Poker Face Season-Premiere Recap: Imposter Syndrome

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It’s been more than two years since we last saw “Poker Face” on our screens, and it feels too long without the charismatic character of Charlie Cale. There’s no one else quite like Natasha Lyonne’s amateur sleuth, a former cocktail waitress who uses her knack for reading lies to solve murders she encounters while on the run. Yes, we now have Elsbeth Tascioni from “Elsbeth,” a character with a similar role but a sunnier disposition. Both shows share a unique structure, where the mystery isn’t about who committed the crime, but rather how it will be solved. Still, Charlie stands out. Thanks to Lyonne’s signature deadpan delivery and the rough-around-the-edges charm given to her by series creator Rian Johnson, she leaves a lasting impression. The absence of Charlie since March 2023 has been noticeably missed.

Absolutely, “Poker Face” isn’t just about Charlie; there are many reasons to love this series. The writing and direction, as seen in the premiere written by Laura Deeley and directed by Johnson, live up to the high standards we’ve come to expect from Peacock’s surprising hit. Moreover, the guest stars play a significant role in the show’s success, given their extensive screen time before Charlie appears. The episode “The Game Is a Foot” boasts well-known figures such as Jasmine Guy and Jin Ha, but it’s Cynthia Erivo who truly steals the spotlight. Her remarkable performance spans five distinct roles, plus an additional two when one character impersonates another, demonstrating her versatility and ability to make each role uniquely hers.

In a turn of events, the initial character we encounter is named Amber, an aspiring artist who finds herself in the role of caregiver for her demanding mother, Norma (Guy). Despite having access to Norma’s grand mansion, it’s evident that Amber yearns to be elsewhere, particularly when Norma derides her as “the Gauguin of Etsy.” Norma has only a few weeks left to live, but those weeks are filled with Amber enduring jabs such as, “Four daughters, and the one I kept closest is my biggest disappointment.” What makes this situation even more distressing is that Norma has requested her lawyer, Paul (Ha), to assist in revising her will. Although Paul is bound by client confidentiality, he tends to appease people, so he ends up telling Amber that Norma has excluded all four of her daughters from the will entirely. Instead, everything – the house, the funds, and the royalties – are now being given to Felicity Price, a mixed-media artist residing in Vermont. Unfamiliar with this enigmatic woman who is now set to inherit, Amber decides to locate her. Upon reaching Felicity’s remote trailer home, Amber uncovers a shocking truth: Felicity is, indeed, another one of Norma’s daughters – also portrayed by Erivo.

The distinct appearance of these two characters plays a significant role in setting them apart, and Erivo delivers an impressive portrayal of their contrasting personalities – Amber, oppressed by her mother and yearning for approval, versus Felicity, confident and composed. When Amber proposes to capture a new artist photo of Felicity, her intention becomes apparent. She meticulously records every detail of her secret sister to embark on a transformation into Felicity, cutting her hair short and getting a (fake) septum piercing. Following Norma’s comparison of Amber’s new appearance to that of Mario (Super), Amber decides to let her mother pass away, placing the help button just out of reach. Her “You can go now; I’m ready” is appropriately chilling, despite the fact that Norma somewhat deserves it.

On the day of the funeral, Amber leads Felicity to a cliff near her house, revealing her reason for turning to crime: “You have everything I yearn for, everything I feel is rightfully mine.” They struggle, but Amber overpowers Felicity and pushes her from the edge of the cliff. To deceive her sister group chat, Amber records a farewell video that seems insincere, hinting at a body found at the foot of the cliff. However, there’s a twist: Felicity had a prosthetic lower leg, which is conspicuously absent from her corpse. In a flash of inspiration, Amber adjusts the body to appear as if “Amber” jumped from the cliff and landed on the train tracks, losing her leg in the process.

Charlie makes an appearance next. Previously, our unlikely hero had chosen to remain elusive, as Beatrix Hasp, the casino owner, threatened revenge from herself and the five families. True to her word, Beatrix’s enforcers have been disrupting every job that Charlie takes on, from parking-lot attendant to Halloween mummy at a haunted hayride, by opening fire. However, during her employment in an apple orchard, she is rescued by Delia, another character played by Erivo, who informs the men that Charlie had already left the day before. Delia, you may recall, was also a cast member on the TV series Kid Cop. The Kazinsky sisters, believed to be quadruplets, shared the lead roles in this show. In a twist of fate, their sister Norma had manipulated them against each other (sending Delia to various rehab stints), pocketing all their earnings herself. Upon learning that Norma has passed away, Delia assumes that all the money will go to Amber, but she intends to ask Amber to split it so that Delia can buy the apple orchard with the proceeds. Although Charlie has been hesitant about sharing personal details with Delia (“introspection makes me feel queasy”), their friendship has grown enough for Charlie to chauffeur her to the funeral.

