Rian Johnson has taken his masterful treatment of the mystery genre to the small screen in Poker Face, a new ‘how-dunit’ series streaming on Peacock featuring Natasha Lyonne and a revolving cadre of guests. Where Johnson pulled largely from Agatha Christie in Knives Out and Glass Onion (with a healthy dash of The Last of Sheila for the latter), he is now paying tribute to such TV classics as Columbo and Murder She Wrote (arguably already the best fanfic of Christie’s Miss Marple character.)
For those who may not have grown up with these series, what’s striking about their format is that early on the viewer actually knows who the killer is, how, and often why. You may wonder what’s the point? However, watch an incredible Peter Falk play a delightful, “bumbling” detective 3rd degree his way to making a criminal squirm and confess, and well that’s all the delight you’ll need.
Poker Face plays out quite similarly at first. Natasha’s character Charlie Cale finds herself wrapped up in a new “how-dunit”, when a friend of hers at the casino she works at is killed, and she of course sets out to solve it. What’s unique here is that Natasha’s essentially a human lie detector, and we know big or small she’ll catch any lie, and this is how we see her add up the details overtime. What’s also different is that Falk in particular had little fallout from his past cases, no lingering revenge plots, and hardly any carry over from previous cases if ever. Natasha however at the jump is pushed to go on the road after her actions from the first case, and she essentially road treks across America’s towns large and small running into murderers both competent and incompetent.
There’s much delight to be had in this show, but my favorite aspect is perhaps a structural choice on Johnson’s part, where after the initial ten to fifteen minutes of watching the murder take place, we are then brought back to a time prior to the crime where we see that really just off-camera Lyonne’s character was present the entire time, albeit none the wiser to the murder. In one case, her character Charlie was revealed to have been a hired roadie for a small-time band, another she befriended senior versions of The Weather Underground in a retirement community, and in a hilarious and poignant moment, she worked for a BBQ restaurant owner, who she inadvertently turned vegan after recommending Bong Joon Ho’s Okja.
This both serves to add some outright hilarity, as Lyonne’s “bullshit” radar and natural affinity adds humor to any scene, and her insertion often serves to humanize the victims as well, since she befriends so many. Especially in an era where we’re self-examining our obsession with true crime, and whether it’s in fact hurting the victims and their families all over again, this is a nice addition to centering the narrative.
One other callback from Johnson to Columbo that I’ve found to be quite wonderful in Poker Face is the sheer number of guests in the show. ‘How-dunit’s work especially well for guests since, so often in murdery mysteries from the era, the most famous actor or actress was most likely the murderer and this turns that on its head by revealing the murder right off. Likewise shows like Columbo and Murder She Wrote ran for 10 and 12 seasons respectively, so there were bountiful opportunities for guests to star. (Robert Beltran even played two different characters in Murder She Wrote.) So far in the five episodes I’ve watched, Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, Brandon Micheal Hall, Danielle Macdonald, Chloe Sevigny, and Simon Helberg, along with many others I apologize for not mentioning, have starred and brought their own incredible set of skills to the show. I cannot wait to see the many more to come in this season, and hopefully many seasons to come.
I’d be remiss to leave this review without talking more about the wonderful and natural charms of Natasha Lyonne, who embodies the character so much it feels like she was just directed to “be you”. I know that’s underselling Lyonne’s own skills however, and while you could see her easily play as the take-no-BS, New Yorker she comes across when she’s got the murderer(s) cornered, her skills are most at work when she’s shown meeting the characters for the first time and developing those initial connections. Lyonne’s character Charlie is a fish-out-of-water, but in the more tender moments of connection, you can see Charlie interrogating herself and her lifestyle, and in those moments Lyonne shines brightest.
Johnson’s Poker Face, especially after the run of success with Knives Out and Glass Onion, came with a significant amount of hype and fret that he could match his previous success. However, I’m here to say he’s delivered a wonderfully addicting show that, were it on cable, would be perfect appointment television, and even as it is now is a must-watch. And you can trust me on that, as that’s no bullshit.
