‘Poker Face’ Season 2 Finale: The Best for Last

Summary

The Prestige TV Podcast Summary: ‘Poker Face’ Season 2 Finale: The Best for Last

Release Date: July 11, 2025

In the season two finale of Poker Face, The Prestige TV Podcast hosts Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney delve deep into the concluding episodes, exploring character arcs, plot twists, and standout moments that defined the season. This comprehensive discussion offers listeners insightful analysis, memorable quotes, and a nuanced perspective on the show's evolution.

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Introduction and Season Overview

Joanna Robinson opens the episode with enthusiasm, welcoming listeners back to the Prestige TV Podcast and hinting at an exciting new project in the works. She and Rob Mahoney express their anticipation to dissect the final four episodes of Poker Face Season 2, setting the stage for an engaging conversation.

Breaking Down the Final Four Episodes

The hosts focus on episodes nine through twelve:

1. Episode 9: "A New Lease on Death"
2. Episode 10: "The Big Pump"
3. Episode 11: "The Day of the Iguana"
4. Episode 12: "The End of the Road"

Rob reflects on the narrative structure, noting the four-episode arc that provided a cohesive and satisfying conclusion:
“This turned into kind of like a little four episode arc here.” ([05:43])

Plot Twists and Character Development

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the revelation of Alex as a sociopathic antagonist. Rob shares his surprise at the twist, admitting he was initially deceived by Alex's facade:
“The show had convinced me enough of its Mission Impossible mask hijinks...” ([07:30])

Joanna compares this to classic shows like Psych, highlighting the trope of highly observant protagonists:
*“Psych is a show that I have watched an absurd amount... ” ([13:34])

Guest Stars: Highlights and Misses

Best Use of Guest Stars:

• Justin Theroux: Rob praises Theroux's versatility, applauding his portrayal of an international assassin:
  “It just has a lot for him to do in a way that frankly, some other stars don't always get the chance.” ([18:23])

• Patty Harrison: Joanna lauds Harrison's performance, noting her ability to embody both wholesome and menacing traits seamlessly:
  “She has this register that's like 80% basic, 20% really unsettling.” ([20:03])

Least Effective Use of Guest Stars:

• Natasha Leggero: Rob criticizes her role in "The Big Pump," feeling her character was underutilized:
  “Another like really cutting, super funny comedian who's just kind of like the breast milk stealing girlfriend for the most part.” ([20:25])

• Jason Ritter: Joanna expresses disappointment with Ritter's limited screen time despite his engaging character:
  “Jason Ritter being the victim, not the murderer meant I got to spend not enough time with Jason Ritter, someone who I love.” ([21:04])

Memorable Jokes and Scenes

The hosts reminisce about standout comedic moments:

• Oyster Puns: Joanna appreciates the playful wordplay related to oyster shucking:
  “Calling her later, calling her the shuck buddy is also like, really worked for me.” ([25:34])

• Adam Arkin’s Death Scene: Both Joanna and Rob enjoy the creative depiction of Adam Arkin’s demise, highlighting the sound effects and visual gags:
  “The sound, the Foley on, like, the squish as he drops the barbell on his throat.” ([35:37])

Structural and Thematic Analysis

Rob and Joanna analyze the show's balance between episodic and serialized storytelling. Rob commends the finale for shaking up the formula, making the tension more palpable:
“...we don't know the future of this show. Like, I honestly could not tell how this is going to work out.” ([29:08])

Joanna draws parallels between Poker Face and other detective series, emphasizing the show's unique approach to plot development and character interaction.

Final Thoughts and Future Directions

Concluding their analysis, Joanna and Rob express their satisfaction with the season finale, appreciating how it tied together various narrative threads while leaving room for future storytelling:
“We have to wind it back just a few seconds and show, you know, Charlie leaping out the side of the car.” ([32:15])

They also hint at the possibility of a season three, expressing hope for continued character development and intriguing plotlines.

Teasing Upcoming Projects

Before signing off, Joanna and Rob tease a mystery project for the summer, offering playful hints without revealing specifics. Joanna hints at a Sopranos-inspired endeavor, building anticipation among listeners:
“It is not Joanna and Rob watch the Sopranos for the first time. But it's not that.” ([51:05])

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Notable Quotes

• Rob Mahoney:

  • “This turned into kind of like a little four episode arc here.” ([05:43])
  • “The show had convinced me enough of its Mission Impossible mask hijinks...” ([07:30])
  • “It just has a lot for him to do in a way that frankly, some other stars don't always get the chance.” ([18:23])

• Joanna Robinson:

  • “Calling her later, calling her the shuck buddy is also like, really worked for me.” ([25:34])
  • “I loved the goop bag.” ([36:43])
  • “It is a phenomenal question that needs to be asked and I'm glad you asked it.” ([25:47])

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Conclusion

Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney's in-depth discussion on Poker Face Season 2 Finale offers a balanced mix of praise, critique, and thoughtful analysis. Their exploration of character dynamics, plot twists, and guest performances provides listeners with a richer understanding of the show's strengths and areas for improvement. The anticipation for future projects and possible continuations of Poker Face adds an exciting layer, ensuring that fans remain engaged and eager for more.

For those who haven't tuned into Poker Face, this summary encapsulates the essence of the season finale, highlighting why it resonated with audiences and what to look forward to in future installments.

Transcript

[Rob Mahoney]

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[Joanna Robinson]

Instead of digging for your wallet every time, just use Apple Pay. It's accepted anywhere you see the contact list symbol and all it takes is a tap with iPhone or Apple Watch. The best part is you'll still earn the card rewards, points and cash back you love.

[Rob Mahoney]

Easy setup now. Easier travels later with Apple Pay. Terms apply. This message is brought to you by Apple Pay. No matter where you're going this summer, odds are you'll need to pay for a few things like a ride, share a souvenir, or dinner at that spot on your bucket list.

[Joanna Robinson]

Instead of digging for your wallet every time, just use Apple Pay. It's accepted anywhere you see the contact list symbol and all it takes is a tap with iPhone or Apple Watch. The best part is you'll still earn the card rewards, points and cash back you love.

[Rob Mahoney]

Easy setup now. Easier travels later with Apple Pay terms apply.

[Joanna Robinson]

Hello. Welcome back to Prestige TV podcast feed. I'm Joanna Robinson.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm Rob Mahoney and we're here to.

