This will come as a shock to “Star Wars” followers who had by no means even heard his title earlier than “The Final Jedi” got here out, however Rian Johnson has all the time been a scholar of the artwork of storytelling, and “Poker Face” is probably most satisfying when seen as an extension of his explicit pursuits (together with his well-documented love of baseball). Make no mistake, season 2 boasts one other assassin’s row — pun most undoubtedly meant — of writers and administrators leaving their marks on every episode. Among the strongest and most memorable scripts come from credited writers Laura Deeley, Wyatt Cain, Tony Tost, Kate Thulin, and Megan Amram, whereas administrators Adam Arkin, Miguel Arteta, Fortunate McGee, and Mimi Cave carry the visible aptitude worthy of a sleight-of-hand sequence like this. (Even Natasha Lyonne will get in on the motion as each co-writer and director of episode 2, one of many extra formally daring hours of the season.) However these conscious of Johnson’s broader filmography, from “Brick” to “The Brothers Bloom” to “Knives Out,” will discover a fair larger appreciation for what could be the purest distillation of Rian Johnson we have seen but.
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Like its creator, “Poker Face” wears each affect on its sleeve. The crime fiction style has the advantage of a long time (if not centuries) of historical past to drag from, and Agatha Christie readers will discover simply as a lot enjoyment out of the season’s twists and turns as movie-lovers who’ve watched each Raymond Chandler adaptation beneath the solar. Heck, there are sufficient hilarious namedrops of beloved cinema classics and endearing jabs taken at movie buffs to make this stand toe-to-toe with Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” no less than when it comes to catering to the Movie Twitter crowd. (No, I am not calling it “Movie X” and neither must you.) There’s one thing to be mentioned for contemporary tales which might be nonetheless properly conscious of the previous, remixing the tropes of years passed by and spinning them into new and unique approaches. Simply once you assume you have discovered the place they are going, the artistic group yanks the rug out from beneath you and retains you guessing to the final.
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However, on the finish of the day, “Poker Face” additionally understands the momentary thrills of a fastidiously laid-out shock are simply that — momentary. What retains viewers hooked on a sequence like this, inevitably, is the sensation of being within the fingers of artists who truly care. Some episodes are light-hearted and completely ridiculous romps to a fault, whereas others sometimes really feel just a little too intelligent for their very own good. Each single one, nevertheless, delivers one thing we merely cannot take with no consideration anymore. With every self-contained journey and openly premeditated homicide, “Poker Face” stands out as an oasis in a streaming desert. No lies detected.
/Movie Ranking: 7.5 out of 10
“Poker Face” premieres on Peacock with its first three episodes Might 8, 2025, adopted by a brand new episode streaming each Thursday.
