An Unbelievable Climactic Scene Can’t Stop This Genre Blending Episode From Getting Enjoyably Meta

Warning! Spoilers forward for Poker Face season 2, episode 7.Poker Face deconstructs and subverts a handful of film tropes in its newest unconventional mystery-of-the-week, “One Final Job.” In upending Hollywood’s two most formulaic genres — the heist film and the romantic comedy — this episode will get delightfully meta. It kicks off with the opening automotive chase from Child Driver earlier than panning over to a Blu-ray aisle filled with traditional financial institution heist films like Warmth and Inside Man, and Poker Face season 2’s newest installment maintains that stage of cinematic self-awareness for the rest of its runtime.

Sam Richardson guest-stars as a TV salesman and aspiring screenwriter named Kendall. Kendall simply completed his newest screenplay: a heist film a couple of man who will get fired from a Greatest Purchase-style megastore (based mostly on the shop the place he works) and goes again to rob the place utilizing his data of the shop and the tropes of heist films. When Kendall himself is fired to chop prices and canopy losses from shoplifting, he groups up with a neighborhood criminal, performed by James Ransone (greatest generally known as Ziggy from The Wire), to hold out the heist from his script in actual life.

It’s the type of partnership you’d see in an Elmore Leonard novel, and Ransone and Richardson share hilarious chemistry as a hardened, trigger-happy profession legal and a daily, mild-mannered man who’s in method over his head. The place Kendall’s story is a heist film, Charlie’s story is a romcom. Corey Hawkins performs Invoice, Kendall’s retailer supervisor/childhood greatest buddy, who solely fired him to inspire him to lastly comply with his desires within the movie business, and the pleasant Geraldine Viswanathan performs Charlie’s romcom-obsessed new boss at a tandoori restaurant.

Charlie’s New Love Curiosity Is Killed Throughout A Heist Gone Awry

Whereas Kendall’s heist storyline is taking part in out, Charlie is dropping off each day meals deliveries on the retailer and increase a rapport with Invoice. When Invoice asks her out on a date, Charlie’s boss coaches her on how you can comply with the beats of a romcom and fall in love.

As Charlie goes on a primary date, it’s unusual to see her so nervous — it provides a complete new dimension to the character. We’re used to seeing her as a assured lone wolf, so it’s attention-grabbing to see her open herself as much as one other particular person and present vulnerability. It additionally provides her a private connection to the homicide sufferer when the heist goes awry and Invoice will get shot.

Whereas I loved how the thriller escalated, with a few leftover luggage of money forcing Kendall to return to the crime scene, I discovered the climactic sequence a bit unbelievable. I didn’t purchase that Kendall’s partner-in-crime would nonetheless be alive with a samurai sword jammed by his stomach, and I definitely didn’t purchase that he might decide up an assault rifle and make his approach to the superstore with that sword nonetheless piercing his very important organs. It takes our suspension of disbelief too far (which is a disgrace, as a result of, as much as that time, the entire storyline had been comparatively convincing).

Nevertheless, I assumed it was a pleasant twist — and a intelligent approach to tie the episode’s film parodies collectively — to have Charlie use a bunch of TVs taking part in well-known film gunfights to trick the shooter. The ultimate moments of the episode create a enjoyable parallel with the ending of Heat as Charlie chases down Kendall and corners him like Al Pacino catching Robert De Niro, full with the identical iconic soundtrack: “God Shifting Over the Face of the Waters” by Moby.

Poker Face’s Newest Episode Exhibits Us A New Aspect Of Charlie

Charlie Opens Up Emotionally

As an enormous fan of each heist films and romcoms, I actually loved Poker Face’s two-for-one style parody. “One Final Job” incorporates a handful of memorable visitor performances as normal — significantly by Richardson as a cinephile who tries his hand at a film crime — and it was refreshing to see Charlie open up emotionally and permit herself to be susceptible.

Poker Face Season 2, Episode 7

8/10

Launch Date

January 26, 2023

Community

Peacock

Administrators

Fortunate McKee, Natasha Lyonne, Janicza Bravo, Ben Sinclair

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  Natasha Lyonne

  Charlie Cale

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  Benjamin Bratt

  Cliff Legrand

Professionals & Cons

• The episode’s lighthearted satire of heist film tropes is a variety of enjoyable
• Sam Richardson leads a forged of terrific visitor stars
• Charlie reveals a extra susceptible facet of herself as she goes on a primary date

• The climactic sequence stretches your suspension of disbelief a bit too far