[Joanna Robinson]

Talk to you about the last the final four episodes of season two of Poker Face. Also, Rob, I feel like it's been a minute. Has it been a minute since we did a prestige episode together? It feels like it.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's been more than a minute. It's been lifetimes. Frankly, a lot has come and gone. I feel like a new man now that the NBA playoffs are over. And I'm delighted to be back here with you.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joe, we are back here to talk to you about Poker Face. Also, we're not officially announcing it, but I will just tease that we've got a really fun project in the works for the rest of the summer. So I'm, I'm. I'm really excited about. I mean, I'm thrilled to be talking to you about Poker Face, but I'm really excited about this thing that we're cooking up for the rest of summer. So, Rob Mahoney, Joanna Robinson, anything you want to say to our listeners before we get into Poker Face?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think that our listeners one. You know what? We've been soliciting recommendations for shows that we should cover here on the Prestige TV feed. I would, I would suggest that, that your non announcement of the project we have upcoming is, you know, a condemnation of a sort. Not of those recommendations, but of the TV slate on The Horizon, which is not the best we've ever seen, not the most exciting summer TV wise.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's a dry summer overall, I would say.

[Rob Mahoney]

Truly. Yeah, but don't take that personally. If you've been emailing [e-mail] I've been taking your recommendations to heart personally. I'm going to be checking out some of these shows people have been emailing in about and to be fair, like we've already covered one of them, right? Like Department Q, we've already, we already hit one right off the bat and we have a lot more coming. But mostly I just want to hear what people are watching, what they're excited about. And as we get into this new as to be yet announced series that we are definitely not talking about right now, definitely want all the [e-mail] it's.

[Joanna Robinson]

Going to be like a TV club experience for us this summer and that's always fun. Quick question, Ramahony for you. Do you want to give us like your one sentence reaction to the latest season of the bear.

[Rob Mahoney]

Still? We're still doing that. I guess my one sentence description would be this is now two consecutive seasons of the Bear in which I care less about the characters by the end of it as a result of the experience of watching it. And I salute very much the emotional complexity that the Bear is reaching for and the kind of truth and progress that clearly it's trying to portray on screen. Did it do it in the most exciting way or way that service best the characters? I would argue very, very much not.

[Joanna Robinson]

Something it's interesting, something that you and I were talking about when we were planning this other project that we're not talking about yet. But yesterday you and I were talking about sort of the reactive nature of television. How television is a reactive medium that you can put out some episodes, see how people feel about it. Especially like back in the day when you had 20 episode seasons. But even now in your when you do a 10 episode season of television, then you see what people react and then you can sort of pivot around that sometimes for better, for worse in future seasons. The Bears, seasons three and four were shot back to back so there was no chance to see how people felt about season three and maybe zag in a different direction for season four. You and I have talked about the Bear a little bit off pod. I liked it more than you did, but we still had a lot of similar problems with it. I'm still all in on the the Richie storyline and one day you and I will find an excuse to talk about Richie as a character, but that is where we are on the Bear. And then also Rob Mahoney, do you want to give the folks, I know this isn't House of R, but it's fine. You just started watching Andor. What's your like logline reaction to your ANDOR experience so far? Season two of Andor. You had already watched season one.

[Rob Mahoney]

Extremely high marks early. It's very early yet for me and my season two experience. So let's circle back to it. I would look, dare I say it will pop up at some kind of superlative podcast that we do in the future, like year end kinds of stuff. Like it feels impossible based on the early returns for me, that it will not be on those kinds of lists. So we're going to come back to it.

[Joanna Robinson]

Stay tuned, stay tuned. Okay, Poker Face final four episodes. So that means we are talking today about episode nine, a New Lease on Death. Episode ten, the Big Pump. There's a double meaning in that. Episode 11, the Day of the Iguana, and episode 12, the End of the Road, the finale of season two.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, Jo, a little bit of serendipity for us. We kind of broke these up almost just as a matter of like geometric convenience based on the length of the season. But this turned into kind of like a little four episode arc here.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's funny, by episode two of this, you know, it's we have Charlie Plants in New York and meets Alec. It's like the Alex, the Alex arc, essentially, this final four episodes. And by episode two, I was like, are we just doing only murders in the building now? Like this Poker Face just only she's moved into this apartment building. The neighbors are becoming, you know, like the woman out front of the apartment is like a recurring character, her tap dancing firefighter neighbor, like all this other stuff like that. But then episodes, you know, 11 and 12 were of course much different. We're out of the building and at a wedding and then back on the road again. How did you feel about this sort of, you know, we had talked earlier in the season about how when Rhea Perlman's character rest in pieces, Beatrix Hasp, when she was put into witsec, essentially we were like, okay, they stopped doing this sort of serialize. They're going to go back to sort of episode of the week kind of ideas. And then I feel like they zagged real hard back in a different direction for these final four episodes. So how did you feel about our thoughts about where Pokerface was going versus where it actually wound up going.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'll say. I kind of felt like I got to have my cake and eat it, too, in that regard, because it still felt episodic until the exact moment when it wasn't. And I think not having that Charlie looking over her shoulder, waiting for the mobster around every corner kind of feeling was still gone because we thought we weren't in a serialized version of Poker Face, but then it turned out we were. And so I thought that rug pull moment was actually really exciting. And it turned the, like, how Ketchum why done it Formula into something that felt, like, totally different by the end of the season.

[Joanna Robinson]

I will say, did you figure out the twist before the reveal? And if so, where did you figure it out?

[Rob Mahoney]

This is where I was. Like, the show had convinced me enough of its Mission Impossible mask hijinks that I was like, is this Justin Theroux? Or the. I can't remember who the source actor was. Like, is this someone playing Patty Harrison, like, in this scene? Like, is that what's happening 100%.

[Joanna Robinson]

Well, in the reveal or in an earlier scene?

[Rob Mahoney]

In an earlier scene, as they're kind of in the car on the way to Beatrix's house, and there's, like, it's starting to be, like, a little fishy. There's something, like, a little bit off in the dynamic. And it's like, huh, we're talking about this guy as a master of disguise. We're looking at every person sideways. What if it's, you know, the woman in the car with Charlie?