In Norma’s grand estate, Charlie encounters the surviving sisters: DJ Bebe and Professor Cece. Cynthia Erivo delivers a noteworthy performance, especially with her portrayal of Cece’s exaggerated French accent, given her postgraduate year in Quebec. As Charlie inspects the Latvian Critic Award for Best Intergenerational Kiss, which appears to be a sharp glass item destined for violence at some point, they receive what seems to be a farewell video message from Amber. At the cliff’s edge, they discover a deceased body (mistakenly identified as Felicity’s), but there is little time for mourning. Upon returning to the house, Paul reveals that all of Norma’s earnings from the popular Indonesian film “Kid Cop” will go to Felicity. This revelation prompts Amber to reappear, disguised as “Felicity,” by adopting a new southern accent. The other sisters had called her “Hamber” for a reason. Delia threatens a lawsuit to challenge the will, but “Felicity” has anticipated this: If the remaining sisters sign an agreement not to sue, she promises to give each of them $150,000. Delia is the only one who refuses, and this could cause problems, as litigation might tie up the money for years. Additionally, Charlie observes that the tragic backstory “Felicity” shared was mostly fabricated.

Amber is determined to claim her inheritance despite Delia’s objections. After Delia takes a drive in Charlie’s car, Amber disguises herself as Delia to sign a form using her name. However, Charlie sees through the disguise before she can change back. Now, “Delia” is left shocked as Charlie voices her suspicions about someone named “Felicity”, revealing some background information on how Amber’s trick works. After verifying Felicity’s real background with Paul, Charlie concludes that the “Felicity” at their house must be an imposter. This implies there could be a hidden sixth sibling, though we know this isn’t true and it’s all part of Amber’s plan (and the show Poker Face is indeed complex, even for its first episode back).

When the genuine Delia arrives, Amber transforms back into “Felicity” in a timely fashion for a confrontation with Charlie. She understands that Charlie can discern falsehoods, so she abandons the “dinner-theater Blanche DuBois” accent and instead delivers a monologue explaining that “Felicity Price is a fabrication, a response to the mistreatment I’ve experienced, years of abuse.” This account is accurate, and it suffices for Charlie, even after “Felicity” declines to share more of her inheritance with Delia. As for Delia, she recognizes that someone pretended to be her to sign the document on her behalf, but she chooses to steer clear of a legal battle and instead accepts the $150,000, which is significantly less than what she’d require to purchase the orchard.

It appears that Amber might escape the situation, but there’s one key detail – the missing foot that the police haven’t found yet. This leads Charlie to a brochure about Felicity’s artwork, where she notices an unusual focus on feet-themed subjects. More significantly, Felicity’s artist photo clearly shows her wearing a prosthetic leg. This clue sparks Charlie’s deduction, leading her to challenge Faux-licity (her clever nickname) with the evidence. The ending is reminiscent of a classic Columbo scene, and Lyonne skillfully embodies this trope. However, Amber has anticipated this move, and when she lifts her pant leg, it reveals a prosthetic leg, seemingly confirming that she is indeed Felicity. But when Charlie uses the Latvian Critic Award for Best Intergenerational Kiss as a makeshift probe on Faux-licity’s foot, it starts bleeding. The prosthetic is a fake, Amber’s foot is real, and the game is over for her.

Straight away, the police show up with a critical announcement: They’ve identified the deceased as Felicity Price. This revelation seems to indicate that Amber was destined to get caught, and Charlie’s role might have been insignificant, although I’d contend that the thrill of executing a flawless murderer unmasking is always priceless. Since Felicity had no surviving relatives, Norma’s wealth will be inherited by her non-imprisoned siblings (Poor Amber, all that effort for nothing!). Delia invites Charlie to join her in the orchard venture, and it’s unclear if the romantic subtext is deliberate or if Lyonne and Erivo simply share a strong on-screen chemistry. “Perhaps I need a bit of stability,” muses Charlie. “What am I actually trying to escape from, anyway?” Just as things were getting interesting, Beatrix’s henchmen appear and start firing. “Ah, yes,” says Charlie, realizing she must resume her nomadic life – and face the unsolved murders that lie ahead of her. At least we get to follow her on this adventure.

Just One More Thing

As a devoted cinephile, I can’t help but share that my favorite acting partner from the “Kid Cop” movie was none other than Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This revelation, however, stirs up some chilling existential queries, given his role as Trey in the previous season’s thriller, “Escape From Shit Mountain.

In this episode, Erivo’s versatility in portraying various characters left me hesitant to make a “defying gravity” joke about Felicity’s fall from the cliff. After all, she’s that good!

Charlie responds to the birth of his fifth identical sister with a clever reference to the movie “Gremlins”: “Wow, I guess they should stop giving these sisters food past bedtime!

Intriguingly, the fleeting glimpse into Charlie’s pre-orchard life leaves me yearning for more backstory. Specifically, I find myself intrigued by her Parktopia colleague Cookie, an individual whose appearance seems incongruous with a literary taste for ‘Fear of Flying’, yet harbors thoughts on second-wave feminism – a fascinating juxtaposition that piques my curiosity.

Although the format of this series necessitates Charlie’s constant travel, I fervently wish we don’t conclude each episode with Beatrix’s henchmen appearing. Benjamin Bratt’s character Cliff provided an effective low-level threat in season one, but these henchmen seem overly exaggerated and potentially excessive for regular use.

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2025-05-08 12:48