‘Poker Face’ Season 2, Episodes 5-8: Midseason Awards!

Summary

The Prestige TV Podcast Summary Episode: ‘Poker Face’ Season 2, Episodes 5-8: Midseason Awards!
Release Date: June 13, 2025
Host: Joanna Robinson & Rob Mahoney

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Introduction

In this episode of The Prestige TV Podcast, hosts Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney delve deep into the latest batch of Poker Face Season 2 episodes—Episodes 5-8: "Hometown Hero," "Sloppy Joseph," "One Last Job," and "The Sleazy Georgian." They explore key themes, standout performances, and memorable moments, all while engaging with listener emails and dissecting various aspects of the show.

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Listener Emails and Discussions

Pronunciation Corrections

Joanna and Rob address a crucial listener email regarding the correct pronunciation of the showrunner’s name, Tony Toast. Joanna humorously apologizes for previously mispronouncing it, emphasizing the importance of getting names right:

“Please do let us know while we're correcting pronunciations.” ([03:54])

They also tackle the pronunciation of "Esposito" concerning actor Giancarlo Esposito, highlighting the nuances between Italian and Hispanic pronunciations:

“Giancarlo is from Italian lineage... Esposito is the Italian pronunciation.” ([04:12])

Rat vs. Mole

The hosts discuss the difference between a rat and a mole as explained by Asher:

“A mole infiltrates and a rat flips.” ([06:00])

Joanna draws analogies with bird calls to differentiate ravens and crows, enriching the conversation with her personal anecdotes:

“Crows rock to caw, ravens just rock.” ([06:43])

Listener Thoughts on 'Alias'

Listener Shannon shares insights from rewatching Alias, prompting a discussion on whether the protagonist, Sydney Bristow, is a rat or a snake. Joanna and Rob analyze her complex role:

“She already thought she was in the CIA... she was flipped into being a rat.” ([08:15])

Book Promotion

Allison writes in about her upcoming book, Mother Maiden Cop, which features a section on Poker Face. She praises the show’s portrayal of female cops, balancing traumatic backgrounds with strong, resilient characters:

“Charlie’s like in a peppier life of World of Crime... we just want to have fun with my silly detective show week to week.” ([09:56])

Listener Matthew on Show’s Moral

Matthew contemplates the show's moral, arguing that Poker Face emphasizes the value of human connection. He notes that many murderers in the series are isolated and lack empathy:

“Charlie’s innate curiosity about people is what always... she asks the questions that get exposed.” ([11:00])

Joanna expands on this by exploring what drives good people to desperate acts:

“What drives an otherwise good person to murder? What is the moment of desperation?” ([13:06])

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Category Discussions

Best Use of a Guest Star

Rob Mahoney:
Highlights John Cho’s performance as Guy, the con man, praising his versatility and chemistry with Melanie Lynskey:

“John Cho is always the very best... his chemistry with Melanie Lynskey is so good.” ([14:54])

Joanna Robinson:
Compliments David Krumholtz, Carol Kane, and Gil Birmingham for their standout roles, noting how crowded episodes sometimes prevent these actors from being more central:

“I love David Krumholtz... Carol Kane also is in these group of episodes.” ([16:44])

Best Joke

Joanna Robinson:
Rewards Hometown Hero for Gil Birmingham’s monogamy joke:

“I just really liked that one... ‘Let's hear from monogamy.’” ([19:27])

Rob Mahoney:
Chooses a gag from One Last Job featuring Ziggy Sabatka in a Miami Vice wig asking for mojitos:

“Ziggy Sabatka in a Miami Vice wig asking if you want to go get some mojitos.” ([19:57])

Best Episode

Rob Mahoney:
Selects The Sleazy Georgian for its intricate plot and character development:

“The Sleazy Georgian is really great. Excellent excavating for some of our guest stars here.” ([27:09])

Joanna Robinson:
Favors Sloppy Joseph for its masterful murder portrayal and emotional depth:

“Sloppy Joseph... the way the blood spatters off each other was just the way it was.” ([27:32])

Best Murder

Joanna Robinson:
Points to Sloppy Joseph’s explosive murder scene:

“It's sloppy Joseph. It's the way the blood spatters off each other.” ([29:42])

Rob Mahoney:
Highlights the death by fastball in Hometown Hero:

“Death by fastball is a very good construction... hoisted by your own petard moment.” ([30:30])

Best Needle Drop (Music)

Rob Mahoney:
Chooses Prodigy’s tracks as the standout music moments:

“I think it's Prodigy.” ([32:51])

Joanna Robinson:
Prefers Sister Golden Hair by America and Glory Days by Bruce Springsteen for their nostalgic and energetic vibes:

“Sister Golden Hair is like my favorite of their songs and it's an absolute banger.” ([32:55])

Best Charlie Job

Rob Mahoney:
Votes for the Montgomery Cheesemonger’s ball girl:

“The Montgomery Cheesemonger’s ball girl... like you deputize the children to do the job.” ([35:38])

Joanna Robinson:
Agrees, highlighting the character’s stylish and strategic role:

“Charlie’s fit... all the knee socks, all the everything.” ([36:04])

Dumbest Move for Charlie

Rob Mahoney:
Criticizes Charlie’s decision to hide in the beds and linens during a date in One Last Job:

“Date night at the super safe in the patio and garden section... bad move.” ([41:37])

Joanna Robinson:
Points out her decision to hide instead of alerting the cops:

“Hiding in the tent after hours to check the locker rather than alerting the cops.” ([40:13])

Most Interesting Fact Learned

Rob Mahoney:
Shares his discovery of The Black Mountain Poets and the fictional minor league baseball teams featured in Hometown Hero:

“The Black Mountain Poetics are a team... leading a man to Google.” ([44:37])

Joanna Robinson:
Echoes his enthusiasm, noting their creativity and depth:

“These are such elite minor league baseball names.” ([44:58])

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Additional Insights

Mission Impossible References

Joanna and Rob humorously debate the ranking of Mission Impossible movies within Poker Face, reflecting on their own recent podcast discussions:

“Rob, have you ever... turn off the motion smoothing on someone else's television for them?” ([25:15])

They analyze how Poker Face cleverly incorporates these references to reveal character traits:

“She knows how he would rank his complete impossible... revealing his preferences.” ([23:08])

Movie Nerd Discussions

The hosts indulge in their shared love for movies, discussing the animated hallucinogenic sequences and their impact on storytelling:

“The animated hallucinogenic BJ Novak sequence... didn’t click for me.” ([18:27])

They also touch on humorous dance sequences and clever cinematic nods:

“Melanie Lynskey’s line ‘Ooh, mommy’... it's transcendent television.” ([49:44])

Character Development and Plot Twists

Joanna and Rob appreciate how Poker Face balances discrete weekly mysteries with ongoing character arcs, allowing for both standalone enjoyment and deeper narrative engagement:

“It's part of what makes the balance of the show work as well as it does.” ([43:16])

They applaud Charlie’s growth and strategic moves, highlighting moments where her empathy and curiosity drive the plot forward:

“Charlie’s empathy and kindness improve the spirits of a character throughout an episode.” ([11:00])

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Conclusion

Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney provide a comprehensive and insightful analysis of Poker Face Season 2, Episodes 5-8. From standout guest performances and clever jokes to intricate murder plots and thoughtful moral lessons, the hosts celebrate the show's strengths while also critiquing its occasional missteps. Engaging with listener feedback and drawing on their shared love for television and film, they create a rich, engaging discussion that both fans and newcomers can appreciate.

