Poker Face Season 2, Episode 11
"Day of the Iguana"
Writer: Andrew Sodroski
Director: Ti West
Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Justin Theroux, Lili Taylor, Patti Harrison, Haley Joel Osment, Taylor Schilling, Simon Helberg, Rhea Perlman
In my opinion, this was a mostly mediocre episode of Poker Face that had a strong ending. My prediction that we'd be starting a season-ending arc was correct, though I was not expecting the return of the FBI, the Five Families, and Beatrix Hasp. For much of the runtime, "Day of the Iguana" felt like it was harking back on things I thought we'd already settled all mixed in with a case that didn't seem super intriguing on the front end. But as the pieces clicked into place, especially in the final act, it became clear that we were re-entering the larger mythology of Charlie's road trip.
The episode begins with Todd (Justin Theroux) getting ready for a wedding, struggling to tie a bow tie. A driver arrives to pick him up and help him with his outfit. The driver adjusts Todd's tie but then he suddenly chokes him out with it, in sync with a video tutorial warning not to tie it "too tight… unless that's what you're into." I'd take a lot more of the winking YouTube tutorial video guy this episode but that's all we get. The "driver" stuffs Todd into a body bag that instantly decomposes him. Then he steals his identity, becoming a look alike of Todd via some prosthetics which include a fake eye contact lens.
Fake Todd arrives at the wedding and makes nice with Alex, all in an effort to set her up as the eventual patsy for the murder he's about to commit. Todd realizes that Luca (the FBI agent who Charlie has helped several times) is there and wants no part of a job that either failed to realize there would be federal agents at the wedding or misled Todd into a dangerous job. The voice on the phone agrees to offer him hazard pay, doubling his fee. The assassin goes through with the plan, offing Kirby, the groom, via an injectable and stabbing him in the eye with an oyster knife. He then injects Alex and frames her by putting her in the boat with Kirby. The bride screams as she sees her dead husband and Alex wakes up, pleading her innocence.
Charlie's connection to the episode seems more obvious than ever when Alex hires her to work for Yippee Ki-Yay Oyster Shucker (a GREAT name), her side business. She'll make a quick $7K for the night and Charlie quickly agrees to help out, silly costume and all. Charlie runs into Fake Todd while she's serving oysters and calls out that he told a lie about how he lost his eye, but that's about all we get from the two this episode. She does later see him walking a drugged Kirby to the boathouse, but she doesn't actually see that it's him.
Charlie's story this episode is more wrapped up in her reunion with Luca. The federal agent has major imposter syndrome considering most of his promotions at work have been because of Charlie's work. It's revealed that he's at the wedding to live stream it for Beatrix. Kirby is her son, but she hasn't seen him since birth. While Kirby is put off by this, Charlie tells him what an honor it is that she loves him enough to stay far away from him. Everyone else in her life is dead, framed, or in jail. It's actually kind of sweet but only by the end of the episode do I realize how important this moment is. In retrospect, it will serve as why Charlie might be so bent on saving Beatrix. She seems to care for the old lady.
Meanwhile, cue the events of the murder and Charlie sees Alex cry out that she didn't do it. Her bullshit detector doesn't ping — she knows Alex is telling the truth. Charlie tries to tell Luca that Alex didn't do it and he believes her. He knows, however, that he can't keep Alex safe and forgets that Charlie can tell when anybody is lying. She runs away, re-connects with Alex, and the two get a boat out of the wedding venue. Likely one of the better runaway gags I've seen is Charlie and Alex canoeing away from the resort while Luca tries to chase them down on the dock. A+ stuff.
Charlie tells Alex they'll find a way out of it. She eventually realizes the best plan is to go find Beatrix. The woman will care more about finding her son's killer than she will killing Alex. After some internet sleuthing, they find a flyer and an address for Greenville, Indiana. Away we go.
Meanwhile, Luca has a realization of his own: The Five Families are chattering together about one word: Iguana. This is the codename for the most famous hitman of all time. He always gets his kill and never leaves a trace. Luca quickly realizes that Kirby wasn't the target, Beatrix is. And now Charlie is leading Iguana right to her. Uh-oh.
I said a few weeks ago that great episodes have three things: great performances, good jokes, and a great murder plot. I would say that this episode did the first two well and the last one left a lot to be desired up until the very end reveal of the episode. To be honest, the bulk of the murder mystery just didn't feel that gripping and it didn't feel like a puzzle to be solved. The assassin plot had some intrigue but it lacked the emotional or character stakes that usually keep these cases engaging. We don't really care about Kirby, and Alex was a strange choice to be the pawn in the situation (though it makes sense knowing that Charlie needs to defend her next week).
The most interesting piece is going to be trying to figure out if we're supposed to have met The Iguana before or if it will be a surprise guest star. The only real guess I have at the moment (and it's likely a long shot) is that it could be Good Buddy (a.k.a. Steve Buscemi). Either way, we're left with just one more pit stop on Charlie Cale's journey and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.
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