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The Review Geek
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Poker Face – Season 2 Episode 4 'The Taste of Human Blood' Recap & Review
Episode 4 The Murder Episode 4 of Poker Face Season 2 begins with a cop named Fran arresting a thief who tried to steal from an old woman's house and failed. The man has a family and needs money for his kids. Fran understands that he simply made a stupid mistake and allows him to go. Fran's boss then tells her that she's been nominated for the Cop of the Year award at the annual Florida award show for cops, the FlopaCopa. She is reluctant to spend time on things like award shows but her boss convinces her to go. However, during the event, the award goes to Joseph, a cop who saved a little alligator and then named her Daisy. Fast forward six years and the man has now won six Cop of the Year awards and is known as Gator Joe. He is still in possession of Daisy, who is now a fully grown alligator. What's more, Fran is now extremely frustrated at constantly losing to him. She gets her seventh nomination, but her boss is worried about how fixated she is on winning the award. The night of the award show arrives and Fran sees the awards being taken to a back room. She sneaks in and sees that Gator Joe is winning the award again, which makes her tear up. Gator Joe arrives as well and gloats about it, making Fran angrily walk away. She goes into a green room and finds Daisy there, in a cage. She goes through a box of Daisy's things and finds a reptile laxative that Gator Joe had previously talked about on his social media videos. She quickly consults an animal control cop named Rusty, asking if she can take reptile laxative for her stomach issues. He writes the amount that is safe to ingest on a piece of paper. She then heads back and puts the laxative into Gator Joe's tiny bottles of energy drink. The lunch break soon begins and Fran watches Gator Joe run to the toilet. She follows and gleefully listens to him outside the toilet. But she then hears him collapse and goes inside to check — he's dead! She realises she read Rusty's directions wrong and gave Gator Joe too much laxative. Realising that an autopsy would point to her, Fran decides to frame Daisy for the crime instead. She uses Oreo biscuits, Daisy's favourite snack, to lure Daisy out and to the bathroom where Gator Joe's body is. When she doesn't do anything, Fran takes a bag of meth (the FlocaCopa has used real guns, ammunition, and drugs as props) and dumps it out on Daisy. This is more than enough for the gator to go haywire and attack Gator Joe's body. Fran leaves and not much later, other cops find Gator Joe's remains. The Investigation We then shift to Charlie, who randomly drops her finger on a map. She then uses the radio she got from the film shoot in Episode 2 to try and connect with someone. She manages to speak to a man, a truck driver also on the road, whom she calls Good Buddy. She then finds herself at an animal sanctuary with a group of animal activists, led by a man named Hutch. They feel strongly about saving Daisy from Gator Joe, since he drugs her up all the time, and rope in Charlie to help. Their plan is to save Daisy at the FlopaCopa award show. Charlie heads in and finds Daisy in her green room. The plan is to wheel the cage out during the lunch break, but she notices that the cage doesn't have wheels. At that moment, Fran comes into the room and has her little cry. Charlie comforts her and then leaves. Hutch tells Charlie to break the cage and use the leash to get Daisy out by hand. Charlie does so and in that moment, looks into Daisy's eyes and feels a cosmic connection that proves Daisy is a gentle creature. However, she refuses to move. So, Charlie heads out to find some Oreos. By the time she's back, the cage is empty and Gator Joe is dead. The cops are all in a flurry and want to kill Daisy. But she's still agitated and they can't open the door. Hutch wants to abort the mission but Charlie wants to prove Daisy's innocence. But now that Daisy has had a taste of human blood, Hutch and his team give up on the alligator. Meanwhile, Fran's boss calls her up, concerned. He tells her Gator Joe uploaded a TikTok of Fran crying over the award. Fran realises Gator Joe was wearing sunglasses with an attached camera. She goes to the cops outside the bathroom who are waiting for a chance to kill Daisy and asks about the sunglasses, making up a story about how they were a gift from Gator Joe's mother. One of the cops tells her that the sunglasses are probably inside Daisy by now. The cops finally decide to go