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Stay tuned for the next episode of The Prestige TV Podcast as Joanna and Rob continue to break down your favorite shows with depth and enthusiasm.

Transcript

[Joanna Robinson]

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[Rob Mahoney]

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[Joanna Robinson]

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[Joanna Robinson]

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[Rob Mahoney]

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[Joanna Robinson]

Hello. Welcome back to the prestige TV podcast feed. I'm Joanna Ro.

[Rob Mahoney]

Rob Robinson, I'm Rob Mahoney.

[Joanna Robinson]

We're not here to talk to you about golf this week. We are here to talk to you about baseball magic, certainly. Cinephilia, of course, and grifting. It's poker based, you know, that's all a lot of my passions actually are involved in in these in these episodes. We're here to talk to you about Poker Face season two, episodes five, six, six, seven and eight. That's Hometown Hero, Sloppy Joseph, One Last Job and the sleaziest, the sleazy Georgian. Yes, the sleazy Georgia. That's what it is. Okay, we have some emails from you all. Thank you so much for emails that you guys sent either in response to our last Poker Face episode, if you missed it. We did check in season two, episodes one through four a couple weeks ago. And then we have some categories we want to get to as we sort of try to talk about all these episodes together. But Rob Mahoney, two things. Number one, where can folks email us if they want to? And number two, how do you feel.

[Rob Mahoney]

About these episodes, Joe? They can always email [e-mail] and I would encourage it. Poker Face. We're just all out reaching out to each other, trying to establish human connection, including with the listeners of the Prestige TV podcast. I really like these episodes. Again, I think there again, I think there's one that doesn't quite measure up to the other three, but three I had a really good time with.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, that's interesting. Do you want to tell me which the one is?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it's Hometown Hero.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay. All right. I can see that. I actually quite liked it. But it might be because of my fondness for baseball movies, is maybe why I liked Hometown Hero. But yeah, I can see why you would think that is, like, the weakest of the four. I think enjoyability, if that's a word, it is now. Sleazy. Georgian was not my favorite.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, actually, okay.

[Joanna Robinson]

But I love John Cho and. And I liked that it messed with our expectations of the format.

[Rob Mahoney]

Stuff like that.

[Joanna Robinson]

That was fun. But the middle two were directed by Adam Arkin, you know, known actor, but also, like, great TV director, has directed some of the great episodes of Justified, among other things. And so I was really excited to see that name on the credits. I'm going to get to our emails. First and foremost, in case he's listening again, I would like to formally apologize to the season two showrunner of Poker Face for mispronouncement. He let us know on. On Twitter. Was it Twitter Blue Sky? I don't know that we mispronounced his name throughout the entire last podcast. So, Tony, toast, if you're listening, right? Cause we said toss like a salad. Like a tossed salad.

[Rob Mahoney]

You said toss, Joe. I just sat here.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, you didn't correct me.

[Rob Mahoney]

I didn't know better, man. But now we do.

[Joanna Robinson]

I believe it's toast anyway. And if we got it wrong again.

[Rob Mahoney]

Please do let us know while we're correcting pronunciations. Joe, I just want to go on the record officially. If you are emailing us, hitting us up on social media about Giancarlo Esposito's name, I don't know what to tell you other than, please, YouTube, the man himself saying his own name. I understand that it looks like Esposito. I don't know what to tell you. That's not his name.

[Joanna Robinson]

I think the. I think where people get messed up is that Giancarlo is from Italian lineage, even though he's played a lot of Spanish speaking characters on screen. And then, like, Jennifer Esposito is an actress who is Latina, so. So Esposito is the Italian pronunciation. Esposito is. Is the, you know, Hispanic pronunciation. But yeah, I had a. My mind was blown. I learned that, like somewhere in a season of Better Call Saul, I learned it. So I spent all of Breaking Bad calling him Giancarlo Esposito, et cetera, et cetera. But it is Esposito. I have heard it from the man himself, okay. In the corrections department. I don't know if it's so much of a corrections. This is a question of. Of the ten Four Good Buddy. And I foolishly was like, is this a Gilligan's Islands reference? Gilligan Island. The skipper called Gilligan, little buddy. Which is not the same as good buddy. 10.4Good buddy is of course, like CB radio chatter, which I kind of knew, but I thought it was like there was another layer to it. And we had a couple people let us know that it, you know, specifically, they think it's a Smokey and the Bandit reference, which I would not be surprised by. If you've never seen Smokey and the Bandit, which I have. No one has ever looked better in a button down in jeans then twist. Sally Field. I would say you thought it was the same Bert, but no, it's Sally. Incredible. Incredible turn from Sally Field in that movie. Bert is also great. Okay. And then we got on the rat versus mole question.

[Rob Mahoney]

This was huge.

[Joanna Robinson]

We got some clarification. Asher says, and I'm gonna remember this for the rest of my life. Asher wrote in. We were just. We were asking, what's the difference between a rat and a mole? In response to. I think it was like episode three or four of the last batch of episodes, Asher says, the difference between a rat and a mole. A mole infiltrates and a rat flips. So the Departed is a double mole situation because both of those people are joining those organizations in order to inform on them. They're infiltrating from the start. They're not being turned from within. That makes. That's a great distinction. It made me think of. Have you ever heard the phrase crows rock to caw, ravens just rock?

[Rob Mahoney]

No. What?

[Joanna Robinson]

It's something someone taught me when I was a kid. I think this is right. In order to tell the difference between a raven and a crow.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay.

[Joanna Robinson]

There are. Their calls are different. Oh, very well. Not everyone knows that.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is crow talk. Is that not what we're here for?

[Joanna Robinson]

Ravens. What ravens do is. Is known as rocking. And it's because it's like a very guttural, like, rock sort of thing. And then crows have the kind of.

[Rob Mahoney]

Is like a very croaky kind of sound.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, it's croaky. Yeah. But it's called rock in. In a. Birding. In the birding community, in the ornithology crowds.

[Rob Mahoney]

How deep are you into birding?

[Joanna Robinson]

Pretty surface level.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay.

[Joanna Robinson]

But the phrase crows rock to caw, ravens just rock is like the idea that crows, when they. When they caw, they sort of rock their whole bodies in order to do it. So, like, they physically rock, and then ravens just, like, rock. I believe that's the case if I got Bird facts wrong, Please do email us. I love to know your thoughts on Bird facts. And then our listener Shannon, we were asking like, can you have a double molecule or double rat situation, whatever. And our listener Shana wrote in to let us know that she's rewatching the great television series Alias. And spoilers for genuinely the premise of Alias. Genuinely the first episode of a quite at this point old TV show, Jennifer Garner's character Sidney Bristow is informing. Well, she's a. She's a rat or she. This is complicated.

