Poker Face

Episode Reviews

May 8, 2025 – S2, E1: “The Game Is a Foot”

Still on the run from Beatrix Hasp, Charlie hides in an apple orchard, befriending apple picker and former child star Delia Kazinsky. When Delia’s mother and sister suddenly die, Charlie suspects murder and helps Delia solve the case.

A woman tackles and throws another woman over a cliff, killing her. She then assumes that woman’s identity, pretending that she herself committed suicide. Elsewhere, a daughter prevents her dying mother from hitting a nurse call button, and her mother flatlines as a result. We hear that a man, while driving drunk with his teenage daughter in the car, crashed and was killed. A sharp object impales a woman’s foot, and blood spurts everywhere. Hasp’s goons seem to show up wherever Charlie is, firing guns at her (and missing). In one case, bystanders incorrectly assume the guns are part of a stunt and cheer on the bad guys.

Delia tells Charlie that their mother, Norma, was emotionally abusive to her and her three sisters, pitting them against each other and stealing the money they earned as child actors. Norma was also responsible for giving Delia alcohol as a minor, leading Delia to a lifetime struggle with alcoholism. We see Norma being verbally abusive to Amber, one of Delia’s sisters.

Delia and her sisters are shocked to learn they have a fifth sister, Felicity, who grew up with their father. Felicity tells Amber that their dad was an abusive alcoholic with a gambling addiction.

A lawyer says he’s legally not allowed to disclose information, but he’s unable to control himself and accidentally blurts it out. Someone calls charities “organized malingering.” Delia’s sisters exhibit little emotion regarding the deaths of their mother and sister, and Delia even seems relieved. People lie throughout the episode. Sisters sometimes mock each other and use mean nicknames. One woman takes on two other people’s identities to steal their inheritances.

We see a painting depicting a woman’s bare breast. We hear that the Kazinsky sisters won an award for “best intergenerational kiss” when they were child actors. Amber repeatedly uses the phrase “butt-munch,” which her sisters tell her is “vaguely homophobic.” Someone purposely misuses the word “sextuplets” for a joke.

People drink alcohol. Charlie vapes.

We hear about 20 uses of the f-word and 30 of the s-word (some of which are in French). We also hear “a–hole” and “h—.” God’s name is misused about 10 times, once paired with “d–mit.”

Jan. 26, 2023 – S1, E1: “Dead Man’s Hand”

After her best friend is murdered, Charlie searches for the truth using her unique ability to tell whenever someone is lying.

Someone dies by suicide. Natalie and her husband are both killed with a gun (and there is a slight struggle between the killer and the husband). Their deaths are framed to look like a murder-suicide since the husband was abusive. (In a previous scene, Nat had shown up to work with a black eye, given to her by her husband.) Charlie is shot. People issue death threats. A man is forcefully removed from a casino after causing a scene. Someone drives recklessly.

Charlie reads a news story about a child pornography ring involving the dark web. When Natalie finds an obscene photo on a guest’s laptop (unseen by the viewer), she takes a picture and reports it to her boss. (It can be assumed this is linked to the story Charlie read.) However, her boss deletes the photo and attempts to cover it up.

Natalie talks about finding several pictures of her husband’s genitals on his phone, suspecting that he has sent these to another woman. Later, Charlie (and the audience) sees these pictures on a tablet. Some women wear revealing outfits. A man talks about selling pornographic magazines. Charlie reads an article containing graphic details about sodomy.

People drink and smoke cigars and cigarettes. Charlie often drinks while working. Natalie’s husband arrives at the casino heavily inebriated. When Charlie starts acting erratically after drinking coffee, someone asks if she is using cocaine.

People lie. (And in a poignant observation, Charlie remarks that while she can detect a lie, she can’t detect the motive behind it, which can sometimes be even more nefarious than the lie itself.) People gamble at a casino and some people cheat. We hear about theft. A woman says she can’t divorce her abusive husband because she can’t afford to live alone. Charlie breaks into Natalie’s house (which has been locked up as a crime scene) to obtain evidence. A man uses his resources to manipulate police.

We hear 25 uses of the f-word and 30 of the s-word. There are also multiple uses of “a–,” “a–hole,” “b–tard,” “b–ch,” “d–mit,” “d–k,” “h—” and “p-ss.” God’s name is abused a dozen times, sometimes paired with “d–mit.” Christ’s name is abused once.