[Joanna Robinson]

I. Because of my, I think, Game of Thrones Faceless man training, where it's like, the years of being like, is that Arya? Is that Arya? Is that Arya? I was on high alert. I was like, anyone could be if they're establishing Mission Impossible rules. Yes, anyone could be the person. So, yeah, I was like, is that just Justin Theroux, you know, allegedly in a latex mask? And then. But she was lying. And so I was like, how? I was, like, paying such close attention to the way she was phrasing things. I was like, is she sneakily phrasing things in ways in which it wasn't a lie? And then the. So the reveal in the end, that she could outwit or out beat Charlie's lie detector? And then, of course, it was not a. Like, when there was the reveal, I was like, didn't we see both of them in the same place during the wedding episode? Then I was like, oh, okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

Just barely.

[Joanna Robinson]

Not someone in a latex class. That's fine.

[Rob Mahoney]

Phone hanging up and then you're in the room. Well, here's a question about that, Jazz. We at the reveal of, you know, what Alex has been doing this whole time to suppress her lies, I could not help but think of our years old conversation about whether Charlie is a superhero because of her preternatural ability to detect lies. And so I put it to you, if you are just like picking up on subtle physiological cues, does that make you a superhero?

[Joanna Robinson]

Can you remind me where I was? I like, she's a superhero.

[Rob Mahoney]

We've gone around this bend so many times, I honestly don't remember. I believe my argument was that she is not a superhero.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, it seems a brand for me to, in my house of our way to say she's a superhero. But, uh, I had the exact same thought. And even more painfully, I was like, this is proving Rob right, which is bothering me more than anything else. Um, but yeah, I mean, she could detect heartbeat. I mean, that's, you know, that's a little superhero.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, like, you know, it's Daredevil adjacent, probably.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, great point. But. But at the same time I was like, if there's a alleged scientific explanation for all of this, the sort of physiological explanation for all of this, then I think the she's not a superhero, AKA I think the Rob Mahoney side of the argument is the correct side of the argument. So.

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, this is a huge day for me. Case closed. Season two ends with the definitive Rob Mahoney win. Thank you, Joe, for announcing it in front of all of our closest friends.

[Joanna Robinson]

You win another one, Mahoney. Okay, so I wanted to return to a quote that we were discussing earlier this evening. This quote, poker Face, is so beautiful because it's an adult concept of we lose interest in ourselves and gain interest in our fellows. In a way, she, Charlie, is sort of on the case of anybody but herself. And I wanted to return to that after Alex, in her villain monologuing style, is sort of reading Charlie to filth. Like just sort of exposing everything that she's observed about Charlie and who Charlie is and sort of asking Charlie to confront her own nature and stuff like that. What did you think about that element of the final episode?

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, I loved it. The idea of turning Charlie's empathy against her. And in a weird, twisted way, I know that that character Alex is like, clearly sociopathic on some level, but is also such a keen observer of Charlie's condition and Charlie's tendencies that she's picking up on something that no other character has even the characters who have kind of hung around Charlie for a couple episod or kind of popped up throughout the two seasons. And so the idea of preying upon Charlie's empathy and her want to do well and to help the people around her, but in order to do so, having to observe that tendency in the first place and thus being kind of empathetic yourself, I thought was like kind of a weird and interesting twist on this idea.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right? This idea. She's presenting herself as a sociopath, but, like, there has to. Yeah, that's so interesting. I will say on a casting front, Patty Harrison, who I sort of first got to know in the film Together. Together, but who has cropped up in a bunch of stuff, is someone I really enjoy. And so when she showed up just to buy Charlie a cup of coffee, I was like, is this how we're using Patty Harrison on Poker Face? And then she showed up in the next episode, I was like, oh, you know, to some of her ranting point in the finale, I was like, oh, they gave Charlie a Watson. That's kind of fun. Okay. And then as it be, I was like, oh, no, this is sick. They gave Charlie a Nemesis. They give Charlie a Moriarty. And it's actually very. It's very. Yeah, they mentioned Sherlock and Watson and Moriarty and all that sort of stuff like that. But it is also, with love and respect to prestige television everywhere, very Psych coded. And Psych is a show that I have watched an absurd amount, basically. Poker Face, it's a great show that we like, is obviously like pulling from Columbo, all this sort of stuff like that. But if you strip a lot of the starry guest stars away, it has a lot of DNA in common with Psych, which is not a problem I have personally.

[Rob Mahoney]

Tell me about this part. I've never seen a single episode of Psych. And so what is the comparison point that you're seeing?

[Joanna Robinson]

Well, I will just say that, like, you know, Sean, the. The main character in Psych, the titular Psych, claims to be psychic, is not psychic, is just extremely observant. And so is like pretending to be a psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department or whatever, but is solving cases just because he is incredibly observant.

[Rob Mahoney]

So definitely not a superhero.

[Joanna Robinson]

Not a superhero, but preternaturally observant. You know, they. They have like, these interesting sort of reveals, but partway through, he gets a nemesis in the form of Jimmy Simpson's character on that show. And so, like, this is very. Like, this kind of relationship is yeah, sure. Moriarty and Holmes. If you want to talk about Andrew Scott, you love any excuse to talk about Andrew Scott, you're welcome to. But it's also very psych coded to me, so. And Psych is also a show that would have thematic episodes. You know, like they did a Twin Peaks episode. They did, you know, like. And then they would have guest stars. They were sort of lower level. I'm ready for a USA procedural kind of guest stars.

[Rob Mahoney]

Characters are welcome.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah. I think John Cena was on Psych for a little while, you know what I mean? Like, earlier in his acting career. So versus we got Thoreau, we got Justin Thoreau, you know, etc. Etc. We got Method man, all of that stuff.

[Rob Mahoney]

Honestly, pretty dope. Yeah, it's a nice batch.

[Joanna Robinson]

Great. Method man was great.

[Rob Mahoney]

Very, very good.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay. How do you feel about the setup for a new reason for her to be on the road in season three, this time without the Barracuda, but with a last minute small dog.

[Rob Mahoney]

Last minute small dog smuggled in. And I imagine I was not alone in this. Joe, did you think, as I did, that we were going to get a good buddy? Steve Buscemi pulling up in the. In the big hauler at the end, like, in the truck. Like, I felt like maybe even in the way they shot it, they left it open. Like, let's see if we can get on Buscemi's schedule and maybe if we can get him. And if not, here's our second guy, 100%.