[Rob Mahoney]

Honestly, she a snake. Again, it just.

[Joanna Robinson]

Honestly, this one's complicated because she, she does flip. But she already thought she was in the CIA, but she turns out she was in like a. She's in a shadowy organization. She thought she was in the CIA and then she finds out she's working for. She's like, am I the baddie? She finds out she's working for the bad guys. She gets recruited by the real CIA to inform on the organization that she thought was CIA. Her dad is also informing for the CIA.

[Rob Mahoney]

So she thought she was an agent, but she was really an asset. And then she was flipped into being a rat.

[Joanna Robinson]

It might be double ratting, actually, in that case. There's so much I don't know. Anyway, Shayna, thank you so much for that, for that email. And then our listener, Allison. I just want to respect the game from Allison, who slipped in like a little plug for her book in her email. And I, and I respect it. So, so I just want to say Allison has a book coming out called Mother Maiden Cop at Bloomsbury. And it's about women inside of like cop shows and cop movies. And she was talking about how much she she has a section on Poker Face in there and how much she likes that. Charlie often lady cops inside of these contexts in, in the modern era, this is not so much like the Cagney and Lisi era, but in the modern era they're often associated with like very traumatic either like sexual assault or death of a child or whatever sort of stories. Happy Valley, Mare of East Town, Top of the Lake were sort of examples she used. And she's like, I just like that. Charlie's like in a, in a peppier life of World of Crime, as peppy as you can get with murder.

[Rob Mahoney]

So some of those series are quite good.

[Joanna Robinson]

But I think, oh, they're great.

[Rob Mahoney]

They're demonstrative of why Poker Face sometimes feels like a breath of fresh air. Like, it's very different from so Many other things on TV based on how episodic it is, based on the tone of the. That's why I enjoy coming back to it. It's obviously not to unfurl some greater mystery about or even just delving into the soul of mankind. It's more just I want to have fun with my silly detective show week to week. And it's reliably a very good time.

[Joanna Robinson]

With fun, zany references to various genres that we enjoy. Same a roster of guest stars that we enjoy. I mean, yeah, it's really fun. I tend to watch these in like four episode chunks just because of our recording schedule and everything else. But I can imagine that this is a really fun just little week to week check in at the end of the week with Charlie and what she's up to. Last but not least, our listener Matthew wrote in the the subject of his email was the moral of Poker Face. And it's interesting because I never thought of Poker Face as a show with like a moral message. Charlie is a very moral person. She has inherent morality to her. But I really like this email from Matthew especially. I was thinking about especially the context of the last episode we got this lazy Georgian. Matthew wrote, I was wondering if you agree with me that one of the core messages of Poker Face is the value of human connection. I think this is most overtly shown in the Sloppy Joseph episode, but I think it is reflective in a lot of other episodes to varying degrees. Oftentimes the murderers in the show are disconnected, isolated or dejected from humanity and. And or other humans. They are consumed by their own wants and desires and ignore the potential ramifications of their actions on others. I don't think that many of the murders in Poker Face were always bad people, but their social isolation leads them to lack empathy. Charlie often reflects the benefits of social interaction with one other character in the story. And we see her empathy and kindness improve the spirits of a character throughout an episode. So I don't know if I agree with this on like every. In every single case by case. I do think Charlie's innate curiosity about people is what always. I was thinking about this the other day. You know, the whole. The whole thing they say about Murder She Wrote is like, murder follows Jessica Fletcher, the, you know, lady detective in that show. Wherever she goes, like, don't go to where Jessica Fletcher is. You'll. You're gonna get murdered. And I was like, would we say the same about Charlie? But I was like, no. What I think is the case is that wherever Charlie goes, these murders would have happened and they would have been ruled as accidents or suicides or whatever the case may be. And she's just like, it's because she's asking the questions that they get exposed at all in the first place. And that human curiosity that, especially in this lazy Georgian, the fact that John Cho's character gets got in the con at the end because he never bothered to meet the spouse of his, you know, the person he works most closely with.

[Rob Mahoney]

Right.

[Joanna Robinson]

That attitude is what hangs him to a certain degree in the end. And so I can see how that feeds in directly to what Matthew's talking about. Certainly our Little Miss Psycho in Sloppy Joseph.

[Rob Mahoney]

But like, any thoughts to come on that front?

[Joanna Robinson]

I'm a big fan, honestly. But there are other. But I think more crucially to what Matthew's talking about is something I loved thinking about in these episodes is like, what drives an otherwise good person to murder? What is the moment of desperation? And I think about in someone like Simon Rex's character, who in Hometown Hero, who isn't like necessarily the greatest guy, but kind of comes off as this, like, not to trigger you with the C word, but the Kevin Costner esque, like, leader of the team, you know, he's like, he's the leader, he's the guy. He's got his head on straight, he's got an idea. He's not, you know, a shitty dude. And then he gets. Feels like he gets backed into a corner and out of desperation and then he makes, you know, this, this one impulsive mood and then a move and then how do I cover that up? I think that's when Poker Face does that. What's the thing that can drive an otherwise good person to a desperate act? I think that's always an interesting thing the show has on its mind, for sure.

[Rob Mahoney]

And I think the counterpoint to that is a lot of times the victims, whether they're like literal murder victims or just people who are caused undue pain by the circumstances of the murder or whatever, are usually the people who are trying to invest in some idea of they're trying to save the ballpark. They're trying to bring people together. They just want to have a con man team that's actually a team and not a guy who's barking out orders, you know, God forbid.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right, so anything you want to talk about in a bigger picture way before we get into some of our categories that we have here, let's get into the categories.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think they will naturally sort of lend themselves to some of the bigger picture stuff.

[Joanna Robinson]

We're doing the same categories we did last time. We added one extra one, which we will get to second. First and foremost, though, Poker Face is famous for this. Best use of a guest star in these four episodes. Rob Mahoney.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it's John Cho as Guy, the con man.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay, tell me why.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay, first of all, I think based on your reaction so far, I think this episode worked for me a little bit better than it worked for you overall.

[Joanna Robinson]

But, I mean, I liked it.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, I really like. I love in particular a John Cho, like, face turn, like, heel turn, kind of dynamic. Like, he's so good at playing both sides of that. He's so good at playing charming or kind of, like uptight and responsible or sort of nefarious in, like, a very subtle way. I loved him in this episode. I loved his chemistry with Melanie Lynskey in particular. Their cold open sequence is so, so good. And overall, just seeing him kind of change shape over the course of the episode, like, that's what I want out of Poker Face.

[Joanna Robinson]

I mean, John Cho is always the very best. Were you a Selphie fan? Did you watch the TV show Selfie?

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, it missed me somehow.

[Joanna Robinson]

I definitely watched all of selfie, but that's it.

[Rob Mahoney]

It had its time. But certainly Doctor who adjacent.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, sure. John Cho is, I think, one of our most, like, underused leading men in general. So, yeah, giving him a showcase, I think is always going to be.

