After evading more mob bullets, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) is on the run again. In Poker Face episode 2, “Last Looks,” on Peacock, our truth reading warrior spends a few weeks in solitude before being bothered. It’s only a matter of time before the five families catch up to her, but she enjoys a little time of rest and relaxation no matter the stakes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Katie Homes plays Greta, the wife of funeral director Fred (Giancarlo Esposito). When her new friend disappears, Charlie starts to search for her whereabouts at the funeral parlor, which doubles as a film set. Greta has bigger aspirations for her life than being a simple funeral home wife. She wants a divorce and to go to Miami to become a makeup artist. We watch Greta go through the things a lot of housewives go through when they marry young. Feeling trapped with regret with a husband who is content in life.
How does Charlie Cale come across the funeral home?
Charlie has now given up cigarettes and embraced the life of vaping. Life on the road is lonely and she spends a five minute conversation with a little boy making a sand castle. He has zero interest in what Charlie is talking about, and honestly is way too young to be hearing it. But after some fun on the beach smoking her vape like no tomorrow, Charlie runs into Tommy(Kevin Corrigan), a movie recruiter. She thought he was one of Hasp's hit-men, but he was only looking for talent unlike the human form, for her Plymouth Barracuda. Cale is not one down to turn easy money.
Following a fun night of drinking on the beach, Charlie and her new friend decide to head off to Miami together for greener pastures. Unfortunately, art meets reality when the film crew leaves and Fred decides to hit his poor wife over the head with a fireplace poker. To hide the body Fred incinerates Greta and puts her remains into an infused record. In turn, Fred makes it look like she left him to run off to Miami like she originally dreamed of.
Fred’s friendly demeanor starts to change when Charlie begins asking questions about Greta’s disappearance. He admits that Greta said she was leaving with the film crew. However, when she tracks down the film crew they confess they have not heard from Greta since the banger last night.
The Death Song
Upon hearing the death song that Fred had picked out for Greta after her passing, Charlie starts to piece it all together. When she confronts the death king, he’s moments away from disclosing it until Tommy gets a text that she has arrived in Miami. The only kicker was that Fred was the man behind the screen.
Charlie soon hears Greta’s phone go off in Fred’s desk and figures out he used an old picture of her in Miami to make it look like she had arrived there. Fred can’t let her go now and attempts to give Charlie the same fate her new friend faced. Her brilliance may one day be the death of her, but not today. She escapes the wrath at the Finch funeral home. Cale even tries to save Fred’s life even after he nearly burned her alive. But alas, he decides to go down with his burning ship.
In the end, Fred receives the exact justice he gave his wife. And just when Charlie thought she was home free she and her Barracuda get an unexpected visitor, Ms. Hask.
Poker Face season 2 episode 2 review
It was great to see Charlie kick back and have some fun with some strangers at the banger in Poker Face season 2 episode 2. She has such a warm heart for people in need. It’s a shame she couldn’t catch a fresh start in Miami with Greta. Nonetheless, things worked out the way they were meant to. She avenged Greta’s death in Charlie fashion and Fred got his justice in the end.
I really loved the connection and chemistry between Natasha Lyonne and Katie Holmes. There was a lightness to it as if they were long-lost buddies. It was women supporting women, and they shared a lot in common. Charlie understood what it was like to want a fresh start and to be drug down by the dead. It was undoubtedly a perfect episode for Natasha Lyonne’s directorial debut for the season.
Giancarlo Esposito played the perfect man in disguise. Fred could come off as a friendly man hiding behind a horror show. The Finch funeral home housed the remains of many of his families members. It’s not clear if he was the cause of their deaths, but I wouldn’t put it past him. The more and more Charlie dug the more sinister the man got. Mainly when he became backed into the wall with Cale's intrepid questioning.
Th biggest irritation on my end was Charlie being stupidly brave in the face of the unknown. She questions murderers without thinking about the mess she’s setting foot in. Charlie has an annoying habit of jumping head first in precarious affairs. She is presently running from being killed by the five families while also putting herself in jeopardy over other people's misfortunes. Even so, I do appreciate the heart of gold she has in the face of uncertainty.
You can catch the first three episodes of Poker Face on Peacock. New episodes will stream weekly through July 10.