Poker Face Season 1 Episode 10 Review: The Hook
Poker Face Season 1 concludes with the somewhat lackluster Poker Face Season 1 Episode 10, “The Hook.”
The episode returns to where Poker Face Season 1 Episode 1, “Dead Man’s Hand,” ends, showing viewers the year plus that Charlie was on the run from Cliff’s perspective.
Most importantly, it shows Cliff’s growing frustration with his task and his boss. After getting viewers caught up with Cliff, the episode picks up where Poker Face Season 1 Episode 9, “Escape From Shit Mountain,” leaves off immediately dashing Charlie’s hope that she is in the clear.
The beginning of “The Hook” makes viewers believe that it will focus on Charlie’s efforts to escape the wrath of her former boss. That is not what we get, though, and it’s where the episode starts to fall apart.
Rather than following through on his initial threats, Sterling wants to hire Charlie for a job. But, before she can do the job and put everything behind her, Cliff murders Sterling. As part of a plan with the head of a powerful crime syndicate to take Sterling down, he frames Charlie for the murder.
The twist feels anti-climactic after an entire season of building up Sterling as a threat. It’s not necessarily a bad twist. It’s actually an interesting one.
The problem is that the episode doesn’t replace the tension the season built around Sterling with something of equal weight.
On paper, Charlie being framed for the murder is a pretty precarious situation for her to be in.
However, despite her position, Sterling’s death lets the air out of the episode, and it never regains that feeling of danger. Somehow Cliff feels less dangerous than he did at the beginning of the episode.
Everything feels flat by the time we get to Charlie and Cliff’s big scene on the boat. Even the payoff of Cliff finally going down for Natalie’s murder isn’t nearly as satisfying as it should be.
All that said, there are still some highlights on “The Hook,” especially if we look at the episode as more of a transition to the next chapter than as a climactic finale.
The episode sets up a lot of intriguing things for Season 2. The introduction of the five families and Beatrix Hasp as the next looming threat facing Charlie is one of the best parts of the episode.
There isn’t much payoff on that development within the episode, but the anticipation of what’s to come is pretty great.
The thought of Rhea Perlman getting a dramatic debut next season as Hasp even makes up for only getting to hear her voice on “The Hook.”
Another highlight of the episode is the introduction of Clea DuVall as Charlie’s sister. As with the introduction of Hasp and the Five, the introduction of Emily is more set up than payoff. But it’s an exceptional setup.
The episode’s best scene is the conversation between Charlie and Emily about how she and her daughter don’t need Charlie in their lives. DuVall is brilliant. I look forward to seeing more of her next season and learning more about Charlie’s history through her.
There is so much rich ground to explore with Emily, especially if the repeated accusation that Charlie is ruinous foreshadows a theme for Season 2.
The other highlight is, as always, the cast. DuVall is one of those highlights, but so are Ron Perlman and Benjamin Bratt. Everyone has a standout scene. Those scenes alone aren’t enough to elevate the episode to the caliber we expect from Poker Face. They do, however, elevate the episode enough to keep it engaging.
It’s always disappointing when a show doesn’t stick the landing. It’s particularly disappointing when that show is as consistently excellent as Poker Face has been all season. Still, there is plenty of reason to be excited about Season 2, and “The Hook” lays the groundwork for much of it.
What did you think of this episode of Poker Face? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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All ten episodes of Poker Face Season 1 are available to stream on Peacock
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.