[Rob Mahoney]

You can see people trying sometimes. Like, I can understand how he ended up as the lead in a cowboy bebop live action reboot. It just, like, didn't really work, but, like, I wanted to. Yeah, you can understand, based on his range, why you would want him to play, like, kind of swashbuckling.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay, love that. I gotta give it to Krumholtz. Our guy, David Krumholtz.

[Rob Mahoney]

Good dad, David Krumholtz.

[Joanna Robinson]

Like, just. I just always love watching David Krumholtz. I never don't. And, like, it's sort of, you know, similar to me getting excited to see Richard kind like, you want to see, I don't know, every flavor an actor has to offer. I think I want to see, like, extremely Jewish New Yorkers in Poker Face. I think that's what I'm here for.

[Rob Mahoney]

You come to the right place, it turns out.

[Joanna Robinson]

And I just really love. Carol Kane also is in these group of episodes, though she might. She's a candidate for my next category because, like, she's not used very much in her episode. Also, should we mention that Noah, Is it either Seeking or Sagan now? I. Now I'm doubting all pronunciation. AKA Kid Blue, who's the Rian Johnson regular in all the Rian Johnson movies. Even the Star wars shows up in season one as a cop and shows up in this season as a baseball player. So that's kind of fun that he's going to hopefully show up every season as like a completely different person. But you got to have your Noah cameo or else it's not a Rian Johnson joint.

[Rob Mahoney]

So it's a lot of FaceTime too. You know, playing a catcher. Like gets to be involved in a lot of legit baseball action.

[Joanna Robinson]

Even more because he's in the. He was in like the first, first episode, the pilot, as a cop and like was kind of there, but like Adrian Brody was really there. So it was like much smaller role. But yeah, this is. This is much more for Noah to do in this episode. In this episode.

[Rob Mahoney]

Do you have any honorable mentions? Joe?

[Joanna Robinson]

Sam Richardson, I guess.

[Rob Mahoney]

Always. Perpetually. I actually really like Geraldine Viswanathan as well as like the. The rom com loving best friend who herself is now in a rom com. Yeah, that. That whole const really worked for me.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, that was really, really good. I would also say, oh, a good use of Simon Rex too. I thought, honestly, least it's more like. Least use of a guest star. Like, what would you like to have seen this person do more of?

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, for me it's. Yeah, it's tough. It's like it really is like a use thing or like they're part of a bit that just like didn't quite take off or work the way that I would have wanted it to. Ego Notam, who's the PA announcer for the velvety canned cheese park, who is descending slowly into madness as she consumes more canned cheese. I like it on paper and I like the casting. It's just. It never really clicked for me for.

[Joanna Robinson]

Some reason, you know, the more you're talking about that episode because I was like, you know what else didn't work really super well for me is the whole animated hallucinogenic BJ Novak sequence. I didn't love that either.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's like a little better off dead. A little yellow submarine. Too much anthropomorphic sock.

[Joanna Robinson]

Definitely yellow submarine. I will say both of my least use of a guest star are from that episode because Carol Kane and Gil Birmingham both like actors I love. I'm like, it's a crowded episode, so I guess I would have loved to have seen them more central to a Different episode, something like that.

[Rob Mahoney]

Absolutely.

[Joanna Robinson]

That being said, my. Now I have a couple of options here, but my number one best joke is from that episode, Hometown Hero. It does involve Gil Birmingham and it's just the pan across him reading the book. So you find yourself in an open marriage.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is a good running through line of the episode.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then later he's like, let's hear from monogamy.

[Rob Mahoney]

Good old fashioned monogamy.

[Joanna Robinson]

I just. That one, like, really got me. What. What do you have for best joke?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think for me, like, I got. I just have to be true to who I am. And it's Ziggy Sabatka in a Miami Vice wigg asking if you want to go get some mojitos.

[Joanna Robinson]

Ziggy Sabaka being in this up like, okay, Ziggy Sabaka is here from the Wire. If you guys haven't seen season the Incredible, season two of the Wire, Ziggy and his duck. Incredible icon Ziggy Sabaka is here in. In that. In one last job. And then Warren from Empire Records is in the sleazy Georgian. Like we are doing some good. Like some good. Excellent excavating for some of our guest stars here. That's a. That's a great pick on that episode front.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

Do you have poster watch recorded. Do you have it here or can I read you what I wrote down for all the posters in Sam Richardson's apartment?

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, please go through them. I have a couple of questions about some of the posters that are featured.

[Joanna Robinson]

There, and I might have missed some. So I will just say on the book front, Charlie is also reading Borges Laborintos, which is like incredible. The kid from Sloppy Joseph is reading the Ricky J. Collection, which I have to imagine. I mean, obviously Ricky J, iconic magician, but also, you know, in the Brothers Bloom, a film that you and I love.

[Rob Mahoney]

Orion, a great actor in his own Orion Johnson.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joy. Okay. Sam Richardson in his character's apartment. We have Heat, obviously. Inside man, obviously. Ocean's Eleven, obviously. Baby Driver. Obviously out of sight. Miami Vice, kill bill.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yep.

[Joanna Robinson]

12 monkeys, question mark.

[Rob Mahoney]

Scarface Wall also kind of question mark.

[Joanna Robinson]

Wall Street. Well, the ultimate Greed is Good Casino. That's what I wrote down.

[Rob Mahoney]

Honestly, Baby Driver threw me for a loop as well. Like, I think we're. Look, I like Baby Driver.

[Joanna Robinson]

I only kind of like Baby Driver.

[Rob Mahoney]

I love Edgar Wright.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yes.

[Rob Mahoney]

And I get how we got here, but I feel like we're throwing it a big old bone by looping it in on a heavy Michael Mann themed episode.

[Joanna Robinson]

Really agree. It's in the wrong class with what it's being compared to. Inside man belongs there. Baby Driver does not.

[Rob Mahoney]

Would it have been too self referential to do Hot Fuzz? Because to me, like this episode is to Michael Mann what Hot Fuzz is to Point Break or to Bad Boys 2. Maybe it's the snake eating its own tail at that point, but they seem to be of a kind.

[Joanna Robinson]

I like that. I do. I think my biggest question is Scarface. I think Scarface is too bro y a poster for this character to have on his wall.

[Rob Mahoney]

Also, is the Kill Bill poster there only to set up one Killing Bill? Yes. And two, the Katana gag.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's the katana. It's the, It's. Yeah, the Hattori Hanzo moment. And then that they literally kill Bill in this episode. That was my guess.

[Rob Mahoney]

Sorry, Bill.

[Joanna Robinson]

Do we want to hear is now the moment to talk about the use of Mission Impossible in this episode?

[Rob Mahoney]

We have to do it as two people who just did a whole ass Mission Impossible podcast.

[Joanna Robinson]

We just did a house of our Mission Impossible podcast. We just talked about our rankings of Mission Impossible movies. And then we have Sam Richardson's character asking Charlie what the best Mission Impossible movie is. She says one which he considers to be a decent answer, but is the implication when she cracks the code on his locker combination. And she says, and I quote, skyscraper, Superman, Power Arms. Classic. Original Philip Seymour Hoffman bad guy. Do we think that's his order?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think so.