inside and attack Daisy but the room is empty. The gator broke open a vent and is now in the walls. Meanwhile, Charlie speaks to Rusty about what could have changed Daisy's behaviour so drastically. She realises it could be the bags of meth around them. By checking the event's photographs, she learns that one went missing. As the cops arm themselves to hunt Daisy down, Charlie goes to the storeroom and finds the gator there, having munched on a lot of Oreos. Fran arrives as well and Charlie tries to convince her of Daisy's innocence. Fran doesn't want the sunglasses found inside Daisy, so she helps Charlie sneak the gator out and into her police car. They head towards a swamp and Fran pretends that she's going to set Daisy free. Of course, Charlie knows better and catches Fran just as she's about to shoot Daisy. The truth comes out and Charlie encourages Fran to just confess her mistake. Fran decides to shoot Charlie instead but Daisy swipes her tail and brings Fran down. Fran then looks into Daisy's eyes and sees the same cosmic realisation that hit Charlie. She agrees to confess. Right before going into the swamp, Daisy takes a dump and out come Gator Joe's sunglasses. Fran gives them to her boss and confesses the whole thing, but he refuses to let her go down for this. He wants her to stay on since she's a good policewoman. But Fran gives up her badge and goes to work at the animal sanctuary instead. Meanwhile, Charlie gets back to her car and tells Good Buddy about her escapades. She then sees Daisy go by in the nearby river and calls out to her. Daisy approaches Charlie relatively fast. Charlie remembers the warnings about the taste of human blood and quickly drives away. After she leaves, we see Daisy roll over in the water and Poker Face Season 2 Episode 4 comes to a close. The Episode Review Season 2 Episode 4 offers one of Poker Face's more whimsical episodes, what with Charlie not only bonding with Daisy but also getting a cosmic realisation by looking in her eyes. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I definitely enjoyed watching Charlie defend an animal instead of a person. It ties in so easily with the kind of person she is, she wouldn't let an innocent gator be framed! The murder itself is a bit different from the usual. Instead of killing someone in cold blood, Fran makes a mistake. The first scene of the episode with the thief nicely ties into this theme. The one thing that feels odd is the fact that an actual cop would leave a literal trail of crumbs that proves her crime. But aside from that, Fran's character is established really well and the entire investigation is riddled with laughs — from the jokes about the undercover cop to the fact that Hutch has never eaten bread to Charlie's epic one-liners. Previous Episode Next Episode Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Poker Face's Natasha Lyonne & Rian Johnson On 'Completely Gonzo Bonkers' Season 2 & Which Former Co-Star They Want For Season 3
Poker Face If the first season of Poker Face was about Natasha Lyonne's Charlie outrunning her past, its sophomore season finds her looking for a place to belong. More from Deadline 'Poker Face' Season 2: Everything We Know So Far Natasha Lyonne Almost Forgot 'Poker Face's John Cho Was In 'American Pie': 'I Haven't Seen Those' 'Dig' Comedy From Amy Poehler & Mike Schur Picked Up To Series By Peacock Ahead of the Season 2 premiere, returning to Peacock on May 8 with the first three episodes, Lyonne and series creator Rian Johnson spoke to Deadline about how they 'dig in deeper to the character' after she gets the mafia off her back. 'The episodes where there's this personal stake and driver to tether to like that are really fun,' explained Lyonne. 'But she has that kind of driver in a weird way that she did from Natalie (Dascha Polanco) in the pilot. 'I guess I'm gonna hit the road for a while until I feel safe to call another person home again,' is the underbelly of that.' While Charlie goes on more of an internal journey this season, she still manages to come across plenty of murders that need solving, which is where they had fun. 'Having done the first season and feeling like the engine really does work on this show, it kind of gave us permission to say, 'OK, what else can we do with it? What can we try?'' explained Johnson. 'And so, doing ['Sloppy Joseph'], which is conceptually a little bit more out there, or the 'Gator Joe' episode, which goes completely gonzo bonkers, I feel like we gave ourselves permission to kind of have fun like that.' And with the weekly anthology format that practically stands as its own mystery short, the star-studded guest roster for Season 2 is even longer than its predecessor, featuring reunions with Lyonne's co-stars from Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) and Orange Is the New Black (2013-'19). Lyonne also offered up another guest star idea for Season 3. 