Poker Face Season 2 Eposode 5 is called Hometown Hero and this time Charlie Cale gets herself involved in a murder mystery with a small town baseball field. The episode has some good acting and funny, dark moments, but still feels like one of the season’s weaker installments in that the plot machine is easier to guess and there’s just not enough done with the potential on offer.
A Promising Setup
The episode starts by introducing us to Russ ‘Rocket’ Waddell, a has-been minor league pitcher who’s picked up radio by the skin of his teeth. Russ, a man who’s seen his fastball disappear and his career on the line, is played by Simon Rex. Out of work after getting booted from the league, he comes up with a plan to bet against his team, the Montgomery Cheesemongers, before he’s canned for good. According to the scheme, five games would be lost intentionally, bet on by those same losers, and then a group of fellow losing teammates would split a $3.1 million payout.
This sports-inspired con begins on an unlikely and kind of quirky note before things take a deadly turn as Russ’s plan is threatened by the arrival of Felix, a promising new pitcher. The last loss to cash in is jeopardized by Felix’s idealism and talent, so Russ fixes matters himself, with a lethal fastball to Felix’s throat and then spins the tragedy as a tragic batting cage incident.
Charlie Caught in the Chaos
As has become customary between her and Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, she comes to us accidentally and awkwardly. She’d gotten hit in the emergency room by a rogue baseball, and in her time, they hired her as a ball girl for the Cheesemongers. Her arrival is the show’s high point, most obviously when she connects with team owner Lucille (Carol Kane). Unfortunately, you’ll have to look to the past to find quality Elrich and Juan relationships, because this episode sadly sidelines the chemistry between these two in the interest of advancing the murder plot.
In any case, the involvement of Charlie in the case is also a bit looser than usual. Unwittingly, she consumes the same LSD laced gum that killed get Felix, and she’s got no choice but to get up and get going. While visually amusing, her hallucinogenic trip is a tedious thing that brings not much to the mystery itself.
Lacking the Usual Twists
Typically, Poker Face does shine where it twists a murder that seems so simple into something multi-layered and twisty. Sadly, “Hometown Hero” doesn’t have this trademark complexity. When the coroner’s report shows the fatal pitch was over 100 mph — much higher than any pitching machine can crank — Charlie immediately outs Russ as the killer. From there, it takes a pretty linear road to resolution.
The climactic moment, Charlie tricking Russ into dropping his fastball, ’cause some scout we’re convinced is in the stands, goes down exactly the way you picture, too. And it’s a clever bit, but not a thrilling bit. Even if the resolution is neat and having the scout be a cop and the Russ being arrested is a neat ending, it’s a bit uninspired.
Strong Performances, Shaky Script
And while Simon Rex doesn’t have any acting chops, he fills Rocket with charm and tragedy, portraying a man who may have been too good for the era, who’s fighting time and a fading glory. His scenes with Charlie are among the episode’s more emotional highlights as well, and his ultimate ‘give in’ at the end (knowing full well he’s pitching a fastball to the scout/cop) is sweet but bittersweet.
Carol Kane and B.J. Novak (as a hallucinated cheese mogul) season the episode, but neither of them are given enough to do to really come alive. The rest of the cast plays no better and for all intents and purposes are all one note.
Final Thoughts
By no means is “Hometown Hero” bad — it’s well-acted, well-written, and visually creative. But it doesn’t hit the Poker Face bar like the previous episodes did. The mystery is too straightforward, the comedy less sharp, and the pacing bogged down by unnecessary detours. Still, it’s a decent entry in a strong series and offers a thoughtful, if overly familiar, meditation on time, talent, and regret.