[Joanna Robinson]

Favorite. So he's a go pro. Ghost Protocol, Fallout 1 3. I don't think that's a bad. I don't think that's a bad ranking. It leaves out Rogue Nation, which I wouldn't do.

[Rob Mahoney]

But you know, I again think it's quite kind to three in an episode that I will say uses a cop loving three as like a gag bit. You know, Like, I feel like they're. They're playing into it so hard. But to me, this is Charlie seeing the truth in yet another thing. Like she is seeing the truth of this person.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh. And she knows how he would rank his complete impossible. I know.

[Rob Mahoney]

Which if I remember correctly about you, Joe, you are four one, six. Five.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah. And you're four. No, no. Sorry, sorry. No, no, no, no, no. Don't worry, don't worry. I'm. Don't worry. You're 651-4. 615. 4. 6154. Wow. You know, I'm sorry. I failed. I failed. You win, I fail.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know what matters. Like, really, it is kind of those four, which is why the Three. Even Philip Seymour Hoffman, I feel like, is ushering him into a category and that movie into a category it probably does not belong in.

[Joanna Robinson]

One last thing about this movie geek episode, which was like, so. I mean, first of all, him starting by turning off the motion smoothing is like one of my favorite things that's ever happened. The fact that he carries around a universal remote so he can turn off the motion smoothing in the bar is like just. Rob, have you ever. And if so, how many turn off the motion smoothing on someone else's television for them?

[Rob Mahoney]

So many times it drives me insane.

[Joanna Robinson]

Absolutely bonkers.

[Rob Mahoney]

I would love to be in the mind of somebody who is not bothered by motion smooth.

[Joanna Robinson]

Most people can't tell the difference, Rob, but I'm not knocking most people. They just aren't like, I think they're not broken in the way that we are. Yeah, exactly. Last but not least, will you allow me to. Well, actually, the movie geek episode, I.

[Rob Mahoney]

Would be disappointed if you did not.

[Joanna Robinson]

When they're debating whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, Charlie, who usually, like, exhibits a deep knowledge of movie. So I don't think this is meant to indicate Charlie doesn't know what she's talking about, says, well, you got Bruce Willis in the hat, but Bruce Willis never wears a Santa hat. No, I think that the implication is that you have Bruce Willis in the hat, meaning that's close to Santa in your Die Hard movie, but Bruce Willis never wore a Santa hat in a Die Hard in the first Die Hard movie, at least.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm also going to say if you invoke ho ho ho, even if it's in the context of I have the machine gun. What does he have? What is it that's being ho ho.

[Joanna Robinson]

I have. I have a machine gun.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think that qualifies as invoking Santa to me.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh. I mean, it is a Christmas movie. It's Waldo Wall Christmas tunes. It's like, definitely a Christmas movie. That's not the point. The point is that he does not wear a Santa hat. And if you Google image search Bruce Willis Die Hard Santa hat and you see images of it, you'll know that they are all like a doctored image that someone made to as a header for their article of whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. So.

[Rob Mahoney]

So this is an inside movie nerd knowledge. And also inside how the sausage is made on a listicle knowledge.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yes. Uniquely qualified to talk about this. Okay, Best episode of this batch.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it is the Sleazy George.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, you loved the sleazy I really liked it. You love a grift. And I also love a grift. But okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

I was almost disappointed. We did our whole. What are our favorite con man movies and shows? Already too early. We really had a prime opportunity here.

[Joanna Robinson]

But it's true.

[Rob Mahoney]

Like, if I was gonna step outside of that because we haven't talked enough about it yet. Sloppy Joseph. That's my number one incredible episode.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's Sloppy Joseph.

[Rob Mahoney]

Really, really great.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joseph Goebbels.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's like the second they set it up, you're like, I know they're gonna go there, but I just appreciate the architecture of how we're going to ultimately make it happen.

[Joanna Robinson]

When our sociopathic, psychopathic, you know, protagonist Googles, though, it's not Google, it's a clone.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

How do you murder a boy? Self esteem.

[Rob Mahoney]

Good stuff. Also, one of the most successful search results I've seen in recent Internet history. I mean, really gets to the bottom of it. Very.

[Joanna Robinson]

Especially the way that, like, AI has complet cooked our ability to Google anything. That's not your gerbil husband. And that's socialism shrieked into the hallway.

[Rob Mahoney]

You forgot that's not your gerbil husband. Cut to just two gerbils. Absolutely. Going at it.

[Joanna Robinson]

One of which has, like, a fake little miniature head bandage as part of the costuming to sell the idea that it's Joseph brought back to life. Okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

Do you think there has been a greater TV villain than Stephanie?

[Joanna Robinson]

No. I loved her.

[Rob Mahoney]

She's about as good as it is.

[Joanna Robinson]

I loved her. Eva Jade Halford. I don't think I looked up her. I haven't seen her in anything. She's fantastic. Would love to see her in more things in the years to come. The other kid, too, Callum Vincent, who plays the other main kid. I thought he was really good, too. Two really good kid performances. Best Charlie fit.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, just to salute your love of a baseball movie, Joe, I think it is Ball Girl Charlie.

[Joanna Robinson]

Ball Girl Charlie.

[Rob Mahoney]

Which just made me irrationally angry that Natasha Leone was not in the A League of Their Own remake.

[C]

Like.

[Rob Mahoney]

Like what? Where did somebody fall asleep on the job? What were we doing?

[Joanna Robinson]

I feel like Ball Girl Charlie is the fit she has been training for this entire time. All the knee socks, all the everything. All the ringer tees were leading up to this moment for Ball Girls Girl Charlie.

[Rob Mahoney]

I agree completely.

[Joanna Robinson]

Best murder.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it's got to be the explosive murder of Joseph Tribbles.

[Joanna Robinson]

It is sloppy Joe. It's sloppy Joseph. It's the way the blood spatters off each other.

[Rob Mahoney]

Look, you hate to see it, but if you do see it, you hate to be in the Splash show. Like, that's just not where you want to be sitting in a particular presentation.

[Joanna Robinson]

Like, being at a Gallagher show, it's, like, fantastic. It was so funny. I mean, I'm sorry for the gerbil and for everyone who cared for Joseph Community. Yeah, my heart goes out, but that was just the way I. It was just the way it was. I mean, shout out Adam Arkin. But, like, the way it was like a pause before the screech. It's just like, so good.

[Rob Mahoney]

I do want to give honorable mention. Sorry, Joe, you didn't give your best murders.

[Joanna Robinson]

Do you know, it's definitely. It's. We're two for two. Ball girl Charlie and Sloppy Joseph himself. Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

One of my favorite parts of Hometown Hero, though the death by fastball is a very good construction. Especially like a past his prime pitcher who doesn't have the heat anymore rediscovers it.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

Like, that's a great little bit. And true to Poker face form, like a classic, like, hoisted by your own petard moment. Right. It's like you get the thing back that you've been wanting all this time. It's what ultimately does you in. And I also love that Poker Face is the kind of show where even though everyone is pretty sure that he's the murderer, you know, he just gets to finish the ending. You know, he just gets to pitch it out and we're gonna wait for the changeover and then we're gonna arrest this guy.

