Truth, Truth, Bullshit: Thread for Poker Face (aka Rian Johnson & Natasha Lyonne Do Columbo)

https://mlpnk72yciwc.i.optimole.com/cqhiHLc.IIZS~2ef73/w:auto/h:auto/q:75/https://bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Poker-Face-_-TCA-Exclusive-Look-1-13-screenshot.jpg

^^^ me irl

This show is great & if any of you nerds come here to say it was boring I’ll punch you in the dick

jk jk say whatever you like

first 4 eps now streaming on Peacock

No, punch them in the dick, because this fucking rules.

the barracuda!
the trailer!
the pyjamas & bathrobe!

am only 1 ep in but i think i am in tv heaven

also adrien brody is excellent when he plays “smooth-seeming dirtbag”

Bummed that RJ BFF Noah Segan is only in ep 1 and not like playing a different character in every episode

Otherwise episode 1 was a good time I will watch more of this show

Hey maybe he IS a different character in each episode, you never know. (I know the next three are up but I’ll get to them soon enough.)

adrien brody is excellent when he plays “smooth-seeming dirtbag”

I felt like Adrien Brody was playing James Caan.

Fun show. I’ll watch more.

We watched episode one which was fun, then decided to watch Columbo which neither of us had ever seen, and when the credits rolled and I saw the episode had been directed by Spielberg I screamed and freaked my girlfriend out.

First episode was fun, some of it looked like crap (and not in a grimy '70s homage way but lazy video lighting - thinking of some of the shots of Brody), hope episode 2 is even better without having to explain her backstory.

episode 2 is great

the show is solidly murder-of-the-week territory, minimal story arc episode to episode

its so funny/great that a format that was beaten like a dead horse for so long comes back around & is actually refreshing

there’s some great camera work too

AND

normal-ass looking people. no super beautiful white teeth shiny hair
charlie’s got split ends, this guy’s a dirty sweaty mess, that guy’s hella weird, she’s got too much makeup for a day job, she looks washed out. i mean sure brody, bratt, they’re handsome dudes but they still fit in this world. everyone has a slight sheen of sweat.

the casting, extras, walkons, minor characters, really interesting faces & vibes

this aspect alone is a joy to me

All true. And great examples of rough and easy camaraderie throughout episode 2. (And spectacular casting as well.)

the dude that startles her outside the subway looked SO great

This didn't click with me until the third episode and I think I realize why: it's Johnson's directorial style. Something too goofy about it for me - like everything needs to come across as clever down to the edits. Once I got to #3 I was able to enjoy the proceedings without this sort of - for me - grating archness. PS I love fun!

Lyonne is great in this btw.

this is the new 'it' show isn't it. can't wait to hear jibba Jabba about it at the bar

intersection of people into this show and those that order aperol spritzes = 100%

I don’t feel like watching more than one episode at a time because there’s a satiated feeling when each one wraps. I believe this is a good thing.

xpost alfred hasn’t even posted itt yet

I feel like each of the first four episodes was exponentially better than the last, and REST IN METAL was A++, no notes.

this is great, for fucking real!

time for some hyperbole, it's better than Columbo

man that racist dog in ep3 was cute as hell

the gene hackman line made me lol

Episode 3 my fave but 4 was a pip.

ep 3 had it all, even a happy ending for the extremely cute fascist dog!

Do people really subscribe to Peacock? The balkanization of streaming is just so frustrating, I imagine also to the artists involved.

"Great news, everybody! We've been picked up!"

"Cool, where are we streaming?"

"Peacock!"

...

"Oh. At least it's not Starz."

after we ditched netflix we signed up for peacock, they had a lot of shows + tour de france & affordable

its p decent!

I got a year for $2 a month before Christmas - I liked The Resort so I figured there'd be something else to watch and I set it up at my mom's house so she could watch all the Yellowstone Cinematic Universe stuff.

it's bundled with the flat's internet but the TV doesn't get the app and streaming from a phone has only worked once in two years so I torrent anything I remember I want to watch on it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No Peacock in Canada, but for once I lucked out: the show is available to stream through a channel (City TV) that is already part of our Bell subscription package (I just found out I can watch Paul T. Goldman, which I'd been wanting to see, on this as well).

as a USian, City TV is famous to me as a channel that pirates would use to upload torrents for shows right after they aired, presumably because it aired things in Atlantic Standard Time, or even earlier

City TV rips sourced soooooo many gifs.

Cool! City TV used to be a great source for old movies (uncensored, though with ad breaks) back in the day as well --I remember seeing things as wildly varied as Hitchcock's Sabotage and The Blue Lagoon on there.

A wise man once told me, “If you want to hurt greedy streaming services, you hit them where it hurts (and still watch their actually quite good sometimes shite!).”

Caught up with 3 and 4, and how perfectly complementary -- 3 is for anyone who ever DJed and needed bathroom breaks, 4 is for the actual bands. (All great, of course.)

I'm extremely down with the formula-as-such that's now clear where you try and figure out how Lyonne fits into the overall scenario before she actually appears on screen. (I mostly guessed 4 just before she appeared.)

I'm pretty into this, yeah. I realized with Russian Doll that I'm just like 100% onboard with watching Natasha Lyonne do whatever her current shtick is pretty much all the time. Give her a talk show, fer cryin' out loud. And the Columbo-esque formula (which avoids being at all slavish) is verra nice.

