Poker Face Recap: Milk Money

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Let me make one thing clear at the start – I’m not familiar with gym culture, much like my confession earlier in the season about not being into baseball. (I hope you won’t be surprised by that.) However, I can relate to the sense of inadequacy when everyone else seems to be advancing while you’ve hit a plateau. This is where we find Rodney, played by Jason Ritter, who despite his regular gym visits and lifestyle changes, isn’t seeing any progress. (“I’m eating enough protein, I’ve had like 18 eggs today,” he says.)

“The Big Pump” episode serves as a comfortable transition for us into the revised format of Poker Face. As announced earlier, Charlie has chosen to stay in New York City and she now has a new companion in Alex, portrayed by Patti Harrison, whom we got a glimpse of last week. It’s uncertain how long the series will maintain this static setting, but it certainly isn’t an unpleasant place to be.

In a contrasting situation, Rodney is far from comfortable – his high school reunion is approaching, and he wants to beef up before confronting his former tormentor, who’s now a firefighter. He has suspicions about Brick (Chris Smith, also known as Method Man), his trainer and gym owner, regarding some secret dealings. There’s talk around the gym about special benefits that Brick is offering, and Rodney wants in on it. Brick vehemently denies dealing steroids; his gym, Brick House, prides itself on being all-natural and eco-friendly. However, there does seem to be a hidden product the other gym members are consuming, and Brick can’t ignore the potential additional income from Rodney. It appears that the gym is in dire financial straits, which Brick has been trying to conceal from his wife, Lil (Natasha Leggero). Interestingly, Lil is not only Brick’s wife but also his supplier of this mysterious product – human breast milk she steals from her job at the Brooklyn Birth Center. Given Rodney’s profession as a health inspector, Lil advises Brick against selling to him. Despite this, Brick has already made a promise to involve Rodney and resorts to providing him with some harmless protein powder in an attempt to mislead him.

As I embarked on this new routine, I’ve found myself grappling with an issue: the aroma. Two weeks in, I haven’t noticed any improvements, and I’m starting to question if I’m getting the genuine top-notch supplements. I give a sniff to the protein shakes my gym buddies are drinking, and I instantly realize I’ve been tricked. When I corner Brick after hours, he drops a shocking revelation: “I can detect fresh human breast milk from a mile away.” It’s clear that denial won’t help him now, and while I might have overlooked actual steroids, my duty as a health inspector demands I report this apparent health-code disaster.

Brick panics—he needs to sell the good stuff just to keep Brick House running, and if his boss finds out about Lil’s side hustle, she could lose her job. As he frantically tries to flush the evidence, I show him that I’m no pushover. We scuffle, and surprisingly, I hold my own against a man much stronger than me. However, Brick has an ace up his sleeve—he throws a weight at me that instantly silences me. Although it wasn’t his intention to kill me, there’s no going back now. He arranges my lifeless body on the bench press and drops a heavy barbell on me, making it appear as a tragic accident.

In this episode, it’s not just Rodney who has neck problems; Charlie, dwelling in Good Buddy’s apartment, experiences her own neck discomfort while stretching. She later describes it as a yawn due to tiredness. Age seems to bring about such inconveniences. At her fresh neighborhood coffee shop, Pour and Ponder, she notices an advertisement for the Brick House, offering spinal adjustments, which could potentially solve her issue. Coincidentally, her regular coffee companion Alex has been seeking a local gym, so she invites him along. The Brick House successfully alleviates Charlie’s neck pain and even persuades them to try a membership. It’s advantageous as they receive free fitness trackers, the Brickbit, and access to the gym’s social media app, BrickedIn. Furthermore, they are already making new gym acquaintances – or perhaps more than just friends. As Charlie puffs on her vape during dumbbell curls, Rodney intervenes while Alex attempts to bench press without a spotter. Although he comes across as patronizing when explaining the importance of having a spotter and how to rotate muscle groups, there’s an undeniable attraction between them that Charlie notices instantly.

It turns out that Alex can’t delve into this matter as Rodney, who met Alex and Charlie at the Brick House the next morning, was found dead. From the start, Alex finds it suspicious that Rodney was using the bench press alone in the middle of the night, especially given he had already worked out his arms and chest earlier in the day. On the other hand, Charlie seems determined to avoid getting involved. She’s been expressing a desire for a normal life without any more murder investigations and even seems reluctant about befriending Alex. It would have been nice if her sudden distance was directly linked to the recent murders of Maddy in the last episode and Bill a few episodes ago, but it’s good to see Charlie acknowledging the danger and death that seems to follow her. For now, she plans to view Rodney’s death as an unfortunate accident, regardless of how eager Alex is to take up the case.