[Joanna Robinson]

She's like, show him what you got. You know what I mean? Like, go for it legit. Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

I fucking love it.

[Joanna Robinson]

I really. Yeah. If you cut out the hallucinogenic sequence. I really like this. This episode. Okay. Most delightful visual.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think for me, it's every time they had Stephanie look right down the barrel and cued Prodigy. And so it's kind of a combination visual needle drop situation. But that just did it for me literally every single time.

[Joanna Robinson]

I will say. And this is like, yeah. Similarly, the Charlie Browning of the adults. When you're in the children POV in that episode, we don't see Chromeholz's face or Margo Martindale's face. Like, we know their voices, but, like, we don't see the top shoulders up of their bodies until we're in Charlie's pov. The cash swirling around Sam Richardson at the end of one last job. Very good. And then I thought the overhead pool table.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

At the start of the sleazy George Georgian was really good.

[Rob Mahoney]

So want to say my name is like Stephanie's like I love to achieve on her, like, aspiration board again. This is, it's just like Gus Fringe, Cersei Lannister, Stephanie Hannibal. Like, that's the list in some order. I don't know what it is in terms of best TV villains, but that's mine.

[Joanna Robinson]

When her little like Mary Jane feet come down from the bathroom stall and she's got these lacy little bows on her knee socks, it's just, it's fantastic.

[Rob Mahoney]

A diabolical friendship slash blackmail bracelet.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, yeah, you're mine.

[Rob Mahoney]

Really great.

[Joanna Robinson]

So good. Okay. Best needle drop.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, I think it's the Prodigy.

[Joanna Robinson]

Prodigy.

[Rob Mahoney]

Do you have another take?

[Joanna Robinson]

Once again, this is my, like my dad taste in. In the baseball episode Sister Golden Hair by America America band I have an unreasonable amount of affection for because I went to middle school with the daughter of the lead singer. So we were all, we all thought that America was like the biggest band ever. And then we graduated middle school and found out that was not the case. But they're still pretty, you know. But Sister Golden Hair is like my favorite of their songs and it's an absolute banger. And that, that's, that's what plays during their losing montage. I love a montage. And then similarly Glory Days Bruce Springsteen plays when they are like celebrating on the field, which felt like a Bull Durham rain out homage. The sprinklers on the field and stuff like that.

[Rob Mahoney]

Has a show ever been more yearning for a Bruce Springsteen's drop? Like it's, it's just been there again, waiting in the wings this entire time. I'm glad they indulged us. This episode is brought to you by Cognigy. Customer service can be so frustrating waiting on hold, being transferred around, repeating yourself. So flip the script with Cognigy's agentic AI. Their AI agents do more than automate. They collaborate seamlessly, integrating into any system. AgentIQ AI works alongside your customer care team to deliver service, support and experiences at scale, reducing costs and making customers happy. Experience Cognigy's agenti [e-mail] happy.

[D]

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[C]

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[Joanna Robinson]

Charlie job you'd most want to have.

[Rob Mahoney]

This one is also super easy. And it's again, the Montgomery Cheesemonger's ball girl. Like, that's a great job.

[Joanna Robinson]

Mostly because she has an assistant ball girl to do all her actual running for her.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, you deputize the children to do the job. You just sit there with a hot dog and a beverage of your choice, looking very stylish. What's not to love about that particular phenomenal.

[Joanna Robinson]

Did you think she was gonna be the mascot?

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, I mean, that would have been. See, that's a much worse job. For the record, being in the big sweaty mascot apparatus. Don't want any part of that.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, I'm glad that she wasn't. Ultimately, we need the Charlie FaceTime. We need the fit. Her and the mascot is almost too easy. It's almost. Again, it's like it's almost right there for us.

[Joanna Robinson]

I always like to think about, where is Charlie hiding in plain sight inside of this, you know, sequence, this opening sequence. And. And so they kept showing us the mascot. And I was like, oh, like, is it gonna be the mascot? And then she wasn't the mascot at all. I don't know that I want to be a Montgomery Cheese Ball girl. Okay, I will pick con artist.

[Rob Mahoney]

But was she a con artist though?

[Joanna Robinson]

The Dexter of con artists only conning the con artist.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is true.

[Joanna Robinson]

That's what I would want to do.

[Rob Mahoney]

So that is easily the alternative. Like, honestly, delivery for an Indian restaurant. Not bad.

[Joanna Robinson]

Not bad.

[Rob Mahoney]

As far as Charlie's jobs go, like, much better than most. I think we can all agree lunch Lady. At a private institution for children. You will not catch me dead. Ever. In that job.

[Joanna Robinson]

I mean, I meant to ask you how you enjoyed the use of Steve Buscemi inside of these episodes. It wasn't every episode, but we did check in a couple times. I most enjoyed him in Sloppy Joseph when he was like, tell me, how much time have you spent around children?

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, as adults ourselves who do not have children, you know, it's easy to overestimate or overinflate or, you know, like you just appropriate the wrong amounts of like, oh, this part of having a kid around is gonna be good versus this part of having a kid around is gonna be a disaster. Yeah, yeah, we, you know, we over index on the wisdom of the simpler times of childhood and maybe not enough on being the lunch lady in the cafeteria and the kid telling you like point blank, you look tired.

[Joanna Robinson]

On the con artist, the Dexter of con artist front, the sleazy Georgian front. If you, Rob Mahoney had to grift in a bar at 8:30am what adult beverage are you ordering?

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, I feel like having something deeply alcoholic is sort of the pull, right? Like it adds to your era, like your aura of mystique in that moment.

[Joanna Robinson]

Allure.

[Rob Mahoney]

You can't just have the Bloody Mary. You can't just have a coffee. I think it's gotta be pretty intense.

[Joanna Robinson]

Hmm.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think I would go something tequila based just to really throw people off the scent. Just say like, you know what, I'm not fucking around. It's 8:30 in the morning. I've clearly got business to attend to. I'm going to confiscate all these envelopes as they come up. And I'm just over here sipping. You know, it doesn't have to be like, like even a Paloma would do, frankly. You know, maybe we're getting into more mezcal territory at that point, but I would be into it.

[Joanna Robinson]

Not a mojito though.

[Rob Mahoney]

No, no, I'm actually not a mojito guy. I just support the mojito fiending community.

[Joanna Robinson]

Mojito is something that I, I enjoyed like in college and cannot handle. No, no. But yeah, tequila, I like that. Tequila soda is my drink. Okay. Charlie's smartest move.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it is teaming up with Manny to one up guy the con man, like going behind his back, setting up the whole thing. I think she's, she's really honestly playing at a pretty advanced level by Charlie standards especially.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, that's true. I would say either psychologically destroying a child with socialism or playing into Simon Rex's need to be acknowledged for his fastball. That was very good either way, in all three cases. Manipulation. Because her dumbest move comes for me in the one episode we haven't mentioned, which is one last job, and it's hiding in the tent after hours to check the locker rather than alerting the cops. I don't know why the cops didn't search all those lockers in the first place. Nor do I, but.

