Poker Face Recap: Child’s Play

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The intrigue of a mystery hinges on its unveilings. Generally speaking, it’s the process that captivates rather than the outcome – something Charlie Cale would agree with. Yet, when it comes to solving a crime, the resolution carries significant weight. Is it satisfying? Does it surprise yet make sense? Are viewers able to solve it before the detective does? However, in the case of “Poker Face“, the mystery is different; it’s not about who did it or why, but rather how Charlie solves it. Nevertheless, endings are crucial even in such cases, and “Sloppy Joseph” serves as a lesson on how a weak ending can mar an otherwise strong episode. After last week’s brilliant finale, I was particularly disappointed by the show’s failure to deliver a compelling conclusion this time around.

Before reaching our destination, there are several intriguing elements to observe. In a departure from the typical structure of Poker Face, this time around, no prominent celebrity is targeted for demise. Instead, the victim is a classroom pet named Joseph Gerbils, a name that only Charlie finds unsettling. The murderer in this case is an exceptionally ambitious young girl named Stephanie Pearce, portrayed by Eva Jade Halford. It’s revealed that Stephanie excels remarkably at Good Hope Academy, earning countless gold stars from her teacher, Ms. Dee (Adrienne C. Moore), for her daily achievements. However, during a spelling bee, Stephanie encounters trouble when she is asked to spell “abracadabra,” a word she criticizes as non-existent. She becomes enraged, questioning the rules, “Is this anarchy? Are we barbarians?” She misspells it, allowing her rival, Elijah (Callum Vinson), a magic enthusiast, to win. This defeat ignites Stephanie’s thirst for retribution.

Director Adam Arkin strategically films the initial scenes as if seen through a child’s perspective, keeping Ms. Dee’s face hidden until Charlie arrives, giving the scene a resemblance to ‘Nanny’ on ‘Muppet Babies’. This approach helps us empathize with Stephanie as we share her high stakes. As Elijah cherishes magic and his gerbil friend deeply, Stephanie decides to take away both at the upcoming talent show. She first swipes an awkward baby picture of Elijah from school custodian J.B. (David Krumholtz), adding it to a slideshow for students’ performances. Backstage, she hints to Elijah about the photo, knowing he will remove it before projection. This action sets up the perfect moment for Stephanie to sabotage Elijah’s magic act.

Elijah’s trick includes placing Joseph the gerbil in a fabric lantern and secretly dropping him into a padded box below. To demonstrate that Joseph has vanished, Elijah hits the lantern with a mallet (raising questions about what school administrator approved this action). Unfortunately for Elijah, Stephanie exploits his distraction by flipping the box upside-down. When he strikes the lantern for the grand finale, he accidentally crushes Joseph and sprays blood onto the audience instead.

Poor Joseph and Charlie indeed! Our protagonist, with her idealistic expectations, has landed a position at Good Hope Academy, expecting to tap into the childlike charm of youth. Little did she know, she’s hardly been around children before. To top it off, she must navigate the challenging adults like Dr. Hamm, the stern principal, played by Margo Martindale. Charlie, on the other hand, manages to find an ally in J.B., who tolerates Dr. Hamm’s strictness and condescension because Good Hope Academy offers him free tuition for his son, Elijah. After losing his mother, Elijah has been quiet and prefers solitude, often performing magic in his room. His only true friend is Joseph Gerbils. J.B. is excited about the talent show, hoping it would give Elijah a chance to conquer his fears and finally taste victory. However, Stephanie’s scheme becomes even more sinister with this backstory, especially after the talent show. Following the event, Ms. Dee informs Charlie that the children are traumatized (hardly surprising), and Elijah appears to be in a terrible state himself. “I’m a monster!” he exclaims to his father as J.B. escorts him away from the school.

It’s a battlefield down there.

