Warning! This review contains spoilers for Poker Face season 2, episodes 1-3.

Poker Face, Natasha Lyonne’s whip-smart mystery-of-the-week series, is back for another round of twisty, mind-boggling, lie-detecting murder investigations, and the show is just as fiendishly clever the second time around. Charlie Cale is once again on the lam from the mob, conveniently bumping into murderers on every leg of her travels, and solving each case with her uncanny ability to determine whether someone is telling the truth. Poker Face is less of a whodunnit and more of a “howcatchem.” In the tradition of Columbo, each episode shows you the murder upfront, then leaves you to figure out how Charlie will figure it out.

Every episode of Poker Face follows a familiar formula, and formulas tend to get stale pretty quickly. But in season 2, the formula still works beautifully. The first act introduces us to a new character who ends up killing someone and seemingly covering it up, getting away with it, and going on with their life. Then, enter Charlie to stumble across some suspicious clues, get swept up in the case, and unravel the whole thing. It’s a very specific template, so it’s impressive just how many different permutations the writers have come up with. Every episode feels totally fresh.

Poker Face Is Everything You'd Want From A Modern-Day Columbo

Every Episode Feels Fresh Despite Following A Familiar Formula

Poker Face’s season 2 premiere, “The Game is a Foot,” kicks things off with a devilishly complex mystery that’s as cleverly constructed and hilariously tongue-in-cheek as its title. Cynthia Erivo anchors the episode as identical sextuplets, which not only showcases Erivo’s incredible acting skills but also keeps you on your toes. Charlie never knows which sister she’s talking to, so she could be giving crucial intel away to the wrong person. It’s a perfect reintroduction to this show’s particular brand of be-careful-who-you-trust twist-laden storytelling.

It’s a perfect reintroduction to this show’s particular brand of be-careful-who-you-trust twist-laden storytelling.

The second episode, “Last Looks,” stars Giancarlo Esposito as Fred, a seemingly mild-mannered funeral director who turns out to have a shocking dark side. Esposito was the perfect guest star for this role. Ever since his iconic turn as Gus Fring, he’s made a career of playing characters who put on a friendly, unassuming facade to cover up their true evil nature. When Charlie is onto him and he turns on her, Esposito is every bit as terrifying as his Breaking Bad villain.

The third episode, “Whack-a-Mole,” deviates drastically from the usual formula — it sees Charlie caught in the middle of a police raid as a gangster’s hostage — but it’s just as brilliant as the other episodes (maybe even more so). The opening shootout seems pretty straightforward, but then the episode goes back and introduces a mole, a crooked cop, a couple of secret phone calls, and a planned ruse that make the situation significantly more complicated. Every twist and turn lands in a thrilling standalone showdown that also deftly sets up the premise for the rest of the season.

Natasha Lyonne Continues To Delight

She's Backed Up By An Even More Star-Studded ing Cast In Season 2

Natasha Lyonne continues to delight. A hard-boiled amateur detective drifting from town to town is the perfect role for her talents. She shares the character’s moxie, quick wits, and fierce badassery. She nails the dry delivery of every snappy one-liner and the jazz-like rhythm of every pontificating monologue. And it’s not just Lyonne; from John Mulaney to Katie Holmes to Richard Kind, season 2 has an even more star-studded roster of guest actors than season 1.

Poker Face releases new episodes on Peacock every Thursday.

The second season of Poker Face follows the same episodic case-of-the-week format as the first, but this three-episode premiere also has its own serialized arc. In the first episode, Charlie is shown to be on the run from mafia hitmen. In the second one, Rhea Perlman’s mob boss Beatrix Hasp finally catches up to her. And in the third one, Beatrix forces Charlie to work for her. This triple whammy of wildly unpredictable crime stories has gotten Poker Face season 2 off to a terrific start, and I can’t wait to see where Charlie goes next.