Uh, did we know that one of our own was going to make quite a sizable appearance in this show? Impressive stuff!

echoing everybody - all four episodes are stellar. massive lol at the bbq guy going vegan after watching okja - reckon bong joon-ho would have appreciated that

great rs feature on the show (+ bonus extended interviews with johnson and lyonne): https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/poker-face-rian-johnson-natasha-lyonne-interview-1234646956/

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/rian-johnson-interview-poker-face-peacock-glass-onion-natasha-lyonne-daniel-craig-mystery-1234659173/

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/natasha-lyonne-poker-face-accent-tripping-acid-new-york-city-rian-johnson-1234659240/

xpost We did! At least on FB and elsewhere. Great to see and some amazing LOL moments.

A little more on that:

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/how-john-darnielle-ended-up-in-tvs-poker-face/

This one's good too

https://consequence.net/2023/01/john-darnielle-poker-face-interview-mountain-goats-rian-johnson/2/

Definitely enjoyed the first episode, though why anyone would go back to the people they knew had killed their friend just to say 'ha! i screwed you over!' beats me. I like how her, ahem, superpower, is just an explicitly stated version of what i always suspected about columbo - maybe not in so many words but he seemed to figure who the murderer was as soon as he talked to them.

An insignificant continuity error I only spotted because I watched the intro twice trying to get it stream without stuttering from vlc on my phone to the chromecast - when natalie first goes into the presidential suite she leaves the hoover in the middle of the room, when she returns to take the picture it's by the door.

The surprisingly sentient Hoover is the murderer in episode 3 so I assume that was intentional, sorry 2 spoil

Ep 3 recycled the “use a pre recording as live broadcast while I go kill someone” and “not what you hear, but what you don’t hear” gotchas from early season columbo episodes. I liked the first ep but I can see this becoming a bit of a slog

Another great episode tonight — casting was choice and it went unexpected directions!

wonder if it's ever gonna just be a crime and not a murder. Seems crazy that everywhere she goes somebody dies. I know, suspend disbelief etc etc. Also how every single average person is a criminal murder mastermind.

yeah I think last night’s ep was my favorite so far, loved the story & the casting was sooo great

xpost - I mean...that IS Columbo.

New episode might be my fave so far as well. I will say that, between this and The Politician, Judith Light becoming the face of polyamory on television in the current decade was most unexpected.

plus the instant pot bomb was wtf hilarious

I'm on team Irene & Joyce - disappointed that Charlie acted like such a reactionary and a melt, lol

they seem like a cool hang

also any day that s epatha merkerson is on my tv absolutely killing it (literally or figuratively) is a great fucking day

hail to the queen

"You speak of electro-playyyy..."

this rules. i read the thread title as Rainn Wilson somehow so.. phew.

Seen two episodes so far. There's something surreal about watching a show that takes place in good old fashioned TV Land, where things just happen and people don't act like real people and you just have to go with it. Sometimes it's annoying, but mostly it's ... fine.

I mean...that IS Columbo.

tbf the reason that people get murdered everywhere he goes is that he is a homicide detective and he arrives at the crime scenes after a homicide has been committed, and then figures out whether it was a murder

This is so so great. Hodgman's cameo in ep 4 killed me.

The Benson joke setup was amazing

Yes! Also the "confession" song he was playing in the RV.

I'm on team Irene & Joyce - disappointed that Charlie acted like such a reactionary and a melt, lol

I’m just trying to figure out why a character who was introduced to us by being aghast at a child pornogrpany ring would be totes cool with the idea of blowing up high schoolers

Peacock has to be the shittiest streaming app by far. We've spent about three hours over two night now trying to watch episode 5 and the app keeps completely freezing up at the exact same ad break. We've restarted the app, restarted our smart TV, unplugged and restarted the TV, watched other shows with ad breaks on Peacock, starting the episode over, fast forwarding... nothing works. Same ad break comes up and it freezes. Fast forwarding looks like it might work by the preview in the scroll but, nope, freezes. I've never had an app have the same problem with the same ad break in the same show keep happening for over 24 hours before, infuriating.

Hope we can actually see all of episode 6 when it drops.

Truth, Truth, Bullshit: Thread for Poker Face (aka Rian Johnson & Natasha Lyonne Do Columbo)

I've had "normal" streaming issues with it before (i.e. freezing, crashing, buffering, etc.) but that's always been solved by either backing out of the show, restarting the app or, at most, turning off the TV and turning it back on. I've never had a show just never let me progress beyond a specific ad break before. The first night it seemed to do with one of those dumb "interactive ads" where you are supposed to choose an option, but I figured that by at least the next day it would serve up another ad or whatever.

I'm on team Irene & Joyce - disappointed that Charlie acted like such a reactionary and a melt, lol

OTM

This show is so strange. We've seen four episodes, and so far every single one starts with the cruel, cold-blooded murder of an innocent, likable person ... and then the rest of the episode is always just so goofy. It's such an odd tonal balance. My wife is still on-board, but last night she asked, doesn't Charlie think it's weird that she randomly bumps into murderers everywhere she goes?

FINALLY got to watch the rest of episode four. Still couldn't get it to play on our TV and the only solution was to cast it from my phone. Baffling.

Episode 5 is a leap from the first four IMO - felt like they shot the first batch to get a series order and then had more time/budget. Natasha Lyonne is more... active in the episode I guess? One of the funniest TV shows I've seen since Brockmire.

Only seen episode 1 but it was f’in great, Lyonne obv awesome, Brody truly in the zone in that type of role, Benjamin Bratt actually quite perfect as an ice-cold enforcer.

Hey I am 3 eps in and like this show fine but wouldn’t gush about it. Am I doing something wrong? Like, it is fun and it is very gently compelling in a way that I can’t put my finger on but that is juuust the right side of boring… I dunno, what am I missing?

felt like they shot the first batch to get a series order and then had more time/budget

Episode 9 is the first one shot.

dying @ the “Frankly Franklin” musical

and obv, Ellen Barkin QUEEEEEEEEN

Yeah that was fucking choice, the whole episode. What a crazy treat.

wtf.. such a dropoff from one episode to the next! Charlie always seemed to have some insurance before confronting the perp, but in the last one, it was just... well, my cop friends will be along shortly, but surely they won't attack m....ohno!

