Poker Face Recap: Feel the Heat

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As a film enthusiast, I must admit, the allure of a series like “Poker Face” lies in its ability to present fresh characters, settings, and tales every week, allowing it to explore various genres. However, the episode titled “One Last Job” was exceptional because it seamlessly blended not one, but two genres: the heist movie and the romantic comedy. It may sound unusual, but when you consider the influence of Michael Mann, a filmmaker known for his crime dramas yet who secretly weaves profound romance into his work, the pairing becomes intriguing. This crime-romance fusion produced the best episode of the season thus far, managing to maintain its grounded emotional core while embracing a heightened self-awareness that never felt out of place.

This week’s scene unfolds in an unconventional location for both a heist or romance narrative: the fictitious retail store SuperSave. Kendall (Sam Richardson), who spends his days attempting to persuade indifferent customers of the merits of physical media while displaying crime films he cherishes on 4K TVs, is the protagonist. Although he adores writing screenplays, his true passion, his job and friendship with Bill (Corey Hawkins) have been his primary focus. Bill appreciates Kendall’s latest script, “One Last Job,” which bears resemblances to “Heat,” “Inside Job,” and “Ocean’s 11.” Despite the exceptional screenplays that Kendall produces, he remains reluctant to leave for Hollywood to pursue his dreams. Even though breaking into the entertainment industry is challenging, Bill understands that Kendall cannot succeed without a push. Since cuts were needed in any case, Bill dismisses Kendall, a news he does not accept lightly. At least, he avoids working on Black Friday, a small comfort considering its chaos.

Exiting SuperSave, Kendall encounters James Ransone, a noticeable shoplifter sporting an eye-catching bleached blonde wig. Having lost all allegiance to his previous workplace, Kendall assists him in making off with some TVs. They later connect at a bar where Kendall drops hints about his fresh script – amusingly enough, it’s about an employee dismissed from SuperSave who utilizes inside information to burglarize the store as retaliation. Unknowingly, Kendall proposes a heist to Juice, who becomes even more intrigued when Kendall mentions there will be $200,000 up for grabs following Black Friday weekend. After enjoying the classic male bonding experience of watching Heat, they decide to move forward with the plan and divide the profits equally. In contrast to Kendall’s screenplay, “One Last Job,” where thieves eventually betray each other, it seems unlikely that will transpire in this situation.

In recognition of both Kendall and the episode’s writer Taofik Kolade, the heist is skillfully executed with intricate details. With only 30 minutes at their disposal, Kendall and Juice aim to open the safe and secure a substantial amount of money. An interesting touch is how Kendall deciphers the combination for the safe – Bill, who’s addicted to sour cream and onion chips, often leaves canola oil smudges on his fingers from snacking. By using a blacklight, Kendall can trace the pressed numbers, allowing him to guess the combinations until he finds the correct one. Meanwhile, Juice investigates a noise elsewhere, enabling Kendall to unlock the safe and discover more money than initially expected. Seizing the opportunity to increase their take, Kendall stashes the excess cash in his work locker – an incredibly reckless move for someone familiar with heist movies. As Kendall prepares to rejoin Juice, Bill unexpectedly enters the scene. In a panic, Kendall tries to explain the situation, but time is of the essence as Juice shoots Bill from behind, leaving Kendall in shock. However, Juice rationalizes his actions by stating that hiding Bill’s body will lead the police to believe the missing store manager made off with the stolen money.

In the first part of “One Last Job”, filled with many plot points, I haven’t met the character Charlie yet, which is unfortunate as I enjoy her narrative in this episode. After a brief stint in education, she takes a job as a delivery driver for Tandoor Indian Restaurant. Her coworker Jenny (played by Geraldine Viswanathan) isn’t particularly talkative – that is, until Charlie gets involved in a romantic comedy, which happens to be Jenny’s favorite genre. A fateful late-night delivery to SuperSave leads to an immediate connection between Charlie and Bill, reminiscent of the kind where Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me” starts playing. Although it seems rather hurried, Natasha Lyonne’s natural chemistry with the diverse cast of Poker Face has been one of the show’s highlights, and she shares a genuine connection with Hawkins. Bill begins to place regular delivery orders, which Jenny is thrilled about. “SuperSave stud is trying to woo you, Charlie,” Jenny exclaims. “This is your love story.” Despite knowing that this specific love story has a sad ending, it’s refreshing to see Charlie (and Lyonne) in a romantic comedy for once.

On their inaugural date, coinciding with Bill’s birthday, there’s an undeniable sense of pressure. Fortunately for Charlie, Kendall lends a helping hand, grilling her on her favorite Mission: Impossible movies and suggesting the ideal present for Bill – a motorcycle guardian bell in the shape of a skull. As it turns out, Bill has been residing in SuperSave since his latest breakup, which, while Hawkins manages to make seem charming, would be a significant warning sign for most. However, Bill goes above and beyond by setting up a romantic dinner within the store itself. I must say, I was thoroughly impressed by his initiative, and Charlie seems to feel the same way. We also learn more about their friendship with Kendall, discovering they became friends in fourth grade following an argument over whether Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie. Bill’s stance that it isn’t feels a bit restrictive to me, but regardless, this date could be considered a holiday-themed episode due to the presence of a spooky Santa mannequin watching Charlie and Bill sharing a passionate moment. (The “bedroom” turns out to be a display in the bedding department; I sincerely hope Bill washed those sheets beforehand.) All in all, it’s an endearing date, and as Bill promises to contact Charlie after Black Friday weekend, I find myself secretly hoping for that phone call.

