Rian Johnson Recruited A Modern Master Of Horror For Poker Face
This article contains spoilers for "Poker Face" episode 5.
Rian Johnson's new Peacock series, "Poker Face," is a total blast with unique murder mysteries that wrap up before the end of each episode — much like "Murder, She Wrote" or "Columbo," but with Natasha Lyonne working her own brand of mystery-solving magic. Each episode has a slightly different vibe to it, and while Johnson directed a couple of the episodes, he also brought in some talented folks to take on helming duties. Episode 5, "Time of the Monkey," finds our hero Charlie Cale (Lyonne) working at a nursing home while she's on the run from some seriously sinister criminals and the cops due to the events of the pilot, and it's a 1970s-flavored dark delight courtesy of horror director Lucky McKee.
The tone of "Poker Face" is pretty radically different from Johnson's other murder mystery fare; it's much funnier and lighter than "Brick," but it's not nearly as satirical as "Knives Out" or "Glass Onion." There's a bit of a tonal tightrope walk between the dark humor and the horror of the murders themselves, and who better to deliver that kind of fear-filled fun than the guy who wrote and directed "May," a bonafide contemporary horror classic? (Seriously, if you've never seen "May" and you like horror at all, make sure you change that ASAP.)
McKee is a true master of horror — he even directed an episode of Mick Garris' "Masters of Horror" anthology series – and having his genre-inspired touch made "Time of the Monkey" the best episode of "Poker Face" yet.
A king of directing killer women
"Time of the Monkey" features two of the most sinister villains the series has seen so far: Joyce Harris (S. Epatha Merkerson) and Irene Smothers (Judith Light), a pair of fiercely funny felons who grow cannabis in their closet and seem like the coolest old ladies on the planet until you find out that they tried to kill some prep school kids with homemade crockpot bombs. Joyce and Irene give Charlie a real run for her money, almost managing to kill her after a lengthy battle, and they manage to kill two people before eventually getting caught. They're both terrifying and surprisingly likable, which is something of McKee's specialty.
McKee's first feature, "May," stars Angela Bettis as May, a socially awkward outcast who has a tough time making friends and fetishizes people's body parts. Bettis's performance is incredible, but McKee's script and direction depict her sympathetically even when she's monstrous, making her a truly compelling character in spite of her horrific actions. Most of his movies feature some kind of wicked woman — whether it's Pollyanna McIntosh as the titular character in the grotesque and gory "The Woman" or the spellcasting sisterhood at the center of "All Cheerleaders Die" — and McKee knows how to make even the most malicious woman into a fully-formed and fleshed-out character, which rules! There are loads of shows and movies about male antiheroes and sympathetic villains, so seeing more ladies get their shot at being baddies is always a treat.
Charismatic killers to challenge Charlie
"Time of the Monkey" opens with vintage, 1970s-style credits, and the flower-power sunglasses never come off. It's a great throwback that never feels forced, with some timeless tunes, cinematography that hearkens back to the heyday of the series' biggest influence, "Columbo," and lots of great little visual treats that help remind the audience that for Joyce and Irene, the 1970s never really ended.
Charlie is initially drawn to their retro rebellion, and it's hard not to be. Joyce and Irene are badass old lady goals, except for the whole murder/attempted terrorism part, obviously. Merkerson and Light are both serialized procedural pros, as Merkerson starred on "Law & Order" for years, while Light had a recurring role on "Law & Order: SVU," but this time they get to play villains instead of the side of law and order. It's clear that they're having a blast getting to be the baddies for once, and McKee's direction gives them the perfect playground to go big and bold in.
In an interview with Variety, "Poker Face" co-showrunner Nora Zuckerman explained that it's important for Charlie and the audience to like Joyce and Irene at first, which makes McKee's special cinematic skills that much more vital:
"You want her to be friends with these cool women and be ride or die with them — and instead they break her heart. And it's really hard for her."
McKee is incredible at making audiences sympathize (or at least empathize) with monstrous ladies, and "Poker Face" is just the latest and greatest example of his talents. Hopefully Johnson brings him back in a future season, and maybe invites some other indie horror greats to give Charlie (and the rest of us) a fun fright.
New episodes of "Poker Face" debut Thursdays on Peacock.