This may come as a surprise to “Star Wars” fans who had never even heard his name before “The Last Jedi” came out, but Rian Johnson has always been a student of the art of storytelling, and “Poker Face” is perhaps most satisfying when seen as an extension of his particular interests (including his well-documented love of baseball). Make no mistake, season 2 boasts another murderer’s row — pun most definitely intended — of writers and directors leaving their marks on each and every episode. Some of the strongest and most memorable scripts come from credited writers Laura Deeley, Wyatt Cain, Tony Tost, Kate Thulin, and Megan Amram, while directors Adam Arkin, Miguel Arteta, Lucky McGee, and Mimi Cave bring the visual flair worthy of a sleight-of-hand series like this. (Even Natasha Lyonne gets in on the action as both co-writer and director of episode 2, one of the more formally daring hours of the season.) But those aware of Johnson’s broader filmography, from “Brick” to “The Brothers Bloom” to “Knives Out,” will find an even greater appreciation for what might be the purest distillation of Rian Johnson we’ve seen yet.
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Like its creator, “Poker Face” wears every influence on its sleeve. The crime fiction genre has the benefit of decades (if not centuries) of history to pull from, and Agatha Christie readers will find just as much enjoyment out of the season’s twists and turns as movie-lovers who’ve watched every Raymond Chandler adaptation under the sun. Heck, there are enough hilarious namedrops of beloved cinema classics and endearing jabs taken at film buffs to make this stand toe-to-toe with Seth Rogen’s “The Studio,” at least in terms of catering to the Film Twitter crowd. (No, I’m not calling it “Film X” and neither should you.) There’s something to be said for modern stories that are still well aware of the past, remixing the tropes of years gone by and spinning them into new and original approaches. Just when you think you’ve figured out where they’re going, the creative team yanks the rug out from under you and keeps you guessing to the last.
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But, at the end of the day, “Poker Face” also understands the momentary thrills of a carefully laid-out surprise are just that — momentary. What keeps viewers hooked on a series like this, inevitably, is the feeling of being in the hands of artists who actually care. Some episodes are light-hearted and utterly ridiculous romps to a fault, while others occasionally feel a little too clever for their own good. Every single one, however, delivers something we simply can’t take for granted anymore. With each self-contained adventure and brazenly premeditated murder, “Poker Face” stands out as an oasis in a streaming desert. No lies detected.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
“Poker Face” premieres on Peacock with its first three episodes May 8, 2025, followed by a new episode streaming every Thursday.