Looking good for season 2!

https://gamerant.com/poker-face-season-2-tease-peacock-susan-rovner/

Incredible script on that Ellen Barkin one. This is a spookily consistent show. The panicky new stage manager's delivery of "but... the show's about to start" was so good we rewound it a bunch of times.

Ep 3 wasn't quite up to the first 2 for me. Loved the actors, and the concept, less the granular details.

I had a hard time thinking that two murderers, one that went so far as to eliminate a nearby dog witness, would just let her keep turning up and patiently let her yap her theories about them. Like what's another body at that point.

Mystery also seemed a little too easy to solve.

However voice changing radio host was a nice Chekhov's gun. And I still enjoyed it.

episode 6 is amazing, couldn't stop laughing ("Second Night Only" / "are you a throuple?" / Charlie and Kathleen arguing through the stage window and fridge / etc.)

LMAO at episode 4 holy god.

Apropos of nothing, I suspected it and then confirmed my suspicion: Lyonne is somehow about the same age that Falk was when Columbo started. Older, actually, if you count the original Columbo pilot movie.

I feel like this whole thing was set in motion after the first season of "Russian Doll," when everyone was all "she is doing a Columbo!" And then iirc an episode mentions "Columbo" and Peter Falk. Which I always found a little weird, since she's five years younger than me (Rian Johnson is a year older), but as a kid I only knew of "Columbo" as something old people watched, like "Perry Mason," "Matlock" and "Murder She Wrote."

idk about Perry Mason, but when I was a kid, Matlock and Murder She Wrote were on in syndication all the time. The local Fox affiliate probably had the most syndicated material (along with talk shows like Jerry Springer) and when I was off school I'd end up watching both of those a fair bit

iirc they were kind of thematic -- for a number of years they had a block of syndicated stuff that was basically "the Michael Landon morning" where they'd play Little House on the Prairie back-to-back with either Highway to Heaven or Bonanza, and some years later it turned into the Andy Griffith Show back-to-back with Matlock and then Murder She Wrote

If you're even mildly into classic television, Columbo's a treasure trove. Sharp writing, both high profile and up-and-comer guest stars, and the first episode of the actual series (following a tv movie and pilot, iirc) features some great Spielberg work.

I know the shows were on all the time, but as a kid, even a kid beholden to whatever happened to be on network TV at any given time, I had no interest in that stuff. Nor did I feel it was aimed at me, because for sure dumb lil' me would have watched almost literally anything. Which in my case meant, like, Gilligan's Island, What's Happening, MASH, or shitty cartoons, or prime time stuff like A-Team, Knight Rider, Fall Guy or whatever. The crime stuff must have just gone right over my head. Though tbf, I absolutely knew who Columbo was (same with Perry Mason and Matlock).

Yeah, I guess interests vary

cream rises to the top, Columbo def has made a comeback in recent years, but i always loved it, Falk is A+ of course. It's not dissimilar to Rockford Files coming back around, for different reasons.

as far as Murder She Wrote or Matlock, probably can't underestimate the influence of hanging out w/one's grandparents and watching their shows, at least for me and a few other people i know. the reason i enjoyed watching MSW (never really watched Matlock) was the quality of the show was pretty high, and Angela Lansbury was so good, such a classic likable sleuth. it wasn't some NCIS stuff where you're stuck watching Michael Weatherly.

What's odd is that I can't recall even accidentally coming across that stuff on TV. It must have been on during a window when either I was eating dinner, or doing homework or maybe when my parents got home from work or something. Like, I don't think I've ever seen even a second of Columbo, or Murder She Wrote or Matlock or Perry Mason, let alone The Rockford Files.

Father Dowling Mysteries baby

lol, I know that show, too (and him from happy days), but also never saw a second of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jScezKmhRT4

A classic of its kind, with this as the UK equivalent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f_SEjr4glw

This is of course a pinnacle of the form:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmJxxnemxmw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh5GdUY00-k

Is it Godwin's Law that states that the more we post this stuff, the closer we get to posting the Doobie Brothers bootlegging episode of "What's Happening?"

My local PBS keeps rerunning Morse, but only the first half of the series, so I never get to see Stark Raving Morse...

Murder She Wrote was a friday night show when i was a kid in Australia, i stayed at my grandma’s on fridays a lot & that’s what we’d watch together

But specifically for Lyonne, it’s important to point out she’s primarily a film nerd and came to Columbo because of her love of Falk in Cassavetes movies rather than watching the show first.

interview here where they both talk about tv specific influences
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/arts/television/rian-johnson-natasha-lyonne-poker-face.html

if Josh hasn’t seen Magnum P.I. based on that prior list that did include the A-Team and Knight Rider then maybe there was a particular childhood aversion to detectives

or perhaps some network partisanship in the household, since iirc Magnum was on CBS and A-Team/Knight Rider, iirc, were NBC joints

Maybe! I am trying to think if I watched anything on CBS. For sure I never saw Magnum PI (though iirc I did see Riptide, and Airwolf, and all sorts of other crap). Doing a quick google I was reminded of random shit I did see (like the Private Benjamin show) and didn't (like Simon & Simon, or Remington Steele, or any of the prime time soaps like Dallas and Falcon Crest). Maybe our antenna didn't receive certain channels so well?

Murder She Wrote was created by the head writer / script editor bloke, and the creator/producer duo, of Columbo btw

murder she wrote, he wrote?

