Poker Face: Original, gripping, bone-deep, entertaining and definitely impressive
- Fulya Turhan
- 5 Şub 2023
- 6 dakikada okunur
A candidate to be the best detective series of the year, or even the best series of the year, original, fun, gripping, bone-deep and definitely impressive, Poker Face...
Peacock's new 10-episode original series, Poker Face, aired last week with its first four episodes. The show comes together with the audience with new episodes every Thursday. Starring, the amazing Natasha Lyonne. Behind the project is Rian Johnson, whom we know with the Knives Out movies.
Poker Face was one of TV series I was eagerly waiting for, I closely followed its development process. First of all, Rian Johnson was involved and he had set his style well with the Knives Out movies. And the main character would be personated by Natasha Lyonne, who turns everything she touches into gold. Lyonne would play a sleuth, Charlie Cale, who was inspired by fictional detectives like Commissioner Columbo, like Philip Marlowe, and like Jessica Fletcher. Charlie would travel across America in her blue '69 Plymouth Barracuda, trying to solve the bizarre crimes she encounters along the way. What more would I wish for! There was another detail that caught my attention. Charlie had a strong ability to detect when someone was lying, no matter how solid their excuses. Frankly, this got me thinking a bit. There was no place for the supernatural in a classic detective story. But I didn't encounter anything like I was worried about. Poker Face turned out to be beyond my expectations.
A measured pace, great storytelling, amazing characters.
Poker Face had a great first episode opening with guest stars like Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco and Noah Segan. During the first 15 minutes of the episode, the development process of a murder was told. Then the focus was back on and we met Charlie Cane. We saw that Charlie was actually "around" in the process leading up to the murder. Charlie appeared as a random casino employee who did her best to get through the day. The murder victim was her friend. Unable to believe the reasons behind Natalie's death and determined to find justice, Charlie pursued the event. However, she got involved in events beyond her control. She found the perpetrators and naturally made some powerful enemies. And now she had to escape. Yes, the events that made Charlie travel across America took place in the first episode. This episode entirely serves to set the background for this escape. Charlie's forced escape marks the beginning of her detective career. In the following episodes, we watch Charlie encounter various crimes and criminals.
Each episode greets viewers with an inverted story. In the first 15 minutes or so, we see the murder committed in all its details, without haste. We watch as the setting is set up slowly, and the characters are introduced with clever dialogues and simple yet appealing situations. After this prologue part, the focus is pulled back and we understand how Charlie was connected to this murder and how her paths crossed with the victim and the murderer. Afterwards, Charlie has no choice but to try to solve the murders.
Charlie arrives at a new venue with a new cast in each episode, arranges a short job at a Texas BBQ restaurant, a car repair shop in New Mexico, a metal band stage tour, or a nursing home, then somehow finds herself facing someone's unfortunate, untimely death. Afterwards, we calmly let ourselves go and watch Charlie solve the case. The crimes Charlie is investigating are certainly not difficult to solve. But each story features creatively constructed murders with a wonderful cause-and-effect relationship. The process runs smoothly until the end of the episode, and each murder is concluded cleanly. This is not a series based on long and complex plots. It is not a slow paced story that we call a slow burner, in which every detail is intertwined. Poker Face is extremely clear and direct. It doesn't make an effort to surprise the audience, but it promises a great journey to all of us. It wonderfully blends the road narrative with crime and comedy.
Well, as I mentioned, our detective Charlie actually has a supernatural ability. She's a total lie detector, a "bullshit" detector. We never go to the source of this supernatural ability, we accept it as given. Charlie's ability is very useful in uncovering suspects, but she manages to get through the more difficult parts of detective work with her street wit, luck and courage. She does this by carefully examining details, inferring from clues, deftly gathering information from suspects and eyewitnesses, and carefully avoiding dangers.
The Architects of Poker Face
The creator and writer of the series, Rian Johnson, has never hesitated to express his love for Columbo. We also know that Johnson and Lyonne have a common interest for TV series such as Magnum P.I., Murder, She Wrote, The A-Team and Quantum Leap. Poker Face feels like an original work of art, carefully and carefully crafted on this love. Johnson has already proven that he is a master of the whodunit genre with the films Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. In Poker Face, he activates the same formula for the howcatchem style.
Johnson sits in the writer/director's chair of the first episode of the series, which sets the stage for Charlie's unique skill and challenging situation. In the rest of the season, other talented writers and directors take over the seat. Each creator brings their own unique vision and interpretation to Poker Face, but you can feel that Johnson's overall vision is guiding the series.
Poker Face also offers us a wonderful visual world. With wide angle, simple scenes, camera angles that play with perspective, and a great cinematography. Johnson's longtime collaborator of photography, Steve Yeldin, manages to capture the unique style of each episode with his musical selections, production and costume design. Showrunners (and sisters) Nora and Lilla Zuckerman support Johnson on his first TV debut.
Not to forget the wonderful guest cast of the series. Adrien Brody, Dascha Polanco, Hong Chau, Judith Light, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nick Nolte, S. Epatha Merkerson, Tim Meadows, Cherry Jones, Rhea Perlman, Clea DuVall, Chloë Sevigny, Luis Guzmán, Lil Rel Howery... The cast director of the show, Mary Vernieu, did an amazing job.
And Natasha Lyonne… Whenever we hear she's involved in a project, we know we're going to have a good time. From Orange is the New Black to Russian Doll, we know that Lyonne makes a difference in every project she takes part in. Lyonne's undeniable charisma shines throughout the series. Charlie is a character who cares deeply about everyone she meets, whether it's a friend or someone she just met. Even though she realizes that they are lying to her face, she does not give up. It is these traits that make her such an irresistible character. Charlie is just trying to save her life and make a living with the small jobs she gets at various stops. Each new episode brings a new job and a new set of wacky characters to contend with. It should also be noted that Lyonne wrote and directed the eighth episode of the series, which has not yet been broadcast.
Poker Face in the Binge-Watching Era
Poker Face actually follows an “old-fashioned” structure. In each episode, we encounter a different story, with different characters apart from Charlie. Most of what we watch on streaming platforms support a structure that encourages viewers to binge-watching, making it feel like a really long movie. Shows like these often present us with a fast-running weave allowing all episodes to be consumed at once. In Poker Face, we watch unique stories that end very cleanly in each episode. Nobody is in a hurry, the show has a very measured tempo. It pays attention to details, dealing with each clue individually, with each red herring. Frankly, our cold-blooded detective Charlie is in no hurry too. Poker Face isn't one of those shows we're dying to watch to see what happens at the end of the episode. What makes the series so enticing and what keeps you going until the end of the episode without getting bored is the feeling of following these carefully prepared steps. Of course, there is also an escape narrative running in the background. Played by Benjamin Bratt, Cliff Legrand, a casino security heavily tasked with tracking down Charlie, periodically appears to keep the plot of the pilot episode running.
Rian Johnson embarks on this episodic storyline for the first time. It would not be a lie to say that he successfully pulls it off. With Poker Face, Johnson proves once again that he is a master of modern mysteries. It should also be noted that Poker Face is also a victory for Peacock. I can say that it is the best work the platform has produced to date.
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