[Joanna Robinson]

I was like, they're gonna do it. We're gonna see him in the flesh and like, that she would recognize his voice and be like, you know, whatever. But it wasn't. Yeah. So how do you feel about this new setup? We're going to Wichita in a truck.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, it's classic. Like, you know, three seasons in inversion of we gotta take one of our heroes and make him a villain or we gotta take one of our vill, or at least put people across purposes. So the idea of Luca being the person of all people to have to chase after Charlie and I imagine this is part of the reason we introduce Taylor Schilling in particular in these episodes as like, you know, I don't know whether they're gonna be paired up or kind of divide and conquer, but maybe some of either or both of them in season three could be exciting. There are the same pitfalls, though, that we were talking about with the mobsters. When you have that sort of propulsive. We have to get from town to town and like, I Find you just, like, write yourself into more and more corners when someone is in this kind of trouble with the law right when they're gonna be sett like, alarms everywhere they go. You just have to write your way out of that stuff a lot. And so I hope they can pull that off for season three.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, I totally agree. Taylor Schilling and Lily Taylor as sort of, you know, potential. I would love to see more from them.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, speaking of overqualified, like, Lily Taylor, just popping up for a couple of gags about sensitivity training. I'm here for it. I've never been mad at a Lily Taylor appearance in my entire life, but I'm looking forward to more.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, we have a category that we do on these episodes that's least use of a guest star. And I definitely wrote, I'm gonna have to assume that Taylor Schilling and Lily Taylor are being set up for the future.

[Rob Mahoney]

Gotcha.

[Joanna Robinson]

That's fine. Quick note for Charlie. If you're on the run, and I understand you're discombobulated, just lost your car and all of your stuff, and you're on the lam again for different reasons. I'm not keeping the FBI the jacket with the giant FBI lettering on it. Like, nice of Luca to lend it, but I am not keeping it if I am trying to be incognito here at the end of the. Of the finale.

[Rob Mahoney]

So who out there is picking up the hitchhiker in the giant FBI jacket who's not only doing the thumb hitch, but I would say also a bit of a kick hitch? Like, there's just a lot of red flags happening. Plus the dog. Like, there's just a. There's way too much you're asking of a potential.

[Joanna Robinson]

I kind of. I kind of love that the driver is like, oh, a dog. Like, I didn't sign up for that. Rip to the barracuda. Anything else you want to talk about in sort of like, a big picture structural way? Before we get into some of our.

[Rob Mahoney]

Specifics, let's get into it, because I think some of the bigger picture stuff will kind of naturally crop up a little bit.

[Joanna Robinson]

Let's start with best use of a guest star. And I wrote down I'm not sure Patty Harrison counts, so without her, I'm going Method Man.

[Rob Mahoney]

Method man was great.

[Joanna Robinson]

I just thought he was fantastic. I really enjoyed him. How about you?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think for me, it probably is Justin Theroux, in part because we get kind of the dopey, original Justin Theroux. We do get international assassin Justin Theroux. We get all the variations therein with some Columbo antics with a screwy eye. There's just a lot for him to do in a way that frankly, some other stars don't always get the chance. And this is what you do when you get Justin Theroux on your show.

[Joanna Robinson]

Comedy Theroux is. Is pretty fantastic. Yeah. Our listener Catherine wrote in to definitely flag, but Rob Leftovers Lover was already on top of this, this idea that they got Justin Theroux to play an international assassin. And if you listen to our Prestige TV episode, one of our favorite Leftovers episode is called International Assassin, starring Justin Theroux as international assassin.

[Rob Mahoney]

So opening on him putting on a tux, I would have to think some people in the making of Poker Face are also international assassins.

[Joanna Robinson]

I mean, ob.

[Rob Mahoney]

Before we go that like, I know Patty Harrison doesn't qualify and her role becomes a little too large to be just like a traditional guest star. But I just think she's so great in this, and I mean so great consistently in a lot of things that she pops up in varying sizes of role and, you know, is just asked to do wildly different things based on the project. And I thought this really leaned into some of what makes her so good on like, I think you should leave, which is she has this register that's like 80% basic, 20% really unsettling. And having her be just like the girl in New York looking for friends, but coming on a little strong, but also lying through her teeth and getting to peel back these layers of that character, I thought was just a perfect representation of that register that Patty Harrison.

[Joanna Robinson]

Has someone you could believe as a wholesome, sweet, tells the truth all the time person. But also then when she puts on the assassin cat suit or is shown leaping from the, from the ceiling to kill Adam Arkin, like, all of that's believable and great too. So. Yeah, I agree. Okay. Least best use of a guest star.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think for me it's Natasha Leggero in the Big Pump. Just because it's another like really cutting, super funny comedian who's just kind of like the breast milk stealing girlfriend for the most part. Now, granted, did I laugh every time she basically nurses Method man like a baby? I did, but I just, you know, I would watch an episode where she is the starring guest star.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yes, I agree. I had. I felt similarly about David Alan Greer, who shows up as sort of the super of the building. And I was expecting him to recur when she stayed in the building, but he didn't.

[Rob Mahoney]

I know he did get to call someone an old crone, which I, you know, I'm just, I'm happy.

[Joanna Robinson]

Delightful. And I would say inside of the same episode, the Big Pump. Jason Ritter. Yeah, like, Jason Ritter being the victim, not the murderer meant I got to spend not enough time with Jason Ritter, someone who I love. So. Yeah. And I had similar notes for Melody Linsky, our, like, one of our favorite celebrity couples. I was like, I would take much more of them on this show. All right, best joke. These weren't like, you know, we had some like, really jokey. I mean, the Big Pump is. Is quite a good. But like, we had some really jokey episodes earlier in the season. And I would say, you know, especially in the final two, the jokes aren't flying as fast and furious as they were early in the season. But what do you have under this category, Rob, Honey, they're not flying as.

[Rob Mahoney]

Fast and furious, but they do hit. And I think some of them are kind of like more conceptual jokes. Like the overall premise of getting the Jim Bros Hooked on breast milk and then trying to substitute formula I just found to be really, really funny. And I was, you know, not to mention Ritter's being able to smell breast milk from miles away. You know, speaking of preternatural senses.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right. Where. Where's his whole entire TV series?

[Rob Mahoney]

Great question.

[Joanna Robinson]

I. I love a pun based name, so yippee ki yay oyster shucker is. Is pretty phenomenal. Calling her later, calling her the shuck buddy is also like, really worked for me. Have I ever told you about the name my friend and I came up with for a seafish, a seafood based food truck that we wanted to create?

[Rob Mahoney]

You have not. But let's just put it out there. No one steal this name. This is still in the cards for Joe.