Columbo and Rockford Files were shown in blocks all the time back in the early 90s on WTTS or WGN. I know more than a few times having wake and bake/Taco Bell hangover recovery marathons in a semi-darkened room watching marathons of those shows.

Ooof, episode 5 gave us flashbacks to bad '80s TV. This show has always teetered (I assume purposefully, maybe satirically?) between silly and serious, but this was the first to lean fully into silly. We weren't feeling it.

If anything it gave me flashbacks to Remington Steele's own first season episode on 60s campus radicals -- and I mean this as a positive!

yeah the deeper they go the more I love this kooky show

I don’t mind that. I like that it has the confidence to mix into different subgenres (desert noir, 80s cheese, Anthony Schaefer guignol) and go smart or silly depending. And I don’t at all mind that it aspires to being fun, as opposed to being perfect.

The only thing I thought was particular funny about the retirement home episode was the fight at the end, which reminded me of one of those cheesy stuntman specials from the '70s and '80s, when everyone's just hitting each other over the head with lamps and making a mess. The rest was just silly. Also, not sure how I feel about the show's mean-spiritedness. Sometimes it's ott amusing, sometimes it's just kind of annoying. I suppose a case could be made that it's some sort of commentary, where literally everywhere she goes she is surrounded by assholes and murderers.

Anyway, I'm curious about the next one. My wife likes this show a lot more than I do, but she was really rolling her eyes this last time.

Couldn’t believe that damn guitarist in ep 4 just went and wrote *that* kind of confessional song. Pretty metal.

Renewed!

easter egg btw that of the podcast cover images on a TV screen briefly at the end of episode 4, one of them is "You Must Remember This", the podcast of Karina Longworth, Rian Johnson's wife.

The one after the retirement home episode put this back on an upswing for me. I think there's 10 episodes in the first season?

Karina Longworth, Rian Johnson's wife

Things you were shockingly old...

xpost Yup, so after tomorrow, three more to go.

Whew, intense episode! And nobody died for once.

oh man I was so happy about that. After the incident I was like "c'mon, they don't have to die, could just be hurt, it's still a crime!"

I was so programmed to expect it that I read the signs and flowers as a memorial, and missed the Get Well Soons at first

yeah the nobody dying was a cool bonus!
i also liked that both dudes were heels

#CancerDog

Theo otm

Pokerface is Theo’s favorite tv show #PokerFace @nlyonne pic.twitter.com/BAibzqilQb

— 🇺🇦 TheoTheGolden’s Mom - RN☮️ (@TheoTheGolden1) February 19, 2023

Sill enjoying this but found the theatre episode a bit too campy. Feel like it needs some grounding in a real world of cheap diners, truck stops, low life desperation if it's not just going to become a formal exercise. Looking forward to the Witness Protection agent making a reappearance.

camp is the point!

it wouldn’t work if it was more grounded

Them forgetting to turn their mics off was hilarious. Also precisely why sound people don't let actors be in charge of that shit lol

(I know they actually did it on purpose but you know what I mean)

The Benson joke setup was amazing

― Chuck_Tatum, Monday, February 6, 2023 11:06 AM (two weeks ago) bookmarkflaglink

As soon as the drummer played the song for the rest of the band in the motel room I thought, "Hey! That's Benson!" Waiting to see how that would be revealed, and blow up in their faces, was extremely fun.

Haha wow, today’s episode, what a ride. (And if you’re going to have Nick Nolte play a Phil Tippett type, might as well have Tippett Studios work on it.)

nice Vertigo nod

Once I realized why the villain wanted the replica of her ex I laughed way harder than I probably should have.

Yeah that was great

How did I not realise that was Tuvok?

Luis Guizman is still the king of making an unexceptional line of dialogue into something playful and funny.

otm

Nick Nolte, Guzman and a fucking lieutenant tuvok torso all in the same ep, an embarrassment of riches!

so great on so many levels

Absolutely fantastic Cherry Jones interview here, which also gives good insight into Lyonne as a director.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/poker-face-cherry-jones-natasha-lyonne-nick-nolte-the-orpheus-syndrome-1235330340/amp/

quick question: is it necessary to watch these in order?

Not really?

I would watch them in order. There’s almost no continuity between them, but there are mild running jokes that accrete in resonance as the season goes on. And some episodes in the second half have played with the formula a teeny tiny bit, which is fun, and would come across more playfully if you‘ve watch the earlier episodes first. But no, you’re not going to “miss“ anything plotwise if you go out of order, from the second story onwards.

the "4 hours" thing repeats a few times yea

Agreed on that take. At the very least watch 1 and 2 first.

Has anyone noticed how often falling seems to be involved in the stories?

If only humans all lived on flat sea level points!

i want a movie of the scene between Arthur & Charlie on the porch

Charlie is such an old-school/out of time character & it was such genius casting to put Nolte in that Arthur role. He is the perfect out of time character to meet her where she is, and he’s sooo good at carrying the weight of the past in his performances . Plus obv he has the PERFRCT Phil Tippett vibe.

holy shit when they’re together in their scenes it’s just magic. and then Nolte & Jones? amazing.

fake blood sandwiches anyone?

Haven't seen much comment on it yet but Charlie driving up to the sound of America's "Lonely People" was a hell of an apt music drop on several levels. Suited the house, Arthur's age, the script, etc.

oh totally! the perfect mood setter. I perked up instantly at that

holy fuckin shit

who would have put the keys on the wall?

A fair question.