[Rob Mahoney]

Nor why would you put all the money in your locker?

[Joanna Robinson]

Were there other lockers that didn't have. Because you can lock it and then secure it so that only you can go back and get it, but it's.

[Rob Mahoney]

Specifically assigned to you.

[Joanna Robinson]

Wow.

[Rob Mahoney]

It is a. It's a bunch of neon arrows pointing directly back to you.

[Joanna Robinson]

I mean, but that's mainly because he's got. He had to have a Ethan Hunt sticker on his locker.

[Rob Mahoney]

True.

[Joanna Robinson]

That place is just swarming with cops forever. And given that Charlie, like, works with cops, you know, which is her own decision to make, why would she not tell them to check the Ethan Hunt locker for? She could even tell them what order of Mission Impossible movies they should use to open the. But yes, going rogue means she winds up in this Die Hard Kill Bill katana situation. Honestly, you already mentioned Ziggy Sabaka in the. In the wig, him showing up with.

[Rob Mahoney]

A katana, still impaled.

[Joanna Robinson]

How did he get there?

[Rob Mahoney]

No clue.

[Joanna Robinson]

On a motorcycle. Like, how did. How did. How do you transport your body?

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, not in a sedan, I can tell.

[Joanna Robinson]

Not on public transportation, surely.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, no. So it's got to be a motorcycle.

[Joanna Robinson]

Of some Uber pool. I don't know, like, questions about that. Okay, did you have a dumb move for Charlie?

[Rob Mahoney]

Mine is also from one last job. It's this, you know, date night at the super safe in the patio and garden section.

[Joanna Robinson]

Pretty cute.

[Rob Mahoney]

Delightful. Go into the beds and linens to consummate the date.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

Bad move.

[Joanna Robinson]

I don't think this is dumbest, but I understand that. That it's bothered you the most.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think it's dumbest in the sense that I think you're gonna get. You're gonna catch something I wouldn't recommend.

[Joanna Robinson]

I would recommend other people have used the beds and linen section.

[Rob Mahoney]

They've certainly been all over it, and I don't know where they've been.

[Joanna Robinson]

I was just thinking, he's got to throw away those. Yeah, he's gonna throw it. You can't sell those sheets, man. Not that you would, because there are model sheets, but, yeah, I Mean, what did you think? I mean, I thought Corey Hawkins was really good in this episode, but, like, what did you think of giving Charlie a. And then, you know, and. And watching that unfold, knowing that he was already dead in the. In the present timeline?

[Rob Mahoney]

I thought that element of the. The. The timeline inversion really worked for me. And I. I like the, you know, kind of sidelining the main murder crime story, setting us on these two paths. Right. Like, there's a romcom path and there's a crime thriller path, and they are ultimately going to become the same movie. I guess that's out of sight, if we're being honest. But. But it's also this episode. I really loved his performance. And, yeah, I think giving Charlie the occasional love interest obviously works. You can't do it every episode in the same way that you don't want Steve Buscemi piping in necessarily every episode. Being sparing with this stuff is part of what makes the balance of the show work as well as it does.

[Joanna Robinson]

But I like that he got a mention in the next episode, so it wasn't like that never happened.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, you want some level of disconnect so that people can kind of pop in and it will feel a little separate week to week in its own discrete adventure, but there has to be some carryover. When you're seeing this much murder, you don't see the murder of Joseph Goebbels and then just get over it instantly.

[Joanna Robinson]

Well, lucky for Charlie, I believe she was outside when that happened.

[Rob Mahoney]

She heard it, though. She heard the sledgehammer heard round the campus. I want to raise one other again. This is not a dumb move, because empathy is never dumb, Joe. We support it here on this podcast. Certainly Poker Face is an advocate in terms of its construction and plot, but, like, her investment, her, like, instant investment in Lucille and in velvety canned Cheese park, based on one hallucinogenic dream. Yeah, I just, like, don't understand how she gets, like, roped into that so quickly to the point where she's like, I have to save this for this woman, and I know for a fact that she has done nothing wrong.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, I agree. I. I think I would prefer her just spend more time with Carol Kane's character. So, like, that's the usual reason why Charlie's like, no, this person didn't do. I know them so well.

[Rob Mahoney]

Not.

[Joanna Robinson]

I had a hallucinogenic trip. And BJ Novak was there. He certainly was as sergeant Pepper. Okay. Most interesting fact you learned from this batch of Poker Face episodes.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, I learned about The Black Mountain Poets.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh.

[Rob Mahoney]

So in that episode, Hometown Hero, we get a look in the background at the Montgomery Cheesemonger's schedule and you can see the other teams that they're set to play. The Lake Charles Crawdads. The Tennessee Moon Pies. The Fort Smith Chickadees. Great elite minor league baseball names.

[Joanna Robinson]

This is so good.

[Rob Mahoney]

Also, the Black Mountain Poetics are a team. And I'm like, that's such a specific framing and reference that I do not know. You know, it leads a man to Google, to actual Google, and thus to discover a new little like, corner of American open verse poetry. You know, I'm gonna dabble. I'm gonna see what's going on with Charles Olson. I'm just gonna see what's going on with the Black Mountain Poetics. That's a Black Mountain Poetics here.

[Joanna Robinson]

What's so funny is I was like, wow, I out Freeze framed Rob. Freeze frame Mahoney. By getting all those movie posters. And I should have known. Lurking in the background was Rob wrote down the name of all the minor league baseball. Fictional minor league baseball teams. And then dug into the inspiration for one of them.

[Rob Mahoney]

It has to be done. I will say. Poker face. A great Freeze Frame show. I also really enjoyed the list of potential gifts that Charlie was gonna buy in one last job.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yes.

[Rob Mahoney]

For her first date with her new boyfriend. Just tremendous stuff all around.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joni Mitchell CD was on there as a love.

[Rob Mahoney]

Actually a hot sauce subscription.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

Very good.

[Joanna Robinson]

For me, it's the true story of Doc Ellis and the. And the. And the LSD game of 1970. Can I read to you Doc Ellis's recollection of this game?

[Rob Mahoney]

Please do.

[Joanna Robinson]

I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was. Oh, no. First let me premise it by saying Ellis had visited a friend in Los Angeles, used LSD quote two or three times, thinking it was still Thursday. He took a hit of LSD on Friday at noon. Right. So he's lost all track of time, doesn't know what day it is. Took a hit of LSD Classic as friends. Girlfriend's like, hey, don't you have to pitch tonight? And so he took a flight from Los Angeles to San Diego, arrived at the stadium at 4:30. The game started at 6. Right. So this is. This is what he's working with here. And he threw a no hitter. Ellis says, I can only remember bits and pieces of the game. I was psyched. I had a feeling of euphoria. I was zeroed in on the catcher's glove. But I didn't hit the glove too much. I remember hitting a couple batters and the bases were loaded two or three times. The ball was small, sometimes the ball was large. Sometimes. Sometimes I saw the catcher, sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I tried to stare the hitter down and throw while I was looking at him. I chewed my gum until it turned powder. They say I had about three to four fielding chances. I remember diving out of the way of a ball I thought was the line drive. I jumped, but the ball wasn't hit hard and never reached. And this is the best. This is the best. This is all from the incredible accurate source that is Wikipedia. Ellis reported that he never used LSD during the season again, though he continued to use amphetamines. So, you know, just to, you know, keep his competitive edge.

