[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Poker Face Season 2, Episode 3, “Whack-A-Mole.”]

Poker Face seemingly wrapped up Season 1’s big mobster arc in Season 2’s third installment, “Whack-A-Mole,” as Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) was kidnapped by boss Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman).

Used by Beatrix to try and sniff out a mole with her human lie detector skills, Charlie tried to uncover who was responsible for leaking details about Beatrix’s attempt to evade capture from authorities. Ultimately, the man responsible was her own loving husband, Jeffrey (Richard Kind), who wanted out of a life on the run.

He served as an informant to Luca Clark (Simon Helberg), who promised to help Jeffrey get out of trouble if he turned on Beatrix and her crew. Meanwhile, Luca’s colleague, Daniel Clyde Otis (John Mulaney), was working with Beatrix to supply her with information, unaware that Jeffrey had flipped.

When Beatrix attempted a getaway at an airport, Daniel loaded real bullets into Luca’s gun, which had mostly blanks to fake a shooting (with the help of a squib-laden shirt) that would make it seem like Jeffrey got caught in the crosshairs and died. The real bullets had a deadly impact on Jeffrey, unbeknownst to Luca, but Daniel’s attempt to cover up his own involvement by having Jeffrey killed didn’t save him from being found out by Charlie.

Beatrix managed to cut a deal for flipping on Daniel, who paid the biggest price for his crimes as a dirty FBI agent. Below, Kind opens up about guest starring with old friends, playing dead, and advice to other stars who might consider stepping into the Poker Face world.

How did this guest role on Poker Face come about? 

Richard Kind: Well, my agent [called], and I said, “Are they going to give me money to do it?” And they said, “Yes, they will.” So I said, “Yes, I would like to do it.” I’m thrilled to be on the show. I love Natasha. I’ve known her for years. The character was great. Rhea and I did my first Broadway show years ago, and she played my wife. So to have her play my wife again was a thrill. I love her. And I knew Simon Helberg, so it was good. Poker Face is a terrific program. Wouldn’t you want to do it?

This episode also features your real-life friend John Mulaney. Was that intentional, considering your Everybody’s in LA connection?

That was a mere happy coincidence. I think they looked for a character that looked like John Mulaney, and they got John Mulaney. And they looked for a character that [looked like] Richard Kind, and I took it, and we just happened to be on set together. It had nothing to do with the great good fortune that I have of working with him every week. I think if it did have something to do with it, I would’ve had a lot more scenes with him.

Was all of the background information for your character in the script, or did you have any extra discussions about finding the character behind the scenes?

It’s all on the page. These writers are so good at constructing an interesting story, an interesting history, and interesting characters, which is what draws such great people to the show. If it’s in the writing, why not? It’s all there. It was all I knew, everything I had to do from the first scene… You see where his interests are, and you see where his worries are. They’re all informed by the script.

Jeffrey is a fairly well-defined character with his affinity for culinary pursuits and love for his wife. Was there an aspect to him that you were most excited to play up onscreen?

I think what I really liked was the guy had an innocent obliviousness to all of the horrors that were going on around him, and to try and justify that that’s what it was, and yet that was the catalyst for why he wants out. I think that’s an interesting contraposition. Hating the horror and the crime and knowing it and trying to be oblivious to it and then realizing it’s impossible.

Ralph Bavaro / PEACOCK

How was filming on the tarmac at the airport?

It was a blast, because a lot of people were there that I knew — Simon, Chris Bauer, John Mulaney, Rhea. It was fantastic. So it was a bunch of, they would yell cut, then we would all get together and start talking and laughing. It was fun because I got to do a stunt, which I liked doing, and he got killed. I don’t get killed every day. So playing pretend was a blast.

Is playing a dead body all it’s cracked up to be?

I don’t like it. I’m much better at talking. You can’t breathe properly. You want to inhale a lot of times, and you can’t. And also, I get the giggles, and I want to laugh when I’m playing dead, and you can’t move. So that’s what it is. But I can also go to sleep. I can sleep anywhere. So when I had my eyes closed, that was fun. But I was also on the ground. I remember the ground being very uncomfortable. It was really hard. I remember my neck and my head were not comfortable.

Does Jeffrey really love Beatrix? He ultimately is selling her out to save himself from a life on the run.

Absolutely. It’s part of the fun of acting, and if you ever wonder why some actors meet on set and then fall in love… It’s a very dangerous thing. I will tell any actor, if you’re supposed to fall in love or you’re supposed to be a couple while you’re working, do not go out while you are working, because you are blinded by the characters that you invest in. So, wait a month after you finish, get your bearings, and then meet the person whom you’re really meeting, and it will be much different.

The reason I ask is that when Beatrix discovers Jeffrey is dead, she’s upset, but then she starts planning her escape.

I believe that she is heartbroken when I die. I truly do, and I do not want to leave her. But self-preservation forces me to. But I believe that he truly loves her.

What advice would you give to actors who are offered guest roles on Poker Face and aren’t sure if they should sign on?

Do it because it’s a wonderful, terrifically written show. At the top are Rian Johnson and Natasha. You don’t get any better than the two of them. Natasha’s a wonderful actress, a wonderful person, hilarious, and really good at keeping things going. And Rian Johnson has established himself as one of the greats working today. And all of the checks clear. That’s really good. When you put them in the bank, they remain in the bank. It’s great.

Poker Face, Season 2, Thursdays, Peacock