The setup at the start with the dude she first meets = pure roffles. But she did deserve some joy.

was legitimately wondering if this was some American custom I'm unfamiliar with. Good to meet you, let me just hang my keys here right next to yours and walk all over your house with my dirty shoes.

not even bothering to show a breakup with the cute romance is either starkly cynical or a set up, or both

I really enjoyed that episode but it had some major plot holes going on.

never go to a second location

that close up of her face in the trunk that zooms out to black was RAD

I should’ve said there were plot holes you could drive a 300k Lamborghini through.

wow, that was a lot of murder and a lot of fun

Up to ep 5 now - when will she realise that walking alone into known dangerous murderers' houses and saying 'i know what you did' is not the best idea? and how did fbi guy show up so quickly once she tazed herself?

She was wearing one of their heart rate monitoring devices, wasn't she?

she was, but a) why, was she expecting to get tazed? or is it a requirement that all staff wear one? ii) why did fbi guy show up and not just the staff nurses?

I'm all caught up now and I'm pretty sure this show isn't for me. Really slow pacing, not that funny.

The Nick Nolte episode is so damn good.

Lots of people dying from long drops on this show.

Up to ep 5 now - when will she realise that walking alone into known dangerous murderers' houses and saying 'i know what you did' is not the best idea?

have come to love this trope

same, it's kinda her thing

before the finale I think I'd rank these 6>8>4>1>2>5>3>9>7, hopeful that it will follow the even # episode trend

8-6-4-5-2-3-7-1-9 IMO

Walton Goggins needs to do an episode

i wish that Falkwas still alive to do a guest spot for obvious reasons. I was thinking James Garner would have been a great guest too

interesting rankings!

have come to love this trope

Same. After enjoying the last episode I really give up on real world logic and can go along for the ride. But anyway, without rewatching anything:

1>9>2>7>3>8>6>4>5

I'm all caught up now and I'm pretty sure this show isn't for me. Really slow pacing, not that funny.

― Shartreuse (Leee), Tuesday, March 7, 2023 9:53 AM (four hours ago)

YOU're slowly-paced and not that funny!

otm

:D

this show makes me laugh out loud at least a couple times every week, usually the absurd comedy bits just after NL makes her first appearances. I love the little banjo thing that plays too

ep 6: I enjoyed the rug pull after the murder, I didn't enjoy NL goofing around backstage and repeatedly saying 'flappy doors'. I can't really tell what her character is meant to be like - is she a sharp sleuth or an actual dimwit with one peculiar talent? Columbo walked a similar line - how much of his shabby gauche absentmindedness was an act and how much of it was for real - but more convincingly and confidently.

I've gotten to E04 and I love it but I do sometimes wish she'd lean into herself a little more, like when Falk would swoon over the way a bowl of soup smelled, I know she's got that in her and I want to see it. Like just go ahead and get gonzo. Maybe it's a part of her character but she seems like she's holding back, holding something in.

Walton Goggins needs to do an episode

yes! he would be perfect in this show

i really, really loved the jump cut to dispatch her summertime fling on Magic Mountain without another word of exposition

yes! that was perfect & v funny

Utterly. Just 'February' and that music cue is so all you need.

(Of course my own fanfic will be that he was useless and worse and she killed him but nobody ever asks her and she can lie all she wants.)

lol

that scene where they meet was hilar
“can i show you something?”
~rips his shirt off~

I really wanted to like this show and the pilot was so promising but now it's turned into some kind of modern day Murder She Wrote and I can't deal.

Peacock actually auto-played Murder She Wrote S1E1 for me after a recent Poker Face ep.

Episode 9 is the first one shot.

― more crankable (sic), Friday, February 10, 2023 2:33 PM (three weeks ago)

this got maybe a little too goofy in the middle (metal band and old folks home are the silliest episodes) but bounced back. and even in the silly eps i enjoyed the performances - s. epatha merkeson was great

Columbo, even in its 70s run, was never afraid of being silly on occasion--remember Columbo using Donald Pleasance's wine-snobbery to catch him?--so I both accept and welcome that here.

idk I think it's all been pretty goofy, I mean JGL and his murder hole and the special efx model unlocking the encrypted laptop feel just as goofy to me as the revolutionary hippie olds and the metal band stuff. none of which is a bad thing, mind. in an era of prestige, gritty everything I appreciate Rian leaning into the inherent goofiness necessitated by the plot driver being literally one random person stumbling into murders at every turn.

I wish it was goofier, tbh. Was/am not of a fan of the way it pretty cruelly dispatched with some nice, interesting, fun characters just to get its dumb whodunnit plots going with (imo) less interesting characters.
I'm sure everyone involved in the production is having a blast, though.

I don't think it's a bad sign that you're getting attached to the murder victims! I don't remember feeling that about the murder-ees in Columbo episodes.

they should only kill boring people so that Charlie doesn't bother to solve the murders

"how dare this murder show murder characters?"

There is something quite sweet and unusual about its insistence on attaching personhood to the victims (otherwise known as writing good characters) and also makes it feel a bit less cravenly bloodthirsty.

