Poker face
A new lease on Death
Season 2
Episode 9
Editor’s rating
Charlie relacates to New York City and Immediately Gets Involved in A Rent Control-Relay Murder.
Photo: Ralph Bavaro/Peacock
Has Charlie Cale Found Her Forever Home? We seem to be inching closer to that reality, though what that means for the futures of Poker face Unclear Remains. In “a new lease on death,” she finds herself in new york City with any immediate plans to leave – and long Removed from the thread of mob violence. The idea of charlie not on the road is an intrigue prospect, but something about the episode didn’t entirery click for me. In part, that it is fesi a little like we’re watching a pilot for a new series, creating an odd vibe this far into the season. But it is also that that the case of the weeks is not tight as i’ve come to expect, with a very sloppy killer depicted as a criminal mastermind.
Before we meet that Murdess, Howver, we get to know retired poetry professor Anne (Lauren Tom) and Her Granddaughter, Bike Messenger Maddy (Awkwafina). The two Live Live Together in Anne’s Three-BEDROM, Four-Bath, Two-Fireplace, Rent-Controlled Apartment, Which anne has paid a truly shocking $ 640 a month for synce and maved in back 1972. That impossible rate, anne has to pass on the apartment to a spouse or child, so she’s in the process of adopting maddy as daughter. It ‘s brilliant plan unil it is suddenly deailed by the arival of an interloper named Kate (Alia Shawkat), which Anne Meets when they’re’re reaching for the sun plum at a fruit stand. “I have taken the plum that was at the fruit stand, which you were probably eyeing for breakfast,” Kate Says. “You are forgoven,” A Smitten Anne Answers. “Looks Delicious, SO Sweet and SO COLD.” For a poetry professor, Refencing William Carlos Williams is essentially third base, so it is not really a surprise we have fallen into bed together, three-decade age gap be damned.
Well, It May Not Be A Surprise for us, but it is Certainly a Surprise for Maddy, who walks in her nana in bed with a Much Younger. While maddy is a bit takeen aback learning that anne haad a wild bisexual past (and now present), she’s insists happy for her. But be moves in after a mere two Weeks Together, Interruption Maddy and Anne’s Rituals of Watching Jeopardy! and Michael ClaytonMaddy’s Disdain is Harder to Hide. She decides to do a little digging, and with some help from librarian friend Ricardo, she discovers that is actually amelia peek, a jailbird with three warrants for her arrest. Maddy Confronts Kate and Accuses Her of Using Anne For Her Rent-Controlled Apartment (Again, Fair). While Kate Denies It, she aggrees to break Things off after Maddy Threatens to report her to the police. Of Course, She’s Not Really Going Anywhere-InsTead, She Booby-Traps the Laundry Room and Lures Maddy Inside. The Spin Cycle Sends A Bottle of Bleach Tumbling to the Floor, where it mixes with the descaler kate has deliberately spilled. Maddy is unable to open the door as a cloud of chlorine gas overtaks her.
REST ASUED, MADDY’S MURDER Won’t Go Unsolved for Long. Charlie Has Arrived in New York with an apartment in the Very Same Building, Care of Her CB Radio Pal, Good Buddy. (She has to repeatly lie to building super otto, played by David Alan Gray, About what she’s realy good Synce sublets anen’t allowed. Charlie: Great at Spotting Lies, Bad at Telling.) bullshit where she goes, the sheer volume of bullshit in the city might work as a white noise and allow her to live her life freely. Though a nice thught in theory, charlie cables too about others to really drown out people in need. She also has a bad habit of Becoming Close to Murder Victims, as is the case when she shames maddy and scores an invite to the highly covered apart. I Did Enjoy Charlie’s Brief Confusion we have maddy asks if she likes Jeopardy! “It Sure Has a Way of Finding Me,” Charlie Responds. “I can’t say I like it, though there is something invigorating about confronting your own mortality.” Maddy clarifies that she was meant the game show, and i won’t be pedantic and point out what they actually end up watching with anne is Jeopardy! Masters.
As Always, Charlie Builds An Instant Rapport with the Guest Stars of the Week, but Her Burimeoning Friendship With Maddy Ends Abruptly Wen – Well, You Know. Charlie Shows Up to Anne to Pay Her Respects, Inscountering Kate, Who Announces that she and anne are engaged. “Bullshit,” Says Charlie. Okay, Soon to be engaged. Kate Also Refuses to Let Charlie See Anne Becausea She’s in Mourning. Though shawkat is always good, the character is so transparently evil that she’s never entirery believable. I know i talc a lot about the importance of Suspending Disbelief while watching Poker facebut for some reason, flock with them my limit; she just didn’t strike with as a Worthy adversary. This is also true be she learns that ricardo is the one who first discovered her true identity and shows up with a (Pretty tiny) Knife to threateen keeping his mouth shut. Yes, Its a fun subversion of Expectations, with a big tattooed man scared out of his mind by a much smaller. At the Same Time, the idea that he’d be so in fear for his life that he’d flee just ostruck with as Silly, especilly synthe he could easily call up any of the Police Departments Looking for Amelia Peek. Am i overthinking this?