[Joanna Robinson]

And so it's a great joke, but it's not a good business idea. So don't worry about it. You can have this if you want it, but nobody wants it. That's free Vanillaxis.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's not good marketing, you know, but it lands.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay. I also really loved I got well.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay, first of all, if you're going to introduce the oyster puns, I don't think you can skirt the. There's a really hot guy who says he's going to shuck my shell and slurp me down raw.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know what? They. They really went for it.

[Joanna Robinson]

They really did go for it. Also, our listener Eric wanted to flag that later when Charlie is going around serving oysters without having paid any attention to what they're called. She calls one Deep Water Horizon. They have a nice oily texture. So thanks, Eric, for flagging that joke.

[Rob Mahoney]

One other one from that episode, like Haley Joel Osment, another guest star who is kind of killed off too soon and doesn't have a ton to do. But I really enjoyed as bro trying to hawk his energy drink at his own wedding. He had a line where he's talking about his mom, Beatrix Hasp, and he says, she abandoned me when I was a tiny pussy ass bear baby. And I laughed a lot. I. Again, I don't know why. There's just an alchemy to having Haley Josment say that that worked.

[Joanna Robinson]

I also really enjoyed Abdul, who was the sort of bodega owner in the first episode.

[Rob Mahoney]

Face Blind bodega owner.

[Joanna Robinson]

Face blind bodega owner. When Charlie shows up and she's like, could I get a job here? And he was just like, I don't know you. That made me laugh so hard because Charlie. Everywhere Charlie has gone, and she's like, can I have a job here? Everyone's like, sure. And this guy's like, I don't know you. And then the kicker on that is that when it comes back around for him being face blind and so it being sort of this extra level of I don't know you was pretty phenomenal. Also, when we meet Justin Theroux the first time.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

And he's playing Todd Talachi, a high school teacher. I think one of the funniest jokes this season is a high school teacher having that house.

[Rob Mahoney]

Um, that house, that tux, like.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, it's not. With Love, respect to Mr. Talachi. I don't think that's how. In this economy? I don't think so.

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, do you think there was maybe a lawsuit involving the rubber band that apparently poked out?

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, this is a hasp. Money bought him this house.

[Rob Mahoney]

Maybe. So, like, somebody paid for something.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, I like to believe it. Okay, great.

[Rob Mahoney]

The dollars just aren't adding up. But while we're in the ballpark of, like, picking some nits on some of this stuff, you know, I did appreciate the gag of Luca running through Charlie's credentials and attributes and talking about how she has the temperament of an English bulldog, et cetera, et cetera, throw up the shot in the conference room of her in the beer helmet with the Hawaiian shirt. Played for laughs. Enjoyed it. Great bit.

[Joanna Robinson]

How'd they get a photo?

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, it's clearly a screenshot from the episode.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

So does poker face exist within the world of Poker Face? You know, like, I think, I think the question has to be asked and if so, how does that impact her ability, Charlie's ability to hide in a season three.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's a phenomenal question that needs to be asked and I'm glad you asked it. I do want to shout out in Mr. Todd Talachi, May he rest in like, I don't know, goo.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, we're going to come back to the goop.

[Joanna Robinson]

He had great color blocked bookshelves. I just want to say his books were organized by color and that's something that I personally enjoy. So I just want to. We lost a real one, I think in Mr. Talashi. So did we. Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

I don't know. You know, like aesthetes though we are. Jo. I'm just, I'm a pragmatist at heart. I just want to be able to find a book without thinking about what color the book is.

[Joanna Robinson]

Aesthetes though, we are.

[Rob Mahoney]

Are we not?

[Joanna Robinson]

This is a podcast for the people aesthetists than we are. Here's what I'll say. My books are color blocked in my house, but I spent so long as a bookseller shelving these books that I could get.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh yeah, you've got the photograph memory locked in.

[Joanna Robinson]

I know what color they are in.

[Rob Mahoney]

The same way that I could draw from memory any DVD released between 2002 and 2006 from Just Shopping prolifically. You know, it's just we all have gifts.

[Joanna Robinson]

Now.

[Rob Mahoney]

You can watch the hottest movies and series with Hulu on Disney. With Hulu, say yes, chef to a new season of FX is the bear. And don't miss Marvel Television's action packed new series Ironheart on Disney. All of these and more now streaming with Hulu on Disney with a bundle. Subscription terms apply. Visit disneyplus.com hulu for details.

[Joanna Robinson]

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[Rob Mahoney]

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[Joanna Robinson]

The one I told you earlier I don't have an answer to one of our prompts. Best episode I'm not sure I can pick one out, partially because this is all part of an arc and once you know how it ends, the earlier episodes take on different meaning. I think the big pump was like sort of the zaniest, funniest one, and I had been shouting those out as ones I really enjoyed in previous chunks. But I think I was very satisfied by the I'm kind of thinking it as like a two part finale that really worked for me. What would you say stood out to you?

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, if we're allowed to do the two part finale, I think it is that. If you're gonna really pin me down on it, I would say the actual finale, the End of the Road is probably the may probably the best episode of the season in terms of all of those reveals and as you're saying, how satisfying they feel. It just makes sense that in the world of Poker Face, the final boss would be two truths and a lie. You know, it's not like a shootout with Charlie or a race in her barracuda. It's like can you detect the one thing that you're supposed to detect in the person you've been hanging out with the longest? And that felt like a really satisfying bit of closure for this season.

[Joanna Robinson]

So we should say that episode was written by Laura delay but directed by Natasha Leon. So great job Natasha Leon directing that episode of the show.

[Rob Mahoney]

I also think that episode too, like Poker Face overall, is not a show that has the highest possible stakes. Usually because we've already seen the crimes before, you know, we're trying to solve them with Charlie, so to speak. And so it just doesn't have that like natural like tension point. Like the tension is like how do you get the evidence? How do you prove it? How do you do all that and so having this, like, hurtling toward the edge moment at the end of the season of the Grand Canyon Canyon, I actually, like, was feeling that for the first time of, like, I don't know what's gonna happen here. We don't know the future of this show. Like, I honestly could not tell how this is going to work out. And that being combined with everything we've just built between these two characters, I thought was just a great way to end the season.