It’s true though that it means you’re largely spending time with villains. Even the dog was fascist! Going to watch E05 tonight, I think the BBQ episode’s my favourite so far. Everything comes together very satisfyingly

I just haven't found *any* of the perpetrators or motives that compelling, certainly not as compelling as the victims, nor have I found Charlie's solutions particularly impressive, either. There's not even that satisfying feeling of "I hope they get them!" because of course she will. So far it's just spending time with assholes while you wait out the inevitable, which is why I wish it was even sillier.

xxpost Yeah, I find the victims the best written characters! And when they're gone it's like, who gives a shit about Adrien Brody or Chloe Sevigny or whomever (so far)?

they are all somewhat goofy but the murder methods in the metal band and old folks home were especially silly. more importantly they didn't really have much of an emotional base under the goofiness. anyways i like the show

impressions are the lowest form of comedy but this is pretty accurate: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRWpbm4m/

JGL's villain in ep9 is "well written" in the sense that the perfectly evokes an especially loathsome (and especially omnipresent) type.

don't watch the show josh

agreed yes, definitely stop watching

ugh that tiktok impression made me want to walk into the ocean

The thing I especially love about this show is how many extraordinary actors are popping up in it, all of whom are taking already-good material and just launching it into the stratosphere

Like, I think every recognizable name has either won or been nominated for a major (or semi-major) acting award barring JD

Judge John Hodgman was the first live podcast taping to win a Tony

slow clap dot gif

I heard the faint strains of it...then it got louder...could it be?...and yeah, "Walk On". Best ending ever.

I really wanted to like this show and the pilot was so promising but now it's turned into some kind of modern day Murder She Wrote and I can't deal.

― But who are we doing it versus? (sunny successor), Wednesday, March 8, 2023 9:42 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

and this is a bad thing how

not everything has to be Prestige TV

the format’s not for everyone

it is however deeply for me

xp Im not expecting prestige tv. I'm still watching it. I was disappointed that the pilot hinted at a strong series/season-long story arc that, for now at least, seems to be relegated to a B storyline. I'm sure it will get stronger as it moves along and starts swinging back to the original premise but all the random small-town murder bullshit/truth sleuthing in between is a little meh for me.

Buuuut that's the main premise of the whole thing. A refreshing murder of the week show throwback.

I mean, otherwise it would just be a (goofier) version of Ozark or whatever.

Buuuut that's the main premise of the whole thing. A refreshing murder of the week show throwback.

I mean, otherwise it would just be a (goofier) version of Ozark or whatever.

Well, yeah. Therein lies my disappointment.

sorry I don’t watch shows

I wish it were goofier! The retirement home was honestly enjoyable, but the rest of the season seems more po-faced than it needs to be.

i hope Charlie goes to a circus in S2
or a horse racing track. ooh or greyhounds!

Charlie needs to come investigate some of the wild ass takes some of y'all have on this show.

I’m glad they’ve mostly ignored the casino boss revenge plot aside from it giving Lyonne a reason to stay on the road.

Seriously. I haven't seen the finale yet and I'm assuming it'll pop back up, but one of the things I'm most grateful for about this show is that WASN'T a major plot point in every episode.

Well then I can't wait for all your reactions.

Tarfumes OTM above re this season ender episode. Great great stuff. Fave spoilery bits offhand:

* the opening montage of Cliff
* the wordless moment in the car
* in contrast, the most excruciating 'yeah these song lyrics are my philosophy, let me just drawl them at you' moment imaginable, jesus fuck he would like them, wouldn't he
* the randos Charlie ended up calling first
* the drunk-ass bachelorette party shit-heads but man what a payoff for that party favor -- but those must be heavier than they look
* haha okay, Rhea Perlman as next season's behind the scenes baddie? all for it

And non-spoilery, Clea fucking DuVall, man that whole sequence.

Oh and one other VERY key great thing: the way that Cliff, knowing full well what Charlie's secret gift is, verrrrrry carefully answered all of her questions and thoughts in the initial bit on the yacht.

My wife and I loved this. Sure it is ridiculous and over the top and full of glaring plot holes but it is just so entertaining. Natasha Lyonne is seismic in it and the glue that holds it all together.

To me it's definitely channeling the 70s rather than an 80s show, more Rockford Files than Murder She Wrote. From the titles to her car, right down to the use of the ultimate 70s cassette recorder in the finale. Brilliant. Roll on S2.

I’m glad they’ve mostly ignored the casino boss revenge plot aside from it giving Lyonne a reason to stay on the road.

I’m calling it now: if “Radar Love” doesn’t accompany the opening scene in season 2, it will at least have prominent placement elsewhere in the season.

That was a pretty disappointing finale.

TSK

yeah sure if you call BURL IVES disappointing

great finale in the classic sense - wrap up an old storyline & kickoff a new one!

clea duvall is truly the best, that scene in the laundryroom was like a SEASON of storyline just in her face

I thought the wrap up of "Charlie jumps in the water to run away... and the whole wanted person on the run plot is wrapped up neatly immediately" was weak, no cool/funny new characters and the 'Charlie you're a fuck up' family drama was pulled from a much crappier show. Charlie being on the run from the cops with one FBI agent who knows she's innocent would have been a better S2 setup IMO.

Thought the finale was a perfect fit for the tone of this show. To add to Ned's list, I really appreciated the last song of the episode.

Both of the song selections in the finale were great. Had to look up that stupid thing Bratt was quoting.

Was more pleased with the finale than I expected to be. Thought it was going to just be sewing up loose ends, but it managed to work in the show's formula as well. Great turn from (Ron) Perlman, as well.

da bratt was so good in this ep

Beat on da Bratt (with a dick ring)

I'm ashamed that I knew what song he was quoting the first time he mentioned the hook, before they cut back to his extended dramatic reading of it.

https://townsquare.media/site/482/files/2021/04/Blues-Traveler-Hook.jpg?w=1200&h=0&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89

also seems on-brand for Cliff to do the most boring/infuriating opposite of yknow, just turning on the damn radio

the scene when Bratt was talking on the phone in the car to Hasp - the way he was staring through the windshield it looked like he was talking to himself & at first i thought he was doing a Michael from Burn Notice monologue
lol i’m a dork

Loooved the callback to the awkward Burn Notice ref from the first episode, I had assumed it was a joke where they didn’t want a character to explicitly compare Charlie to Columbo because that’s too obvious, so they went with a (totally out of left field) comparison to Michael Weston- with the extra layer of Cliff expecting people to recognize the name the way you would expect people to know who Columbo is. But, as it turns out Cliff is just obsessed with watching Burn Notice, so of course that’s his reference point.

also a Hackman / The Conversation callback!