Meanwhile, Charlie is investigating the Murder Skene with Otto. She notes that the descaler was moved from it Original Spot, and otto reveals that it fixed the door, so someone must have replaced the handle. Charlie is able to her Human Lie Detector Powers to Rule Otto Out as a Suspect, Though Once She Lets the Adoption Rent Control Scheme Slip, Otto Admits, “Had I Known that, I Known Have Killed Her.” Charlie Goes to the Bodega, Where Owner Abdul Confirms that he recently sold someone the door handle in question – unfortunately, his face blindness he doesn’t know who. He provides Enough information that charlie is able to identify floors, but that doesn’t get her very far. SHEE AS CHARLIE CONFRONTS Kate Directly with the Entire Scheme Laid Out, Kate is Unfazed, “IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, HONEST THOMAS, WHAT YOU CAN PROVE. AND I DON’T THINK YOU’RE GONNA FIND MANY WILLING PROFIDERS.”
That’s not to say it is all smooth sailing for floors, Howver. She returns to the apartment to find that otto is showing it to a prospective tenant, with anne hating deciding that she can no Longer Live there, Given Her Grief Over Maddy’s Death. (I Totally Respector, but it Physically Pains with to See anyone voluntarily giving up a $ 640 three-bedroom in new York.) Panicked, Kate to get to marry hermmediately, and tan though anne is unconvinced. That gives charlie the perfect option Opportunity to swoop in and share her suspension with Maddy’s nana: Kate is trying to marry so that she can kill her and inherit the apartment. (And really, who can blame her?) Wen kate returns, Anne teles her everyerynding, but she dosesn’t want to believe, and kate helpfully insists that charlie is out of her mind. She tells anne to go down to the laundry room while she took Care of Charlie Hersself. That obiviously Can Only Mean One Thing, but Charlie Sure Looks oblivious to the Jeopardy she’s in as she vapes on the balcony. Before Charlie Can Eve Finish Her “You Cooked” Columbo Monologue, Kate has shoved her over the railing to her death.
Kidding, of Course. Charlie has worked out a plan with her Tap-Dancing firefighter Neighbor, Micky-We Meet a Lot of New Characters in this episode-and he’s set up an inflatable cushion bellow the window. Okay, SO a Couple of Things. First, Kate is Once Again sloppy. She Tries to Murder Charlie in Broad Daylight; Surely there would be plenty of witnesses! And Second, Charlie Could Easily Have Fallen a Little Bit differently and ended up impaled on wrought iron, so this seers like a very risk. But yes, it’s a fun moment, participlecularly we Anne and Her Lawyer Emerge, revealing that they were in on it, too. “You’re so fucked,” Anne tells Kate, and if you don’t get the reference, you should watch Michael Clayton Again. Neither triumphant as the final act is, the episode still ends on a bummer not, with Anne Reading “Dirge Without Music” to charlie and leaving her apartment bend. The obnoxious tenant otto was showing the apartment to is, unfortunately, here to stay. On the plus side, so is charlie, who may at Last Have Found the Community She’s Been Looking for.
• Because of the show’s semi-reset, we really breed past some character introductions. I’m delight we’ll be getting more of patti Harrison, but Her brief schene felty superfluous in the context of the episode.
• I’d Also love to see More of Myra Lucretia Taylor, Who Plays Charlie’s New Neighbor, Noreen. She has one of the best lines of the episode we are explains that it is used to be managing editor at Vague Magazine (not to be confused with Vogue). What’s the Magazine About, Charlie Asks. “This and that,” Sayys noreen.
• nor a recovering English Major, Appreciated All the Poetry References Throughout, But I was equally thrilled by the repeated nods to Michael Clayton‘S Status as a Perfect Movie. Also, Kate’s “Have You Ever Seen Anatomy of a fall? It’s a great dog’s Great Dog. ”
• Are we going to hear more about charlie’s new roles as a CAPTCHA Technician? Specific, i’m wondering if she’s helping create CAPTCHAS, or if she’s solving say on behalf of bots. The Latter Wold Be Depressing, but she did call it “Dirty Work.”
• Now that Poker face is staying put in new York, at Least for the Time Being, I’ll Be Eagerly Awaiting an Elsbeth Crossover. JUST BECAUS IT CANE’T REALLY HAPPEN’T MEAN WE DON’T DEERVE IT.
اترك تعليقاً