[Joanna Robinson]

You may or may not remember this, but inside of our sort of aesthetes, though, we are group movie chat that we have with some of our colleagues in the Ringer. When Michael Madsen passed away last week, I was like, we're going to watch Thelma and Louise tonight. Which I did. I watched Thelma and Louise with, as I always do, an incredible time doing it. I don't think I needed to have a fresh rewatch in order to understand the visual reference. Probably not here at the end with Luca in the Harvey Keitel role and the blue Barracuda and the Grand Canyon and all of that being in the mix, but it made it extra special to me. But I did have a moment as we were headed towards the edge and the brakes aren't working on the Barracuda. I was like, oh, is poker face not renewed? Natasha's like, we did it and this is how it ends. I was like, I would accept that. And then when it. I wasn't watching the progress bar at the bottom of the episode. So then when it froze and said to be continued, I was like, are we doing a literal cliffhanger? And then very bizarrely, because, I don't know, I don't have ads on my peacock or what. Oh, no. We were watching me watch this on a screener. Like, it just says, it's a freeze frame to be continued, and then just rewinds from there and keeps. It's a very strange little end to the episode without a commercial break, which I presume is there for other folks.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, do you think so?

[Joanna Robinson]

Why else do we have that? What explanation do you have for the to be continued freeze frame that happens with a few more minutes of the episode to go?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think, just being cheeky.

[Joanna Robinson]

I took.

[Rob Mahoney]

It as kind of like the ultimate but one more thing kind of situation. You know, it's like, you think, this is the way it's going. Let's wind it back just a few seconds and show, you know, Charlie leaping out the side of the car.

[Joanna Robinson]

You could have done that with just the freeze frame. You know what I mean? Like, you just have the freeze. You cut to the freeze of Luca. You cut to the freeze of the front of the car, and then rewind, watch Charlie, you know, ditch out before it goes over the edge. That's fine. The to be continued across it. I was like, okay, best Charlie fit. This is a tough one because this was like. Well, actually, it was easy for me, but, like, I didn't feel like I had a wealth of options to pick for him, as I usually do.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think I have one definitive answer, which is Charlie on the run after she and Alex are trying to escape post murder, accusation of murder. Being caught red handed with a bloody knife with an eye at the end of it. This is Charlie's fit in that moment. A shirt covered by a blouse covered by denim covered by a pilot jacket covered by a scarf with the trucker hat, giant sunglasses, and the world's most giant mop of red hair that would signify exactly who you're looking for. I just. I thought it was wonderful.

[Joanna Robinson]

A layering queen. I want to shout out. I could. I could shout out both of them, but specifically Charlie's first gym fit, which is the Harley Davidson shovelhead muscle tee with the flannel and the boots and either black jeans or leggings. I couldn't quite tell, but, like, it was just like, she's not even trying to wear gym clothes or this is her version of gym clothes. Anyway, she looked great, as she always does, but I was just like, yeah, this is what Charlie wears to the gym. Best murder.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm gonna give it up to the Rube Goldberg of death, obviously, from a new lease on life. You know, we love a killer with attention to detail. We love a like, how do you commit a perfect murder? Vibe. You know what? I think maybe there's too many people in this building who are putting things on the very edge of the washing machine casually all the time. But if they're going to do it, let's take advantage.

[Joanna Robinson]

Chernobyl rific. Is that what she says? Chernobyl Tastic. Something like that.

[Rob Mahoney]

Chernobylicious.

[Joanna Robinson]

Chernobylicious. There it is. Yes. It's got to be that. And I do want to. I will just use this as an excuse to say Aliyah Shawket playing a grifter who seduces Lauren, Tom's character with poetry. With, like, English 101. Williams. Williams.

[Rob Mahoney]

Not even English 101. Being on the Internet. 101.

[Joanna Robinson]

Poetry, sure. I Googled. What is poetry.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

It was really Funny to me. I will also add to that, and I already referenced it. The Adam Arkin murder that we just get a cutaway to was very like, Wes. You know, you and I both just recently watched the Phoenician scheme. Like, very Wes Anderson and its zaniness and just sort of like, quick cut, quick cut. Really random use of Adam Arkin, who has directed. We directed previous episodes this season. But I was just like, he has a full character name. And I was like, is this a reference? Like, what is. Anyway, it's just Adam Arkin. It's there to die. It's fine.

[Rob Mahoney]

Also, salute, though, to the weight plate that method man throws. Like a Frisbee straight into, you know, straight into a throat. Like, really crushing the windpipe. Not a bad way to go as these things go. Pretty spectacular.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, I mean, a pretty terrible way to go. And then further, like.

[Rob Mahoney]

But to observe, I enjoyed it further.

[Joanna Robinson]

The sound, the Foley on, like, the squish as he drops the barbell on his throat.

[Rob Mahoney]

How would you place that? What do you think they did?

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, that's watermelon. Right? Or like a wet sponge.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's either watermelon or wet sponge. It's one of the.

[Joanna Robinson]

But there's some. There was, like, a crunch to it, too. So maybe like, a bag of, like, Cool Ranch Doritos meets wet sponge. That's, I think, how Jason Ritter went out on the show.

[Rob Mahoney]

Breakfast of Champions.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right. Most delightful visual.

[Rob Mahoney]

I think, for me, it's the goop bag. This was just, like, an amazing invention that. You know, Joe, for reasons that will become clear to other listeners going forward, like, you and I have been thinking a lot about the decomposition of how do you get rid of a body?

[Joanna Robinson]

We even think about goop. Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

For work reasons. You know, we can assure you. For work reasons.

[Joanna Robinson]

That's the aesthetic that we are. We're always thinking about how one can dissolve a body most aesthetically. What's the best way to do it?

[Rob Mahoney]

This. But this was among them. Honestly, there is something like very, very polished about the entire ordeal. Like, spill free for the spy on the go. Like, what do you do when you need to get rid of this dead body? I thought it was an ingenious creation, and I actually loved watching it.

[Joanna Robinson]

The, like, the garment bag look of it.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

The reveal of it. You're like, you don't know what this thing is. Then all of a sudden, Justin Theroux is goo. And you're like, wow. And then it rolled into, like, a handy little, like, camp roll. Like, you know, Your sleeping bag or something like that. It was astounding. It was great at first.

[Rob Mahoney]

I was like, is this just sort of like an embalming type fluid that's going to prevent the body from smelling or something?

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

But then, you know, you get further into the process and you see, like, the feet start to tilt as everything is starting to slowly, like, melt away, basically.

[Joanna Robinson]

Goop vacation.

[Rob Mahoney]

Love the goop.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right, I will say I already sort of blew this, but I will say the entire freeze frame ending I just really liked. And like, King. We're about to talk about needle drops in a second, but King of the Road is playing and just sort of like, you know, I guess spending a moment to memorialize the barracuda before it goes down in flames. You know, we just look at it from all angles. I really enjoyed that.

[Rob Mahoney]

In the end, it was the real Watson. You know, it's the other main character of Poker Face.

[Joanna Robinson]

Well, that's okay. There's a little dog now, so it's the same.

[Rob Mahoney]

I can't wait to see what they name the dog. There's gonna be a cutesy name for the dog. I don't know what it's gonna be.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's gonna be a reference to classic 70s cinema is what I would guess.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know what we had? We had a lot of Mission Impossible referencing this season. We had a lot of Michael Mann. We had a lot heavy Michael Clayton vibes in these episodes.

[Joanna Robinson]

We didn't say this in, like, Best Joke, but, like, the Michael Clayton Jeopardy Runner of that episode was phenomenal. Okay, uh, once again, this is a tough one to answer. Charlie job you'd most want to have. She wasn't job hopping as much in this. And so it's basically like lemon slicer on the oyster shucking beat. Right. Like, what else?

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, she had one other one. I'm not sure if she was announcing it or. Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

I also have in my notes, Rob Mahoney. Care to comment on this other job that Charlie has? That is.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm glad you do.

[Joanna Robinson]

Um, I will say unpaid internship. That you do as you go through life.

[Rob Mahoney]

Every time I try to Google something on my phone, I am submitted through a seemingly endless series of captcha tests. I don't know why. I don't know what's happening.

[Joanna Robinson]

I'm so curious to find out how you got on the robot watch list, because this doesn't happen to me or anyone else I know. So, like, you know, someone at Apple HQ or whatever or Google HQ has decided that you, Rob Mahoney, are An AI are a bot of some kind. And I just think this is a hilarious development.

[Rob Mahoney]

I am Googling something once every, like, two days on my phone, and this is the treatment that I get. So, yeah, Charlie. Charlie's again, like, kind of job as, like, it seems like I captured Troubleshooter basically. Hard out for me. But at the same time, doing raw oysters as past hors d' oeuvres is fucking diabolical. And that should be the first red flag that Alex is a sociopath. Like, if that's her business model, she's gonna get a lot of people very sick.

[Joanna Robinson]

I like that Charlie's like, I'll just be slicing lemons, though. Then she had to, like, pass trace. But, you know, lemon slicer on the. On the oyster shucking beat is not as bad as. That's not bad, because actual shucking, I mean, like, gloves involved. It's the whole thing. Okay. I don't know a lot about oyster shucking. Personally. I have done it, but I've never catered a large event with oysters. So the idea that they were, like, in bags in the water down in the boathouse was, like, pretty cool. Charlie's smartest move, I think it's the.

[Rob Mahoney]

Big red gum as lie detector test.

[Joanna Robinson]

Do you think that was intentional? Because wasn't it? Wasn't it Alex's gum?

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, was it Alex?

[Joanna Robinson]

She gave some gum and she handed it to her.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, you're right. So it wasn't as intense. But it is putting it together, at least it's a smart connection, if not a smart move. But you're right that, you know, she kind of stepped in that one herself.

[Joanna Robinson]

I'm gonna give it to spelling out H A L P via exercise moves.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know what?

[Joanna Robinson]

It worked in the steam room. It did work.

[Rob Mahoney]

It worked.

[Joanna Robinson]

It worked because Alex is her, you know, diabolical soulmate. But, yeah. And then Alex saying, like, you could have done elbow dips for the E on the way out of the room was, like, pretty fantastic. Alternatively, I will say Charlie's dumbest move. I have a couple options here, but there's a lot. Liking the Fitbit data was a real bummer. What else do you have under this? Or. Yeah, what else do you have here?

[Rob Mahoney]

I think, look, I have kind of two categories. One, in terms of the actual mechanics of the show, if you don't want to lead, who you believe the iguana to be all the way to Beatrix's house, don't park the barracuda right outside. Like, I know that's not the way it turned out. I know. Like, you know, there's a lot of trickery happening, but maybe not the place to put your very iconic car to draw lots of attention to it. But personally, I have to say not following Beatrix Hasp's finsta. That is baking forward. That's a big mistake. That's a big. Charlie treats her algorithm turning half baking as a problem. That's the, that's the goal. This is the dream for all of us. Although I do dispute that Charlie as a character would ever use the word algo. I don't, I don't think that's true to form for her.

[Joanna Robinson]

Great point. She's not even sure what an algorithm is. Rob, do you think your inability to get your algo to be half baking centric is due to the fact that your phone thinks you're a robot?

[Rob Mahoney]

It might, it might. Honestly, lately it's been very Smash Burger centric. You know, I'm just kind of following my heart on basically all social media platforms, but especially where Instagram is concerned.

[Joanna Robinson]

Are you on like a Smashburger kick? Are you trying to perfect a Smashburger?

[Rob Mahoney]

Not intentionally. It's just purely subconscious. It's like, I see it on there. I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna click this. I wanna, I wanna see what the smashing protocol is for this.

[Joanna Robinson]

You're like, home is where the mustard is.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's very true.

[Joanna Robinson]

We had a break, but it was back to back. Con artist Charlie being ahead of the con, Charlie conning the con artist sort of set up episodes. We had a large break between those two, but the Jon show and the Ilia Shawkat episodes are back to back the set. Like, we had just seen her with her tap dancing firefighter neighbor and him being like, if you ever need a favor. And she's like, actually, you know, so I don't think any of us were surprised when she went over the balcony and landed on the, on the thing that they had set up. I just don't. I wouldn't trust that necessarily. Like, how did she know she was gonna shove her off that balcony there? You know, there's so many other things that she could have done that she didn't have a safety net for. So taunting Alia Shawkat when you know that she is capable of murder. And having only one very specific, like, safety net in place is I thought was a pretty dumb move, personally. Even though it worked out for her, I thought it was pretty dumb.

[Rob Mahoney]

The trajectory's gotta be right. The wind has to be right. Like there's just too many variables for me to be comfortable with.

[Joanna Robinson]

Too many variables. What's the most interesting fact you learned from this chunk of episodes?

[Rob Mahoney]

As a non New Yorker and as someone who has never lived in a rent controlled building, the fact that succession rights are like a capital T thing. I enjoyed the rabbit hole that I was sent down as a result of this episode. New lease on death. Like there is just a flood on the Internet of people trying to figure out how do I get this rent controlled apartment from my relative, from my friend, from my roommate, from the nice lady in 2B. Like everyone is trying to crack this code. And let me say, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of answers on it. Separate from getting married, which it seems like people are actually doing for this purpose, at least to the extent that they can find willing partners. The adoption seems relatively tame by comparison.