I liked that he appeared to be watching a supercut of Burn Notice that was just a bunch of explosions and shooting

to be fair, that’s what most episodes of Burn Notice are

Last episode was the least interesting IMO but otherwise what a fabulous season.

this has been such a joy

the way she runs up the stairs in her sister's home had me and my partner in stitches

what a character

this just landed on Now in the UK. nice surprise in ep 4!

Recently rewatched over this weekend during a visit home as my mom wanted to see it (and she loved it very much). Absolutely holds up second time through, maybe even funnier at its best.

Funny that one RP gets replaced by another RP in the end. Yuk yuk.

Finally got around to finishing this - it was hard to marathon because I was SO into this and each episode really felt like a mini-movie. Just excellent in all regards. (And wow, the Phil Tippett/Tuvok's Head episode especially good for lots of reasons)

Fucking loved this, best pure joy experience I’ve had watching something in ages. The casting! The styling! The humour! Just a stellar watch, great time and fun as anything. The metal band episode where they ended up getting dinged by children on YouTube? Simply incredible. The two old lady terrorists? I think about this one all the time. The racist dog? Yeah this is a show that succeeds in the broad strokes and details both and is just incredible fun. I need s2 yesterday.

the old terrorist couple ep was fantastic, but it was tragic that she melted so badly!

I was bummed that they chose to make the 60s radicals the villain (though I did enjoy the episode). I don't think the writers meant anything by it, but I dislike how popular imagination/media makes leftists of that era out to be the threat of the decade, when the right was far more effectively violent.

Yeah I agree with you. I thought it was genuinely surprising narratively cos the two were incredibly likeable.

xp calz I knew you’d say that!

not to state the obvious but it’s also a recognizable trope of the shows Poker Face is based on, ie Columbo Rockford etc etc

they turn it on its head somewhat by making her immediately sympathetic to them, like she loves hanging out w them wtc etc

in light of barry newman dying i found an episode of Petrocelli on youtube the other day, which was essential viewing in our house in the mid 70s. it really holds up and made me thnk Natasha Lyonne may have taken one or two notes from it too.

it was funny to see Judith Light as a murdering hippie imo

lighten up hippies

Yes! Also the "confession" song he was playing in the RV.

We have only just got up to here and I couldn't breathe during this.

Finally watched this, so much fine and looks/sounds gorgeous.

I love NL’s characteristic swagger, it’s so distinctive.

Really is!

great show imo, just straight up comfort food in the best way. really enjoyed this from Variety too:

https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/poker-face-cliff-hook-lyrics-benjamin-bratt-1235545637/

But when Bratt went through the finale script originally, he wasn’t aware of what Johnson had saddled him with just yet.

“The honest truth is, when I first read it, I said, ‘Wow, what a quirky, brilliant poem Rian has composed for this character. We’re actually learning that this laconic character that we discovered in the pilot is actually quite loquacious. He loves words. Look at him go!'” Bratt said. “And I think it was my second read through and I’m like, ‘I don’t know, there’s something very rhythmic about this. Let me just Google the first four lines and I did that and lo and behold it came up: the song ‘Hook’ by Blues Traveler.”

Hahah hero.

omg

lmao

Some fans might be wondering why the actual Blues Traveler song did not play at any point throughout the episode (in fact, it wasn’t even mentioned by name), not even during the credits. “You know, there’s a peak of evil that you can reach,” Lyonne said. “Nobody wanted to go that far.”

outstanding

I am frustrated every day that there is no easy way for me to watch this show in Canada ugh

Really hope Peacock repeats that $12 for a year promo this winter so I can keep watching Columbo and the season season of this.

Oof, 8 months after my last post, we finally finished this, one a week and then the last two at once - no other reason for the delay than I got weird about it, certainly not the show, which was a delight.

The casting is astonishing - so many great actors knocking it out of the park, particularly a run of older actors:

I didn't know either of the killer hippies, which I was surprised by, they seemed so familiar. If there's a twist to the formula in each episode, this is the one where the killers are genuinely charming and Charlie takes to them immediately. Also I think this is the one where she actually does the Columbo 'I almost forgot' gesture.

I loved the craft put into making what looked like a world-class Terrible American Play for Enter Stage Death - the bit where Charlie comes on stage was the only part of the whole series I couldn't watch. And to end on Barkin taking this terrible monologue, and really working it!

Tim Blake Nelson is magnificent in the racing episode - like Barkin, he's got a touch of despair, killing out of the desire to get one more break, smarter and sadder than most of the younger killers.

And man, Nick Nolte, I could just watch Nick Nolte forever - I should go back and watch The Good Thief.

And after all that, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, and Diego from The Umbrella Academy all in the same episode!

And through it all Charlie, an amazing character that I feel I've known forever.

The one down point, which isn't erased by getting Charlie to point it out, is Ron Perlman's no no I was looking to give you a job! bullshit.

Jen was suspicious that the hen party bus stopped outside of her sister's house, but one of the themes of the show is Working Stiff Solidarity - I can totally imagine her chatting to the driver "Hey brother, are you going anywhere in particular?" "Nah, I just have to drive around for three hours before the Adult Slip N Slide opens" "Well, would you be okay to drop me off at..." - the same way that even if your new friend hadn't solved your old friend's murder, if a guy that looks like Cliff turns up asking for her, you send him off in the other direction.

