The show is nearly ending. There are only two Poker Face Season 2 Episode 10 Review episodes left after this, and it does seem Grandma felt like she is coming toward some sort of conclusion, much as had happened with the first season(And not just because the subtitle to the season finale is “The End Of The Road.”)Poker Face is episodic by design, but there is some sort of arc concerning Charlie: her traveling is at times by necessity but also while trying to figure out what she actually wants in life.
In an anticlimax of sorts, Charlie actually stays put for a while. She is still in Brooklyn, living in Good Buddy’s apartment. Along the way, she crosses paths with several of the same characters we encountered in the episode last week, “The coffee shop transgender was Alex who Lucy had met briefly in ‘A New Lease On Death.'”
Society makes a friend, gets into a gym, and solves a very Columbo-style crime. “How does one obtain that intriguing veiny texture on the forearm?”
Charlie made her first friend, went ahead and signed for a gym membership, and solved a Columbo-type crime.
The show is just two episodes from the finale, and it feels as though the show is beginning to round into some sort of resolution much like the first season (Well, I think so since the finale is titled “The End Of The Road.”) Poker Face is episodic in nature with an arc underpinning Charlie’s travels, sometimes forced upon her-but more often pursued in search of what she actually wants out of life.
Under this grand scheme, Charlie remains still this week. She is presently still in Brooklyn, inhabiting the apartment that belongs to Good Buddy. And she is hobnobbing with several of the same characters we were introduced to last week, including Alex (Patti Harrison), the coffee-shop Samaritan whom she briefly met in “A New Lease On Death.”
Alex sets the ball rolling, so to speak, asking Charlie to consider joining a local gym—The Brick House—to work off the crick that has developed in her neck and back after sleeping on Good Buddy’s bed. Brick House is the meeting point for the two chicas and their interaction with Brick (Cliff Smith, aka the rapper Method Man), a fitness entrepreneur just starting out on his career who hands out smartwatches that use his voice to encourage goal reviews and socialization with other gym members.
Also read: The Buccaneers Season 2 Ep 2 Review: Rebellion, Romance & Raw Power
After creating a friend from his side of society to get into a gym and solve a very Columbo-style weak case of a man seeking advice in prevention of “how do you get that cool veiny look on your forearm?”, Charlie made a first friend, signed up for a gym membership, and solved a Columbo-type case. The show is only two episodes from its finale, and it feels like the show may finally be rounding into some sort of resolution like the first season (Well, I think so since the finale title is “The End Of The Road.”). Poker Face pits an episodic nature with an arc underlying Charlie’s travels, sometimes forced upon her, but more often sought for what she really wants in life.
We know Brick killed Rodney already; we had seen it in the first 10 minutes before the plot circles back. The show here is very noirish and titled “The Big Pump,” referring both to weightlifting and to Brick’s clandestine operation: the sale of human breast milk to bodybuilders under the guise of “the good stuff.” Brick, who had a nasty tendency of forgetting Rodney’s name and, indeed, his personal details, fails to realize what Rodney’s occupation is until Rodney confronts him about the milk. At that moment, Brick flings a barbell weight at him-whoosh!-right into Rodney’s neck.
Why Brick Didn’t Off Charlie and Alex upon Lily’s Arrival?
Alex rescues Charlie from the sauna at Brick’s gym, only to be blocked from leaving by Brick. Brick childishly starts throwing dumbbells and threatens to kill both Charlie and Alex, but Lily’s sudden entrance, referring to Brick as if he were her son, halted Brick’s rampage.
Like a kid caught stealing, Brick started crying like a baby, confessing his wrongdoing and feeling guilty for killing Rodney. Perhaps Brick, being a child himself, was only upset that he had gotten caught-wasn’t really caring about Rodney one way or another. Lily gives Brick some fresh breast milk, which he drinks up greedily and then instructs Charlie and Alex to call the cops.
What Charlie & Alex’s Friendship Means for Poker Face Season 2
Only two episodes remain in Poker Face season 2, giving Charlie an opportunity to suck the marrow out of her new NYC experience, maybe with a new sidekick for the rest of the season. She has befriended a lot of people through both seasons of Poker Face but has mostly been riding solo in Poker Face season 2, so finally having somebody sidekick her would be a very nice curveball. At the end of Poker Face season 2, episode 10, Charlie tells Alex almost her whole backstory, which might imply that this new character is going to stick around for the rest of the season, whether she stays in New York or not.
Also read: Poker Face Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Guest Stars & Ending Twist Explained
Random Tidbits
- When Alex asks Charlie how she knows Brick is lying, we get a cut to a card reading “23 SECONDS LATER”; then the conversation continues, with Alex now fully fluent in the superpower. That has got to be a good nod to the writers, including the credited screenwriter Raphie Cantor.
- With Alex aware of Charlie’s strength, she asks to play two truths and a lie—and then gives Charlie three truthful statements. File those away in case Alex ever turns into a recurring character: She was born to an alcoholic teenage mother in Missouri; she’s started 11 failed businesses; and she’s deathly allergic to cinnamon.
- Charlie curses like I do, except every now and then she likes to give it an extra flourish.While pondering whether or not to go to The Brick House for spinal adjustment, she takes a deep breath.”Fuck it. Fuck it in the butt. Worth a shot.”
- No one ever really specifies just how the breast milk diet works for Brick’s meathead bodybuilders, but watching Brick try to substitute formula and make his customers sick is quite funny. Also, the whole process of Charlie smelling the baby’s burp and racking his brain for that last clue as to what exactly Brick was cooking up is just too cute.
- Comedian Natasha Leggero portrays Brick’s wife Lil, who works at a milk bank and supplies Brick. Leggero hardly had any material in this episode, yet a standout moment occurs toward the end when she shows up at the gym as her husband is attacking Alex and Charlie. Lil assumes all this drama must have something to do with the breast milk, until Alex blurts out, “Actually, it’s the murder.”
- I’ve fallen back a bit on keeping track of the Natasha Lyonne links in the Poker Face guest casts:Now, I am late to point out that two weeks ago John Cho was in American Pie with Lyonne and that Melanie Lynskey has played a co-star to Lynne in both But I’m A Cheerleader and The Intervention. That latter also had Alia Shawkat, guest villain last week, and Jason Ritter, this week’s guest victim (and also Lynskey’s real-life husband). The Intervention is the picture that was both written and directed by its star, Clea Duvall, who also portrayed Charlie’s sister in season one of Poker Face and is another alum from But I’m A Cheerleader. Duvall also directed “The Big Pump.” And I think we’re all caught up!
