The Tartan

By Zachary Gelman

I have a great deal of respect for Natasha Lyonne. I watched the formerly one-season-long “Russian Doll” in my freshman year and was impressed by its twist on the “Groundhog Day” formula. “Groundhog Day” of course refers to the fantastical time loop concept explored in the eponymous Bill Murray vehicle. A more recent movie to do the same concept well was “Palm Springs,” starring Andy Samberg. 

But while those two movies (and the underrated Broadway musical adaptation of “Groundhog Day” (only nominated for seven Tony awards, six less than average)) reset the loop whenever the loopee loses consciousness, whether through sleep or death, “Russian Doll” cycles last until death. This allows us to explore the other characters over the course of multiple days, which characterizes them beyond the “chipmunk girl” or “satanic insurance salesman.” So although our focal point is on the sardonic middle-aged Nadia Vulkova (and also Alan sometimes), we spend time with and glean deep insights from the characters surrounding her. Her friends, her therapist, the homeless guy, the cat… 

This same sensibility is brought to “Poker Face,” the actual subject of this article. “Poker Face” is the best murder mystery show to hit the scene in quite some time, with one season out on Peacock and another expected this year. The series was created by Rian Johnson —

Official Rian Johnson movie ranking: 

1. “Brick” (clever, also the villain looks like the guy who made “Undertale”) 
2. “Knives Out” (obviously really good, but I’m insufferable so I ranked it second) 
3. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (you’ve seen this movie) 
4. “The Brothers Bloom” (all-star cast and clever directing can’t elevate an “Ocean’s Twelve”-level plot) 
5. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (fart-sniffery of the highest degree) 

(I haven’t seen Looper yet.)

— with Natasha Lyonne in mind to play Charlie Cale, our protagonist who can tell when somebody lies. This sounds like it would trivialize any mystery, but to paraphrase a line Charlie said in the first episode: “Apart from poker, it’s less useful than you’d think.” And she’s of course blacklisted from gambling in any establishments of note, and doesn’t have the extrajudicial powers of a police officer, so her “investigations” take on a more creative bend. 

Rian Johnson loves putting twists onto the mystery formula. Those familiar with Johnson will immediately think of the emetic liar Marta Cabrera from “Knives Out,” and compare her propensity to vomit when lying — and all the hijinks that ensue — to Charlie Cale’s ability. I know I did! But you’ll just have to trust me when I say that it ends up feeling completely different. I was not once reminded of “Knives Out” when watching “Poker Face.” Whether this is positive or negative is up to you.

“Poker Face” has been described as  “Columbo-like,” meaning that we start with the crime, and then watch Charlie solve it. I’ve only seen one episode of “Columbo,” but my sister has seen many and loved them, and she’s like 13 years old so I trust her judgment. This does not preclude further murders or otherwise unfortunate-yet-exciting happenings occurring after the inciting incident, but we end up always feeling one step ahead. 

There is an overarching narrative, but every episode other than the finale otherwise stands alone with its own unique little murder, because of course a wide variety of people die in “Poker Face.” Once you get used to the formula, the first 20-or-so minutes of an episode are a fun game of figuring out who gets murdered and how Charlie is involved. Then she gets introduced into the episode with a classy little jingle, and we find out what she’s been up to. 

Charlie Cale is a grown adult on the run from some pretty scary people, so every episode is set in an entirely new locale with mostly new characters, and also Charlie (and sometimes that guy from “The Big Bang Theory”). (No, not that guy, the other guy.) The formula changes in small bits as the episodes progress so that we never feel been-ed there-d or done-d that-ed. Her lack of a badge and her connections to those involved in the “cases” complicate the solving, and add one more wrinkle as we wonder how she’ll deliver justice with no legal backing, while being on the lam herself. I’m sure “Detective” Columbo never sold shirts for a has-been rockstar-cum-murderer!

And I gotta continue giving props to Natasha Lyonne. She is truly electric, perfect for the role (though I’m sure I’d also be perfect for the role if it had been written specifically for me). She of course has the big orange curly hair (curly hair is back in a big way), the remarkably expressive face (watch closely whenever she hears a lie to see her signature frown-smirk), and the personable character of a Gen-Xer that didn’t get fully annihilated by Lead Poisoning. But there is also deeper subtlety that I’ll let you uncover with the Peacock Student Discount.

I’m not here to give you Natasha Lyonne’s life story, or give you the “‘Poker Face’ ending explained” treatment, or get you to buy another subscription service. I’m just using this platform to evangelize about a TV show that I greatly enjoyed, that just so happens to only be available on Peacock. And just as there’s more to life than writing puff pieces, there’s more to Peacock than just “Poker Face.” The hilarious and surprisingly heartwarming “ted” TV show is on there, not to mention underrated gem “Minions: Rise of Gru” and extremely accurately-rated “The Age of Adeline.” I don’t know how we ended up with this many streaming services, and I don’t like it.