Reviews

So, although I didn't very much enjoy the previous episode, the third episode changed my mind- the has picked up the pacing and is really bringing the familiar familial energy that we didn't get much on This Is Us (sorry but those dream sequences and what if scenarios are not enough)

Ollie (played by Shaylee Mansfield) is the definite MVP of this episode, and should the series get another season, I really hope to see more members of the Nicolettis- they're starting to become my favorite TV family. This episode is proof as they do not compromise their integrity for an old friend and instead help the person who is being conned turn the tables on the conman- it's a classic scam the scammer. I'm glad they're not forgetting Tina and here's hoping the writers do a reckoning for that character unlike the Korean television show where the exact counterpart faces no punishment whatsoever.

On the other hand, you can't help but draw parallels to Milo's other show Gilmore Girls, where Charlie has hints of Luke and Jess, Birdie is a standin for Liz Danes but acts like a Luke, Leo is what William Danes could have been and Fran has a few shades of Liz's love for astrology but a tender sweetness of Babette. Ollie is a sweet April meets Gigi hybrid and Emma is definitely becoming an Asian Lorelai Gilmore.

With that said, I'm excited for the next few stories- here's hoping Charlie and Emma don't lose steam, especially after THAT cliffhanger...

Pardon the headline but that's how I think that the 9th episode of Poker Face can be described in a nutshell. It's by far the best of the entire series, and in a way sets up the finale.

In most television shows that I have watched, the penultimate episode often fails to hit the mark- Poker Face is the first show which is the exception. Wonderfully cast guest stars (who can forget Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a staple of Rian Johnson filmography, or Stephanie Hsu from Mrs Maisel or Everything, Everywhere At Once?) and Natasha Lyonne in a cabin? TV gold!!!

For those who are fans of Rian Johnson, one can see the many Easter eggs that you'd find in his previous works- Charlie's constant passing out and Brendon Frye's similar spells in Brick, Gordon-Levitt's character a stand in for Edward Norton's Miles Bron, and one scene from Knives Out that I won't explain.

Anyway- I've said what needs to be said- Rian Johnson, you directed another exceptional hour of a murder mystery with amazing cinematography, exceptional acting, and I can't wait for more Charlie Cale stories in Season 2!