Peacock has made a sure bet on Rian Johnson’s mystery series ‘Poker Face’, a genre in which the director is specializing, bringing out his more ‘Brick’ vein, after the critically acclaimed ‘Stabs in the Back’ and its sequel ‘Glass Onion’. Both were a success, but his new proposal is much less smart on twitter, he surpasses them in charisma, and most importantly, the suspense of the investigationcase insights and his amazing sense of humor.
And this has not gone unnoticed abroad; The series entered its premiere at #3 on Nielsen’s Top 10 Platforms list, making it the highest ranked Peacock original series, and in subsequent weeks it went to #2, and not only that, critics’ reviews have been unanimous in their praise, debuting with a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes that it has only dropped a point in subsequent weeks. It has a better positive average than ‘The Last of Us’ or ‘Bronca’, but also, beware, than season 3 of ‘Succession’.
Viewers have left a solid 80% and a 7.9 on imdb, which continues to reflect the growing cult following for its protagonist, the essential Natasha Lyonne, who for 10 episodes plays Charlie Cale, a “human detector of lies” which becomes detective by accident thanks to his extraordinary ability to determine when someone is or is not telling the truth. It’s actually partly a road moviesince during the series he flees by road in his Plymouth Barracuda.
A bombshell that revives the criminal comedy
The dynamic is that at every stop he makes, he encounters a new cast of characters and bizarre crimes that he can’t help but solve. A premise that follows the classics of the genre such as ‘Murder has been written’ and ‘Colombo’ the both of which seem to have directly inspired ‘Poker Face’, not only because they both had a separate story in each episode, but because of the casual perspective of Angela Lansbury’s non-professional investigator, coupled with the eccentricity of Peter Falk.
But Charlie is quite a unique character, he is pure Lyonne, a cousin of his creation for ‘Russian Doll’, but with an almost paranormal superhero capacity that gives him a unique touch, coupled with his overwhelming personality. He is pure rock and roll. Each chapter takes its time to explain a new case, with a unique tone, rhythm and style between them, in the tradition of American classic anthologies that were somewhat forgottenwhich makes it stand out in an oversaturated genre.
No wonder Peacock announced in early February his plans to enter the series in the Emmy race as a comedy, as well as rewarding it with an early renewal for a second season that fans will devour. And it is that it is not only an addictive series, but it has Johnson’s touch in more than one aspect. The author of ‘The Last Jedi’ directs three of the episodes as if they were first-run movies, not only for its staging and use of widescreen, but for a photograph that has generated analysis articles. It is one of the best-looking television products since the advent of digital.
No news in Spain
Also, the director loves to bring together big names for his projects, and in ‘Poker Face’ he gets Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, Adrien Brody, Lil Rel Howery, Ellen Barkin, Chloe Sevigny, Jameela Jamil, Hong Chau, Simon Helberg, Nick Nolte, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Luis Guzman or Rhea Perlman, among other stars that give entity and prestige to a series that is delivered to amuse and entertain at any cost. The chapters fly, leave you wanting more and invite you to revisit them in the future. It is a perfect product.
In addition, Johnson supervises episodes where his affinity for the genre is seen, and each one has its spirit similar to other anthologies, such as the wonderful ‘The Orpheus Syndrome’, a tribute to special effects and the figure of Phil Tippet, with a final stretch that enters the giallo grounds practically out of ‘Tales from the Crypt’. Or the next one, ‘Escape from Shit Mountain’, a survival in a lost cabin worthy of ‘The Alfred Hitchcock Hour’.
‘Poker Face’ ends its cycle with an ending that closes the arc of the season, which is also partly present during its run, and opens possibilities for a second equally exciting installment. However, this widespread emotion It continues without crossing borders and there is still no trace of the series in Spain, not even on the new platform that is supposed to bring together the content of Peacock and Paramount +. SkyShowtime will have to better resolve the rights issues if it wants to position itself as a real alternative to Netflix or HBO in the world, and omitting and delaying one of its best aces up its sleeve is losing your hand at the moment of a game where you need to take a all in.