Action Is the Juice
Next, the duo watches Heat , which Juice has never seen. The action is the juice, baby. Juice feels even more certain they should rob the store. If Kendall's script is anything like the movie they just watched, he needs to get to Hollywood ASAP. Finally persuaded, Kendall incorporates plot elements from his script into their grand plan, along with his in-depth knowledge of Super Save's layout and security equipment. He draws a map on the back of his script.
RELATED: Russian Doll Season 2 Thoughtfully Explores Motherhood and Trauma
We hear Kendall talk Juice through the plan as it plays out on screen. They steal Bill's key while ensuring he has a backup on his desk. After closing — but before the store opens at 6:30 am — the pair will take out the security cameras by cutting the power to the breaker. As for the camera in the office with the safe, Kendall uses a Polaroid photo to 'trick' said camera.
Once there, Kendall tells Juice about Bill's love of sour cream and onion chips after watching Gone in 60 Seconds . Do you know what glows under a blacklight? You might be thinking of semen, but in this case, it's canola oil. Kendall shines a blacklight on the keypad for the safe, showcasing the numbers Bill uses for the password. Kendall runs through a series of potential combinations for the password until landing on the right one. What Would Ethan Hunt Do?
Then, they hear what sounds like a door opening in the distance. Juice offers to check it out and orders Kendall to fill their bags with the cash. Kendall realizes there's significantly more than $200,000 in the safe, so he puts $100,000 in Juice's duffel bag and keeps a little extra for himself. He puts that extra money in his locker in the employee breakroom, which boasts a sticker with Tom Cruise on it, saying, 'What Would Ethan Hunt Do?'
RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Mabel Mora
Unfortunately, Bill catches him in the act. Bill has been living in the store, but it seems like Kendall didn't know that. Suddenly, Juice shoots Bill in the back before firing a few more rounds into him. Kendall is in shock. Juice killed his friend.
Juice vows to dispose of the body while Kendall cleans up. Kendall heads into Bill's office to grab Bill's personal effects, like his keys, wallet, etc. Juice returns, insisting they course-corrected to make it look like Bill took off with the cash. Before they flee, Kendall grabs his script from Bill's desk. POKER FACE — 'One Last Job' Season 2 Episode 7 — Pictured: (l-r) Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, Geraldine Viswanathan as Jenny — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK) Love Is in the Air
Flashback time! Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) is the new delivery driver for Tandoor Indian Restaurant. Her co-worker, Jenny (Geraldine Viswanathan), is obsessed with rom-coms. She changes the TV to one before ignoring Charlie's questions about it.
RELATED: Read our Russian Doll recaps
Then, Charlie takes an order of food to Super Save to deliver to Bill. Sparks fly. Charlie's now living in her own version of a rom-com. A brief montage plays out, with Bill incessantly placing orders at Tandoor and asking if Charlie will deliver his food. Jenny knows the plot of a rom-com when she sees it. He has a crush on Charlie.
The next time she drops off his food, Bill asks Charlie out on a date. Jenny gives her tips, including a list of potential birthday gifts. After all, Bill's birthday falls on their date, making his murder the morning after absolutely heartbreaking — and frustrating. Jenny advises Charlie to leave something in the store so she has an excuse to see Bill again. Oh, and if Bill has a friend, Jenny is open for business. POKER FACE — Season 2 Episode 7, 'One Last Job' — Pictured: Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK) Mission: Birthday Gift
So, Charlie asks Kendall (this is pre-firing) for gift ideas at Super Save. Upon learning she's going on a date with his buddy, Kendall asks her a series of pop culture-related questions, including which Mission: Impossible movie is the best one. After she passes the test, he encourages her to get Bill something for his motorcycle, Betty.
RELATED: The Best True Crime Shows on Netflix
That evening, Charlie presents Bill with his birthday gift — a skull keychain which essentially wards off evil spirits on the open road. Bill loves it. Inside, we see he's decorated a corner of the store for their date. It looks super cozy and romantic. Charlie pretends to use the bathroom, but leaves her sunglasses on Bill's desk, following Jenny's advice. If you recall, we see the sunglasses after Juice kills Bill.
Later, Bill informs Charlie that he's been living in the store for the past month after a bad breakup. His former boss taught him a trick with the security cameras, which aren't recording at the moment. He loops the footage to bypass them. He tells Charlie about firing Kendall in an act of tough love. Bill truly believes Kendall has what it takes to succeed in Hollywood as a screenwriter. He Sees You When You Kiss
The conversation pivots to whether Die Hard is truly a Christmas movie, with Bill and Charlie firmly on Team Christmas. Bill states that Kendall doesn't think so because Santa Claus doesn't appear. Then, things get intimate as Charlie and Bill have their first kiss. Charlie stops briefly to address the Santa Claus-shaped elephant in the room — well, the Santa Claus mannequin Bill put out earlier. It keeps looking at her.
