All 12 episodes of the second season of Poker Face are now available to watch on Peacock. Created by Rian Johnson, the show stars Natasha Lyonne with a large ensemble that includes Simon Helberg, Patti Harrison, Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, John Mulaney, Kumail Nanjiani, Simon Rex, Sam Richardson, Awkwafina, and Justin Theroux. Charlie Cale continues her cross-country journey, solving murder mysteries with her unique ability to detect lies, all while evading the Five Families crime syndicate.

When the first season premiered a few years ago, I admittedly couldn’t understand the hype. The story felt highly unrealistic and I couldn’t buy any of this would happens. The way the characters were written also didn’t compel me all that much. It was still good, otherwise I wouldn’t be here talking about the second season. Based on how I felt with the first season, I was surprised by how much I kept enjoying this season every week leading up to a finale that makes you look at the overall season from a different perspective.

This season chooses to wipe the slate clean, allowing Charlie Cale get back to doing what she does best – solving murders. The most unrealistic thing about this season is how she keeps running into murders by accident. It’s noticable at times, especially since this season has two more episodes than the first season. While each episode has its own formula, it has more than enough backstory to hook us into caring about the way Charlie Cale handles it.

Given how I felt with the first season, I wasn’t looking forward to each episode to begin with, but as time went on, I found myself only getting more excited. Each episode has its own individual story similar to something like Law & Order. As time goes on, you can see how much Cale is changing with her character arc. I love how she knows how good she is at doing it, but also just wants to lead a normal life. Due to how different she feels, we know a normal life will never be in the cards for her, especially with how this season ends.

When I go to do my year-end lists, this season’s finale will more than likely be in my top 10. There is an insane twist that makes you completely look at the season differently, much like how you look at each case differently halfway through each episode. As someone who has seen so many movies & TV shows, I applaud the show for managing to surprise me. I don’t even want to get into the details to avoid spoilers. Just know it’s amazing. Plus, there’s a great sequence towards the end that puts Cale in a brand new position in her life.

While the show is known for its ensemble, I don’t think the cast this season has gotten their flowers yet. I remember the first season being talked about everywhere. It’s just not there this season, which is too bad, because it’s even better this season. From Cynthia Erivo’s sister performances to Justin Theroux’s suave performance as a hitman, the cast see real potential to spotlight what they can do here. I never even thought about it, but Theroux could be a cunning Agent 47 from Hitman. There are even great callbacks to film throughout with one episode featuring Sam Richardson being a real standout.

It really does feel like this season finds a way to fit into its tone. While the first season feels overtly silly to a fault, this one leans into its tone perfectly with the ensemble cast having to make up for about half of the season since Natasha Lyonne typically doesn’t come in until the last half of each episode. I never felt the urge to rewatch the first season. Now, I feel the urge to rewatch this season to catch all the little details I didn’t catch before. The way it leans into its tone made me overlook all the important details. That’s incredible writing.

If I had to be overly component on one thing, it’s that I don’t think the formula always works. Just when I felt pulled into the story, the story changes the perspective to show how Cale was there the whole time. It can be funny, but you can feel where the story is just stopping to repeat what you just saw from a different angle. Going forward for a third season, I think it could be beneficial for the formula to remain sort of the same, but make Cale’s importance to the story feel more natural.

Overall, the second season of Poker Face offers twists and turns at every turn with plenty of fun throughout. The structure can get repetitive at times, but the way the ensemble cast carries the show along with Natasha Lyonne is commendable. Based on where the season ends, I can’t wait to see what happens next!

VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)