When Lower Decks finished, I watched the first episode of Poker Face, a comedy-drama-crime series following Charlie Cale, a cocktail waitress with an uncanny ability to know when someone is lying. This skill means she is blacklisted from casinos, but is drawn into a scam which ultimately means she has to go on the run from a powerful casino boss.
Because Charlie is on the run and trying to stay one step out of Sterling Frost, Sr., she lives a transitory lifestyle. In true Murder She Wrote style, Charlie puts her skills to use by solving crimes, particularly occasions where someone has committed murder and – until she came to town – eluded suspicion or conviction.
Natasha Lyonne is brilliant in the main role and is often gifted with clever, witty scripts, talented ensemble casts (Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Ellen Barkin, Tim Blake Nelson, Nick Nolte, Cherry Jones, Luis Guzmán, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ron Perlman, Clay DuVall etc.) and assured direction, twice by creator Rian Johnson, once by Lucky McKee, and once by herself!
I watched all 10 episodes very quickly and plan to rewatch it at some point soon, but I've been pleased to see it was very well received by critics and a second season has been commissioned.
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