Poker Face review: Natasha Lyonne, Rian Johnson’s new mystery show rules

To outrun the Vegas casino fixer who wants her head poker faceaccidental detective Charlie Kale (Natasha Lyonne) zips through the American Midwest in a battered Plymouth Barracuda. As one mechanic (and killer) poignantly pointed out, “If you took better care of it, it would run amazingly.” Like a 1969 muscle car, it can’t resist its symbolism. poker faceweekly mysteries are built on an episodic television structure that feels credible but dated. The Case of the Week format isn’t completely dead, but it’s virtually non-existent among the original streams, especially with the team and cast as famous as they are.

Showrunners Lila and Nora Zuckerman (formerly fringe), the 10-episode Peacock series is knife out A director revisiting the tropes of detective fiction. Brick hard-boiled detective noir riffs, Benoit Blanc films are Agatha Christie’s whodunnits, poker face Consistent with TV mainstays such as colombo (The show replicates the title font of Tumblr’s favorite 1970s crime series). Johnson’s film and television work has come to be known as fairly aggressive postmodernism, so it’s very classical in its storytelling, with occasional references to contemporary cultural ephemera that are just genuinely funny. Watching the show is amazing in and of itself. knife out When glass onion Indulge in social commentary, even with pockets of satire, poker face‘s top priority seems to be falling in love with Leon’s Charlie. She works for everyone, but she answers no one. She solves mysteries because it’s the right thing to do.

Charlie’s aimless drift is fueled by the pilot’s bloody agitation incident and the isolated nature of each case, which technically means the show can be watched in any order following the first episode. . Each new stop brings a new story and a new cast of characters.Adapting lost ideas is a smart choice what is in circulation years on twitter How good it would be if Lyon played that type of investigator. teeth very good.

Like colomboeach episode poker face Starting with a murder, victims, perpetrators and smoking guns are all in plain sight. Eventually, the clock is rewound to discover how Charlie fits in with the proceedings, and ultimately capitalize on her uncanny gift of knowing whenever someone is lying.

the fun of poker face I see every time Lyon can (literally) say bullshit, which is a common occurrence.both poker face When colombo Rather than finding intrigue in the execution of murders and investigations, and leaving breadcrumbs of evidence at home for the satisfaction of solving a mystery, they delight in the unique way their detectives work their way up. and, poker face‘s cleverest twist, each episode thrives on murderous repercussions, connecting victims and perpetrators through the odd jobs Charlie takes to survive on the streets.

The formula is familiar, but never feels dated thanks to engaging production design, energetic camerawork, and just the right amount of dramatic complexity. The big twist is that Charlie isn’t a cop. This changes how the gruff detective, who has won the husky voice, approaches each murder. By the time an episode’s target is murdered, Charlie has already connected with everyone involved, usually via side gigs and detours. It gives you goofy comedy that sees you interact with small-town weirdos. And her status as a (framed) fugitive means police assistance is out of the question.She must rely on the relationships she has built, and usually on some form of civil justice. What Johnson called out in an interview Paternal status in detective stories, something poker face often stand by. Charlie’s brand of justice is usually a denouement meaning that an arrest is probably not too far behind.

Such examples become part of the ritual of conspiracy and observation poker face: Instead of impressing yourself by quickly guessing that the killer is a prolific guest star, the job has already been done. is it?” I wonder. where does she fit? What is the service industry job she’s working behind the scenes this time? Can you? The show sometimes finds a poetic and surprising answer to the final question. Sometimes it’s a little more conventional.

Such rituals feel somewhat lacking in what many would consider “prestige” television. Serialized storytelling isn’t a bad thing, but it’s often mistaken for fame itself (most notably when filmmakers and showrunners refer to series as “eight-hour movies”).feels like a breath of fresh air poker face It fills a one-and-done niche and rotates a staggering guest list, so it’s a lot of fun. Inheritance– such a mix of overconfidence and despair at the premiere as Failson heiress in Casino. Chloe Sevigny tears through decades of frustration as a washed-up rocker.Lil Rel Howery and Daniel McDonald’s Channel Macbeth As the owner of the brisket place. And in one case, Hong Chau plays (with hilariously awkward candor) a strange, lonely truck driver who is mistaken for a murderer.

Photo: Sarah Schatz/Peacock

The first episode, directed and written by Johnson (with Buddy and cinematographer Steve Yedlin on camera), “Dead Man’s Hand” It is both tragic and compelling, as it establishes not only Charlie’s backstory, but also the structure and style of all subsequent episodes. Ian B. McDonald written by Wyatt Kane It just might be the best of the first six episodes previewed for critics. Okja. (A Netflix disc release outside of Criterion? Unheard of.)

the team behind poker face The formula falls easily, but it shows that everything can change. In the fifth episode, “Age of the Monkey,” an elderly, surly hippie commits an unexplained murder of an old man. This is a crime that creates a mystery within a mystery. (This episode also features one of the most amazing end-credits needle-drops I’ve experienced: Zamrock’s song by compatriot Ngozi family, pioneers of a musical movement with roots in Zambia’s independence. It’s a song.) Still, Episode 6 is full of twists and suspense as we explore who becomes the victim of a decades-long altercation between former TV co-stars played by Ellen Barkin and Tim Meadows. one hour. For low-rent theatrical productions.

In any situation, the reading of Leon’s lines poker face Amazing, and the show always exploits her character’s shabby charm. The writers know their viewers need a thrilling ending, but they don’t want to let Leon do the work, or in the case of Episode 3 , with each flavor establishing its own musical motif, savoring the taste of firewood is perceptive enough to realize that it is unique in its own right. form of joy. Secrets of Making a Good TV Show: Natasha She Lyon If you have a reason to tell the really evil little dog that he’s a fascist, put it into the show.

poker face is a more manageable and more memorable redecoration of the classic television format. The deliberate separation of each episode feels like something big event genre shows and streaming TV in general could embrace, as viewer attention continues to be focused in the golden age of television. The solution to homogeneity lies in the same method of research work. That means going through the steps and history to find out what drives the format.Then, finally, I want a show like poker facewith a team that can combine two and two to solve this case.

poker face Episodes 1-4 are published on Peacock. New episodes premiere on Thursdays.