In addition to having a suspicion, Charlie finds herself right on target. She observes that Stephanie is lacking a button on her uniform, which coincidentally matches a button Charlie previously found in J.B.’s office prior to the talent show. Confronting Stephanie doesn’t go smoothly. Charlie believes Stephanie is lying when she claims not to care about Elijah winning the spelling bee, so she directly accuses Stephanie of tampering with the magic trick that resulted in Joseph’s death. Stephanie denies it, but Charlie lacks solid evidence. All she can do is hope for Stephanie to act with integrity, a slim possibility indeed. After Charlie discloses the button that could link Stephanie to the crime, the “pigtailed devil child” swiftly swallows it. Charlie seems to be outmaneuvered by a minor. However, she does manage to persuade a tech-savvy individual with a cupcake to uncover how Stephanie used an embarrassing baby photo to distract Elijah, providing her the opportune moment to bring about Joseph’s demise.

Stephanie has been blackmailing her with a photograph of Dr. Hamm stealing from the school cash box to cover gambling debts. “Perhaps a change of schools would serve Elijah better than being in Stephanie’s line of fire,” Dr. Hamm suggests.

Stephanie, it seems, has been listening in on our conversation, her presence as unsettling as a shadowy figure in a horror movie – kudos to Arkin for the chilling direction here. This revelation leaves me pondering how this tale will ultimately unfold.

The solution wasn’t clear to me. Charlie devised a strange plan for Elijah, which left me confused. When Elijah returned to school, everyone except Stephanie dressed up as gerbils and welcomed him warmly. Ms. Dee miraculously healed Joseph, but only Stephanie seemed to notice the swap of gerbils. The entire situation was strange and hard to understand – the students went from disliking Elijah to adoring him instantly. They loved Elijah so much that they decided to give him all their good grades, which Stephanie thought was socialism. She tried to outsmart them by stealing money from the cash box and framing J.B., but Charlie caught her in the act with a camera. If Stephanie doesn’t stop causing trouble, Charlie will send the photo to Stephanie’s parents and other prestigious schools, effectively ending her mischief-making. The bully has been defeated.

But did she? I must admit, I might be overanalyzing this situation, but the conclusion to “Sloppy Joseph” seems somewhat messy. What exactly does that picture of Stephanie actually demonstrate? Why is it sufficient for Stephanie to remove the much more damning photo of Dr. Hamm stealing? And honestly, does Elijah, who appears intelligent, truly believe Joseph miraculously survived being hit by a mallet? Although I’ve grown accustomed to the exaggerated reality in Poker Face, the plotting is typically more precise than this. At least the episode concludes with some ambiguity. As soon as Charlie deduces “a group of 8-year-olds didn’t have all the answers,” she uncovers a note from Stephanie that says, “When I grow up, I will find you.” Charlie doesn’t need her unique ability to know that Stephanie is telling the truth — the expressionless look she leaves Charlie with speaks volumes.

Just One More Thing

I’m really enjoying the continued role of Good Buddy, which adds a nice organizational aspect to this season. Steve Buscemi’s voice work is so powerful that it makes one forget he isn’t physically present.

It would have been nice if you could provide a brief reason as to why Charlie departed from Montgomery, given that it appeared she had discovered the community she desired in the previous episode.

David Krumholtz brings about the second gathering for the cast of “The Slums of Beverly Hills” this season. Notably, Kevin Corrigan, who recently featured in “Last Looks,” also acted alongside Natasha Lyonne in the 1998 film. Additionally, this episode was skillfully directed by Adam Arkin, the son of Alan Arkin, a star from the original series.

Adrienne C. Moore, who remains mysteriously uncredited, adds to the feeling of a reunion for “Orange Is the New Black” in this instance as well.

Although I wished Charlie had a bit more wisdom about kids, I can’t help but be reminded of her childlike nature. Sharing a moment with Dr. Hamm, she confides in J.B., “I believe the name appeals to me because it brings to mind a cartoon pig doctor, complete with a stethoscope.

• Again, heightened reality, but I have to ask — how much blood is there really in one tiny gerbil?

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2025-05-29 17:54