Poker Face‘s second season is nearly here, but it’s also been more than two years since fans last checked in with Natasha Lyonne‘s Charlie Cale, the human lie-detector, last appearing in Season 1’s finale that aired on March 9, 2023.
While the dramedy is described as a mystery-of-the-week series, Season 1 did introduce a throughline plot that kicked off the show and continued into Season 1’s final moments, teeing up the next chapter. But fret not if you can’t remember the fine details because we’re breaking down everything you need to remember before tuning into the Peacock original for Season 2.
As viewers may recall, Season 1 opened with Charlie’s life in Nevada, where she worked as a casino waitress under manager Sterling Frost Jr. (Adrien Brody). When she becomes embroiled in the man’s blackmailing schemes that also connect to the killing of her close friend Natalie (Dascha Polanco), Charlie turns the tide on her manager, exposing his scheme to the would-be victim. In doing so, Charlie damages the casino’s reputation, leading Sterling Frost Jr. to kill himself, fearful of the retaliation he might face.
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Not long after the man’s jump from the casino’s window, Charlie receives a call from Sterling Frost Sr. (Ron Perlman), vowing to kill her for her involvement. Ultimately, she hits the road and lives on the run for more than a year as Frost’s security lead Cliff LeGrand (Benjamin Bratt) chases after her.
What Frost doesn’t know is that Cliff becomes fed up with the cat-and-mouse game to the extent of cutting a deal with mob boss Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman). In the end, Cliff devises a plot, after delivering Charlie to Frost, to frame her for his murder, leaving her to the police and allowing him to escape retaliation to work for Hasp.
The plan backfires, though, and Charlie exchanges incriminating evidence against Cliff to distract authorities away from her, allowing for her escape. Once she does get away, she reconnects with FBI agent Luca Clark (Simon Helberg), who reveals that Cliff turned on Beatrix and admitted he killed Frost in exchange for leniency with his sentencing.
As a result, Beatrix has gone into hiding, fearful of being held responsible for her role in the setup. In Season 1’s finale moments, though, Charlie receives a call from Beatrix who tries to cut her a deal, to employ the human lie-detector for her own use, but Charlie opts to hit the open road, meaning she’s likely still on the run from Beatrix as we gear up for Season 2.
Stay tuned to see how it will all unfold as Season 2 arrives on Peacock, and let us know what you hope to see from the mystery-of-the-week series as it returns.
Poker Face, Season 2 Premiere, Thursday, May 8, Peacock