In the midst of things, Brick finds himself in a tight spot. It’s not due to murder allegations, as the investigators find Rodney’s death less than suspicious. However, their presence is causing trouble for Brick’s business, as his supplier, Lil, is unwilling to provide more goods for him to sell. Desperate for cash, he resorts to a dangerous scheme: passing off soy-based infant formula as real breast milk, which leaves the bodybuilders with upset stomachs and a growing suspicion that they’re being tricked.

Alex and Charlie can sense the tension brewing at the gym, but Charlie wishes she could just ignore it. After learning about Charlie’s ability to detect lies, Alex decides to question Brick about Rodney’s death in her presence, forcing Charlie to acknowledge Brick’s deception. Despite the danger involved, Charlie resists launching a full investigation.

However, when a series of clues, including an unpleasant but amusing detail like the smell of baby burps, start to connect in her mind, she realizes she can no longer suppress her instinctive detective skills. Brick is illegally selling human breast milk to his gym members and may have killed the health inspector who threatened to expose him.

As a fervent admirer, it’s somewhat disconcerting to see Charlie, despite her numerous warnings about the perils of murder investigations and direct confrontation with suspects, choose to visit Brick alone. She even synced her Brickbit with his device – I was anticipating the fitness-tracker deus ex machina moment. She then proceeded to the sauna, where she noticed that Brick had set a record for barbell curls at 1:55 a.m., coincidentally around the time Rodney met his demise. Regrettably, Charlie inadvertently clicked the heart icon next to the record (“I don’t adore murder workouts!” she exclaimed while trying to rectify her mistake), which sent Brick a notification and stirred up similar feelings as an unintended Instagram like during a late-night scroll.

Brick didn’t intend to kill Rodney, but it’s clear he’s attempting to eliminate Charlie when he locks her in the sauna and increases the temperature. With my cries for help falling on deaf ears, I resort to sending an SOS to Alex through our linked Brickbits. Despite the rising heat, I perform a series of exercises: heel raises, arm circles, lunges, and push-ups – in essence, signaling: HELP!

In a more straightforward manner: Help would have been better, but in a pinch, Alex secretly enters the gym and saves Charlie from the sauna. They encounter Brick on their exit, leading to a second fight, this time with weights. Before Brick could harm two women with a barbell, Lil arrives questioning the situation. Rodney confesses his wrongdoings tearfully. His wife consoles him with a bottle of liquor and advises Charlie and Alex to contact the police. With Brick House likely to be demolished soon, Charlie seems troubled. She expresses her sorrow over losing another community at Pour and Ponder, noting that deceit is what holds things together, they should disintegrate. Alex, who has never lied since they met, is an honest ally for someone with a keen sense of dishonesty. Although this honesty might explain why Alex doesn’t have many friends, it makes her an ideal partner for someone like Charlie.

Just One More Thing

In this particular episode, the director’s chair was taken by my good friend and fellow actor from “But I’m a Cheerleader,” the brilliant Clea DuVall. She truly outdid herself in this production.

As we approach the final two episodes of the season, it seems likely that our story will be set in New York for the remainder. To be honest, I’m appreciating the fresh change, particularly since one of the characters is a genuine friend who I hope won’t turn out to be someone destined to become a victim down the line.

Patti Harrison consistently radiates an endearing screen charisma, and I appreciate how her character is crafted to have just the right amount of quirkiness. I was captivated by Alex’s idea that Brick could be providing his customers with blood boys. “You mean… blood boys?” she inquires, puzzling Charlie. Yes, indeed, I am familiar with the concept.

Let’s also pause for a minute to observe her sequence of consuming a buttered popcorn latte, which the barista called a “management-imposed atrocity,” along with a Watergate-salad filled croissant.

Charlie tells Alex, “It may seem like fun and games to you, but let me remind you, this path often leads to danger: gunfire, arson attempts, even encounters with alligators.

As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but echo Charlie’s spot-on analogy about endorphins. It’s as if enjoying a film is equivalent to taking a puff from a vape, minus the lingering sense of philosophical unease.

Although I generally liked the episode, learning about bodybuilders consuming breast milk left me distinctly uncomfortable. Frankly, it’s a matter I could do without knowing.

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2025-06-26 17:57