RELATED: Read our Only Murders in the Building recaps
Next, our lovebirds have sex on one of the beds in the home department, although there's a 'Health & Beauty' sign above their heads, so that's confusing. They've got that postcoital glow. Charlie mentions that It's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas movie and there's no Santa. True that. Bill notices that it's almost 5 am. He needs to get the store ready for Black Friday. POKER FACE — 'One Last Job' Season 2 Episode 7 — Pictured: (l-r) Corey Hawkins as Bill Jackson, Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK)
Later, Charlie watches Pride & Prejudice (2005) in the restaurant. Jenny insists Charlie's going through the conflict part of her rom-com, where miscommunication reigns supreme. Charlie finds it strange that she hasn't heard from Bill in a few days. Jenny gets a delivery order from Super Save, though, reinvigorating Charlie. She heads to the store. Weekend at Super Save
Unfortunately, the order is for an officer at the scene of the crime. Charlie learns from one of Bill's employees that the running theory is that he robbed the store and split. Charlie insists Bill wouldn't do that. He loves this place. Meanwhile, Kendall and Juice are at a restaurant. Kendall learns that Juice Weekend at Bernie's -ed Bill's body. He put Bill in the Santa Claus mannequin costume and posed him in Santa's sleigh in the store. Kendall remembers the extra cash he stored in his locker.
RELATED: Top 11 Peter Bogdanovich Films
So, Kendall returns to the store. He runs into Charlie, who asks if he's seen Bill. Kendall claims he hasn't, which inexplicably slips past Charlie's bullsh*t detector. Kendall admits he's still sour about Bill firing him before revealing he's here to retrieve something from his locker. At least that's true.
After he walks away, Charlie notices the Santa mannequin off to the side, sans clothes. She discovers another Santa in the sleigh, and he looks awfully familiar. She screams upon discovering it's Bill's corpse as said corpse falls off the sleigh. Super Save shoppers swarm around her. Meanwhile, Kendall tries to grab the cash from his locker, but an officer stops him, claiming he can't be back here during an active crime scene investigation. Juice Gets Juiced
Later, two cops question Charlie after she finds Bill's body. She learns about the Polaroid photo being used to bypass the security camera pointed at the safe. She reveals that Bill learned a different trick from his old boss to loop the footage. He wouldn't use a Polaroid. This sets her investigative wheels in motion.
RELATED: New TV Shows This Week (June 1 – 7)
Next, Kendall returns home to find Juice waiting for him. He shows Kendall news footage covering the robbery, which claims Bill stole $400,000, not $200,000. Juice knows Kendall shaved some cash off the top for himself. He trains his gun on Kendall. However, it's out of bullets.
So, Juice grabs the next best thing: a baseball bat. Kendall whirls around and reaches for his samurai sword. He crouches to brace for impact while pointing the blade behind him. Kendall inadvertently drives said blade through Juice's chest. Or, rather, Juice stumbles into it. The bodies keep piling up. POKER FACE — 'One Last Job' Season 2 Episode 7 — Pictured: Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK) Caught in the Act
Charlie finds Kendall's locker with the Ethan Hunt sticker. She figures out the locker combination, opening it to find Kendall's bag of cash. She turns around to discover Kendall waiting in the wings. He orders her to drop it and threatens to shoot her if she doesn't comply. Then, Kendall tells Charlie that he didn't kill Bill, which Charlie recognizes as the truth. Charlie wonders why Kendall would think that pinning the robbery on Bill would make his loved ones forget about him.
RELATED: Read our Poker Face recaps
Kendall urges Charlie to get a move on while keeping his gun pointed at her. Charlie provides some exposition — well, mostly for herself. She describes precisely what transpired. Kendall wonders how she figured it out. She remarks that Kendall and Juice's heist is essentially the plot of every crime movie out there. Kendall declares his intent to take the cash and ride off into the sunset. Charlie holds Bill's device, which, at the press of a button, summons the police.
However, before she can press it, Juice returns from the dead. He fires on them both, Kendall's samurai sword protruding from his chest. Well, it's coming out of both sides, really. Kendall takes shelter while Juice ventures into the electronics department, firing at all the TV screens. They all have Charlie's face on it, which is a neat effect. She appears before him in the flesh. Juice pulls the sword out of his body. Buddy, that isn't gonna help you. He dies. In the Heat of the Night
A montage plays out in the episode's final minutes, intercutting between scenes from Heat as Kendall is arrested. Charlie was able to contact the police after all. We see the end of Heat playing on those TVs in the electronics department as the screen cuts to black.
One last job, indeed.
Poker Face drops new episodes every Thursday on Peacock.
KNIVES OUT 3 Reveals First Look of Benoit Blanc With Long Hair Contact:
[email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.