Poker Face Season 2 Review: The Cross-Country Murder Mystery Follows Suit for Peacock
May 8, 2025Poker Face is back and more thrilling than ever when Cale hits the road in her blue Barracuda. With every pit stop, Charlie encounters a vast collection of unique individuals. The more she helps them and learns from them, the more she learns about herself in this murder-of-the-week gripping adventure.
Season 1 of Poker Face surely had some beginner’s luck and rolled right into season 2 to up the ante. The enchanting Charlie Cale ventures to life on the road while doing her best to dodge Beatrix Hasp’s sinister men. This season jets off on an even more powerful footing, which has led Rian Johnson’s(Star Wars: The Last Jedi) show to achieve a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Soaring right past season 1 of Poker Face(so far), which held strong with a 98% on 114 reviews.
THE HUMAN LIE DETECTOR IS AT IT AGAIN
Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale is an eccentric character that can’t be found on television today. She’s quirkishly outlandish, but not to an annoying extent. Cale is a savvy human-bullshit detector. My favorite characteristic of hers is her continuous sarcasm throughout her crime-solving journey. She genuinely cares about the victims and their loved ones with a unique ability to connect to human nature. Her emotional attachment to her victims is empathic yet self-jeopardizing. This highly anticipated drama will either leave you laughing, feeling perplexed, or in fear for Cale.
POKER FACE — Pictured: Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale — (Photo by: PEACOCK)
She has a strong knack for solving murders that almost effortlessly falls into her lap. All that coupled with a magnetic personality proves that no matter where she goes, she can make friends without challenge.
Sometimes, when we say a show has an all-star cast, it’s a bit of over-embellishment. Season 2 of Poker Face truly has it, if you can even call it a supporting cast. It’s episode after episode of celebrities you will know playing a wide array of interesting characters. It does seem Charlie Cale comes across these people as no more than a happenstance, but fate plays a part as well. Each escapade and crazy left turn leads her to where she’s meant to be.
HOW THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Right out of the gate, Poker Face opens up with one of the most famous faces of pop culture today. Cynthia Erivo. In 2024, Cynthia was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice Award, SAG Award, and Golden Globe Award for her role of Elphaba in “Wicked.” Erivo had the challenge of portraying 5 characters(quintuplets) who are in a fight for their family’s fortune after the death of their overbearing mother. “The Game Is a Foot” is one of my favorite episodes of the season. It stands out because of Cynthia Erivo’s deep acting ability. We already knew she was multi-faceted, but it’s no surprise why she’s an Oscar-nominated actress. Insert leg amputations, greed, train accidents, dreams, and brilliant minds. Charlie Cale doesn’t miss a beat.
POKER FACE — Pictured: Cynthia Erivo — (Photo by: Sarah Shatz/PEACOCK)
If you missed the first season of the ground-breaking comedic mystery, it won’t be that hard to pick up season 2. All you need to know is that Charlie is on the run from Beatrix Hasp, the leader of the 5 family’s crime syndicate. Her innate ability to see through to the truth has gotten her in trouble more often than not. She’s not a person who can live with herself if she walks away from doing the right thing.
THEY HAVEN’T LOST THAT LOVING FEELING
My top pick was episode 6, “Sloppy Joseph.” The story follows a little psycho child named Stephanie Pearce(Eva Jade Halford) who even has the principal(Margo Martindale) of the school under her command. The best part of the episode is seeing Natasha Lyonne and Adrienne C. Moore back together again. Some of you may know Adrienne from her days on Orange Is The New Black as Cindy Hayes. Natasha Lyonne, of course, played the complex Nicky Nichols. Charlie works as a school cook, which takes you right back to Lyonne’s OITNB days working in the kitchen with Red(Kate Mulgrew). The chemistry between Moore and Lyonne brings back so much nostalgia I wasn’t expecting to see. And Margo Martindale is always a scene-stealer. This episode did not miss.
POKER FACE — Episode 206 — Pictured: (l-r) Adrienne C. Moore, Natasha Lyon as Charlie Cale — (Photo by: PEACOCK)
Every episode of the season starts by showing you the murder that happened. That is directly followed by the journey that got them to that place, and how Charlie Cale fits into the story. She boasts such an infectious personality that even the villains of the story like her at first. The most entertaining aspect of the series is that you can never see what’s coming. It’s a great show to sit with your friends and family and guess what happens next. However, the end of every episode will leave you surprised and anxious for the next landing place.
THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE
Episode 3, “Whack-a-Mole,” stars Richard Kind and John Mulaney with the return of Simon Helberg as Luca Clark. Beatrix Hasp(Rhea Perlman) has captured our truth-wielding warrior. Cale doesn’t run out of luck just yet. Hasp needs her enemy to get out of a jam. The biggest jam of her life. Her uncanny ability to be a human polygraph machine saves her once again. Luca Clark and Charlie work together again under fearful circumstances to grasp onto her freedom. The unhinged relationship between Hasp and Cale doesn’t end the way you’d think.
POKER FACE — S2 — Pictured: (l-r) Simon Helberg, Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/PEACOCK)
THERE IS NO HIDING FROM VIRTUE
In episode 10, “The Big Pump”, Jason Ritter takes the stage as Rodney the health inspector, who is just as good at his job as Charlie is at uncovering lies. She barely meets Rodney and is trying to mind her own business until Alice(Patti Harrison) urges her to find compassion within herself. The episode exhibits that no matter how much Charlie tries to turn the other cheek and let life just be, her morality will always pull her back. It’s a gift and a burden to have this type of supernatural power. Charlie’s virtuous nature gets the best of her every time.
POKER FACE — S2 — Pictured: (l-r) Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, Patti Harrison — (Photo by: Ralph Bavaro/PEACOCK)
There will be 12 episodes in season 2. The series is produced by Animal Pictures, T-Street, and MRC Television. Poker Face is created by Rian Johnson while Tony Tost serves as the Showrunner. Johnson, Tost, Natasha Lyonne, Ram Bergman, Adam Arkin, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman, and Nena Rodrigue are the executive producers.
HOW MANY ACTORS WILL BE IN SEASON 2?
In addition to Natasha Lyonne and Simon Helberg the guest stars for season 2 pack quite the punch. Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Awkwafina, Katie Holmes, Jasmine Guy, Justin Theroux, Carl Kane, Ego Nwodim, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Geraldine Viswanathan, Lauren Tom, Lili Taylor, David Alan Grier, Haley Joel Osment, Gaby Hoffman, Kumail Nanjiani, Ben Marshall, Margo Martindale, John Cho, Kevin Corrigan, Katherine Narducci, Sherry Cola, Richard Kind, Simon Rex, John Mulaney, B.J. Novak, Alia Shawkat, Sam Richardson, Taylor Schilling, Natasha Leggero, Rhea Perlman, Patti Harrison, Adrienne C. Moore, Davionte Ganter, Melanie Lynskey and husband Jason Ritter round out this abundant cast of excellence.
Poker Face returns for a stellar season 2 on Thursday, May 8, on Peacock for three brand-new episodes. The next 9 episodes will air weekly through July 10.
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About the author: Shay has been writing as a journalist professionally for years. Her most common topics to cover are drama and horror but she looks forward to getting her feet wet with new and exciting genres and projects. @ShaySleighs