[Joanna Robinson]

I really loved that sequence at the beginning with Awkwafina and Lauren Tom when they're just sort of like, the lawyer knows what they're doing, they know what they're doing. And it's just like very. And also their whole life, the life of like, let's watch Michael Clayton together and eat a lot of fresh fruit and read poetry and watch Jeopardy. Every night. Fuck yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

Like again, that is the dream. They have found it. I did think casting wise, like age wise, Lauren Tom is probably more Awkwafina's mom than grandma.

[Joanna Robinson]

Absolutely not. Lauren Tom, for folks who don't remember or don't know, famously played Julia on Friends, if that is where you know her from. But yeah, I was like, that's. I'm not ready for that actress to be a grandmother. No, it's not time yet. And I should say I really liked the runner in that episode of these various denizens not being what they seem like the librarian, the woman outside who shows up in the next episode and her whole.

[Rob Mahoney]

The firefighter.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah, the firefighter. All of that sort of stuff. It's just sort of like New York. It's a place where anyone can be anyone sort of thing. It was cute. Okay. For me. Most interesting fact I learned.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

Despite being like a recent convert gym bro myself, I did not know that bodybuilders use breast milk to get sick gains. But they do.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's the ultimate superfood.

[Joanna Robinson]

And I read a Men's Health article about it. And I would just like to read you a quote from this Men's Health article that I read and it was all about like, why you shouldn't use breast milk to get sick gains. Basically it's unregulated. Like they have to often buy direct from the mother. And okay, so by the time, quote, by the time the milk reaches the bodybuilder, it can be contaminated, which is what was found to be happening during the study conducted by Nationwide Children's Hospital who found that out of 101 samples of breast milk purchased online, 10% of them were quote, topped off with cow's milk or baby formula. In addition, 75% of the samples had pathogenic or disease causing bacteria slash viruses in it, adding more risk to infants who suffer from pre existing conditions. Anyway, just like don't buy your breast milk online or at all maybe.

[Rob Mahoney]

Anyway, there's no other answers. You know, clearly for the man, for the adult man in need of breast milk. Like where, where else are you to go but the dark web?

[Joanna Robinson]

So yeah, and I learned if you want to read that Men's Health article, which I quite enjoyed, it's called the Weird Science Behind Bodybuilders Drinking Breast Milk for Quicker Muscle Gain, there's a whole section about like the specifics of the contaminants. That is the assis that we are. I do not want to read on this podcast, but if you have a stronger stomach, you should read that Men's Health article and then never drink breast milk for your sick gains.

[Rob Mahoney]

Would not recommend it.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right. Anything else you want to say about these? Our Poker Face experience across these four episodes across the season. How are you feeling?

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm trying to think if there's any other specific call outs from these episodes too. I know we've run through a lot of honorable mentions already. I mean, I think maybe we didn't do Alya Shawkat enough service for her guest appearance as well, which I thought was really fun. And honestly, as gags go walking in on Alia Shawkat going down on your grandma and then pepper spraying yourself in the face is just a good one, two punch. Like, that's just good writing. As far as I'm concerned.

[Joanna Robinson]

Her threatening the is Ricardo. Right. The librarian by like slashing and dropping the portrait of a woman that he had. It's fantastic. Yeah. And I don't think we missed any. I think we called out all of the guest stars. Oh, I think. And I did not double check the credits and that would have been a great thing to do. But I think Alex's handler, Cedric is voiced by Harvey Fierstein. I think that I mean very, very either Harvey Fierstein or someone doing a Harvey Fierstein impression. Very, very recognizable voice and a delightful voice to pair with Natasha Lyonne's voice inside of a universe. So if, as it seems she will Alex, if there's a Poker Face, season three, which we hope there will be. I personally hope there will be. And if Alex comes back, hopefully we will get more of Cedric. And hopefully that is actually Harvey Fierstein's great, great voice on the other line. All right. Anything else you want to say about Poker Face?

[Rob Mahoney]

Just one more thing. Again, as we're talking about, like, the red flags that Charlie should have seen with Alex, a person that would order a Watergate salad Cronut. First of all, I still need to be convinced that Watergate salad is, like, a real thing. This is one of these, like, mythical to me. Like, very 70s coded foods. That's like.

[Joanna Robinson]

I think it's like, Is it jello and marshmallows?

[Rob Mahoney]

It's kind of jello adjacent. Yeah. There's marshmallows involved. I believe there's pistachio involved. I think there's some other fruit.

[Joanna Robinson]

Pistachio fluff. Watergate salad. Pistachio maraschino cherry.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh, this is tough to look at. I don't like it. Okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

Visually, it doesn't really work out. It's like if you blend the visual of Watergate salad based on the pictures that I have seen is like blending pistachio ice cream with, like, a fake gag vomit that you would buy at the joke magic store. Like that those two things mixed together is what this looks like.

[Joanna Robinson]

What do you think is a bigger red flag? The Watergate salad cronut or. Not really being that interested in Michael Clayton because there's too much talking.

[Rob Mahoney]

I can't tell you that. I remember at a time where I turned on a character faster. Like, it's just. It's such an easy shorthand for. You should hate this.

[Joanna Robinson]

The reddest flag that ever was truly. Okay, that is it for our coverage of season two of Poker Face. I'm really glad we came back to this. And I thought the season ended on a really high note. We did watch it in a very odd sort of start and stop kind of way, but I had a really good time with it.

[Rob Mahoney]

Likewise. I hope it comes back sooner than two years. You know, we waited a long time between one and two. I hope we're back again soon.

[Joanna Robinson]

We will be back if all goes according to plan. I think next week with this new project that. I don't know why I'm beating around the bush announcing it just because it's just like. Has it been like. It's not done yet. I don't want to jinx it. I don't know.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

But we'll be dropping this mystery project next week. It is not. I will say this. Here's the tease.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay.

[Joanna Robinson]

It is not. Joanna and Rob watch the Sopranos for the first time. But it's not. Not that. And that is my.

[Rob Mahoney]

That's how you sell it.

[Joanna Robinson]

Joe, Delectable hint for what we have coming up. Tastier than a Watergate salad. Cronut. Thank you to Justin Sales, always for his work on this feed. Thank you to Kai Grady, always here producing this episode. We will see. Thank you to Rob Mahoney. We will see you soon. And bye, Sam.