Poker Face Season 2 Episode 11 Review: Day of the Iguana

Poker Face Season 2 Episode 11, “Day of the Iguana,” artfully combines elements from the overarching narrative to create a thrilling penultimate outing. While there are fun comedic beats, the episode really leans into the thriller genre, throwing Charlie headfirst into a high-stakes, frightening adventure featuring her most powerful foe yet. 

Day of the Iguana

The back half of the season has been swinging for the fences on the creative front, and, in this reviewer’s humble opinion, has been largely successful. Despite the episodic nature of this series, it would be pretty easy to fall into a mindless routine as far as the formula is concerned.

However, the creatives are always freshening up the format, consistently offering something new to keep Charlie on her toes. 

Patti Harrison’s Alex is a boon for the series. Having a real friend for Charlie keeps her tethered to her humanity. Harrison and Natasha Lyonne also boast natural chemistry and delightful repartee. Of course, as a viewer, there’s a feeling of unease as we barrel full-steam ahead toward the finale. Iguana has made Alex the scapegoat in Kirby’s murder, and with the five families all keen on taking her out, she might not be long for this world (here’s hoping I’m wrong). 

“Day of the Iguana” also subverts the show’s status quo by having the murder happen at the top of the episode. For the most part, the series allows us to get to know the victim — at least a bit — before they bite it.

Not only that, but we don’t see the killer’s face; instead, Iguana transforms into the victim. So, like Charlie, we truly don’t know the identity of the killer. Additionally, he’s dubbed by the FBI as the deadliest assassin in the world. What a fun twist.

A Professional Meets Poker Face

Iguana’s skill set and ability to seamlessly move through this world undetected make him a formidable threat to Charlie. Justin Theroux is charming enough to woo Alex and bait her as the patsy, possesses the comedic chops to bust out something like that Columbo impression, and is imposing enough to play a killer. That contact lens gag throughout is certainly worthy of a laugh or two.

Beyond that, “Day of the Iguana” brings back old favorites like Luca and Beatrix Hasp, and cleverly incorporates multiple Season 2 plotlines to deliver a wholly entertaining, well-paced, well-structured, and action-packed story. So much is in the air right now, from Alex’s fate to the mafia inclusion to Iguana’s identity and Beatrix’s involvement.

It’ll be interesting to see how it all culminates in the season finale, and how the Powers That Be wrap up these story threads, especially given that cliffhanger. Fingers crossed that Good Buddy doesn’t turn out to be a baddie (Plot twist: Iguana is actually Todd’s identical twin!). 

Stray Observations: 

• Yippie-Ki-Yay Oystershucker is the perfect name for an oyster shucking business that caters to weddings. 
• I love the mini Orange Is the New Black reunion with Natasha Lyonne and Taylor Schilling. I’m assuming their characters will meet on next week’s season finale. 
• The remark about the Barracuda being on its last legs feels like it might be important down the line. 
• I’d follow Beatrix Hasp’s finsta. Gimme all the photos of baked goods!
• Oh, and one more thing: Justin Theroux’s Columbo impression is pretty damn impressive. 
• I’m now terrified at the possibility of vacuum-sealed bags that can liquify you and turn you into human stew. Utterly terrified.

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Poker Face drops new episodes every Thursday on Peacock. 

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