Unfortunately, Bill doesn’t reach out, and while Jenny tries to spin this as a rom-com misunderstanding before true love wins, it seems unlikely. When Charlie shows up at SuperSave with food delivery, she finds out it wasn’t for Bill but for the officers investigating the $400,000 robbery from the safe. Despite being the main suspect, Charlie doubts Bill’s guilt and decides to look into the matter herself. Inside the store, she collides with a rather suspicious Kendall, who is there to retrieve the remaining stolen money. Kendall isn’t much help in solving the mystery, but he does mention that he left something in his locker. As Kendall struggles against the heavy police presence, Charlie makes a shocking discovery: the store Santa is slumped over in his sleigh. It turns out that Juice had the idea to dress Bill’s body up as Santa. Charlie is understandably disturbed by this revelation, and even more so when she learns that the police still suspect Bill of the heist. They believe his accomplice must have betrayed him, but Charlie knows better – the Polaroid blocking the security cameras is a reference to Mission: Impossible III, something Bill (who knew how to manipulate the cameras) wouldn’t have done.

Currently, Kendall finds himself in a tricky situation: both Charlie and Juice have caught wind of his actions. Juice is stationed in Kendall’s apartment, preparing to watch a news report about the $400,000 stolen from SuperSave. At gunpoint, Kendall confesses about the extra $200,000 he hid away and reveals its location. However, when Juice tries to shoot him, the gun fails to fire. Instead, Juice attacks with a baseball bat. In a moment of instinct, Kendall grabs his sword (from his Kill Bill poster) and stabs Juice, who ends up injured and bleeding on the floor. Now, all he needs is the money in his locker to make a swift exit, though there are numerous unresolved issues at present. (At this point, it’s difficult to say how clearly Kendall is thinking.)

In the meantime, Charlie concealed herself within a sales tent at SuperSave, intending to continue her investigation beyond regular hours. She was convinced that Kendall had left something of importance in his locker, and suspected it might be the stolen money. Using a “What Would Ethan Hunt Do?” sticker, she deduced that his combination was the ranking of his favorite four movies in the series (though it’s rather improbable that anyone could instantly figure out 4-6-1-3). Before Charlie managed to leave the premises, Kendall appeared with Juice’s gun. He admitted he didn’t kill Bill (which was true), but threatened to do so if necessary. However, before Kendall could harm Charlie, she activated an alarm notifying the police of trouble at the store. “This isn’t some action movie cliche,” she stated emphatically — just as Juice arrived, firing a semi-automatic weapon. Both Charlie and Kendall were able to evade him (his still bleeding state proved helpful), but Juice ultimately succumbed to his injuries. This event coincided with McCauley killing Waingro in the movie “Heat,” playing on the bullet-riddled TVs surrounding them. As Charlie pursued Kendall, the same screens displayed the climactic scene of “Heat” with Hanna chasing after McCauley at the airport. The music, Moby’s “God Moving Over the Face of the Waters,” added a poignant touch. Unfortunately for Kendall, he almost escaped with the cash, but was apprehended by the police as they arrived just in time. If only he had discarded the bag when he sensed danger approaching.

Just One More Thing

In this episode, Good Buddy and our character don’t engage in idle talk, but she provides a bit more clarity on why she continues her journey. Despite contemplating a permanent residence, she confesses to Bill that “I just can’t seem to visualize it.

• Navigating dating would undoubtedly be more complex for someone who can detect lies easily. It’s intriguing to imagine a romantic setting for the movie “Poker Face,” although it might not traditionally fit that genre. However, I’d be fascinated to see more scenes depicting Charlie in a courtship scenario, particularly with acting partners like Hawkins.

Props to the set decorator for the clever selection of movie posters adorning Kendall’s apartment – Inside Man, Out of Sight, Miami Vice, Baby Driver, The Wolf of Wall Street, Casino, 12 Monkeys, and, you bet, Kill Bill Vol. 1.

I felt quite sheepish when I finally understood that the conspicuous “Kill Bill” poster served as a hint of the mishap in our upcoming heist, considering it had been there all along.

Although I’m puzzled by Kendall preferring “Mission: Impossible III” as the top film in the series, I found Charlie’s brief review of 4, 6, 1, and 3 quite amusing: “A towering skyscraper, superhuman abilities, the original classic, and a mysterious Philip Seymour Hoffman villain?

Could it be possible for Charlie to bring Jenny along when she moves to a new place next week? I really want to see more of Geraldine Viswanathan in this series!

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2025-06-05 15:54