[Rob Mahoney]

This. This is one area where I want to fact check poker face a little bit. The amount of big league chew that the pitcher consumes laced with lsd, I completely buy. That Would. That would get you, Charlie, off your rocker. Charlie has an amount, an amount of big league chew that would disintegrate in your mouth. He's just like, not even registering as gum at that point. And it's like, are you really going into full yellow submarine hallucination based on that amount of gum and acid? Again, we're not experts. We've established many times this is not a podcast that has a lot of expertise in recreational drug use. But I'm going to venture a guess that that's not enough.

[Joanna Robinson]

I do want to know one thing for sure, and that's that Bruce Willis never puts on a Santa hat in Die Hard. And that's about all the level of expertise that I can bring to this podcast. Last but not least, about Doc, the legend of Doc Ellis. Please. A Pittsburgh Pirate, Ellis said that he regretted taking the LSD that day because, quote, it robbed him of his greatest professional memory.

[Rob Mahoney]

That's so sad.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's very sad.

[Rob Mahoney]

He lives in fame and infamy.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

He is not able to remember it himself. How cruel.

[Joanna Robinson]

Sometimes the ball was small, sometimes the ball was large. That's all you remember.

[Rob Mahoney]

That's how I feel about many of our podcasts, Joe.

[Joanna Robinson]

You know, oh, yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

I get out of them and I'm like, that was a blur. I don't remember anything I said. But sometimes, you know, the words were large, sometimes they were small. Who's to say if they made any sense together?

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah. Sometimes the show is your friends and neighbors, and sometimes the show is Severance season two, and we're here for all of it.

[Rob Mahoney]

We are.

[Joanna Robinson]

Anything else you want to say about this batch of Poker Face episodes?

[Rob Mahoney]

I want to give one particular special acknowledgment to Melanie Lynskey's line. Read on. Ooh, mommy. Ooh, mommy. Just because it's transcendent television. And I think we need to enshrine it somewhere very quickly.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's really good. And what's funny about Melanie Lynsky in that, like, you know, obviously we're watching a con.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

And it, like, should be so obvious that John Cho is conning her. This is, like, basically a Nigerian prince, like, scam. Like, okay. But I'm so used to looking for the edge underneath the soft parts of Melanie Lynskey that I was waiting for her to, like, double reverse con him. And I suppose the fact that she shot a person and was willing to spend $20,000 that was supposed to go to orphans, you know, that's. That's a sharp edge of a kind. She's gonna have an affair after a Bloody Mary. A really shitty looking Bloody Mary, by the way.

[Rob Mahoney]

Terrible.

[Joanna Robinson]

It looked really bad. The brighter red, your Bloody Mary is the abs. That's just, like, watery tomato juices and.

[Rob Mahoney]

A stalk of celery in there. Like, literally nothing.

[Joanna Robinson]

And like, well, to its credit, like, three to four olives, which is a good olive ratio, but nine to ten.

[Rob Mahoney]

Too few, as far as I'm concerned.

[Joanna Robinson]

I really agree. I really agree. There's. Have you ever been to Zeitgeist in San Francisco?

[Rob Mahoney]

No. Good.

[Joanna Robinson]

They have really good Bloody Marys that are essentially. They put, like, a garden inside of the glass, and you get, like, a pickled green bean and asparagus. And, like, it's just, like, so much greenery shoved in the glass. It's great stuff. So I was just, like, looking for another twist on Melanie Lynskey, and it didn't come. And that's okay. Maybe that's what sort of, like, left me wanting more from the sleazy Georgian.

[Rob Mahoney]

But see, I kind of like that element. Especially once they get up to his room and she becomes, like. Has a different kind of aggressive presence. Like, she's clearly probing him. And we're not sure for what. Like, is she a common sense.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, we know. We know for what?

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, we know for what. You know, it's. I mean, is that his concealed carry in his pants or she just. He's happy to see her. But, like, ultimately I wasn't sure. Like, is she a cop? Like, he's kind of.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right. That's what I'M saying, I was, like, waiting for, like, one more turn of the screw.

[Rob Mahoney]

But it turns out the message is just like, you can't con an innocent person, Joe. You know, at least per. Per guy. That's his. His point of view on the world. You can agree or disagree.

[Joanna Robinson]

There was a moment when, when John Cho got, like, left the city of the crime with the. With the bag full of the breakfast coupons in our, like, in a great Ocean's Eleven moment. And before we heard sirens, I guess I was like, oh, is John Cho going to be some kind of, like, ongoing antagonist for Charlie of some kind? That doesn't seem to be the case, but I wouldn't mind if they brought John Cho back in some capacity or another. That could be fun.

[Rob Mahoney]

Also, just that idea of the person that Charlie can't read, maybe. I think one of the things I love about that episode is she actually calls out bullshit. Probably less than she does in any other episode. Or bullshoot, if you prefer. In Sloppy Joseph's case. I like that we're sort of trying to decipher what everyone is thinking, where everyone is, and that Charlie isn't thinking out loud in that Columbo way quite so much. Like, I love that as a. As a framework for the show, but it's also fun when we deviate from it a little bit.

[Joanna Robinson]

Exactly. Okay, well, that was our second round of Poker Face Season 2 episodes. I'm really enjoying this season a lot. Anything else you want to say about?

[Rob Mahoney]

I just think people should email [e-mail] with all of their Poker Face impressions, with their favorite guest stars, you know, with their extensive knowledge and expertise in recreational acid use. I think. I think we could really use that.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joe, send us your birding thoughts, Send us your poetry thoughts. Send us anything you want to send us there. I can't wait to see what Eva Jade Halford does next. Can I just say so? I really like, you know, I like that we get to see the names of the guest stars at the beginning of the episode. It gets me like, I'm like, oh, so and so's in this episode. That's exciting. Can I just say that, like, you know, obviously I did not know the name of this child actress. When I was watching the opening credits and I saw Eva Jade Halford, I was like, that's a young girl. That's. That is a child actress name.

[Rob Mahoney]

What makes you think that? Is it because if you're in SAG now, you need the third name.

[Joanna Robinson]

Three barrels. Eva Jade. Yeah, it's just like. It's just like. That's a. That's a Gen Alpha name. Okay, well, that's Poker Face. We'll be back with more something for you next week. That is our goal, to always come back to you with something on this feed until the TV gods provide more obvious solutions for us. Thank you to Justin Sales, thank you to CT in the studio once again. And I said this on House of Rich also, there is a lot going on in Los Angeles right now. So, you know, we record these pods to hopefully provide everyone with, I don't know, a moment of respite or whatever. But we thank all of our Spotify family for working through some absolute madness in Los Angeles. And we will see you soon. Bye.