I haven't watched enough Columbo, but is it fair to say that the POV of this show is a class bracket lower? Obviously Columbo is a working man (as much as a cop can be) but the murders all seem glamourous - there's rich people in some of these, but they seems more consistently seen from below.

class is absolutely the point of Columbo, but yes he is not the POV character per se. you're largely meant to enjoy the trappings of the glamour, then enjoy loathing the privilege of the murderers who assume their wealth and status mean that they are too smart to get caught, then thoroughly enjoy this dishevelled fuck who wandered into the story half an hour late class-warring them to the deck.

it's fun that Poker Face mixes up eg Charlie wandering into a drama already in progress, Charlie being thoroughly ensconsed in a milieu before the drama ramps up, and Charlie being the target. the formula of Columbo ambling in to solve a murder from scratch when we've been watching the clues and red herrings accumulate from the start is also consistently satisfying.

A little looking forward…

https://deadline.com/2024/07/poker-face-season-2-cast-giancarlo-esposito-katie-holmes-gaby-hoffmann-kumail-nanjiani-1236011753/

Oh and awesome, her episode was one of the best:

Lyonne will again direct in Season 2.

my 12 yo loves poker face and we’ve been diving into old columbos as a treat. just watched leonard nimoy get nailed for murder and attempted murder (murder weapon: dissolving sutures!)

More guest stars announced:

https://deadline.com/2024/11/awkwafina-corey-hawkins-simon-rex-method-man-peacock-poker-face-season-2-1236174189/

And we have a start date: May 8

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/poker-face-season-2-release-trailer-guest-cast-1236161897/

Plus new teaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ6tzxg-sJM

yaaaaay

Closer and closer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlrQBK8h2AE

I know they put up 3 eps but i’ve only watched 1 so far but it was super fun!
We’re so back, baybee

Yeah I’m going to pace these out to enjoy them. So great! Fucking brilliant stunt casting at work. More on it all tomorrow morning!

I've not got the episode discipline, especially not on an allotted drinking evening to NOT go through these 3 eps in one sitting.

i suport you in yr pursuit of fun

oh these are so great

rat? mole? weasel? snake?

Absolutely brilliant. All three were crazy individual treats, casting off the charts AND suddenly putting an end to the killers-after-her backstory opens up where it goes next smartly and doesn’t make this season just seem like a repeat of the last one. We know that prior to where she was when the show started she was just bumming around using her trick to win card games so this kinda seems like a smart way to return to that kind of vibe for the character.

ep1 was delightfully over the top, loved it. Farce in the classic tradition.

Only through episode 1 so far (life is busy, hey!) but absolutely adored it. Erivo was so so good.

Ep 2 and 3 are great, excited for the next episode

It’s so great, I’m so glad it’s back, I missed this! Rhea Pearlman was incredible.

popular recent tweet/post/whatever...

"The Upper West Side's most underrated feature is that there's always a 30% chance of running into Richard Kind"

I'll never be able to see him without thinking about that now. Did see him there once, at a Mike Birbiglia show. John Slattery too.

the SONDHEIM of ep3 was an A+ cherry on a Mulaney sundae

It really was perfect once I clocked it, especially given Johnson’s own Sondheim love/the cameo in Glass Onion, etc

Hahah oh man, this newest episode. Where to begin!

BRING IT

(no spoilers until tomorrow plz)

ep3 wasnt my favorite but absolutely LOVED the loony energy of ep4, my favorite of the season by far. there were points where it felt like she went from her usual aping of Peter Falk to something more like Bugs Bunny, a living cartoon character. i know they all cant be like this but i love it when this show is goofy as fuck

omg ep 4 <3

also John Sayles! dude just levels into a new version of lived-in handsome every decade, got those paul newman genes.

Casting craziness this episode in the best way.

ep 3 - it seems my Mulaney tolerance has dropped to dangerously low levels

We watched the first two episodes of S2 last night and the novelty of S1 has worn all the way off. Not sure I'll keep going with this.

:(

pro-tip - hold out thru ep4 and then decide

xp - I usually enjoy Mulaney, but I thought he was pretty terrible in that otherwise enjoyable episode. Richard Kind killed it.

That Florida episode was awful, might be the first bad one I’ve seen

s2 does feel very... unfocused so far

first season was, for the most part, super tight, you knew you were in for an enjoyable ride, everything cinematically planned and under control

a bit of a letdown, but I just love Charlie so will keep on watching

She’s on the latest Criterion closet and brings some wild energy and a rather eye popping outfit to boot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNUAkiIoTFk

Roffle at this latest one. (And what a cast!)

New episode is a lot of fun, extremely good to see after how bad the previous one was. Some of what I liked:


- authentically wild triple A team name. Currently in 2025, the Montgomery Cheesemongers would fit in perfectly with the Omaha Stormchasers, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the El Paso Chihuahuas.
- self preservation coming second to the desire to make The Show
- token wet guy on the team (the outfielder who gives the game away)
https://deadspin.com/every-baseball-team-has-a-wet-guy-now-1837481219/
- outdated equipment!
- diehards who go to all the games and know everything. People who faithfully attend minor league games are the most dedicated out there.
- pitchers move up fast. Felix gets jumped from rookie ball all the way to triple A.
- Doc Ellis story is still incredible

the casting was great too!
loved Simon Rex. and that one longhaired burnout dude on the team was so funny

He was great, had a bit of an Andrew Chafin vibe to him

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GTqj14MWQAAX2CY?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

lol!

it’s like a kind of “handsome for this county but also has a sketchy arrest warrant” vibe

a vibe I love in tv and movies but is rarely captured correctly

also i love in Lyonne’s scenes wirh him how Rex is a full foot taller than her and they play off that, it’s very good