Poker Face Season 2

Last week, the season finale of Poker Face season 2 was released on Peacock. Poker Face is a murder mystery show following Charlie Kale, a woman who can tell if people are lying, as she travels across the country encountering various mysteries. I enjoyed season 1 a decent amount and was interested to see if season 2 would improve upon anything in the show.

I thought season 2 was a bit of a step up from season 1, as it found its voice 4 episodes in and just kind of got this groove going. I enjoyed the serialized nature of the show. With so many shows these days having long-form storytelling, it was refreshing to have a show that goes with a mystery of the week format. My biggest complaint about season 1 was that instead of a whodunnit, the episodes were more of a let's see how they did it and watch Charlie figure it out. That is still the case here, but something changed with how the episodes were written, and that structure works so much better now. It feels like a short story where we watch a desperate person make some questionable choices and inadvertently kill someone, with the second half being more of a traditional whodunnit. I just liked the characters of season 2 a bit better than season 1, as you can connect with their reasoning and desperation. I also thought the settings of each episode were a bit more memorable, with places like a minor league baseball park, a prep school, and a gym. I also felt that the tone was just a little lighter in season 2. Things just felt a bit more fun this season, instead of the self-serious nature of season 1. I can't fully put my finger on what changed between the seasons, but the pieces just fit a bit better in season 2.

My biggest complaint for this season is pretty much just in the first three episodes. Those episodes feel a bit bogged down with an underlying story of Charlie being on the run from the mob. After that gets resolved, we just get to see Charlie moving from place to place trying to find somewhere to settle, which I thought worked a lot better.

In the end, I am happy that this show found its footing partway into season 2 and became a much more engaging show. I am hoping they can keep this tone into season 3.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+ Recommendation: Check it out