WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Poker Face season 2, episode 3.
Poker Face season 2, episode 2, she finds herself in the middle of an FBI conspiracy in "Whack-a-Mole." Season 2, episode 3 marks the Poker Face debuts of John Mulaney, Richard Kind, and Chris Bauer, while also featuring the return of season 1 cast Rhea Perlman and Simon Helberg.
Throughout the third episode of Poker Face season 2, which received a perfect 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Charlie is being held hostage by Perlman's Beatrix Hasp, a member of the Five Families crime organization who first appeared in the Poker Face season 1 finale. Beatrix needs Charlie's lie-detecting skills to uncover a rat, or even a mole, in her ranks. Eventually, it's revealed that Beatrix's husband, Jeffrey, is working with Luca of the FBI and sets her up. Jeffrey, however, ends up getting accidentally shot and killed by Luca after Mulaney's Danny replaced one of Luca's blanks with an actual bullet.
Poker Face Season 2 Episode 3 Cast & Cameo Guide
Who Stars In "Whack-A-Mole"
Poker Face season 2, episode 3 features several new and returning series characters. Comedian John Mulaney, who recently appeared in a handful of episodes of the Emmy-winning series The Bear, s Poker Face as the FBI mole, Danny Clyde-Otis. Although Danny is an old friend of Luca's and works under Chris Bauer's (The Wire, True Blood) FBI Director Don Hooper, he has been quietly working for Beatrix for years. Ultimately, Jeffrey's blood is on Danny's hands, even though Luca pulled the trigger as part of a setup gone wrong.
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Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale: Lyonne's free-spirited Charlie Cale returns as the human lie-detector sleuth in Poker Face season 2, episode 3. Lyonne has starred in celebrated TV shows like Russian Doll and Orange is the New Black and has also appeared in notable films such as His Three Daughters and American Pie.
John Mulaney as Maverick / Danny Clyde-Otis: Mulaney is a stand-up comedian, TV host, screenwriter, and actor known for his roles in Big Mouth, Dickinson, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Mulaney was also a writer for Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013 and is currently the host of Netflix's late-night style variety show Everybody's Live.
Simon Helberg as Luca Clark: Helberg returns as FBI agent Luca Clark in Poker Face. He's best known for his roles in The Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins, and A Serious Man.
Rhea Perlman as Beatrix Hasp: Perlman returns after making a brief appearance at the end of Poker Face season 2, episode 2. She is best known for Cheers, Barbie, and Matilda.
Richard Kind as Jeffrey: Kind makes his Poker Face debut as the duplicitous Jeffrey. He's best known for his roles in Inside Out, Argo, and A Bug's Life. He's recently appeared in Mid-Century Modern, Night Court, and Only Murders in the Building.
Chris Bauer as Don Hooper: Bauer makes his Poker Face debut as an FBI Director. He's best known for his roles in The Wire, True Blood, and The Deuce. He's recently appeared in Thunderbolts*, Bosch: Legacy, and Fellow Travelers.
Why John Mulaney's Poker Face Character Was Working For Beatrix Hasp
Danny Offers Intel & Beatrix Pays Him Handsomely
John Mulaney's Danny, who is known to Beatrix under the codename "Maverick", works for Beatrix for large sums of money. Even though Danny seems nice enough on the surface, he's certainly a strange character considering his bizarre affinity for dairy products, as demonstrated when he drinks a full glass of half-and-half creamer at the FBI headquarters. It's also a funny play on the classic trope of villains drinking milk. Danny and Beatrix have no hidden personal relationship that maintains their loyalty. Instead, their allegiance is completely transactional: Danny offers intel, and Beatrix pays him handsomely.
How Luca Accidentally Killed Beatrix's Husband Jeffrey
Danny Sabotaged Luca By Replacing A Blank With A Real Bullet
Danny wasn't the only deceitful character in Poker Face season 2, episode 3. Similar to The Departed, where there were rats on both sides of the table, Jeffrey was working with Luca and had arranged for her to be detained by the FBI. The plan was for Jeffrey to panic and make a break for it once dozens of FBI agents arrived to arrest Beatrix, her henchmen, and presumably him as well. Luca would tell him to freeze, and Jeffrey wouldn't listen, so Luca would fire three shots from his gun filled with blanks while setting off squibs attached to Jeffrey's body.
Jeffrey's "fake" death was supposed to disarm Beatrix and make her easier to arrest without a fight. This plan backfires terribly as Beatrix sneaks up on Luca and nearly kills him after firing a blank at his head at close range. Beatrix then holds Charlie hostage in the plane that she was supposed to flee on.
Danny had imagined that Luca's misfire would stir up a commotion and distract the FBI long enough for Beatrix to get away.
Jeffrey would have still been alive had Danny not switched out one of Luca's blanks for a live round. Danny intentionally sabotaged Luca and the FBI's plan, knowing that it would cost Jeffrey his life. Jeffrey was the rat that Beatrix was looking for and could have blown Danny's cover. Danny had imagined that Luca's misfire would stir up a commotion and distract the FBI long enough for Beatrix to get away.
What Happens To Beatrix & Danny (Is Charlie Safe Now?)
Danny's Heading To Prison & Beatrix Is ing Witness Protection
After Beatrix gives up Danny as her mole in the FBI, Danny hops onto the plane and, shockingly, shoots Luca in the chest. It seems like he intentionally hit his old friend in his bulletproof vest to send a message that he could not talk his way out of this. After Danny ridiculously trips over his untied shoelaces, he and Luca scuffle before Charlie fires a round at the ironing board behind him, which hits Danny on the head and disarms him. Luca regains control of the situation, and Danny is arrested, likely to face a lengthy prison sentence.
Luca agrees to let Beatrix go since she (sort of) helped the FBI find its mole and agrees to testify against the other heads of the Five Families in court.
Danny tries to bribe Charlie with $125,000 to lie and say Luca was the mole, which Charlie rejects. Luca agrees to let Beatrix go since she (sort of) helped the FBI find its mole and agrees to testify against the other heads of the Five Families in court. This decision is also likely fueled by Luca's regret for actually killing Jeffrey, even though it wasn't his fault.
Luca's one condition is that Beatrix must cancel the hit on Charlie, which she had been fleeing from throughout the first three episodes of Poker Face season 2. With Beatrix off her back, Charlie looks to be free and clear for the remainder of the season, hitting the road without being on the run.
Poker Face
- Release Date
- January 26, 2023
- Network
- Peacock
- Directors
- Lucky McKee, Natasha Lyonne, Janicza Bravo, Ben Sinclair
Cast
Natasha LyonneCharlie Cale
Benjamin BrattCliff Legrand
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