Poker Face Episode 5 Review
Credit to: Paramount, T-Street, MRC Television and PeacockCharlie Bit my Finger! Remember that? No? ok.
Welcome back, y’all! This time around, we’re taking a look at episode 5 of the Peacock original, Poker Face! I gotta say, I’m really liking this series, and I’m really digging Charlie as a character. This series does so well at hitting and surpassing the marks in each category that describes it. There’s good comedy, intriguing mysteries that feel so sweet to solve, and it gets super dramatic in a whacky but really innovative way. Natasha Lyonne is perfect for the role of Charlie, too. Her facial expressions and body movements perfectly convey the intended emotions that each scene calls for, while adding her own bit of flavor. I love it, I’m having a great time with this series. But anyway, let me stop all the rambling, let’s get to the good stuff. You know how this goes; pros, cons, then the final thoughts. Cool? Cool. Without any further ado, let’s just jump right into it.
Pros
EVERYTHING. Sorry. Let me start by saying that the two characters that this episode’s mystery revolves around, Joyce and Irene, played by S. Epetha Merkerson and Judith Light respectively, are absolutely wonderful characters. Their dynamic is very humorous, but also very powerful when they reveal more of their backstory as the episode goes on. They’re two elderly women in a nursing home, full of interesting characters that include a pervert named Pervy Pete, a woman named Betty who hates their guts, and a trio of elderly women who love to hush them both for interrupting their important television watching and note taking. Like the other episodes, this one is pretty whacky, but there’s really nothing wrong with that. Can’t take a show about a human lie detector so seriously, it is still also a comedy too. But, if you want substance, this show, and especially this episode, has that. The duo themselves share a rich history, as they’ve known each other since the 80’s, and have been up to certain things that I won’t spoil, that do tie into the mystery that Charlie is uncovering. The way Irene and Joyce operate with one another is more than just the writing, but the amazing acting from these two actresses. I mean, it genuinely felt like they already had a great connection before doing this, like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, or Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly, with the way they convey such powerful emotions together and show how strong their friendship is, and how well their humorous, sassy personalities complement each other so well. They’re mature women who stay on the same page with how to move forward on things, and I really enjoyed that. Charlie herself enjoys these characters as well, as she becomes almost immediate friends with them. It’s when she discovers an underlying mystery that she begins to wonder, and that wonder almost gets her hurt be the people she would least expect. But of course, you know Charlie’s got this.
The actual mystery itself is more than just a mystery, it’s a powerful story that has a couple of heavy twists and turns from its dark history. While some may find the overall mystery to be cliche, you need to understand that nowadays, almost everything is cliche, it’s a matter of making tweaks and building a unique story around the mystery that makes it interesting to watch. Trust me, when you uncover more and more from all of Charlie’s digging, you can’t help but feel like you need to stay all the way until the end, and that’s what matters. In my eyes, this is the best episode so far. It’s funny, it’s emotional, and it’s got a really great twist. Even with the way it closes out, it’s pretty unexpected, but in a fun way. Charlie sort of takes the back seat here in order to allow the audience time to find out more about Joyce and Irene, and that was for the best. We’ll always get more Charlie, but these case-of-the-week episodes won’t have these characters of interest coming back for more. So with that being said, I loved every moment that brought us deeper into the duo’s history, the story that they may not have wanted to become so public. This episode was fantastic. So fantastic, that the title of it, ‘Time of the Monkey’, is the key to everything. Seems pretty fantastic in my mind.
Cons
I genuinely can’t find anything wrong with this episode, beyond the fact that I would’ve loved to have had more time with Joyce and Irene. But beyond that, I loved every part of this. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, this series is becoming a real standout. I’m loving every character we come across, I’m loving the stories, I’m loving the comedy, and I’m just loving all of the time I’ve had with it so far. We’re finally in a spot where the police are actually noticing Charlie’s handiwork as a “detective”, so it’s likely we’ll see her tackle some more extreme, official cases in the not too distant future. Either way, I’ll be here to talk about it. But what did you all think? Let us know on our Instagram, and make sure you follow us there so you can stay up to date on the latest entertainment news and reviews. But that’s all from me, this has been The Wolf Den!