'Jennifer Coolidge! Does she wanna be in Poker Face? Because she should be!' she said after realizing they were both in American Pie (1999) with Season 2 guest star John Cho. Read on for Deadline's interview with Natasha Lyonne and Rian Johnson about Season 2 of Poker Face. DEADLINE: RIAN JOHNSON: Well, it struck us in the writers' room that it felt like kind of the most challenging thing for that character to actually take away this external pressure of being chased and to put it back on her. Where does she want to be? And why can't she settle down any place? And why does she, by her nature, kind of keep moving? And also, every time she settles in a place now, for an episode, she's kind of interrogating it to see, 'is this where I belong' in a deeper way. And that seemed like that was going to give us more ammunition for each episode to have her dig in a little deeper, and we knew the format could support it. I don't think the audience genuinely cares that there are people chasing her with guns. I think she moves to a different place each week and they go with it. So, for a lot of reasons, it made sense and it felt like a way to dig in deeper to the character. DEADLINE: JOHNSON: That came out of Kate Thulin, who wrote that episode. She just has a brilliant, demented mind. NATASHA LYONNE: Kate is great. JOHNSON: And that came out of us thinking, 'OK, what are the lowest stakes we can possibly build a Poker Face episode on and have it work?' And of course, I think it's a real nail-biter of an episode, because it feels very intense. Even though the stakes seem low, when you're in grade school politics, the stakes feel very elevated. But that's a good example of how, having done the first season and feeling like the engine really does work on this show, it kind of gave us permission to say, 'OK, what else can we do with it? What can we try?' And so, doing that episode, which is conceptually a little bit more out there, or the 'Gator Joe' episode, which goes completely gonzo bonkers, I feel like we gave ourselves permission to kind of have fun like that. DEADLINE: LYONNE: Well, I don't know if that's really fair. I would say I've stepped in and directed it some. Last season, an episode, and this season, two. And I guess, Rian has directed … but just to say that I mean, it really is from the mind of Rian Johnson. and what that means is something pretty highly specific. It means that, even though we came about this show kind of kicking around the diner together, it's a real Rian Johnson bonanza. So, any sort of guest director is directing it in a nod to a style that is so defined and buoyant and effective, that there's things embedded into the DNA. For example, any sort of insert shot on Poker Face is a real Rian Johnson special. That's not just, any insert will do ya. So, I think that it's really on you, sir, to talk about all that, delighted though I am to have directed a bunch. JOHNSON: Also, though, to kick it back, I feel like because each of the episodes is so distinct in its style, we always wanna empower the directors and give them the feeling that, we don't give them a visual bible, we don't give them rules in terms of how the show is shot. They know the show from having seen it, and we just tell them, 'You shoot it in whatever style you think is best going to serve this episode.' LYONNE: Rian, Rian, Rian. Real talk. At the end of the day, Rian, you're a genius. You're a clear genius, you're my friend and I adore you. You're one of our great auteurs, and simply put, any great master of the form does have a complete mind's eye, vision in mind for every episode. So I think that there is—speaking as a Salvador Dali to this Alfred Hitchcock operation, which is my code name—it's just not true. You can't just put a melting clock in a desert and put it any which way you want. You can shoot a melting clock in the desert in a way that is in a fashion that builds on story for a perfect Rian Johnson puzzle box episode of Poker Face. So, I just think that it's worth mentioning. And I think it's a joy for all of us, whether that's Mimi Cave or Janicza Bravo or myself or Clea DuVall or Ti West, I think it's so fun for us that it gets to be that way, because there is kind of a template. And I think that they are all kind of in a way, love letters to you. … I think that the goal is to really feel like, as a guest director on Poker Face, the goal is to make you happy. JOHNSON: Well, I'm happy. DEADLINE: But I'm a CheerleaderOrange Is the New BlackSlums of Beverly Hills JOHNSON: It's a combination of us texting friends, but also taking swings of people that we've always kind of admired and wanted to be on the set with. Had you worked with John Cho before? LYONNE: I think that he's maybe in some of the American Pies. I'll be honest, I haven't seen those. I did see the first one at the premiere. I do love Chris and Paul Weitz. I do talk a lot of shit about that movie, it's mostly just because I don't understand high school or proms or suburbia. But I think that John's in those movies. Because whenever I see John around town or something, we're always like, 'American Pie!' And then, when he got to set, we were like, 'American Pie!' But I was sort of playing along, if I'm honest, because I was just like, we've been doing that bit for over a decade, and so I kind of had to commit to the bit. He is in the movies, right? DEADLINE: LYONNE: Jennifer Coolidge! Does she wanna be in Poker Face? Because she should be! JOHNSON: Let's bring her in. But Cynthia [Erivo], I wanted to work with Cynthia for years and never got to work with her. So to me, it's a combination of bringing in good friends and taking wild swings. 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Metro
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
‘Compelling' thriller lands 100% Rotten Tomatoes score after wait for season 2
After a long wait, one of the best comedy thrillers on TV has finally returned for a second season – and it already has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Poker Face first aired in 2023, with Natasha Lyonne leading the way as Charlie Cale, who is blessed with the extraordinary ability to figure out when someone is lying to her – leading her to investigate a string of crimes. Fans have been not-so-patiently calling out for more episodes, with the second series of the mystery show now available to stream on Peacock in the US, and the first three episodes airing on Sky Max in the UK at 9pm. Cynthia Erivo, Katie Holmes, BJ Novak, Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani, John Cho and Melanie Lynskey are just some of the famous faces popping up to help – or hinder – Charlie's investigations. It seems as though the wait has been worth it as the series currently commands a perfect critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nick Schager of The Daily Beast raved: 'Old-school television is rarely as fresh and funny – and cinematic – as this episodic thriller.' 'If the impressive highs of Season 2 are anything to go by, Poker Face could easily go on for ten more seasons and just get better each time. (No lies detected),' Empire Magazine's David Opie agreed. William Goodman from TheWrap penned: 'As long as the mysteries at the core of each episode remain as clever and engaging as they are here and Lyonne's as magnetic and compelling as she is, this is a show that can run until its wheels fall off.' As TV Guide's Gavia Baker-Whitelaw added: 'When it comes to case-of-the-week storytelling, this team is at the top of their game, offering something more enriching than typical crime procedurals, with no shortage of imagination and heart.' After the first season was a huge smash, the pressure has definitely been on Natasha and creator Rian Johnson to replicate success. 'From minor league baseball to big box retail, from funeral homes to alligator farms and even a grade school talent show, Charlie navigates her crime solving existential road-trip with deadpan wit, human empathy, and her signature uncanny lie-detecting ability,' they previously said in a joint statement. More Trending Teasing what we can expect from further episodes – which drop weekly on Thursdays – they promised 'gonzo bonkers' scenes for fans. 'Having done the first season and feeling like the engine really does work on this show, it gave us permission to say, 'OK, what else can we do with it? What can we try?'' Rian told Deadline. 'Doing [Sloppy Joseph], which is conceptually a little bit more out there, or the Gator Joe episode, which goes completely gonzo bonkers, I feel like we gave ourselves permission to have fun like that.' View More » New episodes of Poker Face will drop weekly on Thursdays. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Wrestling daredevil, 32, feels like 'death is constantly on my doorstep' MORE: 'Amazing' Netflix series soars to number 1 as fans binge all 8 episodes MORE: World-famous comedian doesn't mince his words blasting